The things they say sound pretty cold
Hope I die before I get old...
And sure enough - that's what happened. Just about all the great ones died before they got old, at least in the wonderful world o' music. Mostly drugs - though disease and murder played their parts as well. Except for Dylan - my generation won't have to sit around and watch their idols perish.
Jimi Hendrix, Jim Morrison, Phil Ochs, Janis Joplin, Momma Cass, (Richard Manuel, Rick Danko - The Band), John Lennon (my favorite Beatle), George Harrison (the youngest Beatle).
Oh and there were the politicians as well - and that whole Camelot thing which I was too young to buy into and probably wouldn't have bought into it even if I were older. And the other brother slain - who I thought was an opportunist the way he tossed his hat into the ring only after seeing which way the wind was blowing.
But whatever. All gone. And so as I say - we won't have to sit around on our rockers and commiserate with each other about how so-and-so died at 89 (how young he was).
But - we haven't been entirely spared - because the actors - and I mean the male actors - of our generation - now they have survived and prospered.
Attica! Attica! We get to see the big trio: Pacino, DeNiro, and Hoffman - age and as I say - prosper. What we do have to look forward to is the day when DeNiro (and he isn't far from this yet in terms of film choices) will be pitchman for adult diapers. (You talkin' to me? Are you talkin' to me?). Sorry - my hearings been going lately and I didn't hear you. Oh, you are talkin' to me.
For some reason (less drugs?) the major stars of my generation (even Clint Eastwood) are still going strong. Who would've thunk - that when you saw Dustin Hoffman step onto the scene in his scuba suit - that he'd still be a major star 40 years later?
I mean - even Bill Shatner is still going strong. Now the actresses haven't fared as well in terms of work - but they've not kicked off.
That's all. There might be some point to all this - but I forgot what it was. Oh yes, bejesus - that we would be spared witnessing the aging of most of my generations idols because they had all split so damned soon. That was the idea. And how they did change the world in their three decades!
Not tryin' to 'cause a big -- s-s-s-ensation.
Just talkin' 'bout my generation. (the Who)
3 comments:
Maybe a good sign is that photographers who are most noted for their B&W work seem to live very long lives - HBC, Gordon Parks, Alfred Eisenstadt, Gary... , oh leave him out.
Steve,
That's true. But photographers are barely on the pop-cultural barometer. Or to put it another way - how many non-photographers ever heard of HCB, Parks, or Eisenstadt... But then again the most influential b&w guy - Ansel - also stayed around for a long time.
Barrett - I'm only looking at Hollywood and music-world celebs from the 60's and comparing them in longevity.
The big singers from the 40's (Frank Sinatra for example) lasted much longer than our generations idols.
Paul Newman - not our generation; nor Lauren Bacall; nor Chris. Reeve.
I don't mind talking or being around people who are smoking. I honestly don't have any urge to smoke. The urge will come back - but not because of seeing someone smoke but because of something emotional that happens in my life. It's at those times that I'll know if the cessation has ceased or not.
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