What's happening to us?

[Doc Dan]

John and George are dead. Davy is dead and Mike has had his last performance with the Monkees. It seems every year, another of our favorite musicians that defined our generation are either dead or retiring. I am not that old that this should be happening!

[yablanowitz]

A couple of things to remember. One is that those musicians were older than we thought. When we were teens, a lot of them were in their thirties or forties and had been playing for a decade or more before ever recording a song. Another is that the lifestyle of rockstars is not condusive to good health and long life. I still find it funny that Keith Richards has survived this long, even though he looks even older than he is.

[Evil D]

2016 has been a really crappy year. I think it's just a coincidence and has to do with the average age of a lot of the musicians and actors from that generation.

[tvenuto]

2016 has been a really crappy year. I think it's just a coincidence and has to do with the average age of a lot of the musicians and actors from that generation.

Also, if I'm not mistaken about your age, D, a lot of the musicians of OUR generation have already checked out. Incredibly rapid fame led to drugs and death, in many cases. Or maybe they were murdered, like Kurt Cobain. Those older guys have actually kept performing for an insane amount of time, after when "normal" jobs might already be retiring, even.

[Evil D]

2016 has been a really crappy year. I think it's just a coincidence and has to do with the average age of a lot of the musicians and actors from that generation.

Also, if I'm not mistaken about your age, D, a lot of the musicians of OUR generation have already checked out. Incredibly rapid fame led to drugs and death, in many cases. Or maybe they were murdered, like Kurt Cobain. Those older guys have actually kept performing for an insane amount of time, after when "normal" jobs might already be retiring, even.

Not sure what age you pegged me for but I'll be 37 in about 3 weeks or so

But yeah, fame definitely takes its toll on some harder than it does others. Life in the fast lane I guess.

[ArmaliteKnight]

Listen guys...
I'm just really happy we still have justin bieber, Selena Gomez and Taylor swift. My life as an 11 year old girl would not be the same.

[Dr. Snubnose]

What's happening to us? Take the last train to clarksville and meet me at the station...I'll tell you there!....Doc:)

[The Deacon]

Not sure what "your" generation is, but I was born in '45 and, like Jack, I'm more surprised some of them, most notably Richards, Jagger, and Dylan,are still alive than that some have passed away or retired.

[Doc Dan]

Liesl has passed away. Charmian Carr is gone and the world will not be the same.

As far as Keith Richards goes, he is probably dead, but the drugs keeps him propped up with the appearance of life. He may be a zombie.

[JD Spydo]

A couple of things to remember. One is that those musicians were older than we thought. When we were teens, a lot of them were in their thirties or forties and had been playing for a decade or more before ever recording a song. Another is that the lifestyle of rockstars is not condusive to good health and long life. I still find it funny that Keith Richards has survived this long, even though he looks even older than he is.

I would include all the other Rolling Stones for that matter Brother>> Charlie Watts looks like some old man I recently met in his late 80s with a walker that I met in a nursing home recently And the old man actually looked younger than Charlie

Mick Jagger absolutely amazes me because I would have predicted him to croak long before now. I've heard a rumor that many of the Stones get month blood transfusions>> I have no way of documenting that but It wouldn't surprise me.

Concerning many major Rock Stars and entertainers of all genres is how many of them died at age 27 i.e. Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Jim Morrison ect, ect>> there is actually a website dealing with all the Rock Stars and famous people who have died at age 27. And the list is huge. That alone baffles me to no end.

Yeah Keith Richards truly looks like a Bowry Bum I've seen walking the streets of Kansas City's bad part of town . But him and the rest of the group must be mega-dosing on GERITOL >> because something is keeping them going.

[The Deacon]

Liesl has passed away. Charmian Carr is gone and the world will not be the same.

As far as Keith Richards goes, he is probably dead, but the drugs keeps him propped up with the appearance of life. He may be a zombie.

Her death may be a loss to fans of that movie, but she was older than me, so I can't really be shocked by her passing, or the passing of others in that age range.

I'm old enough to have listened to Elvis singing his first hit, Heartbreak Hotel, when it first came on the radio. I listened to the music of Buddy Holly, Richie Valens and the Big Bopper before the plane crash that took their lives.

What's happening to us? We're getting older. Perhaps I lack empathy, but I've already outlived real friends, some older, others younger, than myself, so I can't get too worked up over the passing of geriatric performers.

