Classic Rock has been around a lot longer than we’ve been calling it that. But Classic Rock fans represent more than just aging Baby Boomers – the folks who were teenagers when the Stones, Zeppelin, Queen, and AC/DC came of age. In fact, they may not have a whole lot in common with each other – except for the fact they live and breathe “Classic Rock.”
Today’s blog post takes a look at some of those classic stories in the news.
The science of nostalgia – There are now research indicators that fans who are nostalgic may, in fact, be happier. Does that involve the music that makes up their memories? Of course it does.
A recent story in ScienceNews by Sujata Gupta suggests nostalgia – once equated with homesickness – is so powerful it helped people deal with loneliness through the worst days of COVID.
A new study among 3,700 respondents in the U.S., the UK, and China indicate that people who are the least nostalgic are also the least happy. Dr. Tim Wildschut of the University of Southampton in England is the social scientist who headed up the study.
In one test, respondents in one group were asked to write about a special memory. A day or two after, they were asked to recall that nostalgic moment, rating themselves on a 1-7 “happiness” scale. The results for the “nostalgia group” (blue bars) versus those asked to write about an “ordinary memory” (gold bars) are below:
Dr. Wildschut believes one day there may actually be nostalgia therapy for the unhappy. And you have to wonder if some of the treatments might be listening to the music you grew up with.
How powerful is nostalgia? Recalling a conversation with his daughter, he asked her how long nostalgia lasts. And to that she replied, “Forever.” Those memories are always there.
Nostalgia, the holidays, and cars – Christmas music is on hundreds of U.S. radio stations, special holiday cups are at Starbucks, and new seasonal car and trucks ads are hitting televisions near you.
The holiday season is, by definition, nostalgic. By making us think of Christmases past, marketers can conjure up that warm Clydesdales feelings – especially given how anomalous the December holidays turned out last year.
But how to capture that nostalgic feeling, while still conveying a vision of a better future in just 15 seconds? Maybe like this:
Canceling Classic Rock – Several of you sent me an opinion piece printed in the New York Times earlier this month. Written as a guest essay by Jennifer Finney Boylan, “Can We Separate the Art From Artist?” the piece is one of the most absurd criticisms of music to ever appear in a credible publication. (Apparently, it was originally titled “Should Classic Rock Songs Be Toppled Like Confederate Statues?” but was amended to the less vitriolic title above.)
In her essay, Boylan takes a swipe at the Stones’ “Brown Sugar.” The band recently avoided controversy by dropping the classic from their set list in response to the pressure. Boylan still goes after Keith Richards for asserting the song is about “the horrors of slavery.”
But her venom is reserved for the patently offensive classic from Don McLean. Yes, “American Pie.” Actually, her beef is with McLean who has pled guilty to several domestic violence charges over the years. In her mind, bad behavior on the part of a singer/songwriter is something we should consider as to whether their music should be played on the radio.
One day last week, I started making notes over coffee of all the rock, pop, country, blues,
and jazz stars we know of who have behaved badly. I stopped listing them out when I filled two napkins with famous musicians. (And those are the ones we know about.)
I thought about that idiotic moment a few Christmases back when “Baby, It’s Cold Outside” was dropped by numerous stations because of its sexist lyrics. That incident occurred in 2018 which is a reminder about what we worried about before there was a global pandemic. The song, by the way, quietly returned to many stations’ Xmas lists the next year.
I wrote a blog post in 2020, “Radio And The Cancel Culture,” that addressed many of the issues Boylan brought up. I related a friendly debate I witnessed between two classical programmers, discussing whether Richard Wagner‘s music should continue to be scheduled on their stations due to the composer’s well-known antisemitism and bigotry.
As I was about to waste my time dashing off a rational response to Boylan’s essay, somebody beat me to it. In the Washington Examiner, Harry Khachatrian’s “No, we shouldn’t cancel classic rock” turned out to be the perfect takedown. He even mentioned Richard Wagner!
Khachatriran makes the point that if gatekeepers (yes, even programmers) start axing songs, movies, paintings, operas, and other works because of artist misbehavior, we may not have much culture left. Eric Clapton’s entire body of work would be tossed in the English Channel, along with catalogues of albums from scores of other boorish artists. This is especially the case when we hold behavior from decades ago up against the moral standards of today.
