Popular Music Abandons Everyone Over Forty
by Kurt SchlichterThose damn kids today and their strange and frightening music raise an important question for me: When did I become my dad?
Back in the eighties – when popular music reached its pinnacle of achievement - I would be home from college, in my room, cranking cool tunes and my father would get home from work, peer in, scrunch up his face and ask how I could listen to that infernal racket. The answer, of course, was that I had (and still have, dammit) really awesome taste in music.
–
I actually pitied my Dad for being unable to appreciate the Midwestern-inflected post-punk glory of The Replacements, or the sonic frenzy of their Minneapolis brothers-in-noise Husker Du, or the soaring, roaring guitar heroics of The Clash. I don’t know what music he actually liked. There were some LPs lying around the house – kids, you can ask your parents what those are – but they were things like the Kingston Trio and the Sound of Music soundtrack. This last one was a particular sore point for me since my mom got the idea to name me Kurt, which is the German equivalent of Melvin, from the little Von Trapp twerp who sang “Fa.”
And now I find myself in a similar position to where Dad found himself a quarter century ago – hating, well, pretty much everything in the world of popular music and having it hate me right back. Like my Dad, popular culture wrote me off well before I hit 40. There is, however, an important difference between Dad and me, as well as between the younger generation and me. My Dad was, and young people are, completely and utterly wrong about music, and I am unequivocally right.
Let’s review some of the popular music of today. A group called the Black-Eyed Peas is kind of popular. The woman in the group is named Fergie and she looks like she could take me in a cage match. Their music is a kind of dance-chant mish-mash of various musical styles – all bad – combined with a visual sense that makes me wonder “Do you people look like that on purpose?” I have no clue what the hell they are singing about. I’m just pretty sure it’s not particle physics.
There are a whole bunch of rappers out there. I know some of their names: Jay-Z, 50 Cent and Flo Rida, who is apparently unaffiliated with the State of Florida. They’re all badass gang-bangers. Just ask them. Oh, and they also sing, which seems to be an afterthought.
There is someone named Lady Ga Ga. She looks and dresses like a she-male George Jetson, which I mean in the kindest possible way. She sings a song called Poker Face that does not seem to be about Texas Hold ‘Em, or anything else that I can discern. It’s a really bad song. After I pointed out that even I wouldn’t inflict it on a Guantanamo inmate, one of her fans countered that her hit “is really catchy.” Yeah – so’s herpes, and I don’t want anything to do with that either.
Let’s be clear – I do not hate popular culture. I like it. I grew up marinating in it, and I even paid for a car using my experience to write TV trivia questions and jokes for that old pre-Internet computerized quiz game they used to have in bars back in the 90’s. And when we would assemble the right wing newspaper at UC San Diego, I would play The Ramones really loud to annoy both the sullen Trotskyites lurking about as well as the dorky conservatives who thought you couldn’t be down with Reagan unless you wore a suit and tie to class. Hell, most mornings in college I was lucky to just find my pants.
And I do like some recent good popular songs – Mr. Brightside by The Killers thoroughly and completely rocks, and U2 rose above their morass of suck with Beautiful Day. And… well, I guess that’s about it. That’s all the music I like since 2000.
It’s not just music that wrote me off at 40. I also hate the movies hip young people seem to adore. Remember how everyone loved Superbad? Not me. I like my comedies funny. And remember how everyone thought Lost In Translation was so profoundly moving? Well, I like my dramas unfunny – though it gets props for including the Jesus and Mary Chain’s Just Like Honey on the soundtrack.
Perhaps it’s just time to accept that at age 44, ones’ views and opinions have absolutely no value or resonance within popular culture, despite their manifest correctness. But I’m not going to do that. I’m going to keep pointing out to misguided young people that everything they hold dear is wrong. Because I’ve earned that right. Because I’m older. Because I am my Dad.
And now I have to go turn the hose on some kids who are playing on my lawn.
Email this to a friend | Print |
Share on Facebook
| Tweet this
| 
Follow Us on Twitter
Subscribe via RSS
Tips & Feedback
252 Comments
Do not dis The Kingston Trio you've apparently never heard Zombie Jamboree…good times
make that "Trio…you've"
I'm still trying to figure out why people liked Lost in Translation so much and I've lived in Tokyo.
"And now I have to go turn the hose on some kids who are playing on my lawn." well, at 47, i have tried to stay in the game. i use a bada** super soaker to chase off the kids on my lawn. better percentages of a direct hit.
It is an absolutely verifiable scientific fact that, after 1990, all popular culture turned to crap. Need proof? "Ghostbusters"? Pure Genius. "Ghostbusters 2"? Almost unwatchable. Same with "The Blues Brothers" versus "Blues Brothers 2000", or whatever that cinematic atrocity was called.
I didn't realize how bad it was until, due to circumstances beyond my control, I was compelled to listen to current popular music for a week. What the HELL was that garbage coming from my radio? Britney Spears was croaking out some tune, sounding like she was making a fist with her larynx. As for the "male" performers, they all seem to be doing what I call "The Funky Robot", warbling through some kind of electronic voicebox to conceal their lack of talent. I was angry at my eardrums after about 5 minutes of it. It isn't that I don't appreciate ugly sounds ("Let's Have A War" by Fear was one of my favorite tunes in college), but only when it is intentional. I don't think current pop stars can tell the difference.
This ain't no party, this ain't no disco, this ain't no foolin' around!
OK heres my theory and it might be a dark one but stay with me. The reason why there are no great bands is because nobody killed themselves. Think about it the only reason Nirvana ranks higher than Pearl Jam, Alice in Chains od STP is because what happened to Kurt. 2pac and Biggie we all know that staory and they are now considered the best. If one of the Jonas brothers popped themselves they would be the best band of the 2000's but they are probably too happy and content to do that. Nobody is dying for their music because its not worth dying for. No real passion in the songs. Of course thats just my opinion it could be the music just really sucks.
By the way the reason the comedies arent as good is because the actors are not comedic actors. They are just repeating lines thats it. They dont add anything to the role. ie: Steve Martin,Robin Williams,Bill Murray,Eddie Murphy,Jim carrey,Chevy Chase.
Back when music was fun…and for the record, the Kingston Trio album was my mom's, as was the first Beatles album in our house. Sometimes the older generation is a lot cooler than we want them to be. Which is why we remain cool to this day!
)
At one time you could turn on AM radio, yes AM radio, and hear everything on one station, and I mean everything from Booker T & the MGs to Gordon Lightfoot to Tony Bennett before he had to make a ‘comeback.’ I remember hearing Classical Gas. Rock played on the same air waves with Country and Western.
Something terrible happened! Harmonics went out and the beat of drums dominated all, and that was the end of that. Music went totally ‘tribal.’
There’s nothing wrong with drums, but I love Roy Clark’s Malaguena. I love Swing: Miller, Goodman, Arty Shaw, Lionel Hampton, and on drums, Gene Krupa was stellar, but how many people under the age of 40 know who he was? And singers! There was a time when a singer could turn a simple word into a mood like Sinatra, Dino, Jo Stafford, Bing Crosby, Rosemary Clooney and the list is endless!
Popular music didn’t abandon people over forty. It abandoned history.
I'm 48. There has been so much music on the buffet line of popular culture in my life time,
that you learn to appreciate the good, nutritious, enduring, and flavorful;
and avoid the underdone, overdone, and insipid.
A good rule of thumb is, if the artist is male and wears more eye make-up
than your Mother or Sister, the music is likely crap.
Poison, Stryper, and Green Day come to mind.
Disagree? There is room for diverse opinion, and "There Ain't Nothin' Wrong With That." as Robert Randolph sang.
As far as keeping kids off the lawn, browse Urban Dictionary and throwdown some of their slang-
use terms like 'O.G'. and describe something formerly known as "groovy" as "hype", "dope", "sick","phat" or "bumpin' " , and they'll twitch a couple of times and run off your yard.
How bad is modern Music? This 42 year old who grew up listening to everything from The Eurythmics to Johnny Cash just shelled out some scratch for a mint vinyl Dean Martin Cha Cha Amor. I don't have anything on my playlist from after 1993 (Come Undone). Just because it has a deafening backbeat doesn't make it good.
I am 47 and continue to enjoy quite a bit of modern music. The key is sorting through the junk (just about anything played on radio) and finding the good stuff (live clubs, online radio stations, I highly recommend WOXY and for those into nostalgia, WOXY vintage).
I agree that today's music is a vast wasteland of non-musical talent. However, I can say one thing with certainty. My kids like the music that I listened to growing up infinitely more than I liked the music my parents listened to. That doesn't excuse the fact that music now blows. But It's pretty cool when my son tells me to turn up Ain't Talkin Bout Love when it comes on the radio.
Heard this on Rush's show a few months ago and he said that there are studies that show once you reach a certain age your brain cannot fully process musical notes. Your brain compensates by filling in the gaps on songs that are familiar to you so that the old songs sound like they did to you when you were 20. That is why all new songs sound like crap to anyone over the age of 40, because to your brain it does sound like crap.
Sounds like we have very similar tastes in music and I listen to Little Steven's Underground Garage on my computer to get my fix of new music. Little Steven throws in 2-3 new songs a week into his regular rotation of cool garage music. Hate to admit it but there is this new song by a group called Care Bears On Fire that Little Steven plays that I can't get out of my head. Very Ramones-like and the groups members are all still in junior high.
What I don't get is punk, in this day and age. I see kids dressed up in punk garb and wonder which high school is having an '80s day celebration. Please, kids, have some respect! Punk is dead. I know, because I helped kill it! That was the whole point. Punk was meant to self-destruct! It was crap and it knew it! Now what these kids call punk is still crap but it is chocolate-dipped and sprinkled with jimmies so they don't know it is crap! Ah, whatever! I'm going back to listening to my opera CDs.
Gee, Kurt, I had this same experience — in 1955…
Here's my pet peeve as a 49 year-old.
