I keep hearing fifties music in seven elevens, gas stops and everywhere It seems to be the agreed on elevator tunes of the new century... And as i pump gas and get stupid stuff that is way over priced (checked milk and T-paper at a convenience store lately?) I find myself checkin' out old sounds from way back in the past. Before I was born, on occasion - but that's getting to be a "stretcher" lately.

Songs that were simple but still very true, and no state of the art licks in them by a class act like Zack Wilde or Randy Rhodes. Early Santana, Platters, and stuff like that still really rocks! You can't help smiling and doing a move of some kind when you hear that stuff - it had a class of it's own. A style. A rythm that hit the bone...

(Background mumble from Wolfman Jack: "When da bones move, you got to match 'em! Else you be outta WACK!!!")

God how I miss the old times. Some of them.

Words have changed a lot, a whole lot. I remember guys calling eachother "Brother" in the seventies, "Dude" in the eighties and nineties, and now its "YO", "GEE", "DOG", or whatever....

Some words we should avoid completely anymore, because they sound (in the words of a young fella in my shop) kinda GAY...

If someone makes the remark: "COOL" in reference to something, it passes even still.

But GOD FORBID anyone should call something "GROOVY...".

The average reaction is to stop in your tracks, check to see if the speaker is wearing polyester plaid flared bell-bottoms, and remark: "Holy CRUD! What century is that guy from????"

And yet - I have also heard that a few times from young people that are into the "RAVE" crowd. As if there was a reservation somewhere, old noises are acceptable just like antique art is still cool. Or something like that. Or maybe just a new/old way to be different.

I sometimes catch myself cursing too much, and look to old expressions to substitute for what I was about to say. That gets interesting at times....

When (if ever) outside of an old black and white film have you ever heard someone that obviously and definately wanted to say
...........


Say something like :
a) GODFREY DANIELS!!!
b) GREAT SCOTT!!!!
c) GAD!!!
d) BLAST IT!!!
e) GREAT CEASARS GHOST!!!
f) DAD RAT IT!!!
g) GOOD GRIEF!!!
h) ***** OF FIRE!!!
i) KRIMINEY!!!
j) JEE-HOSEFAT!!!
k) BALDERDASH, I SAY!!!

- and many others....

I took the trouble, and yes I watch old movies to find them. Sometimes anyway...

And that was the old way. And when wives heard those kinds of words (yeah - those kinds) they picked at their hubbies for using bad language!!!!!

And that was the ethic of the day. Being respectable.....

God everlasting help you should you not be worthy of respect.....

But that was way before the sixties. I think the floor fell out from under during 1969, all kinds of change happened. And I think recently it has begun to come back up, because people are sick of the downward trend. They want something, and it's missing. The "YO DOG" crowd is lacking something that a lot of people expected. And wanted real bad.

I hear the word "RESPECT" tossed around a lot by young folk I work with, but I'm not sure how they look at it from one to the other. In with all of the style objects like letting your pants fall down (My only comment on that here is that I don't want to comment on it) and having a cell phone, and owning your own car (no matter how under powered and stupid looking it is - YES, I will comment on THAT) there still seems to be a trend based on (if nothing else) worry -

And the worry is this:

I still have to go home after the party, or the rave is over. I have to have a home to go to.

If I don't party, but work through college instead, I still have a lot of things to take care of.

In the beginning, almost no one has so much cash that their wallet doesn't squeak! And that always makes us think about the future. (Yeah, I know what some of you are thinking. But I had a plan, my wife didn't).

I think that drives some of it.

For about thirty years contemporary society experimented with a lot of alternatives for lifestyles, and most did not pan out. I think there will be a change or two soon.

The seventies and eighties saw a rash of "Young Urban Professionals" also, who basicly (sic) robbed peter to pay paul, and borrowed mary on the weekends! YES, that would be the "YUPPIES" that caused so many businesses to go under through sheer greed....

They forced closures to buy cheap and sell at way over price to rip profits out of companies they had no intention of doing anything productive for. It was money, and they wanted it....

Sort of a short option investment scheme. The company doesn't matter, the money is the object. It ruined a lot of worthwhile ventures.

I will forever associate people like that with polyester plaid (and BMW's)

GOT ANY MEMORIES?

ABBA

DISCO

55 mile an hour speed limits?

Share them....

I still wonder about the hair....

