It’s actually a sad thing when we, as seniors, begin to feel like “old fogies” when it comes to music and the “hip” things going on in popular culture. It is usually easy to forget that the rock music and lots of other genres of modern music got their launch made use of during the days when baby boomers were the young people changing society and it was our music that changed the entire world.

So it’s good for baby boomers to keep in mind such things about their heritage and what you passed on to the music and entertainment culture today. In the song “Rock and Roll Never Forgets” by Bob Seger, the singer looks at the changes baby boomers have gone through as they go from youth to middle age and handle pressures of work, family, child rearing and changes in health due to aging. Nevertheless the end result remains the same that in the centre of every baby boomer is a rock and roller that is just as capable as ever of experiencing and enjoying the music that was the foundation with their culture.

One of the things that disheartened the baby boomer generation growing up was seeing the rock ‘n roll life style take its toll on many of the icons of youth culture and music including Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin and Freddie Mercury. Though the unfortunate demise of these music heroes doesn’t diminish the great contribution to music and also to culture down through the years. In order much as we grieve the loss of great talent, we can always celebrate what they gave to us and then give to us down to modern days as music continues to reference those great figures of 60s music as icons and inspirations.

But for every rock and roller who didn’t survive that turbulent period in our culture, we can look to great performers who did survive, overcame their addictions and went on to continue to give great music around the world decade after decade. Aerosmith, The Rolling Stones and David Bowie are types of wonderful and talented music heroes that demonstrated that age and a few wrinkles don’t mean something. They continue to rock and roll today as hard along with as much heart as they did after they were in their twenties.

In a way “to rock and roll” is often a metaphor for living life to its fullest and for staying in keeping with your values and living life inside a genuine way that never surrenders on what’s important in life. That’s the reason baby boomers have always had the best contempt for anyone who sells out or abandons their core principles that they espoused in youth. To sell out is always to say that none of the great history of the youth revolution meant anything and now we are willing to turn out backs onto it. But to “rock and roll” means always going back to your roots and not giving up, even when age, and busy lives and poor health say that you should slow down instead of try to live with as much earnestness when you did when you were young.

Seniors, even at this dignified and “mature” stage in daily life, should feel liberated to be able to go ahead and “rock and roll” in a real a sense the word. The Bob Seger song was a hit because it gives us permission to reconnect with your roots and express that youthful enthusiasm again. You won’t need to go to a nostalgia show to do that either. There are dozens of great good ole’ acts that are giving towards the children of baby boomers (and their grandchildren) that same excitement we’ve got from The Beatles and The Stones.

“Discovering” rock ‘n roll all over again can be great fun for a baby boomer especially when you find a new act containing that power and capability to perform that reminds us from the acts of our youth. They’re out there so just just go uncover this great natural resource of talent in the music and culture of today’s youth revolution.

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