I love music as much as anyone, but aging, 50+ Baby Boomers who refuse to grow up and become adults and let go of their wasted youth, as represented by clinging to Rock, irritate the hell out of me.
I find little worse that the ridiculous Boomer who waits all year for two things: The Stones concert and the Steve Miller concert.
Why yes, yes, he MUST get that old tee shirt out again, put on the sandals, light up a joint, and re-live those glory days once again! Rock and Roll baby!! FREEBIRD!! Hell, I'm only 55! Gonna keep on rockin…
GROW UP you wastrels!! Can you imagine your own father acting so childish, so foolish at that age? Good God grow up boomers, you are ridiculous.
At what is worse are the CEO's who trot out craptacular bands like Journey, REO Speedwagon, and Aerosmith to grace their events.
UGH
The Clash were pretty instrumental (pun a function of laziness and not intent) in both my getting into music, and my recent appreciation of my actual age. When I was younger, I loved the dystopian socialist anger presented and the scratchy lack of polish of the entire group. Just a few years ago I found myself washing dishes while rocking out to "Radio Clash" and that juxtaposition hit me, as did the realization that I no longer believed a word of what they ever sang.
I know I'm going to get loads of crap for saying this, but I think there's a lot of good pop coming out of the Disney camp, lately. (Taggart ducks and covers…) Of course, all those songs are probably written by 40 year old guys anyway! LOL
Now that is kind of you sir or mademoiselle; a hearty thumbs up to you (that in and of itself will necessarily make your day, but it's all good fun, yes?)
Yeah, there's some alternative stuff I like, but for the most part, it sucks. At 43, it is nice to see someone who had the same taste as me as far as tunes. I loved Husker Du! Most ppl look at me strangely when I mention them, even ones our age. I miss the Clash, Elvis Costello, Ramones, Blondie, Sex Pistols, Dead Kennedys, etc. I enjoyed music then, and am still having to rely on the oldies. It's ok though, my 19 y old likes pretty much the same things I do, so I now have a listening buddy.
I actually had a kid of about 14 or so tell me the other day that I had my car stereo up too loud for our snotty neighborhood. I about fell over in the seat! It's the attack of the pod children!
I have to agree that Punk is dead, dead, dead. They are using The Clash to sell Jaguars, Johnny Rotton is a multi-millionaire investor, Mike Ness is a vegetarian PETA supporter and I hear pop-punk songs at the grocery store as background music. About every other year I drag myself out of my house to catch a punk show whenever a group comprised of guys that I went to high school with hit our town when they are touring. Feels kind of creepy to be one of the oldest guys in the room. Doubt my friends see the irony of being in their mid-40's, still playing punk songs and trying to be relevant to college kids.
I have had the same experience! You must have a three year old daughter too!
Then again, Chicago's Terry Kath offed himself in 1977, and the band got even worse to the point that everyone forgets they were (kinda) good early on…
I was raised on Big Band, Swing, Latin, and Classical music. I never even knew who Elvis was until the night he died. I was almost eleven at the time, and decided to find out what "Disco" was….I know, a mistake, but I still had to know. Since then I educated myself on what I had missed. And am I glad I did!
However, I have turned into my dad, and my daughter shows little patience with me when I question why she would listen to Green Day's "Holiday" or "American Idiot". I asked her if she knew what the words meant….she of course said yes, but could not explain. I looked up the lyrics, and the look on her face was worth it. No longer am I the idiot mom unit. I am now She Who Knows Music, But Only Just. It's not a catchy title, but I'll take it for now.
I've seen it and I agree. It was Ok, but it felt pretty aimless. I enjoyed Being John Malkovich more.
I'd be lost without Pandora to give me music somewhat similar to what I already like.
Right on. HWB! I'd add Jimmy Buffett (UGH) and Dave Matthews Band (even though they're not nearly as old as the other bands you mentioned) to the list of old-fart groups baby boomers cling onto a little too much…
I am 41 but I never was too thrilled with the music of the moment. You see, I grew up listening to the "oldies" from the 50's & 60's – when they were already old! That and real country music like Johnny Cash, Merle Haggard, Loretta Lynn, etc.
My teen years were in the 80s and that was taken up by Bruce Springsteen. I listened to and enjoyed some of the 80s pop music on the radio, but only because it was there. My "real" music was still Springsteen, Beatles, Eagles, etc. I gave up listening to the radio after 1989! No clue what that stuff is they play today.
I guess I was an old fuddy duddy before I was even old!
I'm in my mid thirties but I completely agree with you. I like a few modern artists but its mostly fairly obscure ones like Jonathan Coulton, Superchick and Genitorturers. A while ago I decided to look up the top 40 bands and try to listen to them. What a horrible horrible idea this was. I suppose its the same as our parents who hated our music, but I'm about 10 years younger than most of the old farts on this thread but I completely agree with the points.
I am not even in my 40s yet and think modern pop is sick and worthless. I don't believe it has anything to do with biology or psychology. The sound is unoriginal and completely assembly line fake. From the 50s to the early 90s most bands either played their own instruments or experimented with new or fused sounds. Today it is manufactured music put out to make a quick buck, rather than an artist enjoying the process. Of the bands created after about 1995, the only albums I have bought (well, actually from the internet) is The Killers. That is because they respect tradition and experimentation and the music shows.
As William Z said, radio used to be different! It was musically multi-cultural. In the 1960s, you could hear (I'm not kidding) Elvis Presley followed by Lawrence Welk, The Beatles followed by West Side Story, Little Richard followed by Frank Sinatra. The balkanization of AM radio into soft rock, acid rock, top 40 rock (jazz and classical were gulaged to FM) in the 70s was the beginning of the end (not counting the last hurrah of absolutely brilliant 80s music). But hey, even films music blows/sucks today.
Just to back up Okeegee, I have 5 boys between 6 and 13, and they love 70s/80s rock. Guitar Hero has much to do with it, but my older boy tells me his friends also have Abba and the Bee Gees on their Ipods. I think urban pop music may actually be losing the younger demo.
Care Bears On Fire is a funny name but a quick listen and look at their myspace page and you can tell they are just another produced group with songs that don't really hold up. The Donnas did it better.
Mesa amphitheater, Mesa, Arizona; summer of 1981. The English Beat opens for the Clash. I was 17. Say no more…
There is some good stuff out there — you just have to troll the Internet and other alternative sites really, really hard to find it.
Here's the question about modern pop music — when today's current target audience of 15-25 year olds are in their 40s or 50s, stuck in rush hour traffic going to or from their 5-day-a-week job, are they going to be listening to the current pop favorites on whatever device-of-the-day is plugged into their car speakers? I've got no problem continuing to listen to the songs I grew up with (even while admitting there was still a lot of crap out there in from the late 60s to the late 80s), but I've got a feeling today's yutes aren't going to have the same enjoyment from 25-40 years of repeated listening to today's Top 40 hits.
The thing I notice about new popular music is the lack of Joy. Back in the 80's it didn't matter if you were listening to the Clash (which I did), Motley Cru, (I still listen to them. I love them), Madonna, (wouldn't be caught dead listening to her HORK!), Cindy Lauper (still fun), etc. is the joy they took in music. Billy Idol screaming Rebel Yell was not merely an act of rebellion it was joy. Where is the joy in the canned garbage being shoved down our throats now? One time I heard a reporter refer to Usher as a Rock star. WHAAAAAAAAAAAT???? He is an RnB guy, not a rock singer. A punk rock, metal freak couldn't get their minds wrapped around that music, whats funny is in the 80's we could. Yeah I listened to Prinz, and Iron Maiden…….Now its all the same canned ham…
Well the singer from Alice In Chains died of a drug overdose in '02 but they werent really a grunge band, more like a heavy metal band that was from seattle at the right time. Whether he ment to kill himself or not, i dont know.
I hear playing power chords is hard
hmmm, I'm 62 and think that pop is still pumpin'. I guess it 's about how much you want to hold on to the past. The web can innundate you with choices and make you drown or give you the freedom to find the best. Maybe the difference is I play guitar. Maybe participating rather than being a spectator is the key.
Thomas L: you nailed it!!! I challenge you to find a young freak to know that quote!!!
Sorry man, the reason Nirvana "ranks higher" than those others is simply because they were the better band, and not by a little. Check out the Pixies if you haven't & you want some good stuff, the forgotten band that Nirvana tried to be. Nobody died for their music in the band but gee whiz it's good stuff! Not that I really think any music is worth dying for…
Amen! Finally somebody somewhere says it!
" I would play The Ramones really loud to annoy both the sullen Trotskyites lurking about as well as the dorky conservatives who thought you couldn’t be down with Reagan unless you wore a suit and tie to class"
From one knuckledragging long haired biker leather wearing conservative, I know exactly how you feel!
Thanks! When I go home from work, I drive past one of the top venues in the U.S. for performances. I see these staggeringly stupid, pathetic, childish Boomers going into the stadium all revved up to scream "Play Fly Like An Eagle Steve!" and want to cry.
These immature wanks are a huge reason the country is in the shape it is. No focus, no maturity, no clue as to priorities.
My roommate told me "you really need to find some new bands to listen to." My response. "When good bands come along, I'll give them a try."
LolaLola said it best – there's no FUN in today's music. It's all corporately written, produced, and published. There's no one out there making music JUST to music, because as soon as something hinges on being popular (Lady GaGa), it's grabbed up, played up, shoved down our throats, and burns out to become a pop culture footnote where, 10 years down the line, we look at each other and go "the hell were we thinking?"
I love grunge, but the people and bands were just so MISERABLE. And rap/hip hop seems to be "have fun now because you're gonna get shot later."
Maybe the hair bands were on to something. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cO4ZNO24Ye4
There's a reason why my "Rock Band" list is pretty much all 70's, 80's, and 90's…
Heck, I'll do ya one better and go back a little farther…I love Al Jolson and Annette Hanshaw.