Look back and you will see people in old movies (one of the "Dirty Harry's" was a standout) where people had longish hair, but it wasn't even styled. That was the thing of the time.

WAY cool was a "LAYERED, FEATHERED BACK" look, but most just let it grow out. Today it almost seems as if Vin Diesel is the ultimate fashion statement....

I'm not buying it, no way.

I payed my seven bucks a month back then, I will pay more now. But I will be neither bald nor unstyled. I have waited a long time to have hair again you see, and I'd like it to be nicely kept.

I figure Kenny Rogers is about the look I want. It suits me.

- I'll prolly come out more like a Kristoffersen though with my luck...



BOTTOM LINE:

I'm reaching into the past for a vision of my future here. It has been a long time since I had a choice about a lot of things, and I find myself looking way back to when things were a lot simpler than they probably are now. But either way, I can't help it.


PS: MIL1ON - I feel ya bro!!!!


~ Wolf

 

HoT Damn there Daddy-O

I read the Wolfman Jack using his voice.

Was this meant to be an interactive type thread?

I can stop singing old songs now.

Corneilius .......Hey Corneilus......

 

by the time i were to read all of that post i will be as old as you greywolf.

 

FEP - are you ADDH?

"Humph! - The younger generation..."

Although....

"Why don't Y'all F - F - FADE AWAY!!!
And don't try to DIG what we all S - Sayyyy....
Don't try to cause a B - Big sensation,
Talkin' 'bout my G - Generation...

MY GENERATION!
My generation, Yeeeah....."

 

That would be "THE WHO", and the live tracks are the best....
(Some things never change)


~Wolfuss

 

Hey Grey Wolf,

Is it the good times your missing or the fact that those days are forever lost to those that are being born now? Admittedly they weren't perfect days but think about all the freedoms we enjoyed that our kids cannot fathom. Things I did as a kid that got me hauled to my parents house by the cops gets the kids now days in serious trouble. I was born in 1960 and I look at the things my children and now my grandchildren will not be able to do that I took for granted. I still listen to the music from those days and yet I keep up with the music of today and one of the things I find is that the music of today is full of anger where our music may have had some of that but mostly it just rocked and rolled! I feel for ALL of us. Hope you can find a "predictable location soon" As the GREAT band Def Leapord says: It's better to BURN out than FADE away!!

 

I like def leppard.

 

oh man. been there.i ran around my school in the 3rd grade at recess with a bettle wig on.archies,1910fruit gum company,ten years after-the group,lol.cheech and chong,(we did that big paper too)deep purple,charlie pride when we drank,led zepplin when we didn't,pink floyd eagles johnny cash fleetwood mac.always liked billy idol.very interesting era

 

Remember the truck "BLUE MULE" that I was building up?

I'm giving that to a sixteen year old boy for his birthday as his first truck - just like the old days.

But he ain't getting my rims and tires or the 302 I built for it. it's going to be "OLD SCHOOL" all the way!

But I will show that boy everything he wants to KNOW!!!

 

first thing i thought when i saw your post was the kids gonna think he died and went to heaven lol . quite a present

 

That boy is worth teaching. And I don't want him to be a "VICTIM".

I'll show him how to do it right....

(Even after the divorce)

 

The 50's were better. I know, I was there. When i was a kid, our country was free. Look at the mess we have now. Hmmmn.......I ah...did have a lot of fun in the 60's.....my generation.......now I have a generator. I used to take my .22 walk down 3 blocks and go up into the hills, I was only 13. Gee, there is a kid with a gun.

 

i remember a little of the real late 50s.that would have have been when i used to sit on my fathers lap and he would let me steer the car,too young to reach the gas or the brake.used go go everywhere with my father.he used to plow snow with an old M tractor.got my first nose bleed having my face bounce off that big old retaining nut in the middle of the steering wheel.it seemed a time of inocence.not a care in the world.had a lot of fun back then

 

That sounds like Neil Young's "my my hey hey"

 

GreyWolf, I too look at what this country once was and where is going now and weep uncontrollably. It's a shame that the kids these days don't care enough for "other people" to do their street races on a section of road that is not travelled. They would rather go flying through town at 130mph+ in a school zone when the kids are just getting out of school. This is also becoming more and more of a "microwave" society. I don't want to wait I want it now. I often find myself waiting now a days instead of going the quick route. Things always turn out for the better.