I am Officially Old

When I was 15, 16, 17, I remember the pained looks my dad would throw my way when I would crank the radio when RATT or Quiet Riot or Night Ranger would come on. I think I even remember making a promise to myself that I would never let myself get so old that I wouldn’t love popular music.

When I was 24, 25, 26, I remember my sister and I reading that your music tastes stop progressing when you are about 25. That is why companies like Mercedes use Janice Joplin in their TV ads – the people that can now afford Mercedes are of the age when their last favorite song was of that era. I do remember the pact my sister and I made that we would never let music tastes stagnate.

So here I am at 36. I just placed a series of radio ads on KUBE. The demographic for that radio station is skewed young – 18 to 24, and predominantly male. In other words, it is the station that plays rap music.

Up until last week, I was pretty confident in my hippness. I mean, I listen to T-Man occasionally (Tari Free is from my hometown). I have been to a Sir Mix Alot concert. I downloaded Rihanna on i-Tunes. I can hang.

So, once the ads started running, I tuned in to KUBE. As I listened to the station on the way home and in my house, I would catch myself making that same pained face my father used to make. (and turning the channel lest my three year old catch some of the lyrics in the songs! I am sure she has no idea what promiscuous means, but I don’t think I want Nelly Furtado teaching her).

No matter how much I wanted, at 25, to keep my music tastes evolving, I am accepting the fact that they are not. I listen to KUBE just long enough to hear our ad and then I quickly change the station. All is not lost though. I do turn the dial to KEXP, which is still kind of hip…. I think.



Do I really want her listening to Ludacris?