At least BB2000 still had real music. I had to give it credit for that.
I'll be a juke box hero,
with stars in his eyes!
Whatever happened to Rock N Roll? It just seemed to disappear, and we, as baby boomers, are left listing to the "classic station". Funny thing though as I hit 50 I started appreciating Sinatra, Swing music…
Still have plenty of 60s and 70s stuff on my mp3 player though –
The internet has allowed me to find a lot of obscure tunes I liked in the 60s – just google a few words of the lyrics – found an obscure rendition of "Gonna Get Along Without You Now" by Tracey Dey – was a great somg in 1964 but got swamped by the British Invasion.
HWB – I'm with you 100% regarding the aging boomers still living in the haze of their 70's hash fog, BUT…
I don't think one can mature and focus upon priorities by becoming a fan of Cold Play or Fitty Cen. Please. If this is a sign of moving forward, then civilization, as we know it and cherish it, will soon end with a sickening thud.
Oh God. I sound just like you, and I'm not nearly that old. As a 24 year old, what do I have to look forward to if pop culture has already left me in the dust. I live in Florida and could have sworn that Flo Rida has some ties to the state, maybe because the only time I've seen him was on Ellen when she was filming at Universal Studios in FL. And I just found out that "Lady GaGa" was a real person. No shit. I thought it was Christina Aguelara's(?) alter ego, kind of like Garth Brooks and Chris Ganes, that kind of thing.
You are so right about Jimmy Buffett! Watching otherwise serious and sane human beings turn into Parrotheads is disturbing. Even more weird is their belief Buffett represents the freedom of the open seas and the rejection of modern life for a tropical island. Old Jimmy, author of a few "best-sellers," and tacky restaurant entrepreneur, is laughing all the way to that bank in Margaritaville.
I'm 24 and I stopped listening to the radio years ago. Instead I listen mostly to the modern musicians who are too good to get exposure on the radio (as Calibretto 13 put it, in their description of MTV: "There's better music out there but they don't want you to know") :
Starflyer 59 (you 80's new wave fans should like them), Sufjan Stevens, Gileah & the Ghost Train, 16 Horsepower, Woven Hand, Danielson Famile, Calexico, Flogging Molly, Five Iron Frenzy, Havalina Rail Co, Jars of Clay, Richard Swift, Joy Electric, Kate Rusby, My Brightest Diamond, Korpiklaani.
I've only recently gotten into classic rock at all.
I'd call Alice Cooper an exception to that rule.
now that is hilareous!
Nonsense nonsense. Try KINGS OF LEON; MUSE; and YIRUMA. Excellent.
Not as totally satisfying as Mozart and Bach (but who can be, those guys talked to God), but they are all something I thoroughly enjoy. And I am ancient compared to Kurt.
You may be right. As a musician you've got more invested in the music and more motivation for finding the good and the great. For some of us though it was just a hobby, (even though the band I fronted opened for the likes of Black Flag and the Circle Jerks a number of times in Newport, KY back in the '80s) and its just too much work. Hell, its too much work for me to even search out the old stuff I really liked. I'm gonna stick with opera and hope that one day I can participate as a supernumerary.
I love grunge, but the people and bands were just so MISERABLE.
I've got to agree. At least punk had a positive negative attitude. You know the difference between punk and grunge, right?:
Grunge = I hate myself and I want to die
Punk = I hate you and I wish you were dead
better that than "who lives in a pineapple under the sea", that my almost 4 year old loves.
Awesome move on your part!
Well, ok, I wasn't a fan of his, but he is certainly talented.
Come to think of it though, did any male rocker wear mascara before Alice Cooper?
Maybe the exception should only be for originals.
Ah yes, the Mag 7 theme is one that makes the chest swell and the heart soar! loved that one.
Ah, but I was one of those dorky conservatives, but I harbored a terrible, dark secret. On the outside, I wore chinos and an oxford cloth shirt, but my record collection played host to such nasties as The Pogues, Fear, The Circle Jerks, The Sex Pistols, The Ramones, etc.
Then, to my utter amazement, I discovered that many–indeed most–of my dorky friends had similar secret lives. One of them explained it best–"The punk ethos is essentially libertarian–shut up, Hippy, and leave me alone." Couldn't say it better myself, then or now.
Well Nickelback is pretty much South Park's Brown Note made into a band.
"I hear dead people"
Could make a good catchline for a movie …
A lot of the stuff that made music fun and exciting are gone. Here's some examples:
the 45, the vinyl LP (side one and two), AM radio, FM radio with free-form DJs, 8-tracks, cassettes, record stores (they're fading fast) and most importantly, analog recording. CDs also killed album cover artwork. It was fun to save your money and go to a record store, buy your albums and rush home excitedly to hear the latest LP. THere's no fun and satisfaction in downloading songs from a computer.
To be honest, I don't think people under the age of 35 (yes, 35!) understand how great all the above stuff I mentioned was and how vital and fun it was.
Watched "Gone With the Wind" again last night on TCM. 1939. Amazing.
I know: not a comment on music, but seemed appropriate.
I'm 20 and find myself reaching more for the vinyls my parents gave me (Good stuff. Boston, Rush, Sammy Hagar, AC/DC) then to the CD's on the rack when I want to find something to listen to. That isn't to say that there isn't any talent or anything out there, it's just harder to find now that every crappy band can have its own website, Myspace and what not. A metal band called Symphony X released a really great adaptation of Milton's Paradise Lost a little while ago, really good stuff.
I think the same thing that happened to comic books (and by association comic book movies) happened to rock somewhere in the early to mid 90's and it all became about being moody & broody instead of being entertaining.
Did anyone outside the Hollywood set honestly like this movie?
You're right. The problem with Kurt's column is that he is comparing the Clash and the Ramones to today's pop music. The Clash & The Ramones were never big pop acts in the 80's. Madonna/Prince/the late Mr. Jackson were the big Pop acts. Lady Gaga/ Jay Z/ Black Eyed Peas are today's commercial pop music and don't belong compared to seminal punk rock bands. ____The popularity of Micheael Jackson and Madonna always baffled me back then, and I thought the people listening the their music were all brainswashed and lacking in taste. There is still good music out there today, you're just not going to find it in the mass mediaa outlets. .
You're right. The problem with Kurt's column is that he is comparing the Clash and the Ramones to today's pop music. The Clash & The Ramones were never big pop acts in the 80's. Madonna/Prince/the late Mr. Jackson were the big Pop acts. Lady Gaga/ Jay Z/ Black Eyed Peas are today's commercial pop music and don't belong compared to seminal punk rock bands.
The popularity of Micheael Jackson and Madonna always baffled me back then, and I thought the people listening the their music were all brainswashed and lacking in taste. There is still good music out there today, you're just not going to find it in the mass mediaa outlets. .
yes, we all have that inside of us. those who value true freedom.
Hey lay off Jimmy Buffet!
SomeDame, you are WAY off base….Buffet does not "reject modern life"….what is more modern than cold beer?
(I'm a 44 year old Parothead)
Reunion – Life Is a Rock (But the Radio Rolled Me)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=16kh-AP4OCU
The names you all remember.
Lady GaGa agreed with British TV that she made soul-less dance music. So, 44 year old dude – get loaded on whatever the kids get loaded on these days and maybe you'll like GaGa. While the Killers are excellent, how come you don't like their more recent single "When you were young….".
Rob. Still relevant to today's pop.
I can't quite decipher what you were trying to say about leeches, but actually they are still used today in medicine.
"The Funky Robot", warbling through some kind of electronic voicebox to conceal their lack of talent.
It is know in the business as Autotune. And it stinks. Notice also that they are no longer reffered as musicians but recording "artists".
This is getting to sound an awful lot like a bunch of retirees sipping tea in Florida somewhere ("these kids nowadays, ahhhh"), but I have to add to it.
The lack of fun is a huge part of it. I loved the British Ska revival in the late 70's, early 80's. Those guys were all talking largely about serious social issues (which wouldn't win them a lot of friends on this website) but the music was FUN.
Fishbone may be one of the greatest live bands EVER. They wrote great songs (again, mostly about things that wouldn't be hugely popular on Big Hollywood) but they never let the message tromp on the fun.
Music can be very subjective. Not really keen on the Kings, but you make a point.
You prog rock guys who dug Rush in the 70's and then found Primus a little later have got to like Fall of Troy, right?
I don't know you tcanny, but are you showing New England roots when you say jimmies instead of sprinkles?
Each generation rejects the previous ones taste in pretty much anything. My dad wore boxers. So I chose briefs. I tried boxers once, but as Kramer once said "My boys need a home" to loose. Then one day, probably a good ten years ago, some young lady told me I was wearing 'grandpa' underwear. Since I don't spend time looking into young mens pants I didn't know that boxers were again the underwear choice of the youth. Of course my thought was "when the hell did this happen?!" Now I sit comfortably in boxer/briefs.
Speaking as someone from the younger generation (a senior in high school), I can offer you a bit of comfort by assuring you that there is a sizeable population of teenage dissenters who reject popular music in favor of the classics and rare modern gems. Many of us are rocking out to Led Zeppelin, AC/DC, The Rolling Stones, and Queen as if they were all still at the height of their popularity.
And yes, there are a few modern gems. The Killers, whom you mentioned, are great. And for anyone looking for a modern band with a classic psychedelic rock flavor, I’d strongly suggest checking out Wolfmother.
Ah, Kurt, no pun intended, you hit all the notes today.
Dad to Dad, it's cool. We know it. We love it. Let our kids continue to sing the praises of whoever/whatever. Just keep subtly introducing them to bits and pieces of those things which you enjoy. My kids (22,24,28) seem to appreciate it and on occasion will turn me on to something as well. Deep down, if you do your job as a parent, they recognize quality when they encounter it. In music, in films, different forms of art.
And much like I discovered from my Dad, the old stuff is usually the best stuff. Although to this day, he still can't stand Hendrix.
