Face the music
To be honest, I’m a bit astonished that you ran a feature story on 13-year olds who like their parents’ records [“Talkin’ ‘bout their generation,” October 11]. I find it about as surprising as a headline reading “Suburban kids found playing soccer!” Of course middle school kids like the music their parents listen to—they’re 13, and most of their access to the world outside their home is mediated by their parents (that is, when parents can afford it, and you chose to exclusively profile suburban rockers). What is so interesting about kids who do not have the time or the capacity to think independently, enjoying things that their parents enjoy?
It is worth noting, moreover, that since you covered suburban rockers, the kids don’t have to worry about anything. They will never stress over having enough to eat or having cool clothes or enough hair dye. Thirteen-year-olds can’t drive, the overwhelming majority don’t have and are not interested in sex, and I suspect don’t really have much in the way of a conception of personal independence. What could they possibly gain by pissing off their parents?
In their late teens, a lot of these kids will start becoming interested in art music and begin making music that their parents find appalling. Although it is true that a lot of these kids will end up majoring in business and playing in boring bar bands, it is still the case that musicians are always raised on music made by older musicians. The Rolling Stones were obsessed with Muddy Waters, and Bob Dylan was intensely passionate about folk music.
Just because some 13-year-olds like music you find on classic rock-format radio does not imply that there is no sense of rebellion in younger musicians. When cultural revolution and the ’60s and whatnot come up in both popular and academic discussion, college students and collegiate culture are usually the subject of debate. Let these kids move out before passing judgment on the true nature of their musical selves.
Zach Carter
Charlottesville