And in conclusion, he reminds us that “Great art is timeless; it transcends the foibles of its artists.” He also suggests we shouldn’t be so quick to idolize celebrities, whether they’re great quarterbacks, they play family doctors on TV, or they’re guitar heroes.
Amen.
Not all things branded “classic” turn out to be winners – That’s the case with ESPN Classic. While
there’s been no official word that it’s been “pink slipped” by parent Disney, the company has struggled with the channel in recent years. It was launched way back in 1995 as a source for classic sporting events, documentaries, and other sports-themed programming. It is scheduled to hit the exits on January 1st.
MediaPost’s “Digital New Daily” says the channel has been losing carriage on numerous cable systems. And much of ESPN Classic’s once-exclusive content became easily accessible on YouTube and other outlets.
But perhaps the real reason for the channel’s inability to get long-term traction is often the same problem other nostalgic content runs into – great “currents.”
In the case of sports today, most of us would rather watch new contests, blossoming rivalries, and rising stars – not the 1988 World Series, the 1968 Olympics, or last year’s Stanley Cup Playoffs. Some “classics” do not stand the test of time.
Days of a Moody Blue passed – Some sad news for Classic Rock lovers as the Moody Blues’ brilliant drummer and poet laureate, Graeme Edge, died yesterday at the age of 80.
Yours truly was a dyed-in-the-wool Moody Blues fan. I still own all their albums. Graeme Edge was one of the founding members of this dreamy, progressive rock band whose concept albums and themes could take you to higher, more enlightened place.
In addition to his percussive skills, Graeme Edge wrote poetry for some of the band’s albums and compositions, including the haunting “Late Lament.” It was the crescendo ending that closed out the iconic “Nights in White Satin” on their amazing “Days of Future Passed” album, a fitting eulogy for Graeme Edge, recited by band member Mike Pinder:
Despite the passing of a Classic Rock cable channel and a multi-talented Moody Blue, I remain in awe of the genre’s resiliency. I am also amazed by its “currency” – its ability to remain fresh, topical, and timely in so much of today’s hyper-quick pop culture.
Play on, you Classic Rockers. Play on.
Thanks to my former partner in crime, Dave Beasing.
Jacobs Media has consistently walked the walk in the digital space, providing insights and guidance through its well-read national Techsurveys.
In 2008, jacapps was launched - a mobile apps company that has designed and built more than 1,300 apps for both the Apple and Android platforms. In 2013, the DASH Conference was created - a mashup of radio and automotive, designed to foster better understanding of the "connected car" and its impact.
Along with providing the creative and intellectual direction for the company, Fred consults many of Jacobs Media's commercial and public radio clients, in addition to media brands looking to thrive in the rapidly changing tech environment.
Fred was inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame in 2018.
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1) Too bad ESPN Classic will be going dark in 2022
2) #cancelcanelculture
It’s not hard to find sordid moments for most artists, musicians, and athletes. Where do we draw the line, and who gets to draw it?
And do programmers really want to decide what their audiences hear. Most of the time, people vote with their feet. The good stuff wins out, the mediocre ends up in what was called the “cut-out bin,” and the truly offensive stuff or nasty actors are ultimately ignored. Isn’t that how a democracy works?
I appreciate your comment, Max.
I would think the “vocal majority” should speak up. If you grew up listening to the songs we play, we all have a skeleton in the closet or sorrid moments (I had plenty)…
To go back to the headline, Listeners are happy because Our format is still relevant to them, the artist stories still speak to us. Keeping up with the artist today, matters. Classic Rock concerts are still the hot ticket!
On the other side…
1) We have the right to free speech (and the choices we make). The actions (good or bad) of others don’t (and can’t) define the culture… If you don’t like it, ignore it, but don’t make it look like it didn’t happen…
2) EVERYONE has a “bad” story and NO ONE is perfect..
3) EVERYONE should have a second chance. Look at Alice Cooper, Brian Welch of KORN, Vince Gill and too many others i can point to.
How will we as a people “get it” if we don’t have the mistakes of our past to point us in the right direction??
Maybe our country is losing it’s backbone..
I read that NYT article and thought someone must have had a deadline approaching and nothing else to write about.
