Rock & Roll is ruining our country!

[Moses Yoder]

Remember how our parents railed against Rock & Roll? Now it's classic rock, really tame stuff. The rant against video games made me think of all the things my dad railed against when I was a kid. I bet Bill Gates listened to Rock & Roll music too. Along with billions of other people that went on to build something with their lives.

[David Weaver]

The rant against video games doesn't remotely remind me of the rock and roll issue.

[curtis rosche]

ever been to a metal concert recently?

[Chuck Wintle]

i find a lot of the music is more noise than actual music. I consider the rock and roll of the 60's and 70's to be real music and also some of the newer music today is OK. But frankly some of it today is just garbage.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

When I was playing in rock bands before the British Invasion of the early 60's, rock and roll was known to be a communist plot meant to ruin this country.


Music is simply a matter of personal taste.

[David Weaver]

I said the above because I'm part of both generations:
* the kids who have parents who wanted to censor their music
* kids who wasted a substantial part of childhood playing video games, to the point that it was sometimes detrimental.

The music never was a real detriment, and being involved with it (I was in a Zeppelin cover band) expanded my brain and was good socially. When I later had a series of somewhat difficult and very time consuming professional exams to take, music was am asset.

Video games never provided any of that, but they did rob time from studies and cut into social development (and sleep).

I see the same often elsewhere.

[Moses Yoder]

I guess I am just blessed with well behaved daughters. My youngest daughter is on spring break this week. When my wife is at work it is my job to wash the dishes when I get home (late dinner, dishes are washed next day before dinner) and yesterday I came home to find the dishes already washed. My daughter said "Well, I didn't have anything else to do." We never discouraged them from anything they wanted to do, in fact we did the opposite. We tried to provide them with the things they needed to do what they wanted to do. My philosophy is to live the way I would want my children to live and then let them live the way they choose to live. This probably wouldn't work with all types of kids, but it has worked extremely well with ours. No ranting about staying out late (all we ask is they let us know where they are at) no ranting about too much time on the computer, playing video games etc.

[Kev Williams]

funny.... I have a cousin who pretty much does nothing except collect music, which he listens to while playing video games.

-- if I left the story at that, you would definitely be left with a completely wrong impression of him. So I'll continue...

He was born in 1959. About a week after his 16th birthday his son was born. Mom was still 15 years old. His uncle was a butcher, and got him a job at the store where he worked. A year later he had a daughter. He worked and raised his kids as any good dad. He got into a record club when he was 12 years old. By the time his son was born he had probably 300 record albums. He buys around 6 to 10 albums a month. Every month. When CD's came out in the 80's he started buying those along with vinyl. He didn't get into video games until the late 90's, but it became his second hobby. To be honest, I have no idea how many video games he has, but I do know that when he gets home from work, he and his wife fire up the stereo and play video games. If you can think of any musical recording, in any genre, he probably has it. I'll bet he could start 10 different radio stations in 10 different genre's and never play the same song twice on any of them for over a week. Maybe a month. But he'd have to give up his meat cutting job...

His kids are almost in their 40's, he makes pretty good money, isn't in debt, and he and his wife are great people. If rock 'n roll and video games were going to be detrimental to anyone...

[Matt Meiser]

I've always thought it was old men who think they know what everyone else should be doing myself.

[Jim Matthews]

As an old man, I resemble that remark.

I think any music where the performers are actually playing
or singing is a worthy endeavor.

Where it's more of a puppet show, with a "Virtual" performer on stage, not so much.

FYI - I think Jimmy Page is a genius, and has range far beyond his Zeppelin output.

[ray hampton]

I've always thought it was old men who think they know what everyone else should be doing myself.

and you would be RIGHT so the next time that your elderly tell you what to do , DO IT [double time ]

[Phil Thien]

His kids are almost in their 40's, he makes pretty good money, isn't in debt, and he and his wife are great people. If rock 'n roll and video games were going to be detrimental to anyone...

No, video games and rock and roll will rot his brain, you just haven't waited long enough yet.

It will happen. You will see.

[Justin Ludwig]

FYI - I think Jimmy Page is a genius, and has range far beyond his Zeppelin output.

I agree, but I also wonder if his heroin use was a detriment to his progression? Much of Zeppelin's success is due in part to Jones' amazing ability at arrangement.

Clapton quit recording for years because of heroin addiction.


As for the initial argument? It will always be something. It's very hard to empathize with the changes in generations and I'm guilty of it myself.

[Steve Rozmiarek]

Rock and roll and video games don't rot your brain, its the Mountain Dew that does that...

[Matt Meiser]

and you would be RIGHT so the next time that your elderly tell you what to do , DO IT [double time ]

Yeah, just look where all those old men in DC have gotten us.