One of the worst things about getting older is feeling as if your tastes have become irrelevant. Take music. I listen to most current music and wonder, "What the hell is that?" In the car I always have the tuner set to the classic rock station...hard to believe that the music of the eighties is now classic. I imagine someday my contemporaries and I will be sitting around in a rest home reminiscing about Van Halen – shaking our fists impotently and proclaiming, “We can dance if we want to!”
I turned forty-four in May, which isn’t all that old in a society where Brad Pitt is about the same age. Then again, I didn’t look as good as Brad Pitt when I was twenty-three. For us mere mortals getting older just sucks. On the one hand you feel more sure of yourself than you’ve ever felt – after four decades you pretty much know who you are. On the other hand you’re experiencing the subtle diminishment of your faculties and knowing that the process will only become more pronounced as the days march relentlessly on, inexorably propelling you toward the abyss.
Hey, what a cheerful thought, huh? Aren’t you glad you dropped by? Maybe next post I can talk about mortuaries or picking out a tombstone or something equally uplifting. Coming soon: Autopsies, A to Z.
Sorry, my mind is straying – what do you want, I’m an old man! Back to the topic, such as it is. Um…what was it again? Ah, yes, getting old sucks. Where once you’re tastes were current, they’re now passé. That’s why it pleases me when I discover something new that I like, especially in music. It happens so infrequently that it always makes an impact.
When I first saw the video below on Saturday Night Live it certainly made an impact. I’d never heard of Arcade Fire and had no expectation that they’d do anything but bore me. Man, was I ever wrong. A great performance by one hell of a talented band – definitely something new I like. Now if you’ll excuse me I have to go shuffle off and take me heart pill. Maybe eat a peach. Shake my fist at the kids walking across my yard. I’ll be back soon with something magic related…if the old ticker keeps ticking till then.
Friday, October 5, 2007
Arcade Fire
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
5 comments:
Two things:
1. You´re funny :)
2. Exercise. You exercise today and tomorrow you will be stronger, and stronger in a month and much stronger in a year. Time con be a enemy or a ally.
is CAN not CON in my previous comment. Sorry.
Arcade Fire just played in Kentucky an or so from my house on Oct. 3rd. If you are interested in this band try to search around for more clips. They have a cool show style. They will play right in the middle of the crowd with no problems literally like hanging out at someones house. They also have played with the entire band on an elevator, and the documentary shows the art side of the band is just as great as their music!
Good post!
Sorry you feel old. I am twenty seven and feel old to... thanks for cheering me up.
Joe Marshall
I just thought of a previous post of yours that ties into what I just said about the band.
They have purposely put themselves in close to very tight qaurters of space to play the instruments, and manage to do it quite well. This is like your post about performing outside of your comfort zone. When they play in the middle of a crowd some of the band members can no longer even see one another and they literally are playing there instruments like stand up basses and the like. Really odd way to play shows.
Just thought that was a good example to further back up your previous post.
Yeah, I imagine playing in the crowd is definitely outside the comfort zone. I'd love to see them live. They're the first band that got me really excited in a long time.
You said you feel old at twenty-seven. The irony is I did as well. My daughter is twenty-three and already starting in with the I feel so old refrain. Maybe it's just a life long thing -- or maybe you finally get so old you stop caring.
Post a Comment