lately it occurs to me

Yesterday I read in the online encyclopedia that the Grateful Dead's song "Truckin'" had been designated a "national treasure" by the Library of Congress, in 1997.

(The song came out on the American Beauty album in 1970. That's 27 years to go from
"Turn 'nat down!!"
to
(dignified) -- "This song is a National Treasure." Ah yes.
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Art is appreciated by people who originally disliked it, later, after it has become a solid, Acknowledged Accomplishment in the eys of enough other people.

Also the people who bought the album in 1970 then grew up and are Running Things now.

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Thinking about it later, had mixed feelings about U.S. government making it governmentally official that the long-strange-trip song is a National Treasure.
I mean, Yeah, the government agrees with me, who am I to argue,
-- I agree with them!
Yet --

I don't need the government to be making pronouncements about my art (my favorite art made by other people) any more than I need government to be in charge of my religion, or vice versa.

I don't need a Nativity Scene to be displayed at the post office;
also don't need the Baptists to receive my mail --
am set, thanks.
By same token, it's like -- oh the Library of Congress said the Grateful Dead has some good songs -- great, NOW I'll buy their albums! ...

But that's not what they meant.
It isn't right to be that picky: the Library of Congress just wanted to respectfully recognize and salute Something Great.
And I have to be "for" that.

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It's a generational thing -- the new "generation gap."
--When I was a child and a teenager, my parents did not introduce rock-and-roll music to me. I had to find that on my own.

--In the 90s, a friend mentioned to me that she and her husband had taken their teen-age son and daughter to see the Rolling Stones.

(?) That was a little hard for me to assimilate. (Their mom-&-dad took them to see the Rolling Stones????)
I mean -- there's nothing wrong with that, it's very nice, it's great, it was just -- weird, to me, because -- part of discovering rock-and-roll and related forms -- blues, etc. -- was, for me, going out --
on my own
on a limb
into the world
and learning and experiencing something -- beyond what I was going to get at home.
It was not -- like, being "against" your parents, or doing something "wrong," but it Was something which was MY choice, for me, not THEIR choice.

I think everyone in my age bracket probably experienced it that way, & then the NEXT generation -- it's different.
That's the new "generation gap."

And -- one thing is, children growing up -- teenagers, whatever -- still need things to differentiate themselves from their parents: some exasperated parents might think, "It's anything to tick us off and drive us crazy!" (Many people feel that is the Reason for rap music...?!)

I wonder if the new Musical Diversity -- now that people wearing suits listen to the Dead, and even put official stamps of approval on them, or at least on one of their songs -- is perhaps the reason why so many of these young guys are wearing their slacks at half-mast.
(I mean, seriously, what IS that?)
There's no music that they can repel the older generation with, so the pants are the last stand...??

One evening at work a young man came into my office to pick up some heavy supplies. As he transferred the items onto his hand-cart, he bent over and -- I don't know how those slacks were staying on, and I was studiously looking elsewhere -- and another "grown-up" (in my age group) came into my office -- and -- I was a little bit embarrassed, only I didn't know for whom, or about what... As I'm Not Looking at the Slacks Person, my glance accidentally met the glance of the other Grown-up in the room and then I quickly looked away, vaguely fearing the next thing that happened.

(Was thinking, "No, don't say it, you wouldn't--" Oh-gosh, there's the outline of a stealth smile which could turn to a laugh or an indigant command, and I thought, "No -- no -- I'm looking out into the hallway - I'm Not HERE..."
Grown-up (in an amped growl): "Pull-your-pants-up!!"

[Aaaaauuuugggghhh!!]
"Huuh?! And he laughed.
The kid laughed too, and did Not pull his pants up, and continued on down the hall, diligent at his job, as his slacks seemed diligent at his knees...

It's always got to be something ...

-30-