Art / culture that unites generations

[drobert44]

I have always adored Shakespeare

Now is the winter of our discontent.

 

[Statius]

There's hope... My youngest son(21) introduced me to these guys. They remind me of Motley Crue.

Greta Van Fleek

They are pretty good, agreed

 

[EmilyMiller]

Now is the winter of our discontent.

I alway had in mind an alt version starting:

Now has the buyer in our discount tent
Paid much less money for this half-price pork

 

[alohadave]

I bet you would like Wet Leg!

I much preferred their first album

 

[TheRedChamber]

STP, Alice In Chains ( NOT A LIT STORY!). Radiohead tho. PearlJam, Smashing Pumpkins... and on and on and on... Oh I KNOW you've heard of Oasis. Garbage.

Are you referring to Shirley Manson's group there, or do you just not like Oasis?

(FWIW I hate Oasis.)

 

[Britva415]

Are you referring to Shirley Manson's group there, or do you just not like Oasis?

(FWIW I hate Oasis.)

I thought they were talking about Garbage, the band.

And I was thinking to myself, neither them nor Oasis did are grunge ffs

 

[PennyThompson]

I think what truly unites the generations is arguing about which bands are or are not grunge

 

[MetaBob]

I think what truly unites the generations is arguing about which bands are or are not grunge

Having been there and on the periphery of it, I might offer an alternative perspective. You might understand, or maybe you won't. 'Cause, y'know, those bands who were playing then and there didn't identify as (it's hurts to even type this in this context), "grunge".

Define "grunge", please. Click the "Watch on YouTube" link. Enjoy:

 

[Actingup]

Just wait til @Actingup checks his notifications, he'll try and convince you that King Crimson or Emerson, Lake & Palmer or something are universally acclaimed bands that unite all generations

No . I think King Crimson are interesting and worthy, and notable for the fantastic musicians that have played with them like Tony Levin. But I’ve never really gotten into them, and never listened to ELP. I got into early Genesis through following Peter Gabriel’s career backwards to when I was very young, but I know it’s not mainstream.

I will also argue that our cultural norms are geographical as well as generational, and that’s a good thing. We need time and space to be 4 dimensional in order to allow different cultures and generations to thrive and keep us diversifying and growing. We may never surpass Danny Boy or Yesterday, but it’s okay to forget them.

 

[Statius]

Are you referring to Shirley Manson's group there, or do you just not like Oasis?

(FWIW I hate Oasis.)

The band garbage, and wasn't saying they were grunge. It started as listing bands that were grunge/alt. At the time Oasis and Garbage were considered alt, to an extent. Sorry my brain skips things sometimes, and I'm not always precise and exacting.

 

[SimonDoom]

I think what truly unites the generations is arguing about which bands are or are not grunge

Or the broader conversation/dispute about categorizing music, generally. That seems universal. Is it classical? Is that jazz, or not? Is that REAL blues or REAL reggae? Is that punk, or just pretend?

It's all just people banging away at instruments and having a great time.

 

[Statius]

Or the broader conversation/dispute about categorizing music, generally. That seems universal. Is it classical? Is that jazz, or not? Is that REAL blues or REAL reggae? Is that punk, or just pretend?

It's all just people banging away at instruments and having a great time.

There it is, right there.

It was a convo about 90s music, generational; didn't think it would cause a whole discussion about genre, as that's not what the convo was about to begin with. For anyone who wants to know I brought up Oasis because I think, I could be wrong, that @PennyThompson and @Actingup wrote a story using Oasis lyrics? Am I wrong? Anyway in the middle of my list that popped in my head so I brought it up as a 90s band Penny would know. Don't know why Garbage popped in my head; so there that is.

Peace

 

[SimonDoom]

Stepping away from music for a minute

Every generation comes around to Shakespeare eventually. Maybe not when they're 16 but eventually.

