Baby Boomers turn 60 but remain kids at heart
Robert Rouse
January 05, 2006
2006 is the year when the Baby Boomer generation starts turning 60. I suppose it is a milestone of some sort, but it also is a reminder of our eventual demise. But death comes to us all. More often than not, it comes to us before we die. One thing about this huge generation is our propensity to hold on to our youth as long as we can. Healthy diets, exercise, and plastic surgery are just some of the tools used by our generation to maintain our appearance, but it is how we handle life that best defines us. We still like our grown up toys, but we really love our Rock'n'Roll. And it is because of our propensity to cling to the sounds of our youth that keeps us feeling young.
When I was a kid, people over forty seemed - well, they looked and acted old. Yet I see people of my generation who absolutely refuse to act their age. Yet death is still hounding us. It hounds us unlike previous generations - we mourn, not for ourselves, but for our Rock'n'Roll heroes who are taken from us. Unfortunately, it was our lifestyle in the '60s and '70s that plays a major part of this. Far too many fell victim to the excesses of indulgence. Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Jim Morrison, John Bonham, Keith Moon, Brian Jones and Elvis Presley are probably the prime examples of this form of death. Others like Eddie Cochran, Ricky Nelson, Buddy Holly, Richie Valens, Terry Kath, and a couple of the guys from Lynyrd Skynyrd were taken away because of horrendous accidents. There have been suicides and like John Lennon, murder. All of these deaths were tragedies that took away rock idols long before their time.
But as we continue to age, the inevitable loss from so-called natural causes and disease serve as reminders of our own mortality. When Lennon was assassinated. our dream of a Beatles reunion was forever crushed, but with the passing of George Harrison came the realization that as we age, we will see more and more natural passings. So we mourn the deaths of our heroes. The Rolling Stones are still rocking - this gives us some hope for ourselves since, for the most part, the Stones are part of the previous generation. And if these geriatric gluttons of grandstanding have the vitality to play marathon concerts date after cross country date, then we can still play the part of the youngster we were when Mick first announced he couldn't get "no satisfaction". When I saw Paul McCartney live in October of 2002, I was a kid again. Yeah, these guys are looking older - Keith Richards has looked like death warmed over since the 1970s - but when I look in the mirror, I don't see a 50-year old man. I look like one of the 30-year olds from my childhood. Good for us.
The Righteous Brothers once sang about a Rock'n'Roll Heaven - "you know they got a hell of a band". I want to see some of those concerts, but like the rest of my generation, I'm going to hold off on buying the ticket for as long as I can.
When I was a kid, people over forty seemed - well, they looked and acted old. Yet I see people of my generation who absolutely refuse to act their age. Yet death is still hounding us. It hounds us unlike previous generations - we mourn, not for ourselves, but for our Rock'n'Roll heroes who are taken from us. Unfortunately, it was our lifestyle in the '60s and '70s that plays a major part of this. Far too many fell victim to the excesses of indulgence. Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Jim Morrison, John Bonham, Keith Moon, Brian Jones and Elvis Presley are probably the prime examples of this form of death. Others like Eddie Cochran, Ricky Nelson, Buddy Holly, Richie Valens, Terry Kath, and a couple of the guys from Lynyrd Skynyrd were taken away because of horrendous accidents. There have been suicides and like John Lennon, murder. All of these deaths were tragedies that took away rock idols long before their time.
But as we continue to age, the inevitable loss from so-called natural causes and disease serve as reminders of our own mortality. When Lennon was assassinated. our dream of a Beatles reunion was forever crushed, but with the passing of George Harrison came the realization that as we age, we will see more and more natural passings. So we mourn the deaths of our heroes. The Rolling Stones are still rocking - this gives us some hope for ourselves since, for the most part, the Stones are part of the previous generation. And if these geriatric gluttons of grandstanding have the vitality to play marathon concerts date after cross country date, then we can still play the part of the youngster we were when Mick first announced he couldn't get "no satisfaction". When I saw Paul McCartney live in October of 2002, I was a kid again. Yeah, these guys are looking older - Keith Richards has looked like death warmed over since the 1970s - but when I look in the mirror, I don't see a 50-year old man. I look like one of the 30-year olds from my childhood. Good for us.
The Righteous Brothers once sang about a Rock'n'Roll Heaven - "you know they got a hell of a band". I want to see some of those concerts, but like the rest of my generation, I'm going to hold off on buying the ticket for as long as I can.