"Why Do Old People Hate New Music?"

[leew3]

My thesis would be that if you pose a very ambiguous and subjective premise with sufficiently broad categories you can get an interesting discussion going online. I'm not sure what are the benchmarks of 'old' people or 'new' music so, like most of like my definitive answer is 'it depends...'

[tbeltrans]

When I hear a fair amount of the "noisy" (i.e. electric, distorted with a lot of pounding) music I grew up with in the 1960s, I realize that it was often listened to while stoned. There was certainly a fair amount of relatively quiet acoustic music that I can still listen to today though. Part of the process for me of growing up was leaving that stoned state behind. That music is no longer all that enjoyable to me sober. Regardless of when the music was written and /or performed, I prefer quiet acoustic music that has a good melody (i.e. old folks' music ).

Tony

[1neeto]

There’s a lot of great new music If you know where to look. The problem is pop music. It’s all the same I V vi IV chords and millennial whoops. Today’s pop music is structurally terrible.

But I do remember reading somewhere that as we age, we go back to the music we identified with when we were growing into young adults. The music you were into when you were 12 to 18 years old is the music that “defines” you. So when you hit middle age, that’s the music you will consider the greatest.

[DenverSteve]

Because they are "old". Old is not a function of age. It's a function of a refusal to learn, appreciate, adapt to or accept things that are new. "Old" people refuse to become computer or smart-phone literate. Hip elderly people are on computers and email, text.... they are elderly but not "old". I hope I get to be ancient but that I never become "old".

[Glennwillow]

Originally Posted by SoCalSurf

There is an academic website that encourages children to pose questions that can be answered by experts of various fields (www.theconversation.com).

One of the recent questions posed was, "Why do old people hate new music?" It was answered by a psychologist.

I think members of this forum would find the response really interesting. https://theconversation.com/curious-...w-music-123834

I think that response listed above is pretty accurate based on what I have observed, although in my case, I listened to new music much later in life than most people. In fact, I still do.

I'm not going to adjust to rap and hip-hop, but most other kinds of new music still interest me and I still buy quite a few CDs every year.

My mother was always interested in new music and she had no musical training or background whatsoever. My father was always fairly rigid in his tastes, but he did develop an avid interest in bluegrass music in his later years.

The word "hate", as in "Why do older people hate new music?" really bothers me, however. I know that younger people use that word very loosely, but in my world, "hate" is an extremely strong word, reminiscent of World War II concentration camps. It's not a word to be thrown around lightly.

- Glenn

[Pura Vida]

Originally Posted by frankmcr

I guess old fogies like me, with our Velvet Underground and our Stooges and out Television records, just can't appreciate the wonderfulness of Taylor Swift and Justin Timberlake and . . .

I enjoy VA, Iggy, and Television. But for all of the drawbacks of streaming, one of the true benefits is nearly unlimited access to artists w/o having to invest in purchasing an album. Check out artists like Deerhunter, Ty Segall, Parquet Courts for similar quality and sounds.

Originally Posted by 1neeto

There’s a lot of great new music If you know where to look. The problem is pop music. It’s all the same I V vi IV chords and millennial whoops. Today’s pop music is structurally terrible.

But I do remember reading somewhere that as we age, we go back to the music we identified with when we were growing into young adults. The music you were into when you were 12 to 18 years old is the music that “defines” you. So when you hit middle age, that’s the music you will consider the greatest.

Spot on, and I coupled your post with the one above b/c 90% of people can't get past the corporate pop, country, and hip-hop exposure to find where the great music is hiding.

And you're exactly right about the music of our coming of age years tends to define us. For those a little older than myself, it was the music of the 1960s or 1970s, and for me, it was the new wave pop of the 1980s along with the alternative rock revolution of the 1990s. I've really had to push myself to remain current with new, relevant music into my "adulting" years.

[tbeltrans]

Originally Posted by Glennwillow

I think that response listed above is pretty accurate based on what I have observed, although in my case, I listened to new music much later in life than most people. In fact, I still do.

I'm not going to adjust to rap and hip-hop, but most other kinds of new music still interest me and I still buy quite a few CDs every year.

My mother was always interested in new music and she had no musical training or background whatsoever. My father was always fairly rigid in his tastes, but he did develop an avid interest in bluegrass music in his later years.

