Character Rock
Located in 1 route
Music performed entirely in-character as a fictional persona or band, the invented identity central to the act. Vocals, costumes, backstory, and song subjects all serve the character. The sound ranges from ska to metal to comedy-rap, but the through-line is total commitment to a comic alter ego over the artists' real selves.
History
Anticipated by the Archies' 1969 bubblegum cartoon hit, the form crystallized with Spinal Tap's fictional metal band in 1984 and flourished in the TV and internet age. The Aquabats' superhero ska, Gorillaz's animated lineup, Flight of the Conchords' HBO duo, Dethklok's Metalocalypse death metal, and the Lonely Island's persona-driven Digital Shorts turned fully fictional acts into mainstream comedic and commercial successes.
Defining artists
Essential listening
Sources
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Lonely_Island
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Super_Rad!
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/This_Is_Spinal_Tap_(soundtrack)
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Dethalbum