soft cells

I’ve recently come to realize that I like the way Cheeky Prof writes — and her blog’s interesting too. Am especially fond of her “What the Fuck” series. In it, she laments hearing Soft Cell on a soft-rock station. I’m presuming this makes her feel old. But, truly, so what if on the heels of “Tainted Love” you hear a Jim Croce tune?

A good friend lamented something similar the other night: she reported having heard a U2 song on a “classic rock” station. But this makes sense — and we 30-somethings shouldn’t be surprised. When I was in college (in the mid-1990s, when Bono and The Edge [puh-leez] were already considered too “old” for college-radio), bands like Zeppelin, Floyd, and the Doobie Brothers were all over classic-rock stations. So, do the math: in the 90’s these bands were 20+ years old. Given this, it’s high time U2 (Unforgettable Fire came out in 1984) tour the classic rock circuit. Next up: Nirvana, Pearl Jam, and any other stock grunge band I took way too seriously back then.

Ever notice how 30-somethings always call attention to how old they’re getting, while 40 & 50-year-olds seem to be a bit less neurotic about their age? Here’s the thing: my friend shared this cultural observation (i.e. hearing U2 on a playlist that included Blue Oyster Cult) while four of us were playing Euchre in a bar. I repeat: we were at a bar playing Euchre. That, more than anything else that night, was the telltale sign that we 30-somethings are all, like it or not, getting soft in the middle. I say live it up. Bring on the classic-rock revivals and let me play a little air guitar.