“They just don't make music like that anymore.”
It’s the quintessential comment on every classic rock video on YouTube; it’s the rallying cry of every detractor of rap or hip-hop; it’s the hymn of every edgy wannabe rockstar — and it’s perhaps the most annoying thing anyone could say about music.
Uttering that phrase is the equivalent of tattooing the word “pretentious” on your forehead.
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard someone put people down for listening to music made after the year 2000. They criticize rap, they laugh at dubstep and they refuse to listen to anything but “Greatest Hits of the (insert some decade here)” playlists.
It pains me to say it, but here it is: Liking classic rock isn’t a substitute for having a personality.
Make no mistake — I’m not saying classic rock is bad. It’s some of the catchier music out there. I’m just saying that anyone who belittles you for listening to a particular type of music probably has less personality than the outdated vinyl records they’re listening to it on.
There are plenty of people out there who enjoy classic rock and don’t have to wear band shirts and tell everyone about how the music industry has failed over the past 20 years to do so. It’s only when those people have nothing else going for them that they start criticizing other people’s music taste to compensate for their own supreme drabness.
It’s extremely tired to demean and belittle modern music. Orchestral lovers belittled jazz, jazz lovers belittled rock and now rock lovers belittle hip-hop. None of those genres are obsolete — but their listeners who refuse to try anything new are.
Bennett Leckrone is a sophomore studying journalism at Ohio University. Please note that the views and opinions of the columnists do not reflect those of The Post. Do you love classic rock and want to tell Bennett? Tweet him @LeckroneBennett.
