Baby Boomers - Still Relevant?

[winston]

Here's three somewhat deep questions for you, somewhat related to rock and roll but not limited to the environment of the genre. Consider a broad spectrum such as individuals that you know, forum members perhaps, as well as successful artists such as the Rolling Stones and Paul McCartney when responding to this question set.

1) For those of us who are from the baby boomer era, in other words those born between 1940 -1965, is our music experience, playing experience and perhaps just as important our musical taste still relevant in any way at all to today’s music scene?

2) In the view of younger readers can baby boomers relate to what is going on around us in 2008 on the business side of the music scene?

3) Generally speaking are baby boomers generally the fountains of knowledge and experience that they ought to be or conversely, are they generally regarded as being out of touch with reality and in part being ignored by the younger generation and or perhaps just barely being tolerated?

Your thoughts as always are welcome as I am interested in hearing what the real truth is about how this large segment of the population (of which I am a part of) is being viewed today. Please maintain a level of decorum but don't sugar coat your comments you younger guys and ladies. This thread is about exploring attitudes and learning to understand each other a little better.

I also hope we can openly share our thoughts, as to how those of us who are baby boomers, generally viewed the older generation of the day when we were young and perhaps a bit on the rebellious side of the equation.

It will be interesting to see if anything at all has changed. For example is the current older generation being viewed in much the same light as we viewed artists and individuals who we were exposed to or met that were our parents and grandparents age?

[iamthebassman]

Ha! I read the title as BASS Boomers, which I use on a few basses and I still consider relevant.
Hey, I turn 50 on Sunday, give me a break!

Ronn

[antipodean]

Brian,

I'll answer those deep questions in the most thoughtful way I know:

1) Yes

2) Yes

3) Could you repeat the question please? I got lost on "or conversely"...

[Buddy Clontz]

In my opinion...we are perhaps more relevant than many other "groups" if for no other reason, there are simply more of us! Just my opinion.-BC

[wmthor]

1: Yes

2: Definitely

3: I like to think that we are the fountain of knowledge.

[jimk]

In my opinion...we are perhaps more relevant than many other "groups" if for no other reason, there are simply more of us! Just my opinion.-BC

Yup, pretty much have to agree there. Sheer numbers will carry the day just about any time.

JimK, a certified Baby Boomer, and proud of it, born in 1953.

[whojamfan]

"Meet the new boss, same as the old boss".........You guys are responsible for the music of the mid 50s on up, and will forever have set the benchmark in defining the beginnings of electric music. If we haven't managed to destroy the earth by 2525, I'm sure the Beatles are still going to be included in the Musictex 4000 brain chip.

It seems the younger generation are turning back to a time when people actually wrote their own songs and played their own instruments, and are seeking inspiration from that. On the other hand, some may blame the boomers for the world they were handed, and may percieve the decadence of the 70s and 80s as fuel for rebellious music of their own. So, really, anyway you look at it, you guys will be remembered and will continue to be a valid influence on music.

I don't qualify as a boomer, and am far from being part of the "new generation" you speak of. I ,personally, learn something new each time I get on this forum,and am grateful that there are such fountains of knowledge willing to share their experiences and music. I know many others feel the same way, or this would not exist.

As far as my opening statement, 3 chords are 3 chords, regardless of their age or generation. As the man sings, "It's only rock and roll, but I like it."

[sowhat]

1. Not a "boomer" (b. 1978), so i don't know.
2. Depends. All in all, it is possible. It is also possible that not every "younger" person can relate to modern show business. I know at least one example, see it every day in the mirror.
3. Depends on a person. Some are former, some are latter. Most are interesting people in my view.

[ozover50]

I'm a '51 boomer, so...........

1) Absolutely!!

2) I'm not a young reader.........

3) Possibly not the 'fountains of knowledge' but I find that the opinions of myself and others from the era are regularly listened to and taken in by younger 'non-boomers'. Even when I include phrases like 'when I was your age'!!

[shamustwin]

F***. I think the question should be has there been anything relevant since!

[winston]

So far the answers are pretty much unified and all are singing a similar refrain. Is there anyone out there with an opinion that is contrary to the general consensus offered so far? If there is I would really like to read your point of view.

Where is this going? As in the not so distant past I suspect the attitude and the environment of the music buying public continues to have a direct relationship to the music that is being proffered today. I am not convinced that we have heard from this segment of the market yet.

