Am I Losing Touch?

Tagged with: Music, radio

Aug 242010

My dad has Sirius Satellite Radio in his car, which is really a damn shame, all he listens to is the 60′s station, no variety at all. I think that he’s been stuck in a musical time-warp since he was in his twenties, maybe his early thirties, which at least gets us to the early 1970′s. He picked me up from the airport a few weeks ago when I surprised the family with my trip to NY for Darling Boy’s birthday and while we were driving to my in-laws, I was thinking about his taste in music (not bad, just old) when it dawned on me.

I’m slowly becoming my dad, at least when it comes to music.

Over a year ago I wrote The Soundtrack of My Life and said something about being the lame old dad someday, now I’m afraid that maybe it’s coming true. Sure, there are tons of newer artists that I at least recognize the names of, but if you played a game of name that tune, I’d get my ass kicked. Unless it was restricted to the 1970-1995 era or so, then I would kick ass! When I stumbled upon a re-broadcast of American Top 40 with Casey Kasem from 1984, I recognized most of the songs within seconds!

Not too long ago I posted this list of the first 25 songs that showed up when I hit shuffle play on my iPhone. Look at the list- there are only 3 songs from the last 10 years! Many of those songs are 20+ yrs old! What’s happened to me? I used to work in a college radio station for crying out loud, I knew what was new, who was upcoming. And I once fucked Veronica in the radio station record library

Wait, where was I?

Oh yeah, out of date knowledge of musical artists…

I love the Shazam app for my iPhone, I don’t recognize a song, I open the app and in less than a minute I know the song, the artist and what album it’s from. Awesome, right? But humbling at the same time. Recently I’ve heard but not recognized a bunch of songs I liked, songs that thanks to Shazam I know are from Theory of a Deadman, Shinedown, Gnarls Barkley, The Black Eyed Peas, not exactly obscure artists.

I really need to spend some time with iTunes and update my collection. I love my dad, but I don’t want to end up like him…

And let’s not even start with the last time I went to a concert!

Be Sociable, Share!

http://iveylane.blogspot.com Ivey Lane

I was never that great with music when I was younger but Vince was. And even now, playing in bands, he has to work to listen to new music. Sometimes, we even switch the channel to MTV, BET, or VH1 just to see (with cracking “Granny” voice) “what the kids are listening to these days.”

But I also think part of it IS the age. Music is like our soundtrack and it matches what’s going on inside. We had our time of teen angst and rages and hormonal outbursts and moving moments etc. If, at 43, I still related to a lot of the music that targets 15 – 20 year olds I’d be a bit worried. LOL

But now that we go out to clubs (now that Vince is playing in a club/dance band) I definitely relate to the sexy new music. I love cranking it up on a Saturday night, even if we’re just going to dinner. It fits my amped up emotional and physical state.

But don’t become your dad. That’s just nuts. LOL
http://dangerouslilly.com Dangerous Lilly

I tend not to go to concerts because they seem overrated and overpriced. You’re bound to be seated near some annoying schmuck (my last concert I think was the Eagles reunion tour, and there was a woman nearby goin WOOOOOOOOOOO like, the whole time), and if you can’t afford the good seats then you might as well be watching a concert DVD.

I think I have my phases of being “out of touch” but in the last few years my bizarre fondness for shows such as Gossip Girl, One Tree Hill, etc have reintroduced me to newer music since they’re geared towards the 17-23 crowd.

I listen to Pandora while at work, too, and while I skip a lot I also find a lot of new stuff.
T

I’m with you! I love music and like to stay up to date. But damn, there is so much new stuff all the time! What happened to the good old days when MTV played videos. It was easier then!
http://someoneskitten.wordpress.com Kitten

I have a coworker who makes the same complaints. I’ve made about 4 mix cds in the last 2 months filled with music from this decade.

Although, it’s a lot of artists that I like, and Theory of a Deadman and Shinedown do not appear within 3892743897 miles of it. hehe

Let me know if you would like me to burn them for you. =]
http://andeatingit2.com Joanna Cake

Wait til the kids get older, you’ll be bang up to date by osmosis

Or they’ll be thinking you’re really cool because you know all the words to the latest happening tunes!
http://paigesblogofnothing.blogspot.com Just me…

Hey! At least you get to listen to music you know! Right now, Disney Radio dominates my XM… I shutter to think of what I’ll be listening to in a few more years!!
But for now, I still occasionally get to torture DD with Stonesour and Silversun Pickups..
http://minorityreportunderground.blogspot.com/ minority report

hehe.
Last year one of my classes had a discussion day and the topic was music. For most of the class I was mentally asking, “Who the heck are you people talking about?!”.
I think it’s normal.
And I’m with Lilly, concerts are WAY overpriced.
That app sounds cool though. It beats trying to remember parts of lyrics and searching google.
http://anothersuburbanmom.blogspot.com Another Suburban Mom

I do love my Shazam! However I do not feel so out of touch with the music. One of the benefits of loving showtunes is that they never go out of style.
http://29-pearls.blogspot.com daniel

For me, I pay far less attention to what’s new and hip and on the radio than I do to what’s new and getting good critical buzz. That’s how I’ve found a TON of newer stuff that I’ve loved. And it doesn’t hurt to have a brother who’s a 25 yr old musician. Lol.

And I guess to me, the drive is not so much to ‘stay current’ as it is to keep finding more good stuff that’s new to me. I buy music obsessively, and it doesn’t much matter whether it’s new, or whether it’s something from 5, or 10, or 30, or 40 years ago that I overlooked.

Oh, and if you’re liking Gnarls Barkley, check out Broken Bells. It’s Danger Mouse’s new project (producer/multi-instrumentalist of gnarls) with James Mercer from the Shins. Good stuff.

-d.