It occured to me that alot of the time, it's NOT about fandom.

Even if I think some of it sucks (and I certainly miss my '80s and early 90s childhood, as well as my teen years in the latter decade too, so the world in general doesn't compare to that), I still like to pay attention and follow pop culture, just to know it. I tend to be analytical by nature, so to me it's fun to see how things develop, especially since we can't really predict it.

I also do like SOME of it here and there (mostly songs and tech). I'm almost 27 so I might not follow or be into current pop culture nearly as much as some 13-year olds probably do, but I'm still "with it enough" to pick out the difference between something from 2004 and now. Whereas it probably just blurs together for some people who either completely dislike everything about it, and/or who are older.

I try to keep up with music, at least a little bit, but it's getting harder and harder. It's weird because 7 or 8 years ago, I could have probably recited the lyrics word-for-word on just about every song on the Billboard top 100 charts, but now I can't even name about 80% of the songs on there.

What really sucks is that, even though I'm only 21, I'll find my self getting into the whole "these kids and there crappy music" mentality that I hated years ago when I was just getting into music. At the very least I have tried to avoid becoming like my dad, who thinks that every song released in the last 25 years is crap. I like to at least give new songs a chance first.

On the other hand, it's not really unusual to still have an interest in current music and culture into your twenties and thirties. Back in the '90s, it was the twentysomethings that were born in the late '60s and were the prime age to have been more into '80s music (sort of like the characters on "Friends" for example) that were a huge part of the grunge movement. Something similar could happen with people born in the '80s in the next decade.

What really sucks is that, even though I'm only 21, I'll find myself getting into the whole "these kids and there crappy music" mentality that I hated years ago when I was just getting into music. At the very least I have tried to avoid becoming like my dad, who thinks that every song released in the last 25 years is crap. I like to at least give new songs a chance first.

I agree with your whole post (like usual!), but especially this point. That's what scares me too because I do find myself saying or thinking that ALOT, especially with hip hop. Especially too whenever I see kids who don't know about older music and/or make fun of it, I start thinking "Geez, you liittle punks!" ;D

That just happened ALOT quicker than I anticipated. I mean my mom was 35 in 1989 and loved alot of the current music, so I guess it caught me even more off guard when I compare it to what I knew growing up. But it was probably easier for "the adults" of our childhood to adapt to the new culture, since it was more generally enjoyable.


On the other hand, even if I find alot of things to suck or be inferior to my childhood and even teen years (I find myself warming to the mid-late '90s too alot now), there is SOME I like, and like you, I try to give everything a listen. I give stuff the benefit of the doubt before I dismiss it.

Speaking of the other end of it - i have a cool story. The other day I was at a secondhand music/video store looking through the cassettes (it's something old-school that I still can't give up on) and this probably 50-55ish year old guy started making smalltalk with me.

He seemed like a cool older guy, anyway when we were looking through the tapes, he started mentioning stuff he liked from the '80s (alot of the albums were from then). To my initial surprise, it was pretty across the board. He apparently was a fan of like some old-school hip hop and new jack swing stuff (i.e. Bobby Brown, Hammer, Janet Jackson) along with standards like Phil Collins and MJ, or classic rock and hair metal like Bon Jovi. I also remember him looking through the vinyl and bringing up stuff he liked as a kid in the '50s and '60s too.

Point being that guy was in his thirties, even 40ish then, which proves how versatile that stuff really is.

I Have three kids who have turned me on to new music Like Disturbed  Social Distortion. Killswitch engaged. I do not like rap, I understand that it is the poetry of this generation. ( I had personally hoped it would fadeout like disco did.  Guess Not

I Have three kids who have turned me on to new music Like Disturbed  Social Distortion. Killswitch engaged. I do not like rap, I understand that it is the poetry of this generation. ( I had personally hoped it would fadeout like disco did.  Guess Not


I actually like Social Distortion, believe it or not lol. They're a punk band from the '80s but I don't think they were mainstream, which makes it more timeless and not dated. I had a buddy in high school who was a big punk rocker type and he got me into them too.

I like a few hip hop songs (where it's more pop/dance influenced), but can't stand actual rap.

I actually like Social Distortion, believe it or not lol. They're a punk band from the '80s but I don't think they were mainstream, which makes it more timeless and not dated. I had a buddy in high school who was a big punk rocker type and he got me into them too.

I like a few hip hop songs (where it's more pop/dance influenced), but can't stand actual rap.
Social Distortion-I remember their hit song in 1996 which was called "I Was Wrong".

Anyway yeah I still follow Pop culture like music even though I don;t know the words to every song, I do know the titles of the hot songs though.

I still probably follow pro sports when I'm in my 50's with the NFL, NASCAR, and the NBA so I can still follow the sports scene 20+ years from now if that to some people's opinion is considered part of the "pop culture".

As for rap music it was good from 1987-1998 than from 1999-mid 2005 it was mediocre, than just plain bad(about 95% of it) from 2006+. I haven't dug rap since like mid 2005. Still there are some good hip-hop artists out today like Kanye, Lupe Fiasco, Talib Kweli, The Game, and Nas.

