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Too Old to Rock n' Roll?
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Am I too old to rock n' roll?
As documented here, I've been buying guitar gear lately. I've got enough to play a theater, but all I do is bang on a few chords for half an hour a week. I keep listening to stuff like Red House Painters and American Music Club and thinking I'd like to have a band. I picture myself playing some of these cool little Atlanta clubs like the The Five Spot, The 10 High and The EARL, and imagine the audiences swooning at my undiscovered musical genius. I go to MySpace and look for people to collaborate with, but they're all 25, at the oldest.
Then I think, I'm 38. I'm 38 and work in a call center where job security is fleeting (six people fired last week!). Then I start thinking maybe I shouldn't be pondering rocking out at all, I should be signing up for classes in computer programming, like all my friends did years ago.
However, I'm tried of feeling creatively stagnant. In my 20's I had some kind of project I was working on all the time. Now in my late 30's I just walk around Guitar Center, post on a few Internet forums and write this blog.
How about Domingo Ortiz from Widespread Panic, Vince Herman from Leftover Salmon, or Patterson Hood from The Drive-by Truckers (above)? All of those guys are older than me, and they didn't even get started on the projects that made them famous until they were around my age. Not that I expect to get famous. If I could just play out a few times a year and get a few MP3's on MySpace I would call it a success.
The past few years I've spent way too much time reflecting on 1983 to 2003, without creating any interesting new experiences. I've been in hibernation, or maybe even worse, lost in the past.
When I look at Facebook I see I'm not the only one. Most people post something like, "I just had to clean crayon off the living room wall! Remember when we all put lots of hair spray in our hair and went to the Duran Duran concert?" But I found one guy on there I used to work with, who's involved in a couple of different comedy theater groups, and he's also in a local cable TV commercial, in addition to his day job. He doesn't have Will Ferrell fearing for his job security, but he's actually out and about, alive and breathing. I want to be like that! And maybe in doing so I could make new career contacts, etc.
However a poster on one of the forums I visit made the credible argument that buying guitar gear and entertaining visions of local rock stardom could just be a retreat into "the womb," returning to a comfort zone when uncertain of how to move forward into a mature future. He says he knows this is true, because he's exactly the same. But why is it if I was into watching ESPN all day and bought season tickets to watch grown men play little boys' games, that would be considered okay, but being into music is seen as childish? And do I really have to hang up my interests just because I'm middle-aged? Might I regret the adventures I never had when I'm 80?
So...are you ever too old to rock n' roll?
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Posted by Art | 1:49 AM EST |
4 comments
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38? Go for it. You'll always be able to pull a paycheck, be confident in that. I have been reading your blog for a while now, and you got skills my friend.
Who talked about the road less traveled? Travel that friggin' road.....there is life down that road. And tell anyone who criticises you for it to go screw themself. Do it before you wake up and live with your regrets. That usually happens when you drive over to the hospital to get your requisite (you just turned 50)colonoscopy.
p.s. And while you are at it, screw anything with legs (hopefully only 2 legs).
Kimba
It might be a lot of work, but it might be fun work. I would at least like to have a little jam and see how it felt.
Thanks for thinking I have skills, Kimba!
I think it depends on the person.
The band I sang with briefly last year, most of the members are older than me (I'm 41). They're still going and probably will 'til they can no longer walk.
My next-oldest brother is around 46 and I hope he re-enters music, because it's a travesty for him to not be onstage. However, he's beginning to feel self-conscious about the possibility. That's a sign that it's time to let go.
Me, I've decided it's over. Yeah, I still put on the IPod and wonder, "What if?" If asked my greatest talent, it would be singing in a rock and roll band. Not the most marketable skill to possess at my age, but still sorta cool to know, even if I'm not using it.
But I like my peaceful evenings; if I think really hard, I can remember the late nights, empty bars, and personality conflicts that made music a nightmare toward the end.
I'm thankful for the unexpected opportunity I got last year to sing at six gigs and go out on a positive note, unlike the previous "last gig." But now I realize there are creative pursuits more commensurate with my age and hairline. Some would say it's silly to leave behind something you still love, deep down, but I also think there's something to be said for admitting you missed the boat.
I missed the boat. Seems like you didn't. So if it's something you want to do, go to it and good luck, my friend.