I guess I’m no longer “cool”

I guess I’m no longer cool.

Actually, I’m not sure I ever was, but I know for certain that I am not cool now.

Today I started my usual ritual here in New Hampshire during the Fall…preparing for Winter. I dragged all of my car cleaning materials out into the 50 degree weather and proceeded to wash and wax the autos for the winter.
When I do this, I fire up itunes and stream audio to my stereo via an Airport Express, which ties into some speakers I mounted in my garage when I built this house. Thinking ahead does pay off.
As I wash and wax in the driveway, the garage acts like an amplifier and the music sounds great. I live on a couple of acres in the woods, so no one else is bothered by my music.

Back to the “cool” conversation.

I built a playlist that is comprised of old music I have collected on CDs over too many years to mention. I call this playlist “CD Oldies” since most of this stuff is classic rock….and there is my problem. I like, no make that love, my classic rock. Sure, I listen to other music, Blues, Country and I have a soft spot for Big Band stuff from the 40s (I love Glenn Miller), but my main love is classic rock. I know what you’re saying, “Why does that make me not cool,?”

While I love all the stuff I mentioned, I really hate todays music. I can’t stand the stuff my teenage sons ask me to buy them from iTunes. We screen all of the songs they ask for, going to websites and reading the lyrics before we allow them to be bought. Just having to do that says something about our society that disturbs me deeply, but that is another blog topic. There is so much crap out there it is amazing. A friend with teenage sons herself categorized this music as “Screaming Metal Death” music. It is just crap.

I’ve listened to Linkin Park, 3 Doors Down, and Three Days Grace to name a few (what’s with the number 3?). What ever happened to needing talent? They certainly can’t sing, which could explain why the music is so lousy. I can’t even make out the lyrics when I listened to this stuff. This “music” is nothing but noise. No wonder the record companies complain about music sales being so lousy these days.

Yeah, sure, you’ll tell me my parents hated the Beatles and the Rolling Stones when they were big back in the 60s, but you can’t argue that they had talent. Todays musicians have little natural talent and much of the crap they call music is electronically enhanced. What is amazing is even with this enhancement, this crap still stinks.

Sure, I realize I’m painting with a very broad brush. There are talented musicians out there who make some really good music, but they are rare.

Growing up my generation had The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Doors, Janis Joplin, Jimmy Hendricks, Eric Clapton, The Doobie Brothers, The Eagles, Elvis, Fleetwood Mac, Billy Joel, James Taylor, Jackson Brown, The Moody Blues, Neil Young. Phil Collins, Steely Dan, Steve Winwood, Led Zepplin, and The Who, just to name a few. There are dozens more, and the vast majority of it was clean, with lyrics that you can understand, sung by people with talent.

I know, I know, you’ll come back with your list of contemporary “artists” who you say are just as good.

Well, you know what, they aren’t, and I’ll put my list up against your list all day long.

So, I guess I’m not cool anymore.

Now, where did I put that Morrison Hotel CD?