Not sure about the motivation, Don. We are now having the debate on Twitter. I should know better.
Years ago I developed my own “unscientifical” theory that the music you hear as you pass through puberty (especially music played in high rotation) gets somehow imprinted on your DNA, and becomes a part of you. I believe my g-g-generation will be singing “Help Me Rhonda” when we’re in the nursing home and we really need the help.
All true, Ken. The music you grew up with stays with you your entire life. The interesting part is how many of those 40 and younger have the same strong attachment to Classic Rock from the 60’s and 70’s.
Yep. And I think the answer to that question is simple: that music was made for young people. No reason today’s young people shouldn’t like it (even if we think their music sucks).
That’s a particularly good insight, Ken, than the music was “made for young people,” so why wouldn’t young people enjoy it today? I was talking to a kid in his 20’s recently and, somehow, the Beatles came up, and he talked about how he thought Paperback Writer was better than anything he hears today. Maybe because Paperback Writer IS better than anything he hears today.
What is the explanation for the desire to hear good music, period, that has no expiration date? While being born in ’63, I take in older music, from Sinatra, Cab Calloway, Lena Horne and Ella Fitzgerald, Jazz and Blues artists like Satchmo, Miller and Basie, and onto the 60s with Beatles, latter-Brit Invasion group Kinks, Yardbirds, and the Who. It seems the music programming pie has been sliced too thinly. Looking back at the early to mid 70s Hot 100 charts, I see everything from Zeppelin and Bad Co to Anne Murry and novelty artists sharing the same airspace. Will that true variety ever return?
You’re hitting on something I loved about the radio I grew up on, Darryl. I loved that I could hear the Partridge Family and Led Zeppelin on the same station, Michael Jackson’s “Ben” back to back with Cream. And as for Sinatra and Satchmo and Ella and others you mentioned, just for kicks I had Alexa play some Dean Martin about a week ago. It was awesome!!
A good question, Darryl. I tell a story about being in the huge green room at the Fillmore West where the walls are covered, floor to ceiling, with posters advertising the thousands of shows that played there. And each is more eclectic than the next. On any given night, you could’ve seen Taj Mahal, Uriah Heap, and Joni Mitchell – on the same bill. Radio, cable TV, and now satellite radio have all become more focused, for better worse. Thanks for the observation, Darryl.
Both Mozart and Brethren ere hard to along with. For Mozart it was his suspected ADHD disability. For Beethoven it was his hearing disability which isolated him. Add to that, they were both revolutionary running up against the power structure of their time.
And consumers should decide who and what they wish to watch/listen to – not a program director, news director, or gatekeeper making the call. If I want to listen to Wagner, Michael Jackson, or Don McLean – in spite of what they did/didn’t do outside a recording studio or concert hall, why shouldn’t I be able to do that.
OUTRAGE is the cash cow of news outlets. No one is “upset’ according to these big sites, everything is an OUTRAGE. So one is snarky to someone, they are SLAMMED! CNN dot com only uses SLAM to describe a person’s comment. Fred Jacobs SLAMMED by Alec Baldwin! Then comes the twitter echo chamber calling for everyone to be cancelled and fired. This is a confusing, stupid time in America and it’s all being created by the nitro fuel of Social media and algorithms and identity politics. I maintain that Classic Rock lyrics were some of my most helpful life teachers. “No one Told you when to Run, You missed the Starting gun” hit me like a brick when I was. kid. I better get working hard now because I don’t want to be that person and be left behind. I have 20 other examples. Everyone should chill the Frack out about outrage.
Bless you, Jim.
With you 100 percent on cancelation, Fred.
As to Classic Rock and nostalgia, those are solid points. But why not dig a bit deeper and ask whether a person prefers to scratch that itch by (a) pulling out and playing some old vinyl from his personal collection, which in my case runs into the thousands; or (b) seeking out and listening to an erudite curator of the genre on–you guessed it–a fine radio station that lets the DJ exercise informed good judgment?
I nearly always choose the latter option, not only because modern tech makes it ubiquitous but also at least in part because that’s how I get exposed to things I don’t already know about. And those “new” things might be old, deep tracks I just hadn’t encountered or something that only came out more recently. Maybe we should see Classic Rock as one’s moat around the castle: It can be as big or small as one’s experience dictates. But for gawd’s sake, both listeners and PDs, let down the drawbridge from time to time!
