“We’re halfway there, Oh, OH…”
March 27, 2010 § Leave a Comment
So, Peter and I went to another free lunchtime concert downtown on Wednesday with our friend Sue. We went last week on St. Patrick’s Day to hear a group of Irish musicians. This week the Beantown Swing Orchestra was playing with American Idol finalist, John Stevens. As you can probably guess, Swing music is quite a draw for senior citizens. I think every senior center in a 100-mile radius took a field trip to downtown Worcester yesterday. The house was packed with white hair and wheelchairs and every single person was having a ball (well, those who weren’t taking a catnap were having a ball). If there had been room for a dance floor, I’m sure that those wheelchairs would’ve been whirling around on one wheel out there. The music of that era is timeless and infectious, and the orchestra and John were amazing. At times, if I closed my eyes, I could have easily imagined that Frank Sinatra was in the room singing his heart out. I may have even smelled cigarette smoke wafting through the air and tasted whiskey on my tongue.
However, interrupting my revery were some sobering thoughts. As I was watching those seniors clapping, singing and bobbing their heads along to the music, I suddenly thought of myself and wondered what I’ll be doing in 30 years. What in the hell kind of field trips will I be taking with my senior center? Are there going to be a group of twenty-something musicians covering Bon Jovi, Motley Crue and Skid Row songs? I mean, really? Really?? Am I going to be singing “Livin’ on a Prayer” when I’m 70? And what about teenagers now? What are their field trips going to be like in 50-55 years? Will they be singing along with Justin Bieber, Lady Gaga and Ke$ha impersonators? It’s so bizarre. It seems to me that music put out after, say, 1980 has lost the ability to be called “timeless.” Sure, there are some bands and musicians that still play real instruments and write meaningful lyrics that don’t make a nun blush, but I honestly think that most current mainstream music has an expiration date. Don’t you think? I mean, can people of all ages say “before I leave, brush my teeth with a bottle of Jack, ’cause when I leave for the night, I ain’t coming back”? Is that a timeless and ageless sentiment? [No offense, Ke$ha - we totally sing your songs now.]
I don’t know, maybe it’s just me, and maybe it’s just how I’m feeling at this moment, but I hope that when my friends and I are 70 we’ll be swaying to the music of Frank Sinatra and Artie Shaw rather than throwing our panties at some young stud from our bedazzled wheelchairs while singing “Tommy used to work on the docks” through our floppy dentures.
So, yeah, I can’t stop laughing at that Bon Jovi scenario. It’s so going to happen. Probably after many glasses of wine and few shots of Jagermeister. You know, for old times’ sake.