Exactly. We have balkanized our music so that no one knows anything about other forms. If you want heavy metal speed guitar slasher music, you never hear vocal pop. We used to have the Kingston Trio on the same station as James Brown, and we learned that there were other types of music to enjoy. I blame Bush.
Popular music abandoned talent. As long as you fit the suit and have 'the look', you too, can be Johnny Bravo.
I'm 44 as well and feel much the same. At some point I abandoned "pop" music and started appreciating the stuff my parents were listening to when I was growing up; Nat King Cole, Sinatra (Frank, not Nancy!), and the big bands.
Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go shake my fist at some young whipper-snappers.
The Clash, Husker Du and The Replacements? Posers. The last historically significant band was The Sex Pistols. They were the cranky pissed -off dregs of pure rock and roll. Rock has been dead for 30 years.
Rush is deaf and relies on a cochlear implant for hearing. What he has said many times is that, because of the severe limitations of the implant, he can understand the music he heard before he went deaf — his brain fills in the gaps — but he cannot process any music he did not hear prior to his loss.
Hmmm, I think I picked up jimmies when I lived in New York as a kid. It could be from my Mom who is British. Never thought about it even though I must admit I don't hear people use the term around here (which is not New England).
As used today, the therapeutic effect from leeches is the steady bleeding that takes place after the leech is removed.
Any correlation in the reader's mind between the behavior of leeches and liberal government policies and laws is entirely intentional.
As used today, the therapeutic effect from leeches is the steady bleeding that takes place after the leech is removed.
Any correlation in the reader's mind between the behavior of leeches and liberal government policies/current music trends is entirely intentional.
As used today, the therapeutic effect from leeches is the steady bleeding that takes place after the leech is removed.
Any correlation in the reader's mind between the behavior of leeches and liberal government policies (and to stay on-topic, current music trends as well) is entirely intentional.
I am the same age as the author. I always ask myself whether the music truly was better back in the day or if it's my subjective opinion. The truth is probably in the middle.
I have a seventeen year old son, pretty musically literate without the snobbery component. We were driving around the other day and he complained when I switched over to my Replacements 'Tim' CD. "What's so great about these guys, dad? It's not like they're doing anything a hundred other bands didn't do". I think they did it better and before it became cliche. Plus I don't think he can understand how lyrically great a song like 'Little Mascara' or 'Bastards of young' are. Of course, that's beside the point.
I do think that the era I grew up in musically was pivotal in popular music. Like the era fifteen or twenty years before it was. I'm not so sure there had been one since.
Ironically, my kid is a Van's Warped Tour today. There are several bands that I would have enjoyed seeing as well. I do think it funny that one of the bands that my kid and his friends are looking forward to seeing is Bad Religion. Those guys are as old as me (and they still rock).
Oh, and I should add. They kid was totally into it (although he wouldn't admit it) halfway through 'Left of the Dial'.
5 boys. you have my admiration as super dad.
There's a reason why my blog is titled Too Old To Be Cool.
I also have tried to listen to the "current" stuff, and I too just don't get it. I would rather listen to my Super Hits Of The 70s collection (thank God for Rhino Records) than what's out there now. I'd put my entire Shoes collection on my iPod and play that in my car than listen to current radio.
As a drummer, I've found as I've gotten older that I can appreciate different things of different genres. That doesn't mean I LIKE them, but I can appreciate them.
But personally, music is something that can be played by actual musicians with a minimum of computers – synths are okay, but when that's most of what's onstage, forget it.
The Beatles. Billy Joel. Huey Lewis. Alan Parsons. The Knack (not just "My Sharona" – their entire output).Elton John. Cheap Trick. Little River Band. The Monkees.
Now THAT'S music.
I think I can go with you there. He did inspire KISS after all. And while there was alot of eye makeup, he didn't go pretty boy on us.
Actually, as someone who spent time in Tokyo, I liked it a lot. — perhaps because it showed vulnerability and male midlife crisis. But my wife hated it.
ok, I'll save it for later. I still play I Confess at mega-volume.
I aspire to the title, She Who Knows All And Can Whip My Arse, but it takes a bit of time
Totally agree with that Dame. I should have been clearer that foolish Boomers are being follwed by insane GenX/Y/Zero-ers.
I like Buffet as well, but Jeez, the Aging Boomers who skip some rope and smoke some dope at his concerts are just sad…
We all have our time and just need to respect that fact for all age groups. I am 51 and love the old stuff and lots of the new stuff too. It's just point of view. And after discovering that yes, we DID get fooled again, well, it's just music.
"Cold and misty morning / I heard a warning borne in the air…"
did any male rocker wear mascara before Alice Cooper?
The only one I can think of is Arthur Brown, and he was more a predecessor to KISS than anything else.
So who are the seminal rockers of our era?
Kurt's point is that we don't have any. Most modern music is chewing gum for the ears, and the people who want to do any other kind of music haven't got the talent to sustain it.
With rock music in particular, the uniform sound has a lot to do with the commercialization of the equipment itself: everyone uses the same solid state amps, same four or five guitar types, with nearly everything coming off the shelf. Before say, 1980, there was a lot of tinkering and home-built equipment (just look at Eddie Van Halen's original equipment) and improvisation. It created a vast, diverse set of sounds and tones, and that helped bands find their own unique sound.
No rock guitarists are specially known for their unique tone these days. Every guitar sounds the same. Every singer sounds the same. It's not just the equipment, but the people running the record labels.
Don't get me wrong: I think most of the so-called "indie" scene is crap, too. Just because they're countercultural in some way doesn't mean their songs are any good. Most indie music is just a political statement.
At the same time, it depends on what you're listening to music for. I've largely given up on listening to pop rock music as a serious endeavor. It's background noise to me. And for that, I find the new metal stuff to be just fine: Staind, Nickelback, Breaking Ben, it's all *fine*. It's not *great*, it's just *fine.* If I want guitar virtuosos, it's nice to know that Joe Satriani, Steve Vai and Eric Johnson are all still putting out great guitar rock. But for the whole package (a la Van Halen of the late 70s and early 80s) there's … nothing.
I'm a grunge-era guy. The only artist from that era I still listen to is Chris Cornell. The rest are (and always were) crap.
I no longer believed a word of what they ever sang.
With the possible exception of "Rock The Casbah."
No doubt about it.
What's wrong with me? When I was a kid, I thought Ren and Stimpy were hilarious, but now that I'm an adult I can't f__king stand Spongebob. If anything, their styles of humor are equally random — why do I have patience for the one and not the other?
Amen, brother! I remember coming home from JHS and cranking up KFRC, 610 on the AM dial, which I could do b/c nobody else was home to get on my case. KFRC's playlist was Billboard's Top 50 from that moment backward going to the mid-fifties and occasionally beyond. Yeah, they played Journey, Elton John, Styx, Linda Ronstadt, Foreigner, etc. but they also played James Brown, Aretha Franklin, Stevie Wonder, Diana Ross & The Supremes, Smokey & The Miracles. They played Bee Gees, The Trammps, Donna Summer, and Meco (yeah!) Helen Reddy, Olivia Newton-John, Anne Murray, James Taylor, Carly Simon, Barry Manilow, Jimmy Buffett, Christopher Cross, and Billy Joel. Glen Campbell, Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings. They played all the one-hit wonder artists like And when Maynard Ferguson broke the Top 40 with his rendition of "Gonna Fly Now," KFRC played him too. Same with Sinatra's "New York, New York." And runny-nose kids were perhaps first exposed to classical music when everyone wanted to hear John Williams' "Star Wars Overture" without having to go to the theater and wait in line for hours.
I don't think I'd be a good dad. I'd probably get the title of He Who Kicks The Sh_t Out Of Me Every Time I Step Out Of Line.
Anyone mentioning Husker Du and The Replacements MUST be right. Well said Mr. Schlictor.
I loved Jimmy Buffett until the frat boy crowd discovered him. After that, it was all downhill. I didn't say Buffett rejected modern life. Quite the contrary. But the songs that made him so popular reflect that theme and people buy into it. Hey, I'm all for the capitalist system and if Buffett can make a buck turning normal people into colorful fowl, then more power to him. And if reality is any indicator, Buffett's doctor has probably told him to lay off the cold beer and start icing down the Strawberry Boost.
Can anyone hum today's pop/rock music?
I was born in 1982. I was too young to understand or appreciate the New Wave when it was big — I didn't start listening to the Talking Heads until I was in high school. It was mostly my parents' doing that I grew up listening to the Beach Boys, the Rolling Stones, Bachman Turner Overdrive, Yes, and ZZ Top (My wife, on the other hand, grew up listening to Yes, Alice Cooper, Emerson Lake & Palmer, and especially Rush.)
I didn't give up on the radio until about 2003. Now, I don't hear anybody on the radio anymore who sounds like they know what they're doing or are having fun doing it. When there's not burning hostility coming through the speakers (I never liked punk, either, for the same reason) there's just a "F_ck it, whatever works" attitude that seems to be prevalent. Either the songwriting, the performance or the production aren't up to the standards that people used to have.
I think urban pop music may actually be losing the younger demo.
Dream on. I prefer to remain cynical about the intelligence of succeeding generations.
I laughed hysterically when I heard "London Calling" in a Jaguar commercial and "Should I Stay Or Should I Go" in a spot for fruit-flavored Stolichnaya beverages. I was into Styx, Journey, and other so-called "corporate" groups when the then-almighty Rolling Stone mag was saying "The Clash is the only band that matters," with their brash commie anarchist image and anti-capitalist lyrics. But there their songs were being used to sell, sell, sell, just like "Mr. Roboto" sold VWs.
Hell, my wife still cranks up "Mirror in the Bathroom" once in a while, and we weren't even born when the Beat came to Mesa.
As I said up the thread, they're not having fun with the music anymore. When it's not openly hostile, it's either coldly calculated or thrown together like no one gives a f__k.
I am so with you only problem is I'm a few years younger.
