the stainful and the stainless

[Heikki Raudaskoski]

My woman and me, we pondered last night (when attending a gig
by the Hellacopters and Flaming Sideburns - I don't want to
reveal whom I dug more because you would think that I have a
nationalist bias):

Who  have  the  Stain?

The house band of the contaminated GR (and arguably the double
agent Hell), Stones, have, sure, as has Marianne Faithfull. The
Beatles haven't. It was just their stainlessness that enabled
them to be so versatile, appropriating (and creating) so many
genres so wonderfully (sorry, James K).

Needless to say, the Velvets and Nico have. Zappa and Beefheart
don't.

Sex Pistols have the stain. Clash haven't.

Iggy has, Bowie hasn't. Neither do Dylan nor Hnedrix, two Messiahs.
Janis has.

I awoke to realize that, finally, Tom Waits DOES NOT have the
Stain - I love his songs immensely, but he remains a Hobo Saint.


Heikki

P.S. Pynchon has, Nabokov hasn't.