Documentaries. I'm in the business of watching documentaries on Netflix's instant queue now that we've eliminated cable from our lives (don't miss it. not even a little).
Anyway, two of the most recent that I really enjoyed were "How Beer Saved the World," and "Twenty (Pearl Jam)"

After watching that flick last night, Matt concurred with my suspicion that the music today's teens listen to is crap with a capital C. We were without a doubt super lucky to have been teenagers in the late nineties. The alternative grunge scene produced some excellent bands. I distinctly remember getting into the "zone" before track races by pumping the likes of Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, and Nirvana through my Walkman. And I can never forget blasting such music upstairs in my family's house with my sister while we finished homework.
Such awesome talent poured out of the Northwest in the nineties. Outside of that scene, I'd like to say that I was addicted to Smashing Pumpkins and Red Hot Chili Peppers (both bands that produced a few albums that I could STILL to this day play from start to finish and thoroughly enjoy).
A few weeks ago in one of my classes, I asked the question of my students: "What type of music do you listen to? Who are the most influential musicians in your life currently?" An overwhelming response was Wiz Khalifa (spell? who the hell knows), Lil Wayne, and a host of other rappers. It baffled me. WHY are affluent white kids in rural south-central NC in a golf resort town listening to gangster rap? It's comical, right? I mean, are these really the best artists they could find for their impressionable ears? How could they possibly relate to the lyrics? Do they even understand the lyrics? I googled some. What follows is a sampling of some of Wiz's more enlightening bits:
Girls fall in love with what they hear. Boys fall in love with what they see. That's why girls wear make up; and boys lie.
Ballin's not a hobby, it's my occupation.
If you don't smoke, I don't know why.
Most of his lyrics are complete mysteries to me. They're replete with expletives and idiotic rhymes.
Am I old? Is this just what naturally happens- adults claim that "their" music was real. Theirs was true. Theirs was comprehensible. I don't know. But one thing is true- for me, the stuff my students are jamming to is rotten.
When my parents would talk about the Rolling Stones, The Who, Creedance Clearwater Revival, John Cougar Mellencamp, Neil Young, U2, I could totally dig it. I recognized and enjoyed the talent. So, I hardly think it's a clash of the generations that I speak about now. About half my students asked me, "What's Pearl Jam?" when I listed some of my favorite bands. YIKES!