As I'm sure everyone is aware,it is exactly 17 years since the news broke out of Cobain's suicide. One question: Is he the last great rock icon? I think so.

so that would make Francis Bean 18 this year. WOW!!! Is she named after (Frank)Black Francis? Guess he wasn't as big a fan of Kim as he was Frank. Kim would have been a cool name.

Cobain was probably the last world-famous, fully recognised and respected true rock star, yes.

I'd say that Josh Homme and Jack White are the 00's greatest contenders, but they both fall a tad short of Kurt.

Actually, perhaps Dave Grohl took the baton and ran with it post-Nirvana. He cut out a lot of the bloated rock'n'roll excess though, so I don't know if he can be counted in the same way?

Jack White and the Gallaghers are close.

I'm not sure how many people know who Josh Homme is out of his particular sphere. I didn't know who he was.

The Gallaghers count in the UK but not in the US. Jack White perhaps, but rock just wasn't that popular in the 00s. Mainstream in the 00s is all about hip hop and easy listening pop with autotuners.

We haven't said Thom Yorke yet? Of course, that might just be our sphere too...

I don't think Thom Yorke is as well known as jack White or the Gallaghers. However, U2 is still pretty popular today, but they were around before Cobain.

Thom Yorke is without doubt a rock-icon, maybe even more important than Cobain. But he's one with limited fame. Also, most acts already mentioned have little appeal to female music fans. If you'd ask my relatives (very casually interested in music), you wouldn't get far by mentioning Thom Yorke, Jack White or Josh Homme. They know who Eminem or Amy Winehouse are, though. IMO the two artists of our time that generated most headlines, also outside the music community.

Calling Britney, Kanye, Eminem or Amy a rock star would be like calling Michael Jordan a baseball star.

Kanye is a marketing genius, and a rapping competent.

Radiohead is an icon as a whole, but Thom Yorke doesn't have name recognition outside the critical/indie sphere.

Bono is an icon.

I don't know about Amy Winehouse, since most of her fame is for her drug addiction, and she only had one mainstream hit. Being a scandal icon is different from being a music icon.

nuuun... IF we still were in pre-African Child/Arthur era, i'd easily nom Aldous Snow by the blink of a caterpillar's lichen