I must say though that my dad wasn't wrong all the time (much to the chagrin of my younger self)
The older I get, the more I like music from dead people
<a href=”http://the2minshate.blogspot.com/” target=”_blank”>http://the2minshate.blogspot.com/
Good of you to share the Replacements music. He'll come around, my kids did. Any interest in Westerberg's solo work? Quite tasty.
I love the '70s, '80s and '90s, but Christ I hated this decade.
Probably would if I'd ever heard of them.
Here's your musical tie-in:
Tara's Theme from GWTW is a magnificent piece of music.
Wolfmother. Excellent choice. The first time I heard "Woman" I thought it was an unreleased Zeppelin track.
All the hummable melodies were already used up by the time the '80s were over.
It's not like the old-school stuff wasn't all crap, either. And the only real difference between people who had Something To Say back then and the people who have Something To Say now is that they're not as intellectual; politically, they're all equally naive.
It's not like the old-school stuff wasn't all crap, either. And the only real difference between people who had Something To Say back then and the people who have Something To Say now is that they're not as "intellectual" nowadays; politically, they're all equally naive.
I'm 19. I loves me The Clash and play London Calling as if it were new (still think "Clampdown" is the best song on the alvum).
However, if you sift through most of the crap today there's very talented bands going strong like Porcupine Tree, The Mars Volta, Tool, and for you metalheads, Black Label Society. Hell, even rap mixed with a guitar is something I enjoy.
There's still plenty of talented bands performing; they may not get publicity, but they're talented and they're out there.
Indeed, it takes careful planning to achieve that title. I just let mine watch when I fight at the Gatherings. He can learn that about me by seeing.
He should hide the Sound of Music story and tell everyone he was named after Kurt Cobain (only the brighter ones will realize he was born before Cobain)
I saw a great bumper sticker: "I'm not getting old; The music just sucks"
Actually, that gets you a ton of brownie points from the parents around here;)
And truth be told, I have acquired the latter part of the title…it's the first part that's elusive!
For those that say there is no good modern music, try listening to the Band on thos link. They are from Austin and do the music for the fantastic t.v. show Friday night Lights. Before viewing, get relaxed. Drink three glasses of very good Cab. (Make those full pours will ya? Enjoy.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YLlYQQrHmh8&fe...
Last week they ran the Lon Chaney Jr. "Of Mice and Men." (music tie-in: score by Aaron Copland!) I enjoyed this as a kid, but as an adult–the themes of dreaming about your own little piece of land, being your own boss…I finally "got" it. Great movie, amazing performances, down to the bit parts.
Begin the day with a friendly voice
A companion unobtrusive
Plays that song that's so elusive
And the magic music makes your morning mood
Off on your way, hit the open road
There is magic at your fingers
For the spirit ever lingers
Undemanding contact
In your happy solitude
Invisible airwaves crackle with life
Bright antennae bristle with the energy
Emotional feedback on a timeless wavelength
Bearing a gift beyond price, almost free
All this machinery making modern music
Can still be open-hearted
Not so coldly charted, it's really just a question of your honesty
One likes to believe
In the freedom of music
But glittering prizes and endless compromises shatter the illusion of integrity
Invisible airwaves crackle with life
Bright antennae bristle with the energy
Emotional feedback on a timeless wavelength
Bearing a gift beyond price, almost free
For the words of the profits are written on the studio walls, concert halls
And echoed with the sounds of salesmen
Tool? Oh, you mean those guys who put Bill Hicks quotes on their albums and whose lead singer wrote the most infuriating song I have ever heard?
I can go with it for one or two episodes, but after that it is just too much.
I am a child of the 60s/70s, but enjoyed the 80s as well, even though I was in my 30s by then. However I have a 16 yr. olds daughter and pick her up every day from school, and their music sucks. But I do not believe it is my age. We all grew up with rock and pop music. The music truly sucks.
After a lot of thought, I believe it is the advent of computers and digital music software, allowing people without musical talent to compose everything on their laptop in their bedroom, rather than pay their dues playing at clubs, dances, anywhere, developing their craft. Loops, samples of every instrument possible. They can enter music one note at a time, fix the pitch on their vocals, copy and paste parts, etc.
The art of songwriting has been lost. Some talent can be found, but a very low percentage, in my opnion.
Yeah, them. Hicks was a douche, but they're talented.
No, I actually mean that I think I would beat my kids. I have a very short temper, and I'm terrified of what might happen if I ever expose a child to it.
Kurt, you and I listen to the same music growing up….the music of today with the RAP and all… just is not my cup of tea… and it really sucks if you ask me… now I feel like my parents saying how could you listen to that RACKET???? and truly mean it…but another great article!!!
I'll grant you their talent, but I had a hell of a hard time forgiving Maynard for "Judith".
I'll grant you their talent, but I have had a real hard time forgiving Maynard for "Judith".
Ah, you young whippersnappers! My father couldn't stand my listening to the Everly Brothers.
Back to back, belly to belly well I don't give a damn 'cause I done that already! Speaking of Nick Reynolds, I actually own a vintage Martin O18-T guitar (now that is old!)
Kurt's post reminds me that leeches, a key medical procedure elevated to new heights (a likely candidate to replace MRIs) under socialized medicine, will not be necessary under Obamacare. There is an easier way; instead, just turn on some Linkin Park or the latest (c)rap expectoration, and bleed profusely from the ears.
The group Nickelback would also be a key procedure used in government-run healthcare…if you're able to mimic the lead singer, all traces of constipation should rapidly vanish. Note: you may want to choose the location of where your Nickelback sing-along takes place rather carefully.
I'm not one to judge, but I can tell you from experience those who KNOW they have short tempers and are aware of their failings can and do curb the urge when a child is involved. Usually it is that fear that keeps one grounded
Yep…mine watch me with my machete while I work out in the yard…
Right on with your article. The marketing lunatics have totally taken over the musical asylum, and even the acts who are supposed to be bucking the system have a pre-packaged quality about them that is shamelessly bad. At least Kajagoogoo and A-Ha didn't pretend to be individualistic. They knew they were like everyone else, but we listened to themanyway.
Well, keep up the good work.
Machetes Rule!
Heh. Outgrew most of the grunge/Industrial/Goth I listened to back when for the "lack of joy" reason outlined above. Most of what I listen to is celtic, classic rock, folk, new (well, old) wave, and orchestral.
DO still like SOME bands in that mold – but those, like the Cruxshadows and Dragonforce, DO take joy in their music and deal in and honor, and glory – instead of the postmodern existential "the world sux" attitude.
I was watching son and his friends play the Tony Hawk skating game a few years back. I started commenting on all the bands… and the kids were surprised I was familiar with so many of the (mostly punk) bands. I had to explain to them that most of the bands I listed were older than they were…
When I was 14, I wondered at what point, if ever, I would lose touch with popular culture. At 18 I knew.
Coulton! He's the zombie and squid songs guy, right?
I thoroughly enjoyed the article–especially the part about the "twerp" in _Sound of Music_ from which you got your name.
That said, I'm thirty-six, and there's plenty of new music I've enjoyed. I actually enjoy Nickelback, Matt Nathanson, Snow Patrol, Coldplay, and others, though I try to remain as ignorant as possible of the artists' political views. I like a variety of music, though I can't say I ever took to the Black Eyed Peas or Brittney Spears (or any of the other tween-to-teen pop stars who sing the same sort of music). I'll listen to any of the groups and singers I mentioned, though, before Prince or Rolling Stones any day of the week. My tastes are pretty average, but I've found music to like throughout the eighties, nineties and up to the current year. You have an engaging writing style, though. Thanks for your entertaining two-cents worth.
Speaking of mimicking Nickleback, here in Orlando one of the local radio stations used to do a bit with callers whenever Creed came home to play called Stappioke. Constipation relief never sounded so good.
49 yr old mother of seven and my kids taste is funny. We have two ipods that the 6 at home share. On the ipod are the clash, billy joel, agent 51, bad rligion. momma mia, rage, dream theater,metalica, dmb, get back loretta( my cousin is in the band), ozomatli, sound of music and comedians like brian regan. And I listen to it too. I listen to theirs and the listen to mine and sometimes we both find new stuff we like. And it keeps us talking.
Good shot of Scarlett Johansson's butt was one reason I liked it. Does that count?
is it possibly due to "when I was a kid" followed by "now that I am an adult" throwing that different perspective into the mental mix?
Well, that's the thing — I still laugh at Ren and Stimpy, but I can't stand Spongebob.
I can't see myself dumping a favorite musician because the wrong "crowd" discovers him.
(I'm wearing a Hawaiian tee-shirt right now!)
So funny- great article- and I agree completely!
I blogged about this a lot. Basically, from 1928 to 1968, music changed over several times, and twenty year olds in 1968 did not listen to even remotely the same style of music as those where twenty in 1928. Today, even though the music is bad currently, a twenty year old today will listen to say, the Beatles and Stones that a sixty year old would have listened to in 1968. What changes happened were merely evolutionary not revolutionary.
It's demographics, Baby Boomers, and then Gen X (in the 1980s who outnumbered the boomers numerically) were the pig in the python, moving culture dramatically in new directions helped out by lots of wealth in society. Music stagnates now, with derivative stuff from the late 1980s (rap, boy bands, pop tarts) because there are not enough young (White) experimenters [Black culture and musical innovation basically dying off in the 1970's as critical components such as church going where young Black men gained apprenticeship in musical choirs simply ceased]. There are also critically not enough young White consumers (who with free cash drive market rewards for innovation).
For example, in the mid-late 1970's, guys with loads of experience already, most of them Black, were experimenting with using orchestras, strings, and horn sections to replace the electric guitar and simple blue chords for a more soaring, emotionally stimulating experience meant to mimic the emotional exaltation they had experienced as boys during Gospel services. Barry White and the Love Unlimited Orchestra being a good example. Young White consumers LOVED that stuff, as they did DIY Punk a while later, hard-driving Metal bands, Party-hearty Metal (Van Halen), and soaring synth bands that copied White's work, but cheaper (no actual expensive orchestras). Ultravoxx, the Cure, Talk Talk Talk, all copied much of Barry White's pre-disco work. Listen to "White China Road" from Ultravoxx and then "Love Unlimited Orchestra Theme" from White.
