"There’s no reason why a 50 or 60 year old who has gone through a heart-wrecking divorce can’t identify with those feelings of loss, anger, and grief that encompass so much of what I listen to."
This is how I became a Swiftie at 52 with the release of Folklore. ;)
I'm 42 and always joke when I go to shows that I'll stand in the back with the other dads since I'm usually much older than the bands I see, and often close to double the average age of the audience.
In fact, I usually play a game where I try to find people who are my age or older at shows. It can be pretty challenging.
I've always tried to live my life by saying "fuck everyone else, do what you like". 🤷🏻♂️
“It’s not like you turn sixty and you have to hand in your cool card in exchange for a Barry Manilow record that you are now required to like.”
Oh no, I was forced to turn in my card long before 60. 😁
Seriously as a fellow 61er there are two issues. One is exposure, and you are working hard on that; me not so much. My exposure is whatever I’m exposed to (coffee shop?), and the small portion that catches my ear and drives me to SoundHound for an ID. The other is Sturgeon’s Law, and that my mental canon built up since the mid-60s has been pre-sifted of the 90%. I manage to add some new things though; I’m sure that I’ll listen to some of that this Weeknd.
Don’t neglect learning new things from the past either. The original Shuggie Otis version of “Strawberry Letter 23” crushes the Brothers Johnson version, yet it evaded me for 50 years until the last year or two.
New music. I know it’s out there and I’m positive some of it must be good-great because it’s always been that way. I listen mostly at the office and I know that keeps me leaning towards the familiar. It’s too much work to try and digest something entirely new while already, y’know, working. And I have to laugh at myself because what qualifies as new to me? I’m just a few years younger, but we occupy a similar-ish timeline ... and here’s new to me ... “Ooh, somehow I missed Fleetwood Mac’s Kiln House along the way ... I really need to give this a listen. [Listens] Oh! That’s good!” And then I’m so proud of myself for listening to something new! From 1970. When I was four.
My teenage daughter tossed me a bone ... Noah Kahan. Good stuff ... and as a guy living in northern New England, how could I not be drawn to music from an album named Stick Season? So, thanks to the college kid for throwing the (her words, not mine) old guy ... a lifeline from the deck of the SS Cool Stuff.
But having read this, I will dedicate a portion of brainpower today to something new. Something 2023. Something to make the cool kids wonder if anyone gave me permission to listen.
I have so much to say about this piece that I likely need to write my own; too much for a comment. But, as someone ten years your junior who occasionally tries to listen to new music, you’ve proved with this that I’m doing it wrong. lol. Of the artists you cited, I’ve literally only ever heard of Olivia Rodrigo, Steely Dan, Band of Horses, and the National. (Oh, you called out Zeppelin, too.)
I actually love love Olivia Rodrigo, but have only heard what plays on terrestrial radio. For some reason, never downloaded either of her albums till two days ago. Haven’t listened to them but they’re in my library... 🤷🏻♂️
For the past 15 years I've primarily listened to music of the 1960s and 1970s, along the lines of Earth, Wind & Fire, The Fifth Dimension, Stevie Wonder, and yes, the occasional Barry Manilow. I'm just not finding a lot of new stuff that appeals to me, although Little Big did pull me in with their quirky videos.
I do think you're an anomaly as far as getting into new music (I think most ppl tend to stick with whatever was popular during their adolescence, myself included), but there's definitely nothing wrong with that, and I think you're right that more of us older than 20somethings could stand to branch out.
"There’s no reason why a 50 or 60 year old who has gone through a heart-wrecking divorce can’t identify with those feelings of loss, anger, and grief that encompass so much of what I listen to."
This is how I became a Swiftie at 52 with the release of Folklore. ;)
I'm 42 and always joke when I go to shows that I'll stand in the back with the other dads since I'm usually much older than the bands I see, and often close to double the average age of the audience.
In fact, I usually play a game where I try to find people who are my age or older at shows. It can be pretty challenging.
I've always tried to live my life by saying "fuck everyone else, do what you like". 🤷🏻♂️
“It’s not like you turn sixty and you have to hand in your cool card in exchange for a Barry Manilow record that you are now required to like.”
Oh no, I was forced to turn in my card long before 60. 😁
Seriously as a fellow 61er there are two issues. One is exposure, and you are working hard on that; me not so much. My exposure is whatever I’m exposed to (coffee shop?), and the small portion that catches my ear and drives me to SoundHound for an ID. The other is Sturgeon’s Law, and that my mental canon built up since the mid-60s has been pre-sifted of the 90%. I manage to add some new things though; I’m sure that I’ll listen to some of that this Weeknd.
Don’t neglect learning new things from the past either. The original Shuggie Otis version of “Strawberry Letter 23” crushes the Brothers Johnson version, yet it evaded me for 50 years until the last year or two.
I listened to Olivia Rodrigo (finally) after reading her interview with Phoebe Bridgers, so good!
https://www.interviewmagazine.com/music/olivia-rodrigo-and-phoebe-bridgers-let-it-all-out
Rock on sister
New music. I know it’s out there and I’m positive some of it must be good-great because it’s always been that way. I listen mostly at the office and I know that keeps me leaning towards the familiar. It’s too much work to try and digest something entirely new while already, y’know, working. And I have to laugh at myself because what qualifies as new to me? I’m just a few years younger, but we occupy a similar-ish timeline ... and here’s new to me ... “Ooh, somehow I missed Fleetwood Mac’s Kiln House along the way ... I really need to give this a listen. [Listens] Oh! That’s good!” And then I’m so proud of myself for listening to something new! From 1970. When I was four.
My teenage daughter tossed me a bone ... Noah Kahan. Good stuff ... and as a guy living in northern New England, how could I not be drawn to music from an album named Stick Season? So, thanks to the college kid for throwing the (her words, not mine) old guy ... a lifeline from the deck of the SS Cool Stuff.
But having read this, I will dedicate a portion of brainpower today to something new. Something 2023. Something to make the cool kids wonder if anyone gave me permission to listen.
I have so much to say about this piece that I likely need to write my own; too much for a comment. But, as someone ten years your junior who occasionally tries to listen to new music, you’ve proved with this that I’m doing it wrong. lol. Of the artists you cited, I’ve literally only ever heard of Olivia Rodrigo, Steely Dan, Band of Horses, and the National. (Oh, you called out Zeppelin, too.)
I actually love love Olivia Rodrigo, but have only heard what plays on terrestrial radio. For some reason, never downloaded either of her albums till two days ago. Haven’t listened to them but they’re in my library... 🤷🏻♂️
For the past 15 years I've primarily listened to music of the 1960s and 1970s, along the lines of Earth, Wind & Fire, The Fifth Dimension, Stevie Wonder, and yes, the occasional Barry Manilow. I'm just not finding a lot of new stuff that appeals to me, although Little Big did pull me in with their quirky videos.
I do think you're an anomaly as far as getting into new music (I think most ppl tend to stick with whatever was popular during their adolescence, myself included), but there's definitely nothing wrong with that, and I think you're right that more of us older than 20somethings could stand to branch out.