Getting old sucks. And the sucking starts earlier than you think it will. By the time you hit your late twenties, you're already noticing that going out all night - whether it be to a bar, a show or even just to a friend's house - is just not as fun as it used to be. You start feeling the effects of late night carousing the next morning. And that's just the beginning. Then the aches start. And then there's the what was it now ... oh yeah, the forgetfulness.
But this post isn't about the suckiness of aging. This is about one of the good things about getting older (yes, there are actually some). Aside from the great wisdom you'll have gleaned from your life experiences (some of us learn more than others depending on how hard life chooses to kick our butts along the way), one of the best things about aging is that you stop caring what other people think about some of the choices you make. For example, typing a non-word like 'suckiness' and not giving a damn that it doesn't appear in a dictionary.
To be clear, I'm not talking about moral choices. Just because your ice cream birthday cake melts if you put the real number of candles on it now doesn't mean you can suddenly decide to start ramming the cars of drivers who seem to fall asleep when the light turns green, or yell at the moron ... I mean person in front of you at the self-service checkout who thinks that grinding the package into the glass will help the already-scratched-beyond-repair-from-the-last-customer-who -did-that scanner read the barcode any better. No, what I'm talking about is the programs you watch, the books you read and the music you listen to. Especially the music. When I was younger, it just seemed way too important to listen to the right music for acceptance in whatever social group you belonged to. We wanted our bands to be underground. Radio play was bad. Commercial success was discouraged. What the hell was wrong with us?
I'll tell you what was wrong with us. An underdeveloped understanding of economics. I mean, really. If nobody but me and my closest friends listened to a band, how on earth would that band be able to continue making music? Like everyone else in the world, they needed money to buy food, clothing and shelter.
As I've gotten older, I've stopped worrying about being labeled as someone who likes this type of music or that one. I no longer care. I have an incredibly eclectic music selection on my iPod. One minute it's playing some techno-goth tune and the next it'll be a traditional Celtic reel. Sure this variety led to one unfortunate incident in which a track from the Jesus Christ Superstar soundtrack (original cast including Murray Head and Ian Gillan, naturally) was immediately followed by a song titled "Satan", but those are few and far between.
Yep, musical variety is by far one of the best benefits to aging. I've found songs that I really like from so many different genres that I never would have listened to when I was younger, including songs from country, hip hop, traditional, world and even - dare I say it - pop! In fact, I pity my younger self for missing out on some good music all those years.
Give it a try. There are so many places where you can get exposure to different stuff at no risk. YouTube, samplers, or even band-sanctioned free downloads. (Side note: please make sure that free music is legal and offered by the band or publisher. Remember, if you won't support artists by legally obtaining their music/books/films, etc., why would you expect them to keep entertaining you? Would you want to entertain someone who was stealing from you?)
Today's musical suggestion from me is The Darrell Webb Band. I confess that the combination of watching Justified and researching my Appalachian father's genealogy prompted me to listen to some Bluegrass, and it's not all to my taste, but I really like this band. Excellent instrumentation and what a set of pipes he has! My personal favorites thus far are Miner's Hell and Goodbye to the Sun.
But no matter what you choose to listen to, keep an open mind and enjoy!
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