Out of touch

I don't watch award shows anymore.  I haven't for many years.  I wish I could write eloquently about the pros and cons of these shows, but, truthfully, pop culture no longer interests me.  I have friends in the music business and others in film.  If I thought they were going to win something or that I may see them on TV I would definitely watch.  But I don't have a dog in the hunt so I busy myself with other things.  To the winners and their supporters at last nights Grammy Awards I offer my heartfelt congratulations.

There was a time when pop culture was extremely important to me.  Particularly the music business.  I became aware of acts or songs before many of my friends.  I would read liner notes and try to remember who the studio musicians were.  Although I didn't understand why, I knew that producers and engineers were an important part of the equation too.  I was never much of a sports guy, so the Grammys were my personal Super Bowl.

But over time I started to lose touch.  The Beatles broke up, the Rolling Stones did a disco tune, and Elvis died.  There just didn't seem to be much of a point any longer.  Today I hear people talk about songs and bands that I've never heard of.  There are, apparently, some singers who are feuding publicly.  It's feels rather juvenile to this old man.

I think the most interesting thing to me is the reaction of my students.  When we talk about music they very rarely have any interest in playing pop music.  They want to play music, but their goals tend to be vague.  The one exception would be the teen girls who want to play the music of Taylor Swift.  Ms. Swift has taken a lot of criticism over the years, but her music resonates with this group as much as heavy metal does with teen boys.

Occasionally they will mention a name of a band and then watch with amusement as I confess that I have no idea who they are talking about.  I remind them that I am a grandfather, and then remind myself that I'm actually a great-grandfather.  But I do my homework, find the time to listen, and then show them what they need to know.  So if I have any awareness of pop music at all, it's vicariously through my young students.

This is not a criticism of todays music.  Like music of any era, there's some good stuff, bad stuff, and a bunch of stuff in between.  But pop culture tends to be the domain of the young.  As a "mature" adult I find myself taking refuge in the familiar.  So I settle in with a mix of Mozart and Motown and leave the cool stuff to the cool people.