I fear I may have finally grown old

[hangthadj]

This hit me last night. I think I have turned teh corner to the point where I listen to old people music or dad rock. I mean, don't get me wrong, some of my favorite albums of this year include The Killers, Elefant, and The Streets releases so I feel like I still have some youthful pride in me.

But then I looked around at what is coming out the rest of the year and I realize that the albums that have me most excited to purchase are Finn Brothers, Trash Can Sinatra's and Paul Weller. None of them really known these days for "rocking out" or anything close to it.

Couple that with for my money, over the past year I've listened to more Luna and New Order than all other bands combinded and I feel like I am living in the past.

I'm only 27. Has this happened to other people this young?

[CHICO13]

Wait until the first time you hear one of your favorite tunes on the Oldie's station. :o

[gildarkevin]

Yeah, I'm right with you on this and I'm 33.

One minute, you're looking at the paper going "wow, BT and Paul Van Dyk on the same bill this weekend" and the next you're changing the radio station in your car to one of your presets, the "oldies station" from the 60s and 70s.

I'm with you on both the Killers and the Streets CDs, having gotten both (also pretty big on Interpol, Postal Service and The Affair). But I find myself also listening to a lot more talk radio and classical in the car, because I'm just sick of all the abysmal new bands that you hear on local DC stations nowadays.

[babytiger2001]

One minute, you're looking at the paper going "wow, BT and Paul Van Dyk on the same bill this weekend" and the next you're changing the radio station in your car to one of your presets, the "oldies station" from the 60s and 70s.

Or, to take this a step further, when the classic rock station on your dial plays a heavy rotation of '80s music (such as Gold 104 in Melbourne does).

Time marches onward, folks...

[Crimen y Castigo]

Last night I was beaten down the wing for a ball that I **knew** I had.

That's old, goddammit.

[bungadiri]

I grow old ... I grow old ...
I shall wear the bottoms of my trousers rolled.

[servotron]

This hit me last night. I think I have turned teh corner to the point where I listen to old people music or dad rock. I mean, don't get me wrong, some of my favorite albums of this year include The Killers, Elefant, and The Streets releases so I feel like I still have some youthful pride in me.

But then I looked around at what is coming out the rest of the year and I realize that the albums that have me most excited to purchase are Finn Brothers, Trash Can Sinatra's and Paul Weller. None of them really known these days for "rocking out" or anything close to it.

Couple that with for my money, over the past year I've listened to more Luna and New Order than all other bands combinded and I feel like I am living in the past.

I'm only 27. Has this happened to other people this young?

I'm turning 29 this month, and I've been a crotchety old man for years :D

When it comes to music, I'm sorry but there's only so much you can do in a genre before it gets stale or crosses into another already existing genre. I still listen to a LOT of music from the mid 80's to late 90's, especially hadcore punk and hip hop, and even pop (see: 80's new wave pop) . I see it as the "enlightened age" of pop music for most genres. It was before the "we HAVE to be shocking and wierd to be appreciated" late 90's and early 00's, and after the "we don't quite know what we're doing yet with this (fill in the blank) genre, so please bear with us" vibe I get from 70's to early 80's. This holds for just about every single genre I can think of in popular music.

If you're disgusted by today's ************ music you're not alone, and worse, you're probably not wrong. It really does suck. Take a listen to any pop radio station for a few minutes and think to yourself "where will this song be in five years...will people still listen to it?" Overwhelmingly, the answer is no. Too much popular music is just throw-away flash in the pan crap made for a quick buck. It's sad to a point, but it's also really easy to ignore it and entertain yourself with something better.

[monster]

"Good morning, sir."

:(

[Dr. Wankler]

I grow old ... I grow old ...
I shall wear the bottoms of my trousers rolled.

Yeah, but do you dare eat a peach?

There are several kinds of "old," some of which have been mention. There's culturally old, which Hang started the thread with. That's when you find yourself watching VH-1, buying older music only geeky kids know about, etc. Then there's sports old, which crimen y castigo mentioned. You might notice it right away, like he did, or you might live in denial and at the end of the season wonder why you earned 8 red-card suspensions for elbowing guys in the mouth rather than chasing them down the wing. Props to crimen for avoiding the denial approach.

Then there's "guy old." It begins when you start talking about general medical problems ("damn sciatica's flaring up again." "******** - ing knee. Must be rain.") that sort of thing, which essentially signals the start of middle age. However, when you start talking about your prostate to strangers...then you are officially old in guy terms.

[supersport]

Your not old, just "middle aged". Old is when you just don't give a sh!t about contemporary music anymore. I fear at 37 I am getting to the "old" stage.

[bmurphyfl]

I realized I was getting old when I started missing good concerts due to elective surgeries.

[hangthadj]

Daddy doesn't go to may concerts anymore because they make him feel old.

[FlashMan]

As long as you feel young when you listen to the music, you're not old.

[Smiley321]

Wait until you start to hear some of your favorites in the supermarket....

I was shopping awhile ago and heard a muzak version of "Thick as a Brick" in the supermarket. That hurt worse than the injuries that take forever to heal.