I still don;t like the direction of today's music scene and I haven;t like it for the past year or year and a half.

I was still with the current music scene from 2001-early 2007 even though I had complaints about it because music in the 00's as a whole isn;t as good as music from 1983-1988 or 1992-1998 period. Maybe if we have another grunge or classic rock era in the 2010's I'll be into 2010's music.

Social Distortion-I remember their hit song in 1996 which was called "I Was Wrong".

Anyway yeah I still follow Pop culture like music even though I don;t know the words to every song, I do know the titles of the hot songs though.

I still probably follow pro sports when I'm in my 50's with the NFL, NASCAR, and the NBA so I can still follow the sports scene 20+ years from now if that to some people's opinion is considered part of the "pop culture".

As for rap music it was good from 1987-1998 than from 1999-mid 2005 it was mediocre, than just plain bad(about 95% of it) from 2006+. I haven't dug rap since like mid 2005. Still there are some good hip-hop artists out today like Kanye, Lupe Fiasco, Talib Kweli, The Game, and Nas.

I still don;t like the direction of today's music scene and I haven;t like it for the past year or year and a half.

I was still with the current music scene from 2001-early 2007 even though I had complaints about it because music in the 00's as a whole isn;t as good as music from 1983-1988 or 1992-1998 period. Maybe if we have another grunge or classic rock era in the 2010's I'll be into 2010's music.


I'm the same way. Come to think of it, I always like stuff better once about 3-4 years pass, even if I have complaints at the time.

I actually think 2010s music might be pretty good. We're probably getting hints of it in the last year or so (usually the late part of a decade has some precursors to the next one), like with "Check Your Coat" or "I Kissed a Girl", the more synthy stuff. If that's what it's like, I'll probably enjoy it too.

I'm the same way. Come to think of it, I always like stuff better once about 3-4 years pass, even if I have complaints at the time.

I actually think 2010s music might be pretty good. We're probably getting hints of it in the last year or so (usually the late part of a decade has some precursors to the next one), like with "Check Your Coat" or "I Kissed a Girl", the more synthy stuff. If that's what it's like, I'll probably enjoy it too.



I really hope your right about that. ;)

Whereas it probably just blurs together for some people who either completely dislike everything about it, and/or who are older.


  Just a blur here, guy.  I couldn't tell you ANYTHING at all about current pop culture.  Heck, I wouldn't even know how to knock it.  Rather pathetic of me.  You think if a person was hooked-up, plugged-in, on-line and on the grid some of it would leech into a person's brain at least by passive transport...

  I think it's because I don't have kids...

  What was your question, Marty..?

      What was your question, Marty..?


That's what I was trying to figure out.  :-[

Sorry if I wasn't clear totally. ;) I pretty much meant I still like to pay attention to pop culture even if it sucks, just to study and be peripherally aware of it. I find it fascinating to see where certain trends will go, especially music. The second reason is that if I can find ANYTHING I like (no matter how small of a percentage it is), I'll still keep one foot in the door. There's nothing cooler than hearing a new song or a movie and getting into it for the first time.

Just as a comparison point, my dad doesn't like any music since after about 1988 and thinks just about anything "current" (since then) is crap. Especially rap. With him I wouldn't press the issue though, because for his age that's still amazing he liked it even that long. That's what I mean...someone like him wouldn't give anything new a chance, whereas I still do.

I'm sorry if I'm still being dense here, but your question was...what?

Was it along the lines of this?

Does anyone else still listen to stuff outside of their normal "favorite" type of music, even if the genre "sucks" in their opinion, just in case there are one or two songs in that "sucky" type music that they might like anyways?  Or is everyone else like your father, who immediately discounts anything that is not from his favorite era (in his case, the '80s) as not worthy of his time or attention because you think he is somewhat stagnant in his taste or set in his ways about music?


I, personally, don't think there is any harm in liking what you like.  Sure the world is always changing, but perhaps your father associates good times/good memories/his youth with the 80s and maybe that is just what he relates to. 

I mainly like 80s stuff and 70s pop stuff.  There are very few songs today that I like, I'm not discounting what today's culture likes, because everybody is entitled to their opinion.  I just don't happen to share their opinion of what is good.  I don't go out of my way to criticise today's music, because there are one or two songs I like even if I have no idea what group did the song.  I'm not going to go to that group's concert, and I probably won't be buying their album (cd/downloading their mp3), but I might listen to their song on youtube or myspace once in awhile.  It doesn't mean I'm stagnant/stuck in my ways.  That's just my preference.

^ Oh I agree. I mean my favorite music that I'm comfortable with is from (on average) 1982 to 1996. And lots of oldies like Motown music and Beatles mixed in with it. That's what I "grew up on" so in lots of ways that'll always be my fave.

I think people often casually like stuff outside their comfort zone and it sounds like that's what you're saying. I'm the same way. I probably like one out of 10 songs on average now, whereas when I was a kid or a younger teen it was like half if not more.

Even if it sucks I still like following trends though, because that stuff interests me.