Idly was thinking about music that on paper I should have been into when I was younger but wasn’t. It just made me think that no matter how popular, innovative or provocative something might be or have been, that alone probably isn’t enough.

This thought comes back to me from time to time when I watch videos featuring artists from my youth who’re now reminiscing about those days. I keep trying to figure out why I can’t seem to appreciate some of their music that’s well-regarded by music folks in the know. I can only contextualize the inability in terms of also remembering what music was like before certain acts appeared, and how it seemed like everyone pivoted overnight to copy what the new hot band was doing. It’s not about their recordings specifically, but for the ripples that their music caused. If you weren’t aware, you can’t experience some music for what it changed, especially if you’d heard all of the influences before you heard the music that spawned the imitators.

I know when I started paying attention, so any music that came out before then was always like it was to my ear. If it was dated when I finally heard it, I still think of it as dated, no matter how novel it was at the time of its release. I don’t think there’s anything anyone can do about that. We’re of the time when we clued in, no earlier.

Not sure, still working on these thoughts in a odd moment. Too long for a short social media post though, so I’ll put it here.