Category Archives: Music

The new old age

May 2, 2015 6:59 AM , Leave a Comment ,

I was out at an actual rock concert this week.  I don’t mean a concert by some local band but an actual large arena rock concert.  I can’t remember when I did this last.  Certainly not since college and possibly even since before that.  I was even more of a square back then than what I am now.

I went to see The Who on their 50th anniversary tour.  It was a toss-up between this or Rush in May but I figured this may be my last chance to see this band so I opted for this.  I figure Rush has another 10 years left in them at least.

I was worried I might look out-of-place at a rock concert.  Being a middle-aged dude at what is usually a young person’s event.  What would I wear?  Should I try to look more “punk” or “hard rock”? Would people think “what is he doing here?”  Boy, was I totally wrong.

If anything I skewed towards the younger end of the spectrum and the more grungy end of the clothing.  I arrived at the Toyota center and I wondered if I got there on the wrong night.  The place was full of “suburbanite-like” people.  These people are here for the rock concert?  Where are all the long-haired hippie type people?  Then I realized that they were right there in front of me.

I bought a concert t-shirt and headed up to my seat.   I was walking round the giant stadium and passing some folks using walkers.  I sat down and proceeded to do some people watching, one of my favorite pastimes, as I waited for the concert to start.  A few rows down was a guy that looked like a silver-haired judge with his wife.  A guy sitting near me had a crew cut, wore a button down shirt and had penny loafers, and looked like he belonged in some office building instead of here.  Bit hard to imagine these guys as sixties teenagers jamming out to The Who but as soon as Roger Daltrey started belting out the hits they began coming alive.

Speaking of being alive, Daltrey and Townshend were amazing as they ever were.  They could still bring it.  It’s no wonder that they been touring for so long.  They were totally worth seeing.

I then began to reflect on what old age means now and what it might mean in the future.  It would definitely not be the “classic” definition of old age.  I mean of course the idea that at some point you “retire” from your professional life and also pretty much retire from interaction with your community. My dad unfortunately subscribes to this view of old age and has become set in his ways and pretty much refuses to try any new activity.  He frequently trots out the excuse “I’m just getting old” and with that refuses to consider trying anything new.

The new old age now focuses on transitioning away from the activities that you participated previously (an active work schedule, full social responsibilities, various commitments) to one that emphasizes relaxation and developing oneself.  Developing the body, developing new skills and interests, and just trying out other facets of life.  This is a far cry from the traditional model of just marking time and waiting for the end of life.

I find this oddly comforting and hopeful.  You don’t have to “quit” being you at some prescribed age.  You don’t have to “act your age” and not enjoy the music or activities of your youth.  You can still be you no matter if you’re 20 or 40 or 80.  Your life is yours to do what you want regardless of age.

Now more than ever I am thankful that I have begun taking care of my body.  I want to be able to enjoy what life has to offer and to contribute what I can to life for as long as possible.

Posted in: activities, aging, attitude, music

musical tastes

May 25, 2014 5:41 PM , Leave a Comment ,

I began appreciating music later in life.  Coming from a family that moved around a lot we didn’t really have much as far as musical roots.  My parents had a record collection from the 1950s and they were warily suspicious of modern music as not being good for kids.

When we finally settled in Houston, my Episcopalian grade school had some bizarre fixation about the links of Satanism and rock and roll that was common in the early 80’s.  They stressed that it was a corrupting influence and partly due to that for a long time during my childhood I thought that the name of the rock band KISS was an acronym and it stood for “Knights in Satan’s Service”.

So I was somewhat late to the music scene in the 1980’s.  Which was a real shame because it was such a wonderful decade for music.  I was finally able to fully experience it when I got my Walkman cassette player in the 1986 and listened to music of my choosing with the earphones.  Tape cassettes were on the way out and cheaper to buy than CD’s and they were also much more rugged and easier to transport so I spent a lot of time with them.

I found that the hard rock music I had originally been denied held the most appeal for me.  Bubble gum pop rock was nice but sometimes too nice.  Lite rock came into being around that time and it had this wimpy reputation that I couldn’t get into.  But hard rock bands like AC/DC, black sabbath, Joan Jett, Metallica.  Those I felt represented what rock was really about.

Then I got my first taste of progressive rock (prog rock) bands from the 70’s and I was hooked.  Led Zeppelin, Rush, Pink Floyd.  The music was lyrical, it told a story, it had deep meanings and multiple meanings.  It was the difference between Dune and Star Wars.

Other music types?  I did listen to them as well.  I don’t really believe that there is anyone out there that doesn’t have a favorite song from a polar opposite genre.  They might not confess to it among friends but I am willing to bet that they do listen to it in the car alone.

Country music?  Mostly the older songs from older artists like Willie Nelson, Ernest Tubbs, Bob Wills.  The modern country songs are too much like lite rock for my taste

Rap? Not my favorite but again I will listen from time to time and my tastes run to older artists like Run DMC, Ice T, the beastie boys, some public enemy, and even some N.W.A.  Again though I am not a fan of the modern stuff.

So what do I listen to that is contemporary?  Not much.  Of Monsters and Men is a good indie folk band from Iceland with some prog rock stylings.

But mainly I like going back to my old 70’s and 80’s songs.  They still hold a lot of power for me.

 

 

Posted in: music

Music and altered states

June 4, 2013 8:00 AM , Leave a Comment ,

1999 I think it was.

Walking into a club on the Richmond strip on a Friday night.  The main dance floor is crowded.  It’s early yet but already I see lots of pretty girls standing around.  Just as I step onto the main floor the DJ plays Miserlou (the theme song from Pulp Fiction).  I stand up straight, I take on a nonchalant air, I walk with confidence.  Suddenly I’m James Bond, Brad Pitt, Frank Sinatra and any other cool or hot guy you could ever mention all rolled into one.  Music could affect me that much.  Too bad no one noticed.

Odd isn’t it?  Nothing had physically changed about me, my clothes were the same, the surroundings were not different yet here I was feeling a confidence that had nothing backing it up.

Music has always had an inordinate effect on me.  No place more so than when I’m driving.  Give me an open highway, a fast car, and george thorogood’s “Who do you love” and get out of my way,  Immediately my reflexes heighten, my aggressiveness increases and I become ‘Speed Racer‘.  This is probably why I stick to NPR while driving in town.

Why this is, I don’t know.  But I’m not alone.  Some studies suggest the ‘right song’ can help people ease pain, reduce stress levels, increase stamina and strength, and increase cognitive skills.  It’s just a matter of finding that song that strikes the correct chord you want.

Of course it’s not practical to walk around all day long plugged into a music player and of course I can’t get in front of a group of people to deliver a pitch with headphones on.  However I have learned to take advantages where I can get them and in whatever form they come in.

I have found that the right song delivered right before a stressful situation can have great effects upon me and help me perform at a higher level.  The effect varies in duration.  Never more than an hour or so.  But again I will take it whenever I can get it.

Posted in: life in general, music