But musical training, expertise, risk taking, and a vocabulary of emotional stimulation does not just happen. It requires a middle class background (time enough to practice instead of earn cash), enough of a raw population to produce innovators, and a market for innovation. We just don't have any of those (and tragically, lost the Church going Black culture Genius innovators like White to thuggish posturing of untrained folks like Snoop Dogg).
Yeah, but Buffett was so anti-frat boy scene before Margaritaville. (He Went to Paris, A Pirate Looks at Forty, etc. … classics all!) He was very unordinary. After nibbling on sponge cake and cheesburgers in Paradise, he became an honorary frat member. JMO. ____On the other hand, there's nothing wrong with Hawaiian shirts…
Yeah, but Buffett was so anti-frat boy scene before Margaritaville. (He Went to Paris, A Pirate Looks at Forty, etc. … classics all!) He was very unordinary. After nibbling on sponge cake and cheeseburgers in Paradise, he became an honorary frat member. JMO. ____On the other hand, there's nothing wrong with Hawaiian shirts…
This friend of mine calls this modern day fakery "shopping mall punk". I think that's funny, so I thought I'd share.
I hate posts like these. "I'm old and music stinks". I keep hearing that music hasn't been good since the eighties. IMO the worst music came out in the eighties.
I hate to tell you this but "mainstream" or "popular" music has mostly sucked donkey. What was the number one song when the first Ramones album came out? 50 Ways To Leave You're Lover by Paul Simon. What song spent 10 weeks at number one the year the first Sex Pistols album came out? You Light Up My Life by Debbie Boone. There are a ton of great bands out there, so try making an effort.
And quit patting yourself on the back for listening to the Ramones in the mid-eighties. It's kind of lame.
Re: film music, I am inclined to agree. There is definitely a lack of memorable melodies and themes today. Alexandre Desplat, Michael Giacchino, and Bear McCreary (Battlestar Galactica) are doing some great work, along with 80s/90s veterans like James Horner, Alan Silvestri, and even Danny Elfman (though I think his best years are behind him).
Sadly gone are the days of wild, over the top title themes (I'm thinking Bernstein's The Magnificent Seven or Herrmann's North by Northwest). I enjoy the new Batman films but the music, even though it functions in the film, is not that memorable, lacks a dramatic theme (from what my ears can tell; your mileage may vary), and does not work as a listening experience on CD (compared to Elfman's scores for Burton's Batman films).
Kings of Leon, The Strokes, The White Stripes, The Raconteurs, The Black Keys… some of my favorite bands, and I'm 45.
Get you head out of the sand. There is plenty of good music out there.
I guess I haven't missed much, LOL!
Whatever happened to Rock N Roll? It just seemed to disappear, and we, as baby boomers, are left listening to the "classic station". Funny thing though as I hit 50 I started appreciating Sinatra, Swing music…
Still have plenty of 60s and 70s stuff on my mp3 player though –
The internet has allowed me to find a lot of obscure tunes I liked in the 60s – just google a few words of the lyrics – found an obscure rendition of "Gonna Get Along Without You Now" by Tracey Dey – was a great song in 1964 but got swamped by the British Invasion.
Just fine Jake, very fine. I enjoy your work and you posting it here. Love, the Simon and Garfunkle nod at the end. Keep 'em comin'.
I still have your
First we’d walk upon the Moon,
Then we’d land on Mars
piece, which you co-wrote with HeadlessUnicornGuy. This is what makes life such a cool breeze. Thanks.
Can't help myself, since this a music thread. A classic, little kick @ss song, complete with scratches on the 45 and vibrato bar, to boot. One of my favorites. Enjoy:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EwPE-kRIW-k
We badly need more geniuses like Blondie (greatest babe in rock history, puts all these tarts to shame), Talking Heads, The Cars, The Clash (London Calling was the best album for a 10-year period), etc. Luckily we still have Springsteen (though his politics suck) and Elvis Costello.
Greetings form a fellow R & S fan!
Memmmmmmories…
Well I would admit that "seminal" might not be the right term these days. I think Rock music is kind of dead in the water compared to the 1970's and 1980's when a lot of very innovative music was being made, a lot of it due to the newness of some of the tehcnology. But that doesn't mean there aren't some really good musicians making good music these days. I'm not too fond of the Killer's, but a lot of people like them. Jack White is pretty good. The Eels are good. I was listening to a band called Cage the Elephant last night, they are kids but they are definitely old school Rockers. http://www.cagetheelephant.com/
Forgot about those late 50s geniuses like Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, Little Richard, Bo Diddley, and the rest. Unearthly talent.
Is there a single performer today who can even approach them?
Kurt,
Something newer which even an old guy like me enjoys. Posted this awhile back and Tennessee Jed latched on to it. Great energy, sound with strange instruments. These guys have fun. I guarantee, you won't be able to get the song out of your head. The Mai Shi/Run To Your Grave:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PUKAcKKQns4
My dad story: We kids had to watch The Beatles debut on Sullivan on the older of our two old BW TVs in the back room . . .
. . . and I treasure the memory of those innocent days
There's lots of good stuff around, you just have to look. Dare I say it on this site, my local NPR stations (shut up, I buy a mug every now & then so I'm willingly paying more than my tax burden, and "Car Talk" has genuinely useful info presented in an amusing way) play a lot of good music and they've intro'd me to groups & singers that have steered me to iTunes, where our beloved songs of yesteryear are being gobbled up by the kids as well, so all is good. (although on the nostalgia front I did blow my birthday iTunes money on a backlog of cheesy 70's pop I loved as a kid.) On heavy rotation for me this summer: a Canadian folk/rock/blues/samba group called The Duhks, Los Straitjackets, and Celia Cruz–because it's not summer without the Queen of Salsa. Azucar!
I'm 20 and find myself reaching more for the vinyls my parents gave me (Good stuff. Boston, Rush, Sammy Hagar, AC/DC) then to the CD's on the rack when I want to find something to listen to. That isn't to say that there isn't any talent or anything out there, it's just harder to find now that every crappy band can have its own website, Myspace and what not. It's almost like Sturgeon's Law or what happened when the internet made it possible for everyone in the world to start posting gigabytes upon gigabytes of horribly written fan-fiction.
A metal band called Symphony X released a really great adaptation of Milton's Paradise Lost a little while ago, really good stuff. I heard about it through the internet and if you try hard enough you can filter the gold out of the garbage.
I think the same thing that happened to comic books (and by association comic book movies) happened to rock somewhere in the early to mid 90's and it all became about being moody & broody instead of being entertaining. But on the other hand, I wonder about how much of it is just people refusing to remove the nostalgia goggles.
I'm not old. Your music just sucks.
And Fergie sucks.
No, no, no. Don't listen to anyone else. Super Furry Animals Hermann Loves Pauline.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lSNWgx2i_qE
In case you aren't joking, that post by Jake_Was_Here is of the lyrics to "The Spirit of Radio" by Rush.
That movie was so freakin' depressing. All I remember is her wandering around Tokyo in a fog and lightening up occasionally when Bill Murray was around.
Awsome! I was watching the video of the stop making sense tour just last night. I'm in love with a female bass player.
Is it me or did the author in this piece pick a single genre of music to kick around? I mean there are plenty of other bands that are unlistenable. When 'rock N roll' first came on to the scene some radio stations refused to play it. They called it black music. And you'd better believe that parents who caught their white middle class kids listening to it were not as polite.
Joy? There is no joy in this world, only uncertainty.
And sex.
Wooooo, postmodernism!
By the way, Super Furry Animals are the best band in the world right now. To paraphrase the New York Times commercial, you can't debate it.
I will disagree with you on Nirvana but your right the Pixies were good. I got into them after Fight Club.
One of the comments here mentioned Pandora, so I went and created a station. It selected a song for me because the song has a "vocal-centric aesthetic." I was like, oh, so what you're saying is it's a SONG. As opposed to the dance club crap on the charts today.
I almost cried.
You may have been listening to good music back then, but most people weren't. Popular music was every bit as terrible back then as it is now, people just tend to remember the good and forget the bad. In 30 years nobody will remember Lady GaGa, and if they do, they won't admit it. They'll look back to music they're not actually listening to today, and complain about how their kids have tastes just as bad as they did.
In the Christmas episode of the one-season ABC series "My So-Called LIfe" the theme is: "It's like when you're not having the fight, but the fight's having you" (bonus points for who can name who played the ghost without googling). Schlichter is having that internal fight: is it really about music sucking, or is it about turning into his father? Self-evidently, it's about getting old and being incapable of connected with What The Kids Like, a fact that is demonstratable by a scroll through the comment and so many commenter giving their age. I'm lucky – considered by peers to have lousy taste in music, I happily enjoy most genres of all ages – I follow DMB as much as my vacation time allows, I take in Kelly Clarkson when she's in the area, I love my Kingston Trio/Julie London/Tito Puente records, my Dead tapes, worship at the rock altar that is/was GNR, and love The Killers, The Rejects and a wide variety of country artists, to say nothing of waiting for Pixies tickets in Denver. When one doesn't define their Cool Factor based on music alone, one begins to enjoy music.
This is the weirdest music thread in BH history. The Mae Shi and Super Furry Animals back to back. (No offense, but I gave up on SFA once everything started sounding the same, but at least all of Radiator is pretty fantastic.) Basically what we are saying here is if you are willing to put up with a lot of attitude and bad writing, the hipsters have the good music. You can listen to it while still avoiding them.
So none of you guys were Built To Spill fans in the '90s? That doesn't scan right.
John Locke,
You have great taste in music and thanks for turning me on to Wolfmother. They effing rock!
