A few weeks back, maybe more at this point, I awoke to a media frenzy surrounding Taylor Swift and Kanye West. It quickly became evident, that while I was sleeping, the two singers had a tiff on a major awards show. And now, every news program in the country was running tape.
The first thought the crept through my mind was simply, “who is this Kanye West fellow and what’s the deal with his hair?”
Almost immediately, I fielded thought number two which went something like this, “why am I criticizing another man’s hair.”
My final thought on this eye-opening morning was the most sobering of all, “when exactly did I lose my relevance?” And that, my friends, is the question at hand.
The answer, I’m afraid, is summed up in the fact that I slept through the broadcast, opting instead for a good nights sleep over the glitz and glamour of heart throbs and sex pots bent on rolling out the next great fashion craze to the throngs of eager, albeit, more relevant fans than I. Shaking my head, I flipped the channel to Sportscenter, where I knew relevance was not a prerequisite in understanding the constant variety in sport.
I have pondered the issue of relevance since I was a little kid and realized my father was having a hard time converting his 1970’s wardrobe to the hip fashions of the 1980’s. He seemed content in his 1970’s styles; a proud father hip to the beat of “Stayin’ Alive.” I did wonder, however, when exactly he lost his relevance to pop culture. I guess I figured there comes a point in everyone’s life when you finally stop following senseless fashion crazes no matter how monumentally relevant they may seem at the time.
(Exhibit #A: L. L. Cool J and the One Leg Push Up (LLCJ1LPU) - Earth to LL…Seriously?)
When I was younger, I tried to follow all the fashion trends, musical genres, and social relevant movements of my day. I was fluidly aware of each cool new necessity, be it band, clothing, or gizmo. I wanted to be cutting edge or at least as cutting edge as a teenager from Kentucky can ascribe without falling off the deep end. I went the mall, browsed through all the “hip” stores, and donned many of the latest fashions much to my parent’s chagrin. And then one day, I stopped.
Perhaps one just finally finds a style they prefer and refuses to take anymore liberties in the “trying new things” department. At the same time, as we age, modern music and eccentric personalities begin to look and sound more like intergalactic visitors bent on invading the Earth than the once cool and omnipresent trend-setters of our youth.
(Exhibit #B: Lady Ga Ga Wearing a Zippered Eye (LGGWAZE) - How about a zippered mouth?)
I really don’t have a concise answer for when I lost my pop culture relevance, but like my father before me, I shamelessly admit that I have. There I said it! Coincidentally, I solemnly vow to never plunge head first into the next big thing ever again…unless of course it’s a flying car. Or a robot maid. Or an invisibility cloak, everlasting chewing gum, self-repair paint, space elevator, downloadable dreams, etc.
Then perhaps we could talk.
Hey Lady Ga Ga, L.L.’s 1LPU is way better than your WAZE!! How about an invisibility cloak? Thanks Kanye Swift, just a thought!
The first thought the crept through my mind was simply, “who is this Kanye West fellow and what’s the deal with his hair?”
Almost immediately, I fielded thought number two which went something like this, “why am I criticizing another man’s hair.”
My final thought on this eye-opening morning was the most sobering of all, “when exactly did I lose my relevance?” And that, my friends, is the question at hand.
The answer, I’m afraid, is summed up in the fact that I slept through the broadcast, opting instead for a good nights sleep over the glitz and glamour of heart throbs and sex pots bent on rolling out the next great fashion craze to the throngs of eager, albeit, more relevant fans than I. Shaking my head, I flipped the channel to Sportscenter, where I knew relevance was not a prerequisite in understanding the constant variety in sport.
I have pondered the issue of relevance since I was a little kid and realized my father was having a hard time converting his 1970’s wardrobe to the hip fashions of the 1980’s. He seemed content in his 1970’s styles; a proud father hip to the beat of “Stayin’ Alive.” I did wonder, however, when exactly he lost his relevance to pop culture. I guess I figured there comes a point in everyone’s life when you finally stop following senseless fashion crazes no matter how monumentally relevant they may seem at the time.
(Exhibit #A: L. L. Cool J and the One Leg Push Up (LLCJ1LPU) - Earth to LL…Seriously?)
When I was younger, I tried to follow all the fashion trends, musical genres, and social relevant movements of my day. I was fluidly aware of each cool new necessity, be it band, clothing, or gizmo. I wanted to be cutting edge or at least as cutting edge as a teenager from Kentucky can ascribe without falling off the deep end. I went the mall, browsed through all the “hip” stores, and donned many of the latest fashions much to my parent’s chagrin. And then one day, I stopped.
Perhaps one just finally finds a style they prefer and refuses to take anymore liberties in the “trying new things” department. At the same time, as we age, modern music and eccentric personalities begin to look and sound more like intergalactic visitors bent on invading the Earth than the once cool and omnipresent trend-setters of our youth.
(Exhibit #B: Lady Ga Ga Wearing a Zippered Eye (LGGWAZE) - How about a zippered mouth?)
I really don’t have a concise answer for when I lost my pop culture relevance, but like my father before me, I shamelessly admit that I have. There I said it! Coincidentally, I solemnly vow to never plunge head first into the next big thing ever again…unless of course it’s a flying car. Or a robot maid. Or an invisibility cloak, everlasting chewing gum, self-repair paint, space elevator, downloadable dreams, etc.
Then perhaps we could talk.
Hey Lady Ga Ga, L.L.’s 1LPU is way better than your WAZE!! How about an invisibility cloak? Thanks Kanye Swift, just a thought!
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