Today's "art" and "pop culture" is a total joke compared to the period from 1961-2001. I know, I know...old man yells at cloud...get off my lawn...etc.. My kids know it too though. I have caught them raiding my old CD collection and "discovering" things...like "The Doors - Morrison Hotel", "The Who - Who's Next", "U2 - Achtung Baby", "Prince - Sign o' the Times", "Pearl Jam - Ten", "Sting - Ten Summoner's Tales", and "Bob Marley - Legend". Music with messages and subtlety and subtext and SKILLED players, real, personal, authentic, alive.

We hit the millenium and everything - music, film, art, literature - went straight to shit. Now, with AI being the newest "Y2K", "e-", or profit-driven meme driver, things are only getting worse FASTER. Today's "art" is pre-packaged and targetted to focus groups or demographics. It is soul crushing to say the least, but its also sad to see the impact on society's outlook in general.

Today, if you blindly ask 100 people how the world is going, there is no chance in hell you will break 35% that think its getting better - despite medical advances, technology and luxuries that in previous centuries were the province of royalty alone. On-demand delivery of ANYTHING (food, drink, entertainment, clothing, companionship - all avaialble 24/7/365 for the right $$$). The messages in our art tell a lot about where we are and where we are headed...

"I just want to celebrate another day of living"...

Versus

"There's some 'hoes in this house"...
(Ok - thats a little dated today but it illustrates the point...)

I wholeheartedly agree! Would any musician today write "Fortunate Son," or "For What It's Worth," or "Abraham, Marin, and John," to name a few? I have serious doubts. So I stick with the good stuff. I would really like to indoctrinate the current generation on what good music is, but it's a lost cause.