Music discovery is a different concept today. You and I experienced first hearing new songs and artists on the radio. And then once we bought the album (always a crap shoot, of course), the discovery was rekindled hen you tracked it – side 1 through side 2. Thanks for engaging on this one.
These are bands people have actually seen perform and grow live. That experience of watching a band grow a fanbase that gets them a record deal and become internationally famous is integral to the appeal. Most of what came in the ’80s and ’90s was manufactured by the “suits.”
Bob, we’re also at that point in the curve where its about the song, NOT the album, and NOT even the band. If you worked in radio or records, experiencing the growth and maturity of a band, from clubs to auditoriums to arenas to stadiums is thrilling. Sadly, that’s no longer the evolutionary path to greatness, and something is being lost in translation. Thanks for the commenting.
I remember seeing the Doobie Bros in a small beer bar in the Santa Cruz hills in the early 1970s. Watching their fame burgeon over the succeeding years was, indeed, a thrill that always reminded me how good they were in the beginning, before that fame (a double-edged sword) had its corrosive effect.
This is one of the most interesting columns you’ve ever done and I can’t stop thinking about it.
One at a time:
I never thought that Classic Rock’s appeal was largely nostalgic, rather that it was just great music that stood the test of time and just held up. The fact that younger people born long after these songs were released have embraced it might lend some support for that. When I hear Kashmir, I don’t think back to some college bar, I just like the song and am glad to hear it. I was at a Lukas Nelson concert this week and his encore included “Get Off of MY Cloud” and all of the Gen Zs in the crowd seemed to know the lyrics. So, with exceptions of course, put me in the quality of the music column for why classic rock endures, not the nostalgia one. Really, its just great stuff.
As for cancelling artists, the first one I can identity wasn’t a rock artist, it was the Dixie Chicks. Many companies flat out banned their stations from playing them and to this day, Root Boy Slim would test better with country listeners than they would. IMO, the whole cancelling thing is a pox on our society. Sweeping convictions without judge, jury or rules of evidence are flat out wrong whether in a court of law or on the radio. If people have decided Clapton’s many horrible opinions and life events are more than they can stomach, his songs will stop testing -so let the public vote with their ears. IMO, he’s a first rate a-hole who has made some great music over the years. So what?
I’ve personally stopped listening to a couple of artists (Ducktails and Ryan Adams) because I think of them are true sexual predators, but I don’t want them canceled or taken down from any streaming service – if someone else has a different take on them, let them listen away IMO.
Speaking of sexist lyrics, do any stations still play “We Gotta Get You a Woman”?
Bob, first the nostalgia thing. For many Classic Rockers, it is that magical equation of music + memories. But there are people (like you) who first gravitated to the music because it was great, and later came to understand how enduring it was. And finally, the young people who have embraced it for the same reasons we originally did. While there may not be a nostalgic pull, the power of the music to span generations is undeniable.
As for cancellation, the people speak when they support or reject a song – or the artist who performs it. Your comment about Clapton is spot on. When Springsteen began to strategically began to support Democratic Presidential candidates, his music stopped testing. There was a constant one-third or so who expressed their disdain for him by giving every one of his songs a “1.” As a result, his airplay dropped. Bruce knew what he was getting into when he campaigned for Obama, Kerry, Biden and others. And I’m sure who doesn’t regret the decision.
The Dixie Chicks is different, as you note. The decision to ban them wasn’t made by consumers, but by radio execs, acting in their own interests. We are better off as a society and as people when ordinary citizens get to make these calls. I will not watch “The Cosby Show,” but I listen to Michael Jackson, and watch Woody Allen movies. That’s me. And I’m thankful to have the choice.
Thanks, as always, Bob.
