I was conversing with a group of my peers. More specifically, a group of peers of which I was the oldest by about 8 years. I was lamenting the disappearance of my favorite radio stations.
What do I listen to? A variety of music but my favorite is rock and alternative.
In the past year, my three mainstay radio stations have succumbed to all pop music, all sports station or a new location with a weaker signal.
“But there’s this great new station at 103.7 where they play a huge variety. In fact, their catch phrase is “We play everything!””
Uh. Yeah. If by everything you mean everything that’s old.
“No they don’t. They play current stuff. What do you mean by old?”
What do you mean by current?
“Well, they play Nirvana and Aerosmith and Dave Matthews.”
Okay. I’ll give you Dave Matthews since he’s put out music recently but have you looked at Steven Tyler lately? (Sorry Steve.) And Nirvana? They were a 90’s band. Old music. I rest my case.
“The nineties isn’t old!” They all shouted.
If it’s more than 5 years old in music world? It’s old.
They all looked at me with blank stares.
To break the uncomfortable silence I whined about the loss of my beloved radio stations. What will I listen to now?
“Satellite radio. I love it. I can listen to all my favorites by genre.”
What do you all listen to?
“Rush. Led Zepplin. The Who. U2.”
I’ll say it again. Old.
Sigh.
Don’t get me wrong. I enjoy the old stuff, too. But I find when I have a steady diet of music that I listened to when I was a teenager I fall into the same teenage angst that I tried so hard to shake. I remember the boy that dumped me. The creep that I stood up on purpose. The guy I pined for and never did anything about. The music of my twenties stirs memories of marrying too young, scraping by on teacher’s salaries and lonely nights even though I was married. In my thirties songs will remind me of my divorce, that jerk I worked for and my daughter and I struggling in our tiny one bedroom apartment.
I love music. All kinds. But I thrive on the new stuff. I love discovering Adele and Imagine Dragons and Bitter:Sweet before the masses. Or knowing all about PSY and Gangnam Style before my daughter-in-college and teaching her the dance moves! (A coup that I shall celebrate for the next few months.)Ā
Oh sure. Old songs stir happy memories, too. But I find when I only listen to the old stuff my heart gets pulled back to a time that doesn’t exist anymore. My heart is here. It is now.
And I want to create new memories with the songs I hear.
With new music.
Theycallmejane's Blog 
I simply cannot abide stations that are playing the same list as they were in 1997.
Seriously. I’ve heard it. It’s not alternative. It’s old. And not just because Jane says so. Because…seriously. It’s old.
For awhile there, finding new music was not easy, especially since I was rarely in my car so I couldn’t rely on the radio. But even when I did, the overplay of any new music killed it for me, so I started to avoid radio like the plague.
But now there’s Pandora and Spotify, and since I spend most of my time on the computer, they’re perfect for someone like me who loves to discover new music. I love the nostalgia from listening to something from the 90’s but you’re right, I need to make new memories with the stuff I listen to now.
We listen to “Morning Edition” in the mornings and it’s the iPod the rest of the day.
I understand your lament. As long as our son lived at home, I was kept up to date on new music. But now? I listen to really good college radio station that plays new alternative music (and everything else). Maybe you can find one in your area. Something that has worked for me is Pandora. I use it for free, so it has its limitations and drawbacks. However, if you put in music you like, it will introduce you to similar music in the genre. It is how I found Regina Spektor. If you don’t laugh, I will tell you my favorite band – Switchfoot š Jon Foreman is a prolific songwriter.
All your posts have been going in my Spam box so I missed this!
I totally agree with you, I love hearing new music too. If I wanna hear some oldies I’ll play my cds in the car, but that’s rare, I listen to a radio station here that plays all the new chart stuff and I love it. Just as well really. š
“New” music does not always mean “released this year” …. “new” music can also be music is new to me. I have a very unique radio station in the area (and it can be streamed online) .. KAXE is a radio station that is community based. Volunteers .. yes, volunteers, come in and play the music they like .. and most of it is new to me … new genres, new not well-known performers and some so old I have never heard them. The talk shows and game shows are fun with a local “character” flair. I don’t listen all the time, I don’t like the music sometimes (depends on the volunteer DJ), but when I want something new … this is where I go: http://www.kaxe.org/
Love this idea. Maybe I should start my own station using this same format! Cool!
I have XM Radio and feel the same way that you do. There are days when I love hearing older tunes, but many times they bum me out or bring up some not-to-awesome memories. I do like Pandora because it gives me new things similar to some of my favorite groups. š