Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

Don't trust anyone over 70!

I suppose I've shot some pot in my day.

There ya go, Mark...although I prefer to use the verb "take", as in "let's go out back and take pot"...

I was talking to an 18-year-old friend of mine a few days ago, and he announced with some excitement that he had purchased a ticket to see Dream Theater and 3 other bands...I asked him how much the tickets were, and he said around $40. Well, that's a lot of hours stocking shelves at the local Safeway, even with today's excitingly expanded minimum wage. I told him I saw a 4-band bill when I was his age for $5. At 1974 min. wage ($2.10/ hr), that meant I had to work 2.5 hours for my ticket; he has to work almost 6 for his.

Anyway, it got me thinking about shows nowadays that routinely charge $100, $150, or $250 before scalping. It follows that such shows must frequently involve giant packed rooms with no one in the place under 30...

Sorry folks, if there's no one in the arena under 30, it ain't rock-n-roll.

Ain't no rock and roll no more, Dane, sorry to break it to ya.

Old men. Keep listening to your calcified oldies (as I do myself, I admit). There is a ton of good rock and roll out there. For example, The New Pornographers are here at the XM Canada studios in Toronto right now recording a couple of songs for their "Live at the Verge" session.

Then again, rock and roll (for lack of a better blanket term) doesn't need all us old guys and gals...and apparently, many of you feel the same way back.

Most of us have our minds (and ears) made up about music, and wouldn't acknowledge something fresh and/or vital and/or good even if we did sit down and give it an honest try.

Fire away...

Mick, I'll grant you there's still good music being made that could possibly be called R&R, but 'a ton'??? There wasn't 'a ton' of good R&R even back in it's heyday...mostly **** then, mostly **** now. At least it used to be affordable to the average young person.

Jerry, I would only disagree with your statement to paraphrase Frank Zappa's classic remark concerning Jazz:

'Rock-n-Roll isn't dead, it just smells funny...'

The New Pornographers are excellent. One of hundreds of great new groups growing up under the popular radar. Not all cities have a good radio station that will play this stuff. Minneapolis radio was hurting for years until The Current came into play.

It ain't the same, it ain't called rock and roll, and its very good.

(This from the same guy who usually posts about how much he misses the old days...live and learn, I guess. )

+1 on the New Pornographers. New CD due out in August.

Yes, "a ton" was a tad optimistic on my part.

I've got the "Twin Cinema" CD and two songs from it on my ipod.

They're good, but total pros and it shows (like Toto, only cool).

I'd love some snotty nosed kids to come out of nowhere and shake things up with originality (what's that?) inventiveness and humor.

Sounds like the White Stripes.

I've listen to the CD a bit more Brian, and I do agree about "House of Wax," which is my favorite track in group after the first six. It's got a bluesy/Pink Floyd vibe to it.
Mitch, I do kind of like "That Was Me,", but it would be after the first six and "House of Wax."
I think I noted before that one of the best things about the CD was the variety over the "sameness" of Chaos and Creation.

I was always hoping he still had "Only Mama Knows" in him, but I was OK with it if he didn't. He's the age of my parents, and they are certainly mellowing now that they've hit their mid-60's.

I remember listening to the CD the first time and I immediately liked the first six. No "grow on you" time was needed.