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I’m a big classic rock fan. Sure there’s great music being made right now, but you have to wade through a lot of robot noises, AOL dial-up sounds and stupid, formulaic shit to find it. I guess Howard Cosell was right when he said, “What’s right isn’t always popular and what’s popular isn’t always right.”
Look at some of the undeniable greats like Led Zeppelin, The Beatles, Beach Boys, Rolling Stones – you get the picture. People used to have to wait to get albums. There were no midnight albums dropped over “the internets,” as less technologically advanced Baby Boomer coworkers call it. That’s not to say one way is better or that I’m pulling the “it was much better times” card, but it’s simply different times.
What I always think of with our parent’s age is The Who song, “My Generation.” The song is covered by many bands and is voted one of the greatest songs of all time on many polls (Rolling Stone has it at #11). The song makes me think about what that song meant to them, especially as their generation is bemoaned by the prior because they “get around.” The sentiment “I hope I die before I get old” is a voice of youth, as all those born when the song came out are kinda old now.
The reason I mention this is because every day, there is a new mention in the news about “Millennials.” For those living under a rock, “Millennial” (not to be confused with the Backstreet Boys’ “Millennium”) is the demographic cohort following Generation X. There are no precise dates for when the generation starts and ends; most researchers and commentators use birth years ranging from the early 1980s to the early 2000s. Our older counterparts usually find something about how pussy like or entitled we apparently are. I guess history repeats itself.
The age group characterized as millennial is a pretty large net if you ask me. My birthday falls closer to the “early 80s” than “early 2000s,” and I don’t think I have much in common with people that shit in a diaper when 9/11 happened.
When I see the various “safe spaces” or those that are triggered by “Trump2016,” I get sad. When I see the amount of debt my fellow young people are saddled with I get equally sad but for different reasons. I’d like to think it’s probably sensationalized about safe zones and triggers, but I’ve also seen the ugly side of some of the space cowboys of our “generation.” I am a pretty moderate person, but I feel slighted that I am grouped by the news people as a millennial in the same capacity as these people. Sure, there are some versions of “triggering” that are reasonable, like PTSD, which can come from a variety of causes. Like generalization of a generation, it is often thought of as a lowest common denominator to make some bullshit news reel.
We’ve all heard the “you’re not working hard enough,” “lazy, entitled MILLENNIAL,” or “when are you moving out of the basement?” comments from pundits, people and family. Personally, I think our generation got the short end of the stick. When I talk to friends and family that are 45+, they talk about how much fun they had before social media, camera phones, Facebook, etc. , the 1960s-80s saw some crazy parties, etc. Today, the Greek system, celebrities and common folk like you and I do something stupid and it’s viral within hours.
Think of all the crazy stories you hear about tours, celebrities, festivals, fraternity events etc. weren’t influenced by fear of social media and are kept alive by word of mouth and oral tradition. Today, there is much more accountability because everyone has a camera and the internet in their pocket. Maybe society would be better off without it? I have no idea.
As most of the readers on this site are close in age to myself, I imagine you all remember the AOL CDs, the rise of the personal computer, high-speed internet, smartphones and the like. We, as a generation, are accused of being “addicted to social media” and in some capacities, rightfully so. We are a product of our time, just like the Flower Culture of the 60s, drug culture of the 70s, etc. that experiment with drugs, free sex and communal life. Those same people are now leading the country and talk about the evils of engaging in the same stuff that they did as a “stupid young person,” except the laws are a lot less forgiving.
It’s weird seeing some of the songs that I grew up with being popped in with classic rock channels. Hearing Nirvana’s “In Bloom,” one of the first songs I learned to play on bass, on a classic rock station makes me feel kind of weird. Then I realize “Nevermind” came out 25 years ago. Maybe that’s how I am with my “Millennial Generation.” I see the merits of the past, but it is definitely weird seeing things that influenced me become antiquated as I struggle to understand why people “dab,” use the word “bae” or use Snapchat face swaps.
As one of my favorite composers, Brian Wilson said in his timeless classic, “I guess I just wasn’t made for these times.” That was in 1966.
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Madoff
I specialize in damage control, being the drunkest at any and all functions and social assassination. Always appreciate a strong gif game. Follow me on Twitter. Sometimes I put up cool stuff about golfing at the local dirt tracks.
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“Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that.” -George Carlin
Every generation has a ton of morons and a few very intellent people. I think that, because of technology, our society’s idiots are the ones who get highlighted instead of the intelligent ones. I think a lot of “Millenials” are intelligent and logical human beings that will lead us into the future. Don’t elect the idiots that want to give us political correctness and safe spaces. Send us the people who want to give us back our freedom. Those are the people who need to be leading this country, and those are the people who will define our generation in the history books.
Very relatable. Whenever I tell people I love listening to The Band, they ask which band..
Everyone should be required to watch The Last Waltz at least once for educational purposes.
Greatest music movie of all time. And one of the greatest movies period of all time.
Acadian Driftwood is such a great song. I know what you mean man.
The day I saw That 70s Show on TV Land was the day I officially realized I was old.
I was drinking and playing cards with my Girlfriends brothers and some other buddies this weekend, and her mom came and had a couple with us. She wanted to listen to classic rock. I agreed wholeheartedly…… everyone else looked at us like we were retarded. Damn kids these days have no taste.
I have the nicest car of my friends so I am always driving on road trips. I make it mandatory that the designated dj plays no “music” that sounds like a dial up modem.
Also a 5 year old toyota tacoma being the nicest vehicle in a friend group is a PGP.
It seems like our generation has a really wide span. But if you look at other generation classifications, it’s about the same. Technology moved so fast in the last 20 years that my childhood is more similar to my parents than my cousins who are only 10-12 years younger than me.
“Yesterday’s flower children are today’s blooming idiots.”
I bet this guy is so much fun at parties…
He is.
Another great read. Keep ’em coming.
When I was in college and even now, it was way more fun to drink and party on a warm day with the Stones, Kansas, or CCR playing than Kanye, Ariana Grande, or Pitbull. It set the mood for a fun time with your buddies. When I think back to the days in college spent drinking on the roof of the frat house, I always hear Lynyrd Skynyrd playing in my mind…
I really enjoyed this article. I grew up obsessed with The Eagles and was fortunate enough to see Glenn Frey in his next-to-last concert before he passed. Spending entire car rides listening to old music my Dad would throw on and discussing it for hours are some of my most treasured memories.