The Blur drummer Dave Rowntree has a very interesting take on pop culture. He says in The Guardian: “People are always surprised when I tell them. People always think music was better in the old days, to which I say: “Bollocks!” That’s simply part of the ageing process. I was lucky enough to host a radio show a few years ago for XFM and I was blown away by the music people are making now.” I am going to fudge a little here because some music from the old days – actually quite a lot in my case – remains my favourite music ever. I am thinking particularly about The Beatles, for example, about whom I blogged just a few days ago, and my all-time faves Steely Dan. But generally speaking, I agree with him, not least with reference to the ageing process.
I too am victim of the ageing process when it comes to music because these days I do not have the first idea what’s in the singles charts and even when I look, I don’t know most of the songs that are in it. I have to travel as far down as 11 to find a song I know – Sam Fender’s Rein Me In, as it happens – and although there are many more lower down the charts, I am of the view that this is the natural way of things. The charts are for the younger generation – Da Yoot, if you will – but that doesn’t stop me in my search for new music.
As the writer and broadcaster Stuart Maconie has said: “New music is just music you haven’t heard before,” adding that the distinction between “new” and “old” music is less important than the act of discovery. In my case, the relatively recent “discovery” of the likes of Weather Report, Alan Sparhawk, Daniel Ögren and Asian Dub Foundation has enhanced the quality of my collection every bit as much as my recent purchases of Wolf Alice, Blood Orange and Barry Can’t Swim.
It is important that I understand that everyone has their own obsession. For some people, it is football (it was, for many years, my obsession, too) and for others it may be one or a number of other obsessions. Music is obviously my number one interest in life, after my family and friends, obvs, but where some folk are happy to let their favourite music wash over them, perhaps via their favourite oldie radio station or, more likely, via a music stealing streaming service like Spotify. I have heard folk say things like: “Alexa, play Smooth Radio” which is a clear incitement to vomit in my case, but then not everyone wants to listen to Princess Nokia, Little Simz and the aforementioned Wolf Alice when there’s Celine Dion, T’Pau and Queen’s Radio ga ga, Radio goo goo, Radio ga ga to sing along with. (I’d rather shit on my hands and clap than sing along with anything by Queen, but that’s another story.) Buy hey , each to their own.
Back to the point, today’s new music is fantastically exciting and I’d offer a slightly different nuance to Dave Rowntree’s assertion that “the best music that’s ever been made is being made right now.” Some of it is for sure but I’ll say that in terms of music this is the best time to be alive. We have all the great “new” music to discover along with all the music that has ever been made. It simply can’t get any better than today when it comes to music, except perhaps tomorrow.
In the end, it’s all about opinion, I guess. When I say that something is the greatest of all time – like Steely Dan’s 1977 album Aja – I can’t actually prove it because it can’t be proved. It’s my best album of all time, closely followed by many others including the Beach Boys Pet Sounds and everything else by The Beatles.
And, as Dave Rowntree should know given that he is the drummer, Blur have made some of finest rock music of all time, all of which stands the test of time. What I am trying, and probably failing, to say is that we shouldn’t restrict ourselves to the older music we love because there is so much more great music out there than we may realise. Getting old, as I can say with great confidence myself, is not a good reason to wallow in nostalgia, like a pub bore or a Daily Mail reader, and pretend everything was better in the old days. It really wasn’t, especially when it comes to music.
