Wednesday, November 18, 2009

Blues Traveler: Classic Rock?

My brother called me yesterday in a panic. It had nothing to do with a personal matter or the fact that his fantasy football team lost two straight games. No, he was listening to a classic rock station and they played Run Around by Blues Traveler. He was devastated that a song from his (and my) youth and as he said, "his generation" was now considered classic rock. Let's skip the fact that my brother is the first person since The Who to talk about his generation and also that this makes him "feel old" for possibly the first time in his life.



I think the bigger issue is what's considered classic rock. Run Around was released approximately 15 years ago. Is 15 years enough time for a song to be considered classic? My point to him is that I've heard Nirvana (Smells Like Teen Spirit debuted only a few years before Run Around) on classic rock stations before; however, Nirvana may have become "classic" earlier since Kurt Cobain has been dead for 15 years. That doesn't seem to make a point for or against the argument, but I just wanted to throw that out there.

Let's open up the phone lines and hear what you have to say.

6 comments:

carissajaded said...

Yeah i really don't think Roll with me should be considered a classic just yet.. Its kind of baffling. I had a similar sort of panic a few months ago when I heard Dave Matthews on the classic station!

Gilahi said...

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

Welcome to my world.

Johanna said...

I always wondered about this type of thing when I listened to oldies stations and gradually heard some songs from the 70s when it used to be just 50s and 60s. It does seem like 15 years isn't nearly long enough to be considered classic rock.

It also seems, though, like those genre designations should be static. Like in architecture and design - "modern" (or mid-century modern, or whatever) furniture always refers to the same horizontal lines of the 50s and 60s. So maybe this music needs to be called post-classic rock.

lacochran said...

Hi, this is L.A. Am I the right number caller? Did I win the tickets to see Blues Traveler?

Sean said...

Carissa - Dave Matthews Band on a classic rock station? I didn't think that an artist that has a song playing on a "regular" radio station was allowed to have songs played on a classic rock station.

Gilahi - Yes, I know it was tough for you when the Glen Miller Band's songs started going to the oldies station!

Johanna - Some stations just say that they play the hits from the 80s, 90s & today. I guess that could be post-classic rock.

Lacochran - Yes, congratulations you won. Come to the station to claim your tickets. I understand that you've been here before so finding the building without directions won't be a problem. :)

Mystery Man said...

According to a local source it appears that "classic rock" ended in 1978 with the rise of the Sex Pistols, Billy Idol, etc.