Friday, July 25, 2008

Return of the Revenge of Son of the Eighties



This year we're getting new albums by both REM and Metallica -- with their songs available at launch as downloads for play in the "virtual band" videogame Rock Band.

If I needed further proof that I am no longer exactly "young," this is my proof.

Back in my tweens, REM and Metallica were bands with an edge. In the mid-Eighties, back when MTV had something of a cultural edge to it, you could argue that songs like "One" and "Orange Crush" were hard-hitting statements in defiance of things like government and commerce. Now cut to 2008 -- where I'm in my thirties, the band-members are all in their fifties, and their latest efforts will be available for $9.99 as download packs for plastic-guitar champions on the Xbox 360.

"It's the end of the world as we know it," to quote REM...and final evidence that my generation has officially lost its coolness.

4 comments:

Brotherman said...

We are getting old. That's undeniable. But I don't know that we've lost our cool. We ushered in the age of MMA and stayed faithfull to videogames allowing the simple systems of our youth to become the mega industry we know today. People of our generation have done some cool stuff, like the guys who started Kazaa and Skype attempting to bring down the powers the be. I am confident there are many cool things to come before we are obsolete, in the fields of science, medicine, military, technology, energy and recreation. I only doubt whether I can put work on hold long enough to try and do my part.

rakiel said...

sure you can son..... quit drinking beer and smoking and you'd be amazed at what you can accomplish after work. (well i suppose you could use some more fishing time)

you do know (and no offense to danster and katester) but if the end were near you're the one i'd look to to save our sorry hides:) i surely to love the lot of you.

Sarah said...

Hello, I am leaving a note for your former tween self that a future world of 2008 exists where there is a videogame that exists that rewards a player for knowing every word of "We Got the Beat" perfectly. You are ready for this. In this future world, you also go earn some sort of paycheck by talking about videogames. You think this is pretty exciting news, and you haven't even heard of Modest Mouse, Bikini Kill, L7, or the Beastie Boys yet. Have a good next 20 years, and don't invest in Laserdiscs.

Daniel Morris said...

"We Got the Beat" I've got memorized cold. Wow, the Eighties were a great time for music.