The Generation Gap: Is it possible to not exist?

 When I was growing up there was a serious generation gap between me and my parents.  There were many years between us and a giant cultural shifting decades which changed society so much as to produce more gap.  Sadly my older brother experienced more of that gap than I did.  I was ok with my parents.  But I have to use the example of music to show the differences as that is one of the biggest things in my life, and my whole life.  

The funny thing is that our whole family was very into music and musically orientated.  We all played instruments and my brother eventually became a sound engineer touring with bands.  I sell music.  My parents played music but only as amateurs, but it was a huge part of their life with Monday orchestra and Thursday quartets.  

The problem still existed that there was a yawning gap between what my parents listened to and myself.  Paul Hindemith is still very different from the Beatles and Jethro Tull.  Although Jethro Tull is closer to Duke Ellington which is what my mother also loved.  

I thought I would please my parents one day when I brought home new albums from Muddy Waters. I thought it was closer to what they listened to.  But.... no. Only "thats nice honey" from my mother. Yeah.

 

It only got worse as I got into punk, the Clash and Hardcore and then alternative and some metal.  You would think that my father would get it as Paul Hindemith was a real alternative musician.  But no, the overall structure and voices (orchestral instruments vs rock n roll guitar and bass and drums) was just too great.  Sadly my father was not such a great music lover to explore new stuff which was coming out. Just like most people I think his musical tastes had peaked and stopped by the time he was 30.  After that he probably just stuck with what he knew.  Ok.   Probably my mother also.  But she at least knew jazz.  But that too stopped at some point it seems. 

Me, I always needed to explore new music and my interest directed me to new scenes and styles.  Way past my 30th birthday I was getting into new trends and sounds.  So I didnt stagnate and stick with what I knew, I was able to understand and love repetitive music like techno and drum and bass.  I guess it is my job but I think even people who are in the music business tend to go back to what they know.  

Comes my daughter and I say to myself, "there will not be a generation gap."  I can listen to new music whatever it may be.  Throw it at me.  

She is currently very big into hip hop, now often called trap.  Ok, what are you listening to?  Play some stuff.  Ok, here is Von something.  A guy from the bad side of Chicago, block 63 calling hinself the king of block 63.  He was killed.  Playboy something or other, from .......  .  It was gangster hip hop.  Oh man, i just cant get into gangster hip hop anymore.  Straight outta Compton was the last and peak for me.  I just couldnt take the violence and nastiness. I am more peaceful.  so much misogynism.  I dont want to listen to that stuff.  I asked her wasnt there anybody like Chuck D or Public Enemy or BDP that said something of value?  She  seemed to say there was, but she didnt listen to it.  That was old.  She didnt know who Public Enemy were.  

And then that rich dude.  How did he happen to become a billionaire?  With hip hop.  His beats sucked and his text was nothing.  Oh, yeah he made it with a clothes line and marrying a Kardashian.  At the time of this writing he is only a hundreds millionaire and I hope it goes down to a meagre millionaire.  Him and his mouth doesnt deserve millions let alone billions.  

I settled on Kendrick Lemar.  He was ok.  Kind of poppy but ok. I wouldnt buy his stuff, and I am not sure I really even want to listen to it, but I could and probably will as my daughter cried when she

couldnt go to the concert (uh huh, i was going to pay 100 dollars for a ticket?? sheesh, back in the day a concert cost.... well, ok there is some sort of big difference between concert ticket costs also).

The point being EVEN when the cultural gap does not really exist (there are no big movements in music separating us) and I listened to hip hop back in the day and she listened to... trap now.  Its still there.  The generation gap is still there.  Cypress Hill and Flavor Flav, she doesnt want to know who they are.   King Von and Playboi.... mm, I cant take gangster hh anymore.  And all the others seem empty too.   

What is it?  Is it as my friend said, "we teach what we know" or as Genesis said, "I like what I know and I know what I like."  ?    The twain shall not meet? Even when we are just about on the same plain? That gap just opens its mouth and stretches between parents and kids?  

Now, I have written just about music, as an example, but the generation gap probably exists in many other areas.  Do you parents experience this too?  Is it possible for the generation gap to not exist? Only when the Simpsons cartoon serial has existed for 30 years and I watched the old episodes and can watch the new episodes and my kids can watch all episodes are we totally on the same page.  Maybe.

Otherwise.... there it is.  Too big to jump over.  Separating us.