Excellent song form an excellent album by an excellent band.
I think from the ages of 10 – 30 you're imprinted with the music that will be the major influence in your tastes. After age 40 everything sounds like crap. On the plus side, as a 37 year old, all the department stores play the songs I like because I'm the demographic that has money to spend. The down side is that in 10 – 20 years, all the commercials advertising geriatric products will have "Hungry Like the Wolf" or "Smells Like Teen Spirit" playing in the background.
Robert Pollard , Jandek.
Funny you post a Clash video on a conservative blog, I guess it's cooler than posting a Toby Kieth video, eh comrade?
Screw it! They stopped making good music on 12/31/89!
THE EIGHTIES LIVE FOREVER!!!!!
You people should start listening to classical music. You don't know what you're missing.
Indeed.
I have my Clash station among others, but the one that gets the most play is probably the Shane McGowan one. Great place to find all those English bands I never got to hear back in the 70's and 80's also.
Kings of Leon remind me of Eddie Money. And I like that.
Hm. Hm. Hm. Hm. Hm. Hm. Hm. Hm. Hm.
That was "Pokerface."
Hey Kurt, if you haven't listened to it yet, Streetcore is Joe Strummers best post Clash album and well worth a listen.
I'm sorry, it means you've gotten old.
Years ago I read that most people have their music tastes set at, average age, 23.5, and continue to listen to that same music style for the rest of their lives. I've heroic tried to resist this early sign of mental decay thoughout my 52 years.
Also, good music, like good news, is no longer available through standard outlets. And, also like good news, you probably no longer have college buds who are searching for good music with you, so you don't get peer suppot in your quest.
So my suggestion for music is get out of your old tired janre, don't be afraid if the words aren't in English, spend some time on the music sites and youtube, and seek out your bliss. I guarantee there is some group or singer out there that you've never heard of that you'll love.
I didn't get into Built To Spill until I heard Ancient Melodies Of The Future playing in a record store a few months after it came out.
Congratulations, Kurt. You're officially your Dad. Don't forget to hide the baseballs that get tossed inadvertently in your yard, too. If it's any consolation, I can completely relate.
Amen.
Sinatra, Martin, Lane, even some old fashioned Country and Western*gasps*. Of course, I see that Creed is coming out with a new CD, so maybe I'm not completely lost from modernity……
That wasn't Tool. That was A Perfect Circle.
Also, "10000 Days (Wings for Marie Pt. 2)" off Tool's last album is a very nice antithesis to that song. Yes, "Judith" is filled with anger, but "10000 Days" is filled with acceptance and forgiveness.
Pinnacle in 1980's?
Pick up the NEW UPDATED EDITION of "On The Road With The Ramones."
With new pages, photos and info on what's been happening to the legacy of the Ramones since 2003.
This is a MUST-HAVE book for all Ramones fans. Based around the story of Monte A. Melnick who was the Ramones tour manager (and much more) throughout their entire career (1974-1996, and 2,263 live shows). It's an inside look from the people who were actually there witnessing and experiencing all the extreme highs and lows of one of rock's greatest bands. The book is packed with interviews from the Ramones and many many more people who where very close to the band. There is over 250 photographs and pictures of memorabilia Monte collected along the way. Buy it, read it and then revisit their albums. You'll never look at the Ramones in the same light.
I don't care what anyone says – I'm a musician, so I'm the authority. LOL! – Matchbox Twenty was a fabulous pop band in the late 90's/early '00's. Mad Season was a positively brilliant album. The whole of the thing.
Oh, and I'm 51, but musicians don't age like other people do… or, alternately, we suffer from terminal arrested development. ;^)
Rule # 1- if it don't sound like Nickelback, it ain't music.
Bowie. Roxy Music. T. Rex.
I dunno. I realised I was the youngest old man in the world when I was 18 and I was listening to Supertramp and Pink Floyd when other guys were listening to crap like Eminem. I'm only 25. There is a lot of crap around but there is also some good stuff. Actually 'Pokerface' reminds me of some of the eighties stuff like Pet Shop Boys, Ultravoxx, Maddona, Dupeche Mode etc, which is what I find interesting. You should keep in mind that a lot of pop songs use dynamic range compression to flatten the volume, so it sounds good on a crap stereo and mp3 players. Also that eighty percent of the listening public no longer pay for music so it's pretty hard to make a living at it. Have you ever heard 'Safety dance'? That song had the dumbest lyrics but it was quite catchy and I still have my safety dance EP on vinyl. Why don't you try Ryan Adams and the Cardinals? They are quite nice for a modern band.
Except for the old geezers still playing today, does anyone these days demonstrate any good ensemble playing? You know, like what Van Morrison and The Band cranked out in their sleep? This is not a rhetorical question. I am looking for something beyond just the guitar – bass – drum template.
no we need those old bands because even as a 16 year old kid I hate most of today's music. Without artists like George thorogood and john fogerty what concerts would I go to? the jonas brothers? I'd rather die
Honey, if Sinatra or Como were touring today and my Dad was still with us, he'd be there in a rented tux like a shot to dance with his "bride" of more than half a century. Good music is good music, whatever era. The problem to day, as opposed to say 40 years ago, is that the business is fragmented into tiny niches instead of "broad"casting all kinds of music to all people on the same station. Drop the canned playlists and bring back live DJs.
Agree – my 20 year old daughter wandered through the living room last night while I was watching and asked "what's that?" If I hadn't already been sitting down I would have fallen down. She had no clue. Don't know how she could have missed it (must be all those "reality" shows and MTV crap she watches) so I gave her the Twitter version. There used to be a time when we had at least SOME cross-generational shared cultural memories.
I actually didn't get into them til a few years ago, but I'm all of 23. All I'm saying is anyone who loves '70s rock has no reason to dislike Keep It Like A Secret. None. Doug Martsch is kind of annoying hippie scum, but man can he write a song. And play guitar.
This is straight-up trolling. Jandek for this crowd? I think not.
I am 49 and have loved most all forms of music from an early age..sunday mornings after church my Parents would put records on the Hi-Fi and we'd be grooving to Herb Albert, Ray Conif, Johnny Cash, Dione Warwick while making breakfast…as I aged I had an Uncle who taught music and was a Jazz afficianto, later he actually willed me all 2000+ of his classic jazz vinyl…grew up loving UK Rock and Roll…Zepplin, Stones, Bowie, Kinks…but never lost touch with all the great US country music being made, and somewhere along the way fell in love with Big Band, Swing and all the crooners…the 80's lost me, but thank god for Punk…but you're right much of todays stuff is pretty crappy…but sountrack to Garden State and offerings from David Gray have given me hope..you've gotta love listening to Sirius XM U and the Spectrum…a lot of great new and old music being played.
Well Jake, here ya go:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SQkYNXWXRzk
Enjoy!
Yeah Jimmy. My brother is the biggest Westerberg fan on the planet (I think a restraining order has been issued by now) and he has played me a bunch of GrandpaBoy and other Westerberg solo stuff.
This is where I worry about the nostalgia compromising my viewpoint. I do like a lot of the stuff he has played for me, but I don't find any of it has the impact on me that the 'Mats stuff does.
Still, I would agree with your description. Quite Tasty indeed.
Seems economically unsound– deranged, actually– to ignore a substantial demographic base for new music. But "real" musicians are like "real" writers– we do what we have to do, probably for our own good, or driving spirit, regardless of the vicissitudes of the pop market. Doesn't make it any less of a drag. Club owners screw you over, A&R reps dismiss what's not "hot". That's the origin of the punk/DYI ethic. Having been performing and recording since '77, it's just a matter of carrying on. I like early Pink Floyd, the Doors and Velvets, Psychedelic Furs, Roxy Music with Eno– music I put together is usually moody, atmospheric, and whacked-out. I've opened shows for the Fleshtones, Violent Femmes, Let's Active, John Cale– in halls large and small– recorded and engineered on 2 track, 16 and 32 track, digital tape and finally with a digital audio workstation. It's often more interesting keeping up with developments in recording than it is to feign an interest in what's "hip" musically– LOL. I know exactly what Kurt's talking about. My compliments on your taste.
Musical results I've had, for those interested in that sort of thing, can be found, listened to in lo-fi, and freely downloaded at CD quality bitrate here: http://www.darkryders.com/Index.html –and here: http://www.darkryders.com/Lyrics.html You might find 'em worth some listening– and the price is right, since they're gratis. Coming from the old school of engineering for vinyl, the material is not compressed into oblivion for ear buds for those with discerning taste– which means you can actually turn it up or down if so inclined. The site's about rock music & culture for intelligent people. The song "117 Sandusky Street (One More)" goes along with the Warhol series I wrote last week. BTW, I've been at Rolling Stones and Allman shows where they used to turn the hoses on us. We deserved it, too
I absolutely adore Rob Thomas/Matchbox Twenty. They're still around and still putting out excellent music, I might add. =)
go into You Tube- type Frank Sinatra and never come out again- what could be simpler?
Music for people over forty is here. Check it out at: http://www.myspace.com/rogerweber
You'll feel better.
I'm 47 and disagree that the popular music landscape is any worse now than it was way back when. We just are more discriminatory as we age. There were tons of awful bands in the 50s, 60s, 70s and 80s. Just as in the 90s and 00s. There's also lots of good stuff from artists old and new. Each decade tends to have a prevailing style or two, and that style may or may not fit with your likes. But leaving that aside, as we approach middle age we are more readily able (and willing) to recognize when something is crap.
Do you think the kids even miss what it was like to slow dance with a girl?
Listen to the Sisters Of Mercy.
