Dees Generlashawn!

I had no idea where to put this subject. Either here in Leisure World or On Topic. I guess this is a good of a place as any so here goes.
I was at work yesterday overhearing a conversation with my assistant manager (who is in her 50s) and another customer (who is around the same age) and the two were comparing music. They were talking about how good songs were made anymore and they went down memory lane listing everyone from the Temptations, Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes, Gladys Knight and the Pips, Ray Parker Jr, the O'Jays, and Solo. Janice (my assistant manager), talked about how Solo came out with all these cool hits such as "Where do you want me to put it" and another song that I can't remember and all of a sudden dropped out sight and don't even exist as a memory. At the same time I was helping another customer, who I know very well as we passed the rap section and He, of course, criticized rap.
"That all they talk about, 'Motherfucker this, Motherfucker that!'" This coming from a man who curses like a drunken salior.
As I listened I began to think. This could be me or someone I know 20 or years from now. While our kids, or even our grandkids for that matter, are drooling over the new pop sensation, watching their videos religously, sporting their clothes, running to the music store to buy their albums, reciting every lyric to their songs word for word, Y'know, everything we're doing and then some when it comes down to supporting our favorite artists.
How supportive will we be? Will we be in to the songs our will we be as critical of our parents were? I can still hear my mother yelling at my brother to turn the radio down when ever he blasted his musicl and he listned to everything from Newcleus (respectfully), Run-DMC, UTFO, LLCool J, Public Enemy, X-Clan, all the way to NWA and 2Pac. This coming from the same woman who relived her younger days before she met my dad and had us when she bought her first CD Player and turned the kitchen into dance floor when pumped Gladys Knight, Denise Lasalle, and Johnnie Taylor.
I'm not saying that listening to any of the artists that I metioned is a good or bad thing. After all, for some one who grew up watching MTV, I've learned to appreciate a lot of different types of music. Everyone has their song. A song they fell in love with, a song that takes them back to the best time of their lives, a song that is sacred to only them, a song that changed their lives, I can go on. But answer me this, come our 50th wedding anniversary or even our 75 birthday (considering some of us live that long) will we still be able to drink Bacardi like it's our birthday, pass the corvoursier, dancing to Rated R, 50cent, Linkin Park, or Justin Timberlake? Will we be healthy and energetic enough to do all those dances we learned from watching all those videos, and shake what our mamas gave us? I guess we'll have to just wait and see.

Stan, the beauty of music is that there is something for everyone. If you grew up listening to a style of music rap, rock-n-roll, jazz or whatever, a part of that you will always carry with you (one would think), much like the way you grew up dressing yourself. Ever wonder why elderly men wear long pants, a collared shirt, and a hat even in the summertime? That's what they wore growing up. It cracks me up to see a picture of a baseball game from the 20s, 30s and 40s. Everyone in the stadium (practically all men) is wearing a dark suit and hat. Style.

Now, that's not to say that your musical taste can't change. Mine certainly did. There was a time that all I wanted to listen to was hip-hop. Now, that is the last thing I want to listen to (even though there's a part of me that can't helped be moved by eighties rap tunes when I hear them). Personally, I don't think hip-hop as a genre is all that original/creative as it used to be. Either the music changed or my taste did, or maybe a little of both? Some people will keep the same taste, some will change. Everyone's got different and ever-changing needs. My 2 cents.