Dad Rock Prisoner

Pavement

I never wanted to be that guy who just listens to classic rock -- Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, Allman Brothers, etc. -- and have succeeded in that. I listen to older stuff, and across all genres, and the rock of my generation, of course -- Talking Heads, Clash and a whole range of new wave and other 80s stuff. But I was always determined to listen to new music, and my rock listening kept extending to a whole bunch of music -- Massive Attack, Pavement, Liz Phair, Radiohead, Beck, Tribe Called Quest, Wilco. But the thing is, I don't like much that comes after that. The Strokes are good, but too derivative. Vampire Weekend? No thanks, can't bear the singing. I do like EDM, but that's utilitarian music for dancing.* And then I started to get worried. So I got online, where a quick visit to Wikipedia revealed that all the "new" music I like was/is made by people who flourished in the 90s and are now in their 40s. And then it struck me: I'm just a Dad Rock Prisoner.

* But I try. I'll be watching some newish band on Palladia and my wife will walk by and ask me why I'm listening to that. I'll reply that it's in the interest of due diligence and cultural literacy. She'll reply that it sounds like pep rally music. And let's not even get started on all the "uh-oh-oh" chants and choruses.