The word "hate", as in "Why do older people hate new music?" really bothers me, however. I know that younger people use that word very loosely, but in my world, "hate" is an extremely strong word, reminiscent of World War II concentration camps. It's not a word to be thrown around lightly.

- Glenn

Good points about the word "hate". But, then, superlatives seem to have lost their power because everything is "perfect" or "awesome" or other words that used to have power and real meaning. Many words seem to have "new" meanings, rendering our language even more problematic than it has been in the past. A "phobia" now seems to infer prejudice, for example.

Tony

[Pura Vida]

Originally Posted by ManyMartinMan

I always loved my parents music. They bought me my first albums (Carol King, Jesus Christ Superstar, Elton John...). My parents encouraged me to play in bands, including practicing at our house, and thought it was great that I wanted to, and did become, a professional musician. Jump ahead 23 years and I loved my daughter's music. I guess it depends on where you come from in life. I believe - if you love music - you love music. All music.

I really appreciate this. I never became a professional musician, but I am a music enthusiast. Two of my uncles played guitar and introduced me to some of my earliest influences (Neil Young, The Who, Pink Floyd, etc.). As I grew up, I held onto some of those influences and added others. And now, my kids appreciate the wide breadth of music I share with them, and I enjoy hearing what interests them. I encourage them to remain open-minded to all genres, as music is cyclical, and the fad of today may get replaced with something else later.

Last night, I was playing the new Chromatics album, and it opens with a cover of Simon & Garfunkel's "The Sound Of Silence," and my 10yo is singing right along. But only a week ago, he asks me... "Dad, did you ever listen to Pantera?" So, we cranked up a few 90s metal tracks on the drive home.

[Nama Ensou]

I used to go a play for my friend's mom up until she passed and she loved everything. Before she became house-bound she'd go out multiple nights per week to hear any live music she could find.

It's partly related to age, but just as much, it's the age that makes it evident what type of personality an individual has. Inflexible people show the tendency to only like things they're familiar with.

So why do so many inflexible people deride and make fun of music or food they're not familiar with? Well, now we're looking at narcissists, good topic for another thread.

[Kerbie]

Originally Posted by Glennwillow

The word "hate", as in "Why do older people hate new music?" really bothers me, however. I know that younger people use that word very loosely, but in my world, "hate" is an extremely strong word, reminiscent of World War II concentration camps. It's not a word to be thrown around lightly.

Couldn't agree more, Glenn.

[YamaYairi]

I am always looking for new bands and musicians (note that I do not say "artists") to like. There is plenty of new music that I like (I'm 63.) Very little of it gets commercial radio play. The good music will stand the test of time. 50 years since the Beatles broke up and their music is still wildly popular. In 50 years no one will even know who Taylor Swift was, but they will know the Beatles.
The music industry is so busy making money that they do not realize they are digging their own graves.

[tbeltrans]

Originally Posted by YamaYairi

I am always looking for new bands and musicians (note that I do not say "artists") to like. There is plenty of new music that I like (I'm 63.) Very little of it gets commercial radio play. The good music will stand the test of time. 50 years since the Beatles broke up and their music is still wildly popular. In 50 years no one will even know who Taylor Swift was, but they will know the Beatles.
The music industry is so busy making money that they do not realize they are digging their own graves.

This is a good point. We now have direct access to many of the musicians we might listening to, and the means to find them. We can find much new music directly via youtube, cdbaby, artist web sites, and the like. We can stay completely outside the mainstream and have plenty of music to explore. It is like having access to a huge record store (remember those?) where we can sample all manner of music right from the comfort of our home. I find that refreshing and one of the more positive aspects of what the internet has grown into.

Tony

[Merak]

SOME old people dont like new music, not all. SOME young people dont like new music. Im going back to watching Jepardy, better questions there.....

[Nama Ensou]

Originally Posted by Merak

I'm going back to watching Jeopardy, better questions there.....

Hah, it's funny 'cause it's true!

[RP]

There was a lot of great music produced in the 50s-70s, and I continue to enjoy those genres. While I accept that there's probably been a lot of great music produced in the past decades, my enjoyment zone remains what it's long been...