[whojamfan]

Brian, I interpreted your original post as to whether or not the "boomer generation was/is a valid influence to current and future generations. With so many different styles, genres, and cultures making music and selling on the web, the answer would still be yes. What you folks did radically changed the face of music, both popular and underground,with new versions of traditional instruments that could now be amplified and altered electrically.

After your last post, I am unsure now what you are specifically looking for, but I think maybe that a Rickenbacker instrument forum is just going to keep giving you variations of what we have already posted. We are here for the love of our electric(And some acoustic)instruments that have their strongest roots in the music of your generation, in which RIC still makes versions of the ones used by the Beatles, Byrds, Who, and countless others.

As far as your "music business" question goes, it's a whole different world now. Long gone are the "Artist developement deals" that gave so many of our favorite bands the opportunity of a few albums to "make it", and if you're lucky to get a major deal these days, if you're not in the top whatever come the quarterly statements, you're let go. It's all run by the bean counters today, and the A and R folks have the shelflife of unrefrigerated milk.This, combined with the world wide webs ability to reach just about anyone and anywhere, has allowed artists to promote and sell their music on "My space", "Cd baby", and other outfits. Look what we do here through cafe express and such.

If it's a legacy issue that concerns you, you folks pioneered what has become to be known as Rock and Roll. Sure, we can argue about jazz and blues outfits that led up to this phenomonon, but the electric guitar, bass, and amplifiers really didn't start to have the center stage untill the mid 50s, and blossomed in the 60s to full affect. Your generation will forever be remembered as such, and will remain to influence and/or be remembered for generations to come, just as Bach, Beethoven, and Mozart are.

As far as the "fountain of knowledge" goes, everybody in your generation, like any other is different. From acid casualties to right wing extremists, where do you draw the line in trying to generalize it? I know that your generation has a lot to offer and much to be influenced by musically, but feel I am somehow not answering your question. I missed the "cutoff by 3 years", and quite franlkly, believe I was born 20 years too late. It was even the title of one of the first songs I wrote.

Forgive me if somehow I'm "not getting it" as far as your questions go, but if you could clarify what exactly it is you are looking for, I would be happy to do my best to find you the answers.

[winston]

Great post Mike.

Actually I am looking to see what sort of an attitude there is towards baby boomers. Facts are one thing but how is the contribution made by baby boomers being percieved by those who came after us?

To put this into a framework or context, many of us baby boomers perceived the "establishment" as being run by squares no matter what their contribution was to society on the whole. Baby boomers are the establishment now. Has that attitude persisted and have we become the dreaded "squares"?

[paologregorio]

Yes, and probably for some time to come, in addtion to the relevance they'll continue to have through influence upon following generations.

[whojamfan]

Geez, when I was 25 I was considered part of the "establishment" by the teenage kids that would come in to the music store, even though I was doing "underground" music.

I don't think "the establishment" has the same meaning to these new generations as it did to the boomers. You guys were pretty much the first of a whole new marketing demographic, "the teenager". It wasn't long before, and was most certainly established, in the boomer generation. Before that, you were getting married in your early teens and starting your families young, as there really was no middle ground, and people didn't live as long.

Basically, you were a boy, or a man as far as industry was concerned, and it wasn't untill the "invention" of the teenager, that industry realized there was an enormous market for those in between childhood, and being an adult, and they had money to spend. Hot diggity dog, were gonna make a fortune.

The "establishment" is a common enemy we can all band together to blame the bulk of our problems on. Granted, there were plenty of things wrong, but they were easily categorized, and industry capitalized on this to seperate many a teenager from his money. Enter fashion, the new uniform of non conformity, and all of the latest trends, gimmicks, and fads. You (if you were lucky) had 3 channels of television to instruct you how to "get with the program" by buying this or that. It is now the modern world, act immediately or it will pass you by.

Without writing a book here, "the establishment", as it were,was a generalization of a thing to rebel against, and was exploited by both the media and government for their own needs and to make money. It is now in the process of "re-establishing " itself, much like a rat on a sinking ship. What this new generation has to deal with now, is that big, cold ocean that's drowning this rat. Sorry to "harsh your mellow", but the newer generations have way too much stimulation to be worried about what the boomers are doing, as playstation has a new game out. "Dude, I don't care about nothing but beating this game."

I would conclude, that there is no "establishment" anymore, as the newer generations are thinking globally, not locally, with the internet and media options available. It's a whole new world, with the fall of the wall and the European Union, not to mention Asia, and the middle east. At this point, I feel I should stop, as my speculation may tread political waters that may be a violation of the forum rules. Just my humble opinion boomers.