Talking ‘Bout My Generation

As long as man has been making music, it has been necessary to create new music that makes your parents’ hair turn gray at an accelerated rate.

In the 1930s it was that crazy race music called jazz that had mom and dad exasperated as they heard wild tales of their youngsters doing the jitterbug and the Lindy hop at local dances.

In the fifties it was the libidinous hip gyrations of Elvis and scandalous cousin-marrying antics of Jerry Lee Lewis that had parents concerned for their offspring’s eternal salvation. (Although the hip gyration thing seems rather tame today, marrying your 14-year-old cousin is still considered a no-no).

From the Beatles to Ozzy Osbourne, from Jimi Hendrix to NWA, the young generation has always been able to find a new sound that, quite frankly, appalls the older folks around the house. It was probably that way when some kid in the 1800s brought home some new sheet music by pop star Ludwig Van Beethoven and drove his parents crazy banging out the opening bars of his Fifth Symphony on the family’s piano.

Some things never change.

For years I thought that I would be immune to this phenomenon. I considered myself fairly open minded about music and doubted if the kids could come up with something that would make me put my hands over my ears in frustration and pain.

Well, I was wrong. For the past ten years or so, I have been completely alienated from the kinds of music that sell well among these crazy kids today. Although there are plenty of new bands out there that I like such as The Ditty Bops, The Fiery Furnaces, New Pornographers and Umphrey’s McGee, they are not the kind of bands that kids dig. No, the kids today seem to clamor for a few genres of music that bring out the geezer in me.

Although I can appreciate the danceability of Black Eyed Peas, Outkast, and a few others, and have a fondness for the wacky humor of Dr. Octagon, most hip-hop and rap acts leave me cold.

Ditto for the hard rock acts out there. I occasionally hear something on the radio that I think is catchy and inspired. But the singers in most rock bands these days sing in a manner that makes my throat hurt just listening to them. You’re going to ruin your vocal chords, lads! Cut it out!

But the one style of music that absolutely makes me want to pull my ears out by their roots is the diva darling princess pop stuff that seems to ooze out of the radio like liquid mediocrity. I’m talking about Mariah Carey, Christina Aguilera, Gwen Stefani (her solo stuff, not the No Doubt stuff), Jessica Simpson, Ashley Simpson, Britney Spears, Pink, Beyonce and all of the other Madonna-wannabes out there. This group of diva darlings sells gazillions of albums every year but as far as I’m concerned they represent the least original style of music to ever dominate the Billboard charts.

I can listen to Joni Mitchell’s The Hissing of Summer Lawns for the thousandth time and still discover more new music in that album than in all the 2006 releases by the pop princess divas combined. Call me a geezer, but that’s how I honestly feel.

Fortunately, 2006 has been a banner year for us geezers. Some really good music has been created this year by artists that were supposed to be long past their prime. Here are some of the old school artists who are proving that they still have something to say and a tuneful way of saying it:

Paul Simon’s Surprise

When people talk about lasting power, you usually don’t hear Paul Simon’s name brought up. That’s a shame because he basically defined the singer-songwriter genre in the 1960s, had scads of hits in the 70s, and created one of the 80s most durable albums with Graceland. On this year’s Surprise, he teams up with ambient soundscape artist and producer Brian Eno. Man, oh man. This album is the best thing either one of these two talented cats have produced in years. If the hook from “Who’s gonna love you when you’re looks are gone,” doesn’t stick in your head, you’re immune to catchy choruses.

Donald Fagen’s Morph the Cat

The piano-playing half of Steely Dan releases his third solo album in as many decades. It’s a wry look at life and death in the big city as Fagen channels the spirits of W.C. Fields and Ray Charles to figure out where he fits into the entertainment scheme of things. At once laid-back yet sonically challenging, Morph the Cat lies somewhere in between his masterpiece, The Nightfly, and the rambling jazzy nonsense of Kamakiriad, his last solo outing. If you’re looking for this summer’s make-out album, Morph the Cat could be the one that stretches your single into a double. Like many of the good old Dan albums, this one never overstays its welcome, clocking in at a little less than 40 minutes.

Mark Knopfler & Emmylou Harris’ All the Roadrunning

What do you get when you pair one of the most distinctive sounding guitarists of the past three decades with one of the most unique vocal talents of that same period? Well, like many such duets, it could have been a train wreck of an arranged marriage (I like my metaphors mixed, thank you). In the case of Knopfler & Harris, something magical occurs, as if they have each found a world-weary soulmate with whom to confide. Maybe it’s the fact that Knopfler and Harris worked on this project for the last seven years that makes it sound so sure and deliberate. Maybe it’s the fact that they seem to challenge each other to bring their “A” game to each and every song.

Neil Young’s Living With War

After Young’s rambling, semi-coherent albums Prairie Wind and Greendale, many people (including myself) may have thought that he had finally run out of inspiration. That he would have found his umpteenth wind with the year’s best protest album four decades after he made his professional debut will hopefully inspire some of the younger acts out there to take on serious lyrical subjects. With Living With War, Young makes it clear that he is unhappy with our president and not too thrilled that most of his neighbors aren’t as upset as he is. It is a beautiful diatribe and one that finds Young’s vocals newly-risen from the raspy dead.

Everything Old Is New Again

Although I haven’t had a chance to listen to all of the older artists who have released well-received albums this year, it should be noted that new albums by Ray Davies, Kris Kristofferson, Bruce Sprinsteen, Neil Diamond and Johnny Cash are all getting rave reviews. It almost makes one proud of geezerdom.