Woeful reminders of my age
 

I am seriously depressed now. All these songs I rocked out to as a kid are playing on the fucking oldies station. David Essex, The Temptations, Steve Miller... ah, the 70s. Even A-Ha was playing on this station. That was the 80s, doesn't seem that far away to me, but... Oh lordy, Oldies!

Why is it I still feel like the young person I was back then?

I knew I was no longer in the 'hip' demographic when the songs I loved from the early 90s showed up in car commercials. Especially the songs I was from around when Berlin Wall fell, and when the Soviet Union collapsed. Such a hopeful time. It was so depressing to hear Jesus Jones' "Right Here, Right Now" in a Cadillac commercial.

And I agree NYC. I'm fine with being 40. I love the experiences I've lived through and learned from. I am mostly ok with my life so far.

On another level, it is completely absurd I am actually that age.

You're listening to the radio, Does that not make you feel old in itself? =P Haha. I'm sure everyone goes through a moment where they suddenly realise what age they are though. I honestly can't wait to look back at the music I listen to now and sharing with my children. Turning to them and saying "this is what real music is!" haha!

Seriously weird to see them take movies that my friends and saw in the theaters being re-done and others considered "classics".

What I find even more weird, is when my kid gets all excited and says "Mom, listen to this song, it's great", and it's one that was a new release when I was his age.

Yes indeed. In actuality, I hadn't actually listened to real radio in , well, years. Since most stations are owned by the same big conglomerates, I became quite disillusioned by New York radio -- which used to be cutting edge when I was your age, SG. I'm so jealous of my sister who lives in San Diego where they can get Mexican radio that doesn't have to comply with the FCC. We both have an affinity for 80s alternative music, though I'm also quite fond of 70s music. You have to understand that radio in the 70s wasn't so focused on narrow genres. You would hear all kinds of music on one station, so it was possible to develop a diverse musical knowledge. Rock, bluegrass, funk, it was great. But anyway, NY radio started to suck about ten years ago and I stopped listening to it.

So now I usually listen to internet radio, but sometimes I just don't want to turn my computer on. Actual radio is very convenient - just turn it on & move the dial! I hate that I have to be online to listen to music. Now I've recently discovered that some really good stations that actually still play vinyl are broadcasting both on the airwaves and online -- and I can get them in pretty good, even though my radio (with cassette player, omg!) sits on a windowsill that looks out onto a brick alley. I don't know how I'm getting any reception. And so I was moving the dial, found an oldies station and got annoyed that the music of my youth is now considered an oldie. To me, oldies are supposed to be my mother's music - you know, Elvis Presley, not Elvis Costello!

Hehe Elvis Presley. My dad loved him too. I'd consider oldies to be 20s and 30s Jazz scene though. But even then, I'm quite into it. I've developed a wide taste of music without radio. Often I just download bands that look interesting.

It's amazing how quickly people feel old these days. I'm only in my 30s and I'll say something at work around some of the other people at my level and they'll just stare at me like I had a penis growing out of my forehead. Then I remember that these people where sitting in their own poop while I was rocking out to 80's music and things like the 8bit NES where THE game system (I work in a toy store, we talk about video games a lot). Several of my younger co-workers don't even remember the joy of listening to a cassette tape (anyone remember sitting next to the radio with your finger on Record for when that awesome song came on? I do!) let alone seen or listened to a working record player or, heaven forbid, a 486 computer.

Culture moves fast these days. What's hot one moment is dead the next. If it's more then a few years old it's dead weight. Although it does amuse me when the younger coworkers come to me and ask about older video games they might try, or older movies to watch.

Of course, I grew up listening to music from the 50s - 70s as that's what my mother listened to, only to discover some of the pretty awesome bands from the 80s on my own. Also the local NPR station used to play old radio dramas at night. I'd listen to them before bed and as I'd drift off to sleep. I loved those damned things.

OMG! I remember when my dad brought one home, it had a "hard drive":D, it also meant the Apple II could be moved to my room :).