TBO.com - TBO is Tampa Bay Online

Liner Notes

A weekly column by Tampa Tribune pop music critic Curtis Ross

ADVERTISEMENT

The Tampa Tribune

Published: November 6, 2008

A minivan rolls through the streets of St. Petersburg. In it, your scribe and Violet, his 3-year-old daughter, listen to the "Madagascar 2" soundtrack without incident until Track 11, "More Than a Feeling," by Boston.

Violet: Why'd you turn it up so loud, Daddy?

Me: Daddy loves this song, Sweetie.

Violet: Why?

Me: Well, the guitars are killer, the melody is irresistible, and Brad Delp's vocal is amazing.

Violet: This song is old, isn't it, Daddy?

Me: Well, if 32 years old is old.

Violet: Yes, Daddy, 32 is very, very old.

Me: Thanks, Sweetie.

Violet: Daddy, this music is sad.

Me: Just wait for the chorus, Honey. It resolves the ...

Violet: No, I mean the whole classic rock thing in general. Couldn't the producers of "Madagascar 2" - you're taking me to see it this weekend, right, Daddy? - find a song from this century with the same resonance instead of taking the easy way out with yet another boomer classic? With Rock Star and Guitar Hero, not to mention half the stations on the radio force-feeding us hits from 20 to 30 years ago, what chance does new music have?

You're always raving about some new band or other - Blitzen Trapper and The Week That Was come to mind - but if you weren't listening to new music for a living, I'd probably hear nothing but Black Sabbath and Cheap Trick. It's one thing for you to drown in nostalgia. Your life's half over. But what about me? Am I going to miss out on having new bands of my own to discover because nostalgia is so much easier to sell?

Me: Honey, this conversation makes Daddy's head hurt. Wanna watch "Dora the Explorer"?

Violet: Depends. Can I eat Halloween candy for breakfast?

Me: Yes.

Violet: OK.

Share this:

Loading Comments...

Email Print

ADVERTISEMENT