I’ve resisted the call from fellow baby boomers to write a column about “the changes” people go through as they, um, approach geezerhood. Others have done it ad infinitum, I’d tell them. Besides, I’d think to myself, who wants to read another article about high blood pressure, achy joints, and the joy of naps?
But there’s a different kind of change that doesn’t get much attention, even though it affects millions of pre-geezers: changes in taste, new sets of preferences in music, food, movies, cars, books, art and so forth. I started thinking about the subject the first time I saw a commercial announcing The Who as this year’s Super Bowl halftime entertainment. My instant reaction was, “Why?” The Who isn’t even a real, day-to-day band anymore, just two guys and some sidemen who occasionally get together to punch the numbers on their musical ATM.
I mentioned this to a friend, call him Chuck, who nearly jumped up and down, telling me how great The Who are. “They were great,” I replied. “I saw them in their prime, so I know how great they really were.” And here’s where I stepped over the line into boomer heresy: “Besides, if you take away their nine or 10 true classics, you’re left with a pretty mediocre crop of songs.” Chuck went pale, but eventually recovered.
We segued into discussing the unexpected changes in taste that seem to gradually happen over the years. He said he still disagreed with me about The Who, “but you know who I used to be crazy about and just can’t stand to even hear anymore? Janis Joplin.” “Yeah, same here,” I answered, “and The Doors, too.” Chuck erupted again: “What? The Doors were fantastic!” “Well, they sure seemed fantastic at the time,” I said, “except for ‘Touch Me,’ that was lame. I don’t know, Jim Morrison just seems like a preening asshole now.”
And so it went, back and forth, both of us cataloguing how our tastes had changed over the years, be it in music, films, books, or food (although I don’t consider “I can’t eat spicy foods anymore” a change of taste; that’s more like physical decrepitude). Our lists included stuff we used to like but now think is silly or “what were we thinking?” cringe-inducing (“DOA” by Bloodrock, anyone?). Or, on the other hand, things we didn’t like at all in our youth that we now find irresistible, Tony Bennett being an obvious example. Why tastes change, or why some old favorites don’t age well, is a complicated matter better suited for a long debate, so I’ll leave that for another column. Maybe. But in the meantime, and in the interest of full disclosure, generational reportage, and invaluable cultural insights (ahem), I’ve created a partial catalog of “Them Changes” (a tune originally sung by Buddy Miles — anybody remember him?). So here we go.
Former favorite musicians I’m now over
The Who, Janis Joplin, The Doors: See above.
Elvis Costello: Used to be a genius, now seems like a pompous ass with adenoid problems.
Supertramp and Moody Blues: Seemed quasi-cosmic at the time, now sounds clinical, not to mention embarrassing.
Great musicians whom I hated in the hipster days
Tony Bennett: See above.
Herbie Hancock: Used to think his playing was too cold, now seems deep as the ocean.
Smokey Robinson: I know, I know. I was stupid.
Writers I once loved, but now not so much
F. Scott Fitzgerald: The Great Gatsby is still wonderful, but try re-reading Tender Is The Night sometime. Be sure to set an alarm if you need to be somewhere later.
William S. Burroughs: A recent attempt to re-read Naked Lunch — such a revelation at 21! — was like struggling through thickets of barbed wire.
H.P. Lovecraft: You mean I used to actually enjoy this slop?
Writers I once hated, but now love
Jane Austen: Seemed drier than dust in my 20s, so how’d her books become so revealing, insightful, and incredibly well-crafted?
Geoffrey Chaucer: How did I ever think Chaucer was boring? After 700 years, The Canterbury Tales is still one of the most incisive looks at human foibles ever published, not to mention that it’s often hilarious.
Willa Cather: I didn’t dislike Cather, just considered her mere Lit class fodder. Fellow grayhairs, re-read My Antonia and watch a master at work.
Films I once loved but never want to see again
In The Heat of the Night: One decade’s “relevant” became another’s “patronizing.”
Planet of the Apes: One decade’s “relevant” became another’s “hammy acting.”
Films I hated but now love
Movies directed by Douglas Sirk, e.g., Imitation of Life: Over time, lushly colored soap operas somehow turned into beautifully filmed social commentary.
GWTW: It’s still way un-PC, but damn, Gable and Leigh’s acting is just too great to ignore.
Tell us how your tastes have changed over time. E-mail john.grooms@creativeloafing.com.
This article appears in Feb 9-15, 2010.
