That quote comes from a Simpsons’ episode, and with what’s been going on lately, I think it’s incredibly fitting.
Bart: Dad, no one cares about any of your stupid dinosaur bands. You have the worst, lamest taste in music ever.
Homer: I'm just trying to party with you guys!
Bart: Homer, first of all, it's par-tay, and second, we wouldn't par-tay with you if you were the last dad on earth!
I’ve been there: revolting against my parents taste in music because it doesn’t jive with my own. It doesn’t matter how popular or cool the bands were back in the day, they aren’t what my friends were listening to, so they didn’t matter. And yes, may parents had terrible taste in music (not anymore, however; I actually like a lot of the same things my parents do), but I’m fairly certain they thought the same thing about me.
Recently, there have been some episodes in the social media spheres where Paul McCartney and Missy Elliot were mistaken as new rockers, and their appearance with Kanye and Katy Perry at separate events sparked a frenzy that they were now going to “blow up.”
For those in the world who knew who these artists were, it was a sad day. And many became upset and indignant that the younger generation had no freaking idea who they were. Personally, I thought it was hilarious.
Seriously, think about it. McCartney played with The Beatles, how long ago? For most of us, yes, we know exactly who he is. We were raised on The Beatles, our parents listened to their music. And they were like only one of the most popular bands IN THE WORLD!
Missy Elliot was popular in the 1990s. I’m going to be honest, I didn’t remember who she was when she came out, but I recognized the name. But for those who were/are fans, they more than likely love(d) everything she ever did and probably still listen to her music.
My point is that we shouldn’t get upset when kids don’t recognize the “classics.” It’s in their nature to rebel against anything their parents enjoyed back in the day, and music happens to be one of them. Today’s teens may know whoTthe Beatles are, but that doesn’t mean they know them by name. This was a band their parents and probably their grandparents listened to. How freaking lame is that?
Most musicians are versed in music history. They know the groups and singers that influenced the genre, and more than likely, they idolize them. I’m that way with authors. As an English major, I’ve read a lot of “old” writers that I really like (say, for example John Donne), but outside of an English class, I wouldn’t necessarily expect people to recognize who they are. But that’s okay.
Paul and Missy had incredibly lucrative careers before singing with Kanye and Katy, and for those of us who were around then, we know that. But kids these days don’t. And what these two venues did was introduced a whole new generation to an established star. It gave them new life with a whole new set of teens. It was kind of like what Run DMC did for Aerosmith in the 1980s.
My point is that yes, by pairing these “dinosaur” bands with contemporary musicians that this generation of teens knows, it is giving them a chance to “blow up.” It’s allowing them to be rediscovered all over again. It gives them a longer career life—no matter how long and lucrative their careers already were.