So many comments, I don't know who'll see this, but here goes. Most people's musical taste freezes by the time they hit age 25. They're middle-aged, already; they just don't know it. As a professional musician, I've tried very hard not to fall into that trap. Ironically, I find myself listening to music far OLDER that what I absorbed in my teens and twenties. I'm more interested in the roots of blues, rock, etc. I think another factor not considered in Kurt's amusing column is the effect of technology on popular music and popular culture. For example, guitars used to be dignified parlour instruments of the aristocracy, until electrification re-wrote the script. Pop music driven by the new FM synthesizers in the '80s drove Baby Boomers nuts. MTV videos shifted the emphasis from music to looks. (OK, looks were always a factor, but now they're almost THE factor.) Now we've got pitch-correction software, so any fool who can sort of carry a tune can sound like s/he (is a robot who) has perfect pitch. But with CD sales down, and young kids listening to Django, I'm not sure there really IS a pop culture, any more. Just niche markets. Might be all for the best.
the problem is not your age, but "popular culture". when the clash, the ramones, the replacements were hitting their hardest, they were not "popular". they were the alternative, before alternative was just another genre attached to the mainstream. how can you listen to all of the music out there in the past 10 years or so and come up with only some history exploiting hack band like the killers?
there is an underground and there is a ton of amazing music being created. most of it isn't based in "new sounds" because there aren't many good new sounds left, but new ways to combine and create based on what has come before. like JAMC? check out A Place To Bury Strangers and Ceremony. like my bloody valentine? dinosaur jr.? check out heat-ray. like julian cope and echo & the bunnymen? check out white lies. tons of bands out there doing some wonderful stuff. veil veil vanish, xu xu fang, we fell to earth, stellastarr*, silversun pickups, the moog… and even bands that have come and gone in the past 10 years – so many good ones. if you stick to the radio pablum and the mass majority of "popular" music – you are going to find not much of anything. there's great music out there right now, you just have to actually go out and look for it. i'm one year away from 40, and i've never felt that the only good music is old music. i still like what i was listening to in the 80's – sure – but there's so much more in the future, i can't stop listening.
I am younger than you are yet I think there's very little music of quality that isn't: Jazz, latin jazz//Brazilian, classical/seriously composed music, and the occasional pop/rock artist who can actually create a melody or use interesting chords/harmonies. I try not to be narrow minded, but so much that's out there is trite, limited, one-dimensional, and very non-musical. Writing great melodies and crafting intelligent lyrics are so rarely achieved in popular music. During my lifetime pop music has been somewhat bleak. I'd rather hear a melodic interesting solo from Wes Montgomery recorded 40+ years ago over ANY electric guitar playing rock virtuoso since (excluding Pat Metheny maybe, who experimented in many directions). Maybe because I'm a composer I feel this way, but I'm disgusted with what has been popular almost all of my life.
This old kermudgen really is his father! Judging the crap bands like The Clash, Husker Du and The Replacements this guy listened to in the 80's, it's easy to understand why he hates today's pop music. He hated pop music when he was a kid in the 80's too. I'm 36, while I don't like some of the pop music today either, some of it is quite good. Yes some of the music has stupid lyrics and shamelessly steal hooks from each other but you can find that in every decade. I like a lot of the electropop, more synth based approach to pop music. Even the rap, hip hop and some rock stuff is getting faster and more synth based. Thank God! That gangsta crap was getting very old very fast. The new synthpop reminds me a lot of the bands I listened to in the 80's (and still listen to now) like Erasure, Pet Shop Boys, Dead Or Alive, Duran Duran, Madonna etc. Many of them are paying homage to those great artists. I'm a DJ & like all types of music.
I do agree with him completely on the movies & TV. Movies like Superbad, Anchorman etc. are really dumb. However, South Park is my favorite TV show but they are in a whole different league because of the shows intelligent political and social satire that is frequently masked behind its juvenile humor. I understand why this guy gave up. After "My Humps" won a Grammy, it's kind of hard not to. I haven't given up yet, not even on Black Eyed Peas. Maybe the DJ in me won't let me.
I agree. The music we hear on the radio has taken a sharp right hand turn straight down.
EnterThe Highway Girl. I think you'll love the music we feature. http://www.thehighwaygirl.com
I turned off popular radio in the days when boy bands ruled the waves, and I have never looked back. I'm now 41 and what little new music I discover is usually through iTunes or some of those really catchy Disney songs. I'm a musician myself (instrumental) and the bulk of what I do listen to are my biggest musical influences. Some of the stuff is newer, depending on if the group or artist is still around. As for conforming to what pop culture thinks is best, I've never been a conformist.
The 1980s have never died for me. Since things get popular over time once again, I'll just wait for the rest of the world to catch back up with me. LOL
Stumbled upon this post. The Clash, Husker Du, The Replacements – all good bands. There is quality music out there being being made – you just have to go fishing. The internet brings a huge inventory of songs however you have to put in some time to find something you dig. It's there if you look. However, I would venture to say that most 40 and 50 year olds don't spend the time, because you probably don't have it, to find new music that you dig. The kids will because they have the time and are not concerned with paying rent and buying food. I'm sure you get what I'm saying. Here's a starting point: check out this New Jersey band called 'Vine House'. The three bands mentioned are influences and we're heavily into melody in an old school way. Maybe you will like and add to your iPod. Hey, it's a start..
http://www.vinehousemusic.com or search itunes for 'Vine House'
-mark
Kurt,
You must be pleased, three days later and still people weighing in. Comments from A-Z. All is not lost.
Man you have to be kidding me. Popular music doesn't leave anyone because of age. You want to know why your father knew about those songs you listen too? Because your father was a cool dude and coolness has no age.
O yeah and it doesn't help when you don't know that Jay Z isn't a singer and Flor rida isn't a gangster.
"Yeah I said it"
Tye Banks
http://www.TyeBanks.com
Man you have to be kidding me. Popular music doesn't leave anyone because of age. You want to know why your father knew about those songs you listen too? Because your father was a cool dude and coolness has no age.
Besides I make music people over 40 seems to like.
http://www.TyeBanks.com
http://www.YouTube.com/officialTyeBanks
The real issue is not that popular music has abandoned people over forty, as much as that people tend to abandon pop music (and exploring new music) as they age. I’m over 40, & I listen to many types of music, & have been fortunate, exposed to both classical & jazzy pop as a child, & grew up on rock, blues, and pop. I learned about the music of Africa and India before "world music," & appreciate country, bluegrass, salsa, zydeco, Dixieland & swing, playing ever-more-diverse bands. (There are heavy metal bands I like, too.) While the music I make is probably some strange ad-mixture of mostly pop/rock/country/blues, I can enjoy the other genres. If everyone (even non-musicians) did likewise, perhaps the music out there wouldn't seem so alien and un-listenable. It just takes getting used to, & you can’t dismiss a genre or artist without giving the music a listen, first. There is — and always will be — beautiful, quirky, passionate, interesting, worthwhile music out there. The trick is keeping one's mind open to it.
Leigh Harrison http://www.leighharrison.com
I just turned 60 on my last birthday. It is the way of things for people to mature and grow older, and hopefully wiser. When I was young the music I liked was not particularly appreciated by my parents either. That's okay. It didn't mean that the Beatles weren't any good. It was simply a milestone of the passing of time. I am a musician and I also compose music myself. I reject the idea that there is no one out there writing good music anymore. There are those of us who still do. We are simply in a growing minority. You have to search it out but it is out there. I write instrumental listening music for malls, elevators, restaurants, movie backgrounds, TV beds, commercials, etc. I think that when a musician who has been a musician for as long as I have weighs in on this topic we do so with some level of tolerance. I have seen much change during the passing of my time. I entered the world of music as a musician in 1963 at age 14. I am now 60 (46 years and counting). I tend to look at new music today as more of a sign of its time than anything else. Each generation has their sound that they associate with. When I was coming up the music I listened to was a sign of defiance, protest, rebellion, anything that would make my parents cringe and go against the establishment. That hasn't changed. In fact I think that cringe factor (and the good old fashioned profit motive) does more to shape popular music than we imagine. I take things in stride and play music I like. I don't have to listen to stuff that doesn't appeal to me, but that's not going to make it go away. Young people have as much right to try and make me cringe with their music as I had to try and make my folks cringe. It's not about that. When the dust settles and you look back over successive generations what we tend to remember as the "good" music from that decade means something different to everyone. When I write music I tend to write in the style of the old masters like Cole Porter, Johnny Mercer, Rodgers & Hart, Mancini, Irving Berlin, Duke Ellington, George Gershwin, etc. To me that's the stuff of real substance. It contains more than just loud one four five chords. It actually employs some musical theory and harmony to create an interesting melody and rhythm that tells a story, a tone poem if you will. So, look a little harder, there is still lots of good stuff being written today that is worth the search. We all define "good" according to our own tastes and preferences. The fact that there is so much "bad" stuff out there only helps us appreciate the "good" stuff that much more when we do run across it. Check out CD Baby. Do a search for whatever you're looking for and chances are you'll find something that you do like. You could even do a search for Piece Offering or Rounding The Bend.
[...] University. Y si bien anuncio que estaba interesado en estudiar en Chicago, … Popular Music Abandons Everyone Over FortyIf one of the Jonas brothers popped themselves they would be the best band of the 2000's but [...]
I'm only 24 and actually a HATED music in 2003 when I was just 18, since I was really exposed to the radio and have a good ear, which means the first new music I heard was grunge/hair metal, and my parents frequently would put the oldies stations on trips, and I NEVER complained a bit about any song! I now own a 1963 jukebox with a collection of over 5,000 45's. About 15% of the collection is from the '50s, 20% from the '60s, 30% from the '70s, 80% from the '80s, with the remaining 5% a SELECT few from the '90s and a few pre-50s songs as well. In fact, a recent survey indicates that the favorite band by today's teens are, in fact the Beatles with the Jonas Brothers in second, with Jimmi Hendrix and The Stones in the Top 10; it shows that even the youth aren't that crazy about pop music. Gangsta Rap, lousy post-grunge, and "Pop Tarts" like Britney Spears (who unfortunately paved the way for Miley Cyrus) really alienated too much of an audience.
You must be logged in to post a comment.