Times it is okay, and not okay, to use the term “Rock Star” to describe someone:
“Sarah, you were a rock star at organizing that spaghetti-feed!” Not okay. If you are involved with a spaghetti feed, you have ceased to be a star of rock.
DOES ANYBODY REMEMBER COLLATIIIIIING??!!
“You got that paperwork done, sorted and filed already? You’re such a rock star!” Not okay. It’s subtle difference, but notice how one is monotonous, tedious, and very rarely results in sexual encounters with multiple strangers.
“You played that concert like a rock star!” Acceptable! Notice the logic. *Note: unless a flute is involved. Yes, I’m including Jethro Tull in that. Especially Jethro Tull.
“Oh, I’m a rock star at parallel parking.” Depends. Does this end with needing to purchase a new vehicle?
“People tell me I’m kind of the rock star of shipping and receiving.” Unacceptable, unless you have a pony tail and people are making fun of you when they say it.
“You got swindled of all your money like a rock star!” Acceptable!
“Tattooed love boys! I tore my neeaaAAAAHH MY GOD THAT WAS A BAD ONE! HOOOOO! No, keep playing, I’ll deliver right here!”
“I was a rock star at giving birth.” Hm. Not… not really a frame of reference for this one. I suppose, technically that’s true, unless there’s a totally off-the-hook Pretenders concert I don’t know about.
“You found my keys? Oh, thank you; you’re a rock star!” Unacceptable. Yes, we all know that Keith Richards is famous for his ability to find keys, but he’s the exception, people.
“You said something idiotic to a borderline plagiarized tune and are now proclaiming yourself a genius? You’re such a rock star!” Acceptable!
“Look at this hotel room! You, my friend, are a rock star.” Potentially. I’m guessing you’re so happy because the room is tidy. That or you’re expressing your horror at the trashed room in a manner that would leave a lot to tone and cadence. We’ll go with a case-by-case on this one.
And, you know what? I think that’s about it. There might be a few positives I’ve missed, and a LOT of examples of the negative I’m forgetting, but let’s go with “Unacceptable” for pretty much everything else.
The Byronic Man 
April 4, 2013 at 3:55 am
Well done. You wrote that post like a boss.
April 4, 2013 at 11:24 am
But did I write it like THE boss?
April 4, 2013 at 11:49 am
No, then that would be like a rock star. Pay attention!
April 4, 2013 at 4:19 am
You DID forget one other acceptable example: http://25tofly.com/2013/04/03/time-to-rsvp-for-blogger-summit-2013/#comment-11170
April 4, 2013 at 7:47 am
er…yeah.
April 4, 2013 at 11:27 am
As impressive and fantastic as her efforts are, and as clever and kind as your comment is, I just can’t let this one in. As soon as I hear about Jack White’s Blogger Get-together Social Event, I will let you know…
April 4, 2013 at 5:14 am
Hey can I call myself a Rockstar if i serve tea to anyone and everyone who comes to my house at anytime they want…cos i might have been growing something in that extra room and now serve it calling it special Tea from Japan!!
You are an expert pls guide me.
And you do Blog like a Rockstar 🙂
April 4, 2013 at 11:28 am
Only if the tea is served with sugar, honey and/or ginger in crystalized (Thus “rock”) form, and – AND – you become known among your friends for it (therefore a “star”).
April 4, 2013 at 5:20 am
Do I count as a rock star because every morning, I sing to my kids: “Does anyone remember how to sleep?!” then pass out in my bowl of oatmeal? (I’m a bit sleep deprived lately due to my daughter’s nightmares, so if this comment makes no sense, that is why)
April 4, 2013 at 4:27 pm
You were THIS CLOSE, but I don’t think oatmeal is big in the rock star set. But the passing out in your breakfast is good.
April 4, 2013 at 5:53 am
I read this while Matt Lauer interviewed 98 Degrees on the Today show as if they were rock stars.
April 4, 2013 at 6:41 am
It’s weird that “You’re such a pre-fabricated pop star!” never caught on as a compliment.
April 4, 2013 at 6:53 am
Amen to Jethro Tull! I’ll never forgive them for winning the first ever Heavy Metal Grammy over Metallica. Sure it’s not their fault, but they could’ve said, “Thanks to the voters but, I’m sorry, there’s no bloody way we deserve this.”
I’d also like to add Men at Work with their flute work, too.
April 4, 2013 at 7:49 am
I’m afraid I have to lodge a protest on the Jethro Tull dissing. Back in the day (take it from somebody over 50) everybody THOUGHT that you could do rock star flute. That was before the Ron Burgandy parody.
