I sometimes wonder if I would have thought the past was so wonderful if I actually lived in at the time (that is the past according to the present, but if I were living in it, it would be the present.)
The thing is...is that everything was so new and out there for everyone back then. All the wonderful sights and sounds. I don't think we can fully appreciate that now. Nothing's really "new." an iPhone? but then that's just a computer/phone/music player joined as one. These mp3 players? just a more modern version of portable music. In terms of fashion it seems everthing has been done. I challenge someone to think of something really, truly new.
Back in the 60's however, you had, for example, the birth of the mini skirt, literally the first time women wore such short skirts. The music was like nothing else. Vague influences were completely altered to create a whole new sound. Do that these days you just end up with heavier electro. I don't think we will ever hear really good, but really different music ever again. It's a sad though I suppose, but at least what we've got is good.
3 comments:
Really? Sometimes I think the exact opposite. The existence of this blog would be pretty mind-blowing to somebody from the 60's.
The invention that I think would've been the most fucking insane at the time, though, is electricity. We've only had electricity for just over a hundred years. It would be difficult to explain to somebody from 1850 what electricity is: "Well, it's this thing that travels hundreds of kilometres along wires to allow us to listen to recorded music, play music, make light..." - it would basically sound like: "Yeah, I'm magic."
It makes me wonder what's just around the corner. Even in the late '80s, nobody had any idea that the internet was going to 'take off'. Now it's basically a household necessity along with electricity and gas.
And in terms of music, nobody expected the invention of the synthesizer, and now that's pretty integral to electro and heaps of popular music. As for fashion, would it be incredibly disgusting of me to liken the jean legging to the mini skirt? It might be fucking gross, but, hey, it's different...
Every time people predict that what we've got is good enough, and nothing's going to change, something big happens, and everything changes again. There'll be something magic invented and we'll immediately take it for granted and forget about just how magical it is.
i think you're being a little bit romantic. computers and shit are pretty fucking amazing.
most technology/trends happen gradually, building upon what came before. it is not like the mini skirt just came from nowhere, hemlines had been rising for the preceding 60 or so years.
the way we live/what we listen to/what we wear changes in tiny degrees all the time, if anything the speed of AWESOME NEW SHIT is intensifying not slowing down.
oh utterly romantic! I constantly romanticise the past, think that I would be infinitely happier in another era (sometimes it's 60s or 80s, sometimes 19th century...) Plus it doesn't help that I write half my blogs drunk...
It depresses me how trends are recycled rather than created. Skirts went as short as they could, so they go long again, then short, but the thing about the mini skirt first time round is that it was the first time!
I hope we get more First Times Round...I guess I shouldn't rule anything out, for all I know the sound of a cat farting might be the greatest new sound in the future. What I really want them to invent is a brain implant camera so that if you want to take a photo but don't have a camera you just blink and it takes it (then you download it from your brain later.) It can also film so you can basically film and record your whole life. Or just special times.
I just don't have much faith in the future. It doesn't excite me. Yes, a healthy dose of pessimism right there.
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