Are Band Members Consumable Goods?

Is one drummer (or singer, guitar player, etc.) as good as any other, or are some musicians so special, they just can't be replaced. Bob Lefsetz thinks the latter, and I agree in some cases. Maybe you can replace the bass player in Bon Jovi, but nobody has ever really replaced John Bonham.

'Flying High Again'
Posted: November 19, 2009
Conventional wisdom is musicians are fungible. If one dies or quits, you just get another. But players are not like cars, which you crash and then replace, they're not like workers on an assembly line, in the best cases they're unique, which is why we love them so, which is why their legends live on long past their deaths, which is why when bands pick up and go on without them, they're oftentimes missing a crucial element.

See the rest of Lefsetz' article here:

http://encore.celebrityaccess.com/index.php?encoreId=223&articleId=33157