(note: I am challenging myself to write every day for 30 days. What follows may not necessarily be interesting or even coherent. Parental discretion is advised.)
Behold! Green Grass and High Tides by the Outlaws!
I tell you friends, they don’t make music like this anymore.
And that saddens me, because damn… the spirit, the technical ability, the cohesion and chemistry and nuance and songwriting… argh.
IT’S SO GOOD.
What do we have today that compares? Happy by Pharrel? (insert eye-roll emoticon) That ain’t no Led Zep. Not even a Whitesnake or Silverchair.
Rock has been “dead” for…oh, almost twenty years now. Once alternative/grunge music peaked in the mid-90s, it took the death of Kurt Cobain to herald a massive shift in the industry. No longer would we kids be walking around with greasy hair and wearing lumberjack outfits. No, thanks to Biggie, Tupic, Snoop Dogg, Puff Daddy and Eminem, kids started going to hell, I tells ya. Backwards baseball cats with the price-tag still attached, baggy jeans falling from the waist, overpriced white Nike runners and idiotically priced t-shirts and that’s just the guys… I don’t want to get into what girls started wearing at the time. Coughcoughtrashycough.
It seemed like to become popular in the mid-90s was to not be good at any instrument. It was largely about promoting a tough or rich persona, or being tough and rich.
Oh, and swag. Lots and lots of swag. Gangsta rap was all about the bling and bitches and pouring fortys on the ground for dead homies. Though I hated the posturing and disliked how superficial and basic this genre was, I had to admit I did find the “formula” amusing at times. Bling? check. Bitches? check. Talking about how great the rapper is? check, check, check, multiple checks.
Observe.
Show your “respek” for Birdman by hitting the play button below and try keeping a straight face. Dare ya.
Sighs.
Egos. Egos overtook musical ability in the mid to late 90s and we haven’t recovered since.
Style over substance. Perception over reality.
Sure, we still have great artists and albums out there but they’re not popular enough to become a meaningful part of mainstream culture. The radio isn’t playing any of the really good stuff. Like, check out the club scene, when was the last time you heard a post-2000s rock song being played? Even dance music took an arrow to the knee in the wake of rap/hip-hop and thug lyfe blowing up all over the place. Barbie Girl? Forget about it. Not going to see a song like that get popular these days. Ace of Base? Pfbt. So wholesome and corny plus these chicks are white.
Daft Punk? Yeah… okay… Some things do manage to penetrate the market and achieve something great. Even among twerkers and “daggerers” these days.
The general consensus has become skewed towards music that is loud, energetic and egotistical with lots of “respek” thrown in and f-bombs.
Double sighs.
I mean, how did we get to this point?! HOW CAN THESE VIDEOS EXIST?!
Yeah sure, some of that is funny but music ain’t what it used to be. Call it “evolution” but rap/hip-hop has degenerated into a parody of itself and is predominantly the genre of choice among the 18–25 demographic.
Check out the stats to see for yourself.
Interesting thing about these numbers is that once you hit 25 years of age, you start liking hip-hop/rap less and classic rock more. Guess maturity has something to do with developing good taste in music.
Triple sighs.
This article is basically me, an old man, yelling at the clouds and not feeling connected to the culture that I once loved having as a big part of my life. From music to movies and books, it feels like the “good ol’ days” had content that was original, creative, compelling and competent. Nowadays, its more about getting attention from others not from having musical ability, but being able to get people to talk about you.
Ahem. Nikki Minaj, I’m looking at you.
Originality? Artistry? Who cares. Just get everyone’s tongues wagging. Soft core porn = greatness.
Shame. (brushes fingers) Shame, shame shame.
As a species, we need to glorify art that elevates, inspires and innovates.
Not reward what debases us.
A palate cleanser for you folks, thanks for reading.
*shakes fist at cloud*