[YanksFC]

This hit me last night. I think I have turned teh corner to the point where I listen to old people music or dad rock. I mean, don't get me wrong, some of my favorite albums of this year include The Killers, Elefant, and The Streets releases so I feel like I still have some youthful pride in me.

But then I looked around at what is coming out the rest of the year and I realize that the albums that have me most excited to purchase are Finn Brothers, Trash Can Sinatra's and Paul Weller. None of them really known these days for "rocking out" or anything close to it.

Couple that with for my money, over the past year I've listened to more Luna and New Order than all other bands combinded and I feel like I am living in the past.

I'm only 27. Has this happened to other people this young?

I turn 37 tomorrow, so think about how I feel. I entered what I call the "NPR zone" a long time ago. :D

Seriously, don't beat up on yourself. Think of it this way -- You have a "refined" taste in what you choose to listen to.

[YanksFC]

One other thought (which I think hang probably knows pretty well, so I'm preaching to the converted) -- There's plenty of good new music out there. You just have to look for it in the right places. Listening to stations like KEXP is a good start. I will even admit that MTV still has a small modicum of redeeming value left with its MTV2 show, "Subterranean." It's sort of a latter day "120 Minutes," except that it's hosted by an annoying VJ (some asswipe named Jim something or other who has to be the worst musician interviewer ever) and that it's only 60 minutes long.

[hangthadj]

One other thought (which I think hang probably knows pretty well, so I'm preaching to the converted) -- There's plenty of good new music out there. You just have to look for it in the right places. Listening to stations like KEXP is a good start.

Yup. I wind up requesting Finn Brothers on KEXP and they play it, so thats cool. :D

[Glenwood Lane United]

Daddy doesn't go to may concerts anymore because they make him feel old.

I bought tickets to a concert yesterday. That makes me younger, right?


RIGHT?

[Footix]

I refuse to be like all my friends who I used to go to shows with who now are "the guy at the picnic in Dockers who listens to the business-news AM station in his sensible car". I just can't do it.

I have a friend who I used to totally admire because of his sense of abandon and amazing musical taste. Way back in the day, I went with this guy to a DEVO show at a packed club, and when he realized we were too late to get close to the stage, he actually went outside, found a giant cardboard box, put it over his head, came back in, and yelled "BOX! BOX COMING THROUGH!" and easily cut his way to the lip of the stage. His night ended onstage syncronized pogoing with Jerry Casale to "Come Back Jonee". That guy was awesome.

Now he's got a couple of kids, a job at Merrill Lynch, loads of dough, and has never heard of Dizzee Rascal or The Shins. I wouldn't trade lives for a second with that sad bastard.

I'm at the stage now that when I go see a show, I'm starting to look like a narc, but I'm still not the oldest looking guy in the place. Thankfully, my kid has amazing taste in music, and he hips me to stuff that A&R guys that I know have not gotten to yet. In trade, I school him and his friends in music history (Tell us again about the time you saw The Clash at Bond's, Mr. Footix!).

I'll admit that though the thought of listening to Dido and Zero 7 on a Sunday morning while reading the paper is starting to sound kind of nice every once in a while, the fact that I'm holding tickets for upcoming shows by Motorhead, PuffyAmiYumi, and my third Franz Ferdinand show of the year reminds me that I'm probably not gonna be that Dockers guy anytime soon.

Hangthedj: Don't give into ageism, especially against yourself. And BTW, that Trash Can Sinatras cd is fantastic, and not as mild as I think you're expecting.

[YanksFC]

I refuse to be like all my friends who I used to go to shows with who now are "the guy at the picnic in Dockers who listens to the business-news AM station in his sensible car". I just can't do it.

I have a friend who I used to totally admire because of his sense of abandon and amazing musical taste. Way back in the day, I went with this guy to a DEVO show at a packed club, and when he realized we were too late to get close to the stage, he actually went outside, found a giant cardboard box, put it over his head, came back in, and yelled "BOX! BOX COMING THROUGH!" and easily cut his way to the lip of the stage. His night ended onstage syncronized pogoing with Jerry Casale to "Come Back Jonee". That guy was awesome.

Now he's got a couple of kids, a job at Merrill Lynch, loads of dough, and has never heard of Dizzee Rascal or The Shins. I wouldn't trade lives for a second with that sad bastard.

I'm at the stage now that when I go see a show, I'm starting to look like a narc, but I'm still not the oldest looking guy in the place. Thankfully, my kid has amazing taste in music, and he hips me to stuff that A&R guys that I know have not gotten to yet. In trade, I school him and his friends in music history (Tell us again about the time you saw The Clash at Bond's, Mr. Footix!).

I'll admit that though the thought of listening to Dido and Zero 7 on a Sunday morning while reading the paper is starting to sound kind of nice every once in a while, the fact that I'm holding tickets for upcoming shows by Motorhead, PuffyAmiYumi, and my third Franz Ferdinand show of the year reminds me that I'm probably not gonna be that Dockers guy anytime soon.

Hangthedj: Don't give into ageism, especially against yourself. And BTW, that Trash Can Sinatras cd is fantastic, and not as mild as I think you're expecting.

Amen to all that.