Sliding Music Tastes

by phil on Monday Feb 9, 2004 12:39 AM

We have a tendancy to justify our music tastes by their popularity. Unfortunately, I don't want to be like that (sorta).... here's an example.

So it's the 60s, you're 16, you listen to "The Who" in High School because it's the cool thing to do.

You turn 20, and then you find people are moving on to "The Doors" but you still listen to "The Who" and you justify it as "pssyeah, I don't listen to mainstream music" (Doors may not have been mainstream, but assume it was).

Then when you're 25, and you still listen to "The Who" and you're like, "well, I listen to it still because I find it interesting, and it's better to have authentic tastes"

Then when you're 35, you're retro. When you're 40, you're an archiver, holding up the golden "classics." After 50, then you're a fan af antiquities.

The point is, it's never really about the music, and after you turn 16, your tastes kind of stick, and your start to stagnate. *yawn* I don't want to do that, I want to remain neotenous, and so, I'm getting myself to listen to Pinback which is an indie band, and AFI, which is punk. This is what the trendies listen to.

Yes, it sounds like I'm a poseur, but the "The Who" listener started out as a mimic and ended up as an uncool antiquarian. If our tastes in music is based largely on inculcation, might as well inculcate with the "cool." This would be the rational choice IMHO

Comments

Damon said on February 12, 2004 9:50 AM:

Hey, I've been enjoying your blog for a couple of weeks now.

I am a 40 yo who enjoyed the Who (and most 60's and 70's british music). I (sometimes) still enjoy listening to the Who/Stones/Beatles, though I do not waste time with Classic Rock radio.

Your observations regarding musical tastes and age are probably mostly right -- the recording industry is banking on it. They keep pushing out the same old formulatic crap for oldsters, for example.
,and focus on creating stars for teens.

Fortunately, there are independents and small labels (and no labels, ala www.garagebands.com).

So what does this 40ish listen to now?
Warren Zevon, Kurt Elling and a bit of
classic Jazz (Coltrane, Miles Davis, Methany)

Try http://www.kurtelling.com, you'll like it.

Don't let the labels spoon feed you!!!!