Re: evolution

[mleaman@sccoast.net (Mark Leaman)]

>When I was 17, I couldn't imagine being awake 5 seconds without having   
>some music playing, usually Who, Zep, or Yes.  Now I go entire weeks   
>without starting up the stereo.  It's not that the music is any less   
>meaningful, just that it's perhaps less *relevant.*  At 35, I'm (more or   
>less) finished with adolescence, so while I still love Quad, it's not   
>quite so immediate.  Also, I find I'm looking less to lyrics and more to   
>musical content.  This is why I'm still into the Who and Yes, and not   
>into other bands that I may have listened to before: they need to have   
>quality and depth beyond slamming my head against the wall (which still   
>has it's own charm, it just takes a lot longer for me to recover from   
>now...), or containing lyrics that describe emotions that I have moved   
>past.

Kevin:

Now this is a worrisone post. I'm 40, and still haven't lost my "sense of
the absurd" (I suppose you could call it). I'm definitely finished with
adolescence, having been on my own since I was 17 ("Why didn't I say what I
mean/I should have split home at 15..."). I still delight in the lyrics as
well as the music (which is one reason bands like Pearl Jam and Blur still
keep me interested in new music)...and the sense of Rock as an essence of my
life. When the lyrics are not directly relevant, at least I can appreciate
them for what they meant to me when I heard them first (or what they will
mean to anyone hearing them now). There are many, many naked truths about
human behavior on QUAD; behavior that doesn't cease at the onset of
adulthood. IMHO, Townshend wrote a true epic there.
Of course, to fully appreciate QUAD one must be into the psychology of the
behavior too...it's a multi-layered work, which is why I love it so much.
The music is multi-layered, too...so it balances. A work of sheer genius,
that. I'm guessing, but I think that despite TOMMY's popularity Pete will be
remembered for QUAD and the sequel WHITE CITY. Eventually.

>Growing up can be great in many senses, but it can also be very sad.  My   
>wife and I have this discussion often, about the need to back away from   
>the flame of youth.  It can be such a beautiful and terrifying motive   
>force from within, but if it isn't eventually dealt with, it will consume   
>and destroy you.  I'm happy that I let mine go as long as I did (and god   
>knows, considering some of the unbelievably self-destructive, reckless   
>and dangerous things I've done, I should have never made it even to this   
>ripe age), and I feel sad sometimes that I just don't feel things as   
>intensely as I used to.  But I understand that there is a time to let   
>that flame go, before it totally overwhelms.

Oh, flame that burns so bright. You probably (and of course I can only
guess) don't feel things as acutely because you've already experienced them
or their equivalent and you're going over familiar ground. For instance, as
much as I love Rock, it's been a while since I've heard a new album that
inspired excitement...TEN by PJ might be the last one. And they're fewer all
of the time, of course.
The thing that I've found is that with all of the things going on around us
as adults, it's hard to find time to do the things we enjoy doing...like
sitting back in a chair, closing your eyes, and letting the music wash over
you. Usually, it's in the car while you're thinking of the day's work that
needs to be done or the house repair or something.

>I used to believe the line "hope I die before I get old,"  but now I know   
>it's much better to have survived, and to understand what it was that got   
>me here, and to be able to look forward without the desperate need of   
>wrenching every last little bit of life out of every single moment.  It's   
>very tiring to do that...  :)

Keith Moon died for our sins. Sort of. If we don't learn from a destructive
lifestyle (which I also am guilty of, even now from time to time...OK, in
moderation, which I think is the key), then what's the point?
Or, I could define adulthood as the point when we begin to learn from
other's mistakes.
In any case, the best remedy I've found for the burdens of adulthood is
primitive camping in the Smoky Mountains. Surrounded by growth and no sign
of humans and the fresh, clear air...I always feel fresh and renewed after 3
days (I shudder to think of what a week would do...but I'd love to find
out). While this isn't an option for most people, there ARE some...I suggest
you seek them. It's worth it. You CAN feel "young" again.



                   Cheers                   ML

"Never underestimate the power of human stupidity."  L. Long