Neil Young named the two “genius” 1980s guitarists who killed rock: “It’s, like, gone”The dream of counterculture couldn’t last forever. While many tried to re-engage with music, namely David Bowie, who led trends through uncertain territories, most, like Neil Young, launched unflinching attacks. “There was real rock and roll, and then that other music your parents listened to. It’s like rock and roll now is the music that our parents listened to. There was a stale conservatism to what Young was seeing at that time, completely contradictory to the vital attitude of what rock and roll was in the ‘70s.