I hope so. There's so much to his work. The great stories, the great characters. Tragedy, comedy, history. And most of all, the beauty of the language. I like to think that appreciation for that beauty won't die.

 

[old_prof]

It's all just people banging away at instruments and having a great time.

I think this is one of the possible paths to great music. I remember going to see CJ Chenier perform very early in hi career, at a small music festival in Lowell MA. I just looked him up and he was older than I would've guessed. He had so much energy, so much enthusiasm it was hard not to love the performance. (If you don't recognize the name, hie father, Clifton Chenier, was an early pioneer in zydeco and became almost synonymous with the the genre. CJ also played zydeco.) It wasn't that CJ wasn't talented, but his enthusiasm and obvious love for the music was so powerful. I saw Billy Preston play with George Harrison, Ringo Starr et all way back when. Preston had that same infectious love of music that stole the show.

But great music can be created (and performed) without that. Ravi Shankar was at the same show with Billy Preston. He was much more internalized and intense, but he was probably my second favorite of that night. Sometimes you want raw power in your music, sometime intricacy, sometime sappy sentimentalism. I enjoy a very broad range of music (but not Oasis). It's fine that other people don't like the same music. Some of it will reach across generations to some people, others feel very much a personal choice that no one else knows (I happen to love Bonnie Koloc, who I doubt many here know of).

I think f the stories on this site the same way. There are a wide range of kinds of stories. No story appeals to everyone, but any decently written story can be appreciated by some. I'll admit some stories needed more work, just like some bands performing outside their garage for the first time. The site hasn't been around long enough to have anything achieve classic status, but this forum certainly crosses many generations. I have mentioned to Emily that I am almost old enough to be her grandfather and there are people here younger than her and older than me.

 

[SimonDoom]

I think this is one of the possible paths to great music. I remember going to see CJ Chenier perform very early in hi career, at a small music festival in Lowell MA. I just looked him up and he was older than I would've guessed. He had so much energy, so much enthusiasm it was hard not to love the performance. (If you don't recognize the name, hie father, Clifton Chenier, was an early pioneer in zydeco and became almost synonymous with the the genre. CJ also played zydeco.) It wasn't that CJ wasn't talented, but his enthusiasm and obvious love for the music was so powerful. I saw Billy Preston play with George Harrison, Ringo Starr et all way back when. Preston had that same infectious love of music that stole the show.

But great music can be created (and performed) without that. Ravi Shankar was at the same show with Billy Preston. He was much more internalized and intense, but he was probably my second favorite of that night. Sometimes you want raw power in your music, sometime intricacy, sometime sappy sentimentalism. I enjoy a very broad range of music (but not Oasis). It's fine that other people don't like the same music. Some of it will reach across generations to some people, others feel very much a personal choice that no one else knows (I happen to love Bonnie Koloc, who I doubt many here know of).

I think f the stories on this site the same way. There are a wide range of kinds of stories. No story appeals to everyone, but any decently written story can be appreciated by some. I'll admit some stories needed more work, just like some bands performing outside their garage for the first time. The site hasn't been around long enough to have anything achieve classic status, but this forum certainly crosses many generations. I have mentioned to Emily that I am almost old enough to be her grandfather and there are people here younger than her and older than me.

I used to be more of a snob about art and culture. And at some point in my life I came around to the "it's just people banging away at instruments and having fun" view. That's what Shakespeare was doing. Mozart. When you let go of categories and classes and look at art that way, it's a revelation. It's so much more enjoyable. AND it makes it more universal, a language everyone can share and enjoy.

 

[Actingup]

There it is, right there.

It was a convo about 90s music, generational; didn't think it would cause a whole discussion about genre, as that's not what the convo was about to begin with. For anyone who wants to know I brought up Oasis because I think, I could be wrong, that @PennyThompson and @Actingup wrote a story using Oasis lyrics? Am I wrong? Anyway in the middle of my list that popped in my head so I brought it up as a 90s band Penny would know. Don't know why Garbage popped in my head; so there that is.

