Too Damned Old

I've been a music fanatic my whole life. I have spent an untold fortune on records, cassettes, CD's, concerts, etc. I still make it a point to see my heroes when they come to town, but the life and finances (or lack thereof) of a father of four do not permit me to drop the two hundred dollars plus to see a top act, or the logistics (babysitters, work, etc.) to see the less popular ones. I'm cool with that. One of my constant pipe dreams has been to go see the SXSW festival in Austin. In the pantheon of my music life, SXSW is heaven. Something I haven't witnessed in person, but when I see the list of talent playing there, it is staggering. There are so many good or at least interesting bands there, there is more than one person can see.

So looking at the pictures of this year's festival, I'm starting to maybe be glad I'm not there. Don't get me wrong. I would love to see The Black Keys, My Morning Jacket and all the others, but honestly it looks like music has become just one of the shows there. It looks like just another corporate hipster cluster fuck mixes in with a walking freak show. If I see another guy with blue-streaked hair jacking off his blackberry, I will go nuts. I imagine there are a ton of the indie "holier-than-thou's" who refer to Paul Westerberg as "Paul" even though they only shook his hand once, the ones who turn their nose up every time somebody says something who is not in their little brotherhood. I do not want to fight to get in a bar to sit in the back and hear bands with bad acoustics, I do not want to sift through a ton of crap to capture a good band out of it all. I don't want to be on a "VIP list" (well maybe that's a lie...), and well, maybe I'm getting old, but I just enjoy listening to music in the privacy of my home, or the rare gig where I'm writing it up and do get on the list. I don't even mind paying for a ticket on the rare occasion where the planets are properly aligned and I can go to a show. I can do without long lines, or the guy walking around who looks like a mix of the singer of Jethro Tull and Tia Carrere. I can do without the stuck up A & R types that are sinking with their record companies. I just want my music and don't want to be bothered while listening to it.

Okay okay. My editor sends me out there, I'm there in a second, provided it doesn't tear apart the rest of my life. All the A & R nazis, the long lines, the lack of places to stay, wouldn't stop me. We all think Mick Jagger is a prick, but we'd give up our life in a second to be him. I'll tell you what, though, SXSW, although it would be a great place to check out some great bands has lost some it's luster for me. Maybe the BS was always there, and I ignored it. Maybe it's not as bad as it looks, I don't know. I'm just a west coast loser writing a blog that nobody reads about something he knows nothing about. I think however, I'm not nearly as sad as I once was for never having been there, and I think my life will turn out just fine if I never do.