[Doc Dan]

Yes, but the point is exactly that...we are getting older. Our generation, and what made us so influential is passing into obscurity. Will future generations still remember us? They cannot even tell you who was President in 1956 or who landed on the moon (believe me, because I teach them, reteach them, at the university). A lot of the younger generation will make a joke, or a witticism, and not even realize it was from the 1930's, WWII, or some famous person in the '60s. They do not remember, nor seem to have been taught. And they will go on to teach (unteach) the next generations after them.

[The Deacon]

Hear you Dan, but I doubt 95% of the kids who graduated high school with me in '63 would have been able to tell you who was President in 1903 or name even one of the crew of the first airplanes to circumnavigate the globe. The big difference is the ease with which these and other factoids can be retrieved. At least in the USA, the percentage of households without internet access of some sort today is probably considerably lower than the percentage of them without a quality set of encyclopedias back then. Whether they chose to listen or not, kids today have access to all the music of the 50's and 60's and kids a hundred years from now still will. OTOH, back in my youth, there were precious few recordings from the turn of the century and the sound quality of those that did exist was terrible. Whether they choose to access it or not, history, art, and a whole lot more are at their fingertips.

OTOH, I do find it sad that so many of them rely so totally on electronics for simple arithmetic that they can't add 2 four digit numbers together, or subtract one from the other, in their head.

[wrdwrght]

What fascinates me, born 1947, is that my generation is no longer the center of attention, and yet we members of this generation continue to think we should be the center. Awakenings are sometimes rude.

[ChrisinHove]

What bothers me is the lack of engagement of the young. The lack of jobs, low wages, the cost of education and housing etc would have sparked riots (here) a few decades ago.
I think they're too busy navel gazing on their smart phones (he types, whilst navel gazing on his smart phone.....)

[shunsui]

Liesl has passed away.

I heard about that. Oddly enough I don't think I've ever watched the Sound of Music all the way through. We had the Broadway soundtrack record and I overdosed on that at an early age.

Felt the urge to check it out. That girl could work a skirt.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hwK_WOXjfc0

[Dr. Snubnose]

Yes we are all getting older...some faster than others.....but Dan makes a sad valid point...I'm familiar with the stars, events, and the happenings of that of my parents generation....why...it was important to them...so it became important to me...No I don't expect the younger generations to know who were the Presidents of the United States under the articles of confederation before Washington, but I do expect them to know simple things like who is the VP currently and where is the state of Montana, how many stars on our flag, what the United Nations is etc.....The sad thing is for a generation with the benefit of the world's information at their disposal with a press of their fingertip...I find them to be the least resourceful of any generation before them.....Doc:)

[Doc Dan]

Funny, but sad, illustrations of your point can be seen on Watter's World and previously on Jay Leno's Jaywalking.

[tvenuto]

I think it's worth pointing out that some skills become obsolete via technology. It used to be essential to deal with a beast of burden (horse, oxen, donkey), now that is not a skill you need. Just as some young people might not be prepared to read a map if the ubiquitous GPS goes away, you're probably not prepared to saddle and ride a horse if the automobiles go away. I'm sure this looked strange to those for whom cars were new, just like it looks strange to those for whom GPS is new. Technology and specialization of labor handicaps us in all sorts of ways, but it's also responsible for the level of technology and the lifestyle we do have. As an example, someone at Spyderco learned design, solid modeling, and GD&T instead of learning how to build a shelter or the proper planting time for local crops, so we get a great knife...pros and cons.

[tvenuto]

Yes we are all getting older...some faster than others.....but Dan makes a sad valid point...I'm familiar with the stars, events, and the happenings of that of my parents generation....why...it was important to them...so it became important to me...No I don't expect the younger generations to know who were the Presidents of the United States under the articles of confederation before Washington, but I do expect them to know simple things like who is the VP currently and where is the state of Montana, how many stars on our flag, what the United Nations is etc

This list of "should knows" seems rather arbitrary. I realize you are hinting at a knowledge of "American Culture" but you do have to realize that American Culture, more than any other country's culture, is fluid. We place low value on tradition and high value on innovation. This is why we've invented so many things, and why we have so many successful (and unsuccessful) businesses. It's one of our greatest strengths and, of course, makes it one of our largest weaknesses.

Young people might be mortified that you don't know the difference between a Taylor Swift and Miley Cyrus song, which is part, like it or not, of the current American Culture. This may seem like useless information to you, but so might the location of Montana to someone who has no plan to go there.

The sad thing is for a generation with the benefit of the world's information at their disposal with a press of their fingertip...I find them to be the least resourceful of any generation before them.....Doc:)

Like it or not, is this surprising? It's the dearth of resources, not the surfeit, that makes people resourceful.