Peace

I mean, the Oasis lyrics were clearly the philosophical centrepiece of the narrative, but we padded it out with a bit of other stuff as well so that it wasn't entirely a drug dream.

 

[PennyThompson]

I mean, the Oasis lyrics were clearly the philosophical centrepiece of the narrative, but we padded it out with a bit of other stuff as well so that it wasn't entirely a drug dream.

The section on seeing Oasis play a really bad show in Grand Rapids MI in 1996 (as a metaphor for the nostalgia of a collapsing marriage) is probably my favorite part of the whole story, so I agree with this

 

[Statius]

The section on seeing Oasis play a really bad show in Grand Rapids MI in 1996 (as a metaphor for the nostalgia of a collapsing marriage) is probably my favorite part of the whole story, so I agree with this

As an Oasis fan I can totally see that happening. Liam can't sing for shit live. As for GR Michigan don't remember them being there in 96. Interesting.

Side note, Noel does well playing live, at least these days he does.

 

[StillStunned]

For a thread on art and culture, there are a disproportionate number of posts about Oasis.

 

[Statius]

For a thread on art and culture, there are a disproportionate number of posts about Oasis.

Do this all day, album by album, including solo careers if you like

 

[PennyThompson]

As an Oasis fan I can totally see that happening. Liam can't sing for shit live. As for GR Michigan don't remember them being there in 96. Interesting.

Side note, Noel does well playing live, at least these days he does.

"Your mom and I got to see Oasis once, you know... they played a show here in town back in... '96? '97? Before they were big here."

"1995," Michelle corrects me. "The Orbit Room. Tickets were five dollars."

"That's right, the Orbit Room! Shit, I remember now, some asshole threw a shoe and hit Liam, he freaked out and stormed off stage, and Noel had to finish most of the set without him."

"You went out for a smoke during Digsy's Dinner, and then you came back and tried to convince me that you met Liam in the parking lot," Michelle said with a smirk, sipping her Manhattan.

"I swear to God, I did! He was out moping around the side door, muttering about how everyone in Grand Rapids were a bunch of wankers and dickheads, and then he asked me for a cigarette," I said, laughing for the first time that night. "Fuck... The Orbit. Terrible venue, shit sound. What a time. I wonder if they still do shows there?"

"It closed a long time ago, before the pandemic," Michelle sighed. "The building was condemned, sat there vacant for a while, and then they tore it down. It's just an empty lot behind Centerpoint Mall, now."

Most of this anecdote actually happened! Acting found concert notes for this show on a Facebook group somewhere!

 

[Statius]

Most of this anecdote actually happened! Acting found concert notes for this show on a Facebook group somewhere!

Oh I'm aware of the factual stuff.

 

[Statius]

Sorry, not the concert stuff, but the rest of it

 

[Actingup]

I much preferred their first album

Well, I enjoyed both of those - thank you, although the change in look between the albums really threw me!

Even more of a constant than music, perhaps, is HAIR (although if you keep watching the video below, you can see that Teasdale can be easily beaten in the skin stakes).

 

[Kumquatqueen]

Now is the winter of our discontent.

That was daubed in large white capitals across the central admin building, for the entire time I was an undergrad.

We'd defeated the poll tax but student loans and fees came in despite our protests, along with rent increases which caused my college union to go on rent strike for two of the three years I was there. Successfully, I might add.

When I'd been a teenager, I'd seriously wondered what my cohort of students would protest about once Nelson Mandela was freed. Oh the naiveté...

A surprising number of teenagers are currently rebelling against their parents by listening to classical music and Radio Four, the BBC highbrow all-speech station. My parents think it's hilarious that my kids are listening to the same music they did at their age - Motown, some Beatles, Scott Joplin, Flanders & Swann, Gregorian chants... Fortunately they also like various pop and rock and some of my music - we often compromise on Queen.

A lot of 80s films also still stand up - Back to the Future, especially.