April 4, 2013 at 1:00 pm
This JTull thing got me thinking… Can we start using “ProgRockstar?”
April 4, 2013 at 2:05 pm
I like the idea of really specific “rock star” compliments. “Dude, you packed that suitcase like a post-grunge, indie-thrash star!”
April 4, 2013 at 4:28 pm
Even when Men At Work was rock stars they weren’t rock stars – it was part of their appeal.
April 4, 2013 at 7:21 am
I thought anyone who was a “Byromaniac” was a Rock Star. It is a Rock Star kind of name don’t you think.
April 4, 2013 at 11:30 am
It’s true I think of the song “Pyromania” every time I see it. But if all the readers are rock stars, what does that make the writer? Am I the audience? THIS IS LIKE “INCEPTION”!
April 4, 2013 at 7:22 am
I don’t know about the parallel parking scenario, but my friend tells me I get rock star parking whenever we find a spot right in front of the store entrance.
Acceptable / Unacceptable?
April 4, 2013 at 8:15 am
I believe that is called “princess parking” …um..in some circles.
April 4, 2013 at 9:10 am
Princess parking! I’m going to use that from now on. Don’t princesses trump rock stars anyway?
April 4, 2013 at 11:30 am
As great as that is, it’s only acceptable if the parking space says “Reserved for Bono.”
April 4, 2013 at 7:49 am
What the hell is a spaghetti feed? I need to get out more.
April 4, 2013 at 11:31 am
It’s usually a fund-raiser dinner of some kind. You pay your $5, and get a mound of over-cooked pasta.
April 4, 2013 at 8:29 am
Where do you come up with these ideas? Did you used to write for Seinfeld? 😉
April 4, 2013 at 8:33 am
The only time I use the term “rock star” is when my three year old son is playing air guitar in his car seat. He loves shaking his long locks to “Gold on the Ceiling” by the Black Keys.
April 4, 2013 at 8:45 am
I feel like around here where I live we have kinda phased out the phrase “you are a rockstar.” Great post though!
April 4, 2013 at 4:29 pm
It has to be on its last legs. I mean, it just has to. That’s encouraging to hear.
April 4, 2013 at 9:20 am
But I just love those cheesy American (with apologies for being a Brit) films where a bunch of High School kids meet aliens and save the universe through the power of Rock and Roll, or Buck Rogers in the 25th Century getting heavy with a crappy futuristic guitar and a silly hair-do. If he can be a rock star I think I should be allowed to call my mum a rock star when she figures out how to use the internet!
April 4, 2013 at 1:27 pm
If your Brit mum figured out how to use the internet, she IS a rock star. There’s something about the older generation of British women that won’t let them figure it out. I’d like to see the Queen Google her grandson’s outlandish behaviour (<— yep, I'm a Yank and I just wrote it like that). Just sayin'….
April 4, 2013 at 12:38 pm
I’m kind of a rock star at leaving blog comments.
April 4, 2013 at 1:25 pm
I disagree, Byronic. I think that I am a rock star at just about everything (except making friends, for some weird reason), which would make it more a matter of person than situation. You are a rock star at blogging… clearly. This is not open to debate. At all. Rock Star says so.
April 4, 2013 at 2:59 pm
I agree with UndercoverL. She’s a total Rock Star. As am I. Basically, super cool chicks like us are automatically granted Rock Star Status upon birth.
April 4, 2013 at 4:42 pm
I’m with you on this. I have never heard anyone described as a “rock star” for doing mundane things (in the UK), so would be keen to stamp out this unfortunate phrase.
“You fell out with your fellow band members due to your heroin addiction like a rock star” works.
“You mowed the lawn like a rock star” does not – although Keith Moon did buy a ride on mower in his pomp and it ended up in his pond.
On another note, what is the most mundane thing anyone has done, yet still earned the compliment “you did that like a rock star”…?
April 4, 2013 at 4:56 pm
I used to make my roadies take out all the uppers and downers which weren’t brown, then I found out that almost none of the fun meds were brown, so…
April 4, 2013 at 9:28 pm
Reblogged this on Raudal de Ficciones.
April 5, 2013 at 5:00 pm
Thank you for bringing some extra laughter into my evening. Total rock star material!
April 6, 2013 at 12:16 pm
“You sir, are a rock star.”
From the head of the university Geology Dept. to a new professor who just got the Dept. a large and lucrative government grant with no oversight or declared objectives.
Acceptable or Unacceptable?