UncleJeff: I think that there are many people that would agree with you, but possibly in a different way. From my point of view, what was good and innovative in the 60's and early 70's began to stagnate. As such, many of the "youth" began to rebel against "corporate" rock and started their own "musical revolution". We know it today as "punk rock" and it obviously had a pretty big impact on both musicians and the music industry as a whole.
Looking back now, i "hated" much of what was "corporate" hard rock back then and gladly embraced the "rebellion" of punk. When i was a freshmen in 1978, i was one of two "punk rockers" in the whole 1000+ student high school. While the other guy had an older brother that played in the now famous band called "Ministry", there was literally nobody around that was into most of the music that i really liked. Most of this was due to lack of exposure on the part of others, so i was constantly lending out LP's. I did this so that "rockers" could actually find out that it was possible to share thought, emotion and energy in a record without having to listen to 30+ minutes of mindless lyrics and guitar wanking.
Sitting here and thinking about all of this, i feel kind of like a hypocrite. Not only do i enjoy many of the "legends" that i was "diss'ing" back then ( Zepplin, Sabbath, Floyd, etc... ), i now have a tendency to criticize the music and youth of today. In effect, the "rebellious punk has become a member of the establishment". I know that there are others here that are in similar shoes, but it sure doesn't feel very good to think of being one of those that the youth of today call "Mr Suit" ( which was a GREAT song by the way ). After reading some of the other comments and reviewing the one that i made regarding cutting off "rock" after about 1988, i've come to the realization that i either need to get out more often and go to different shows or agree to die a slow death while still walking on two feet. As such, i'd rather be the "old codger" yelling with the kids at a show than to be the "old bastard" yelling at the kids from the porch. Know what i mean ?
Maybe i need to dig a little deeper and find some GOOD "alternative" music to what is no longer "alternative" but simply "corporate". Most of the crap on the radio is no better or different than what i was rebelling against 20+ years ago, so why have i come to accept it as being "okay to listen to" nowadays ? Sean
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