I just have to chime in and say, GREAT insights as always, Bob, and also as always, GREAT comments following, Fred. This got me to thinking about how “classical” music is ONLY about the quality of music. There are simply no people anywhere who remember where they were the “first time they saw Ludwig live”! There’s a reason “Classic Rock” and “Classical Music” share first names. The music of both endures first and foremost because it’s that good. Any feelings of nostalgia are just bonus points. (And those feelings are really not all that different for the person whose soul was touched by a deeply moving piece of classical music they heard hundreds of years after the composer’s passing–remembering where they were and who they were with–who will cherish those memories as much as anyone who saw the Beatles at Shea.) You mention Cosby, Michael Jackson and Woody Allen, Fred. Like you, I have TV shows and musical artists and even businesses and brands that I support–and that at times I’ve also felt I could no longer support. But also like you, I’m glad we both have that choice, even if our choices don’t always match up. May it ever be so.
Another reason why this blog is so rewarding to ME, Dave, are the exchanges I’ve had with many of you this week. Whether we were jawing about radio’s CX, Ford’s Jim Farley’s leadership style, or the “Classic Rock cancelation,” the back and forth with thinkers like you, Bob, and many others reminds my I do this. Thanks for your readership, and more importantly, your input.
Fred, great blog as usual. I only take issue with you mentioning the 1988 World Series, I am a long time Dodgers fan. I could watch those highlights many times…although it was nice to finally have another Dodgers World Series win last year.
On a more serious note, again great blog. I loved the quote “Great art is timeless; it transcends the foibles of its artists.” I had not heard that quote before. And you added…. ‘He also suggests we shouldn’t be so quick to idolize celebrities, whether they’re great quarterbacks, they play family doctors on TV, or they’re guitar heroes’.
I also say “amen” to your “amen”.
Dan great to hear from. Funny, I picked those sport moment at random, and forgot about that amazing Dodgers series where my homie, Kirk Gibson, forever distinguished himself in baseball history. I’ve only seen that replay 1,000 times.
And thanks for the comment on the blog. All the best to you.
Is anyone boycotting Classic Rock Stations? – No.
Is anyone calling for Don McClain to be banned? – Three people on the internet, which by the way, is one more than can explain “Critical Race theory”, the new “Willie Horton”, Welfare Queen” dog whistle of conservatives.
Does the Reich Wing now have another talking point and a way to distract from the sins they are actually committing like their “cancelling” the rights of African Americans and Hispanics to vote in many states, the rights of LGTBQ’s to marry and buy a wedding cake and the rights of women to be in charge of their reproductive freedoms? – Most definitely yes.
I know it was not your intention Fred and you are quoting a column in the NY Times (which again, will sell out Democracy for a few more clicks) but don’t be surprised if your blog ends up getting cited by conservative media as another “horror” being perpetrated on Americans like “banning” Christmas, which is funny because over 200 stations are playing Holly Jolly Christmas at this very moment.
And I can tell you we have had ZERO calls over the years to take off “Baby It’s Cold Outside”, another thing that is hyped by the media far beyond the handful who are offended.
The only victims of this imaginary force are the ones being silenced by conservatives and bigots like the quarterback whose livelihood was robbed from him because he decided to make a stand against police brutality.
As for separating art from the artist, that is a personal choice we all make and for some artists it is tough. Kipling is still one of the best writers of all time even though he has fallen out of vogue and people are quoting him ever day even if they don’t know it is him.
If you haven’t heard it, the comedian Jarrod Carmichael has one of the best, brutally funny, original and thought provoking takes you will hear on this subject in his “Talent vs. Morals” bit.
I will look for that Jarrod Carmichael bit, Mike. It’s getting crazy out there to be sure. Thanks for weighing in on this. “American Pie,” seriously?
That you made a list using napkins and (presumably Bic Stick) ball point pen has bolstered my respect for the analog, and solidified your position as a “real world” radio consultant.
Recalls the legend of Todd Storz and Gordon McLendon creating the Top 40 format. Classic!
Some of my rockingest clocks were scrawled on napkins and yes, a blue BIC. Thanks, Jim.
Wait the NY Times essay was only “ONE OF” the most absurd pieces you’ve ever read in a credible publication?? I tremble to think who the winner of that race goes to…
And the author of the story and I had a little Twitter “exchange” yesterday (and I do my best avoid those). When I first saw the story 10 days ago, I vowed to stay on the sidelines, but the response from Harry Khachatrian was the perfect way to talk about it by talking about both of them. Oh well.
You can’t win for losing in some of these things, Fred.