There are so many bits and pieces of our tech-savvy age that I've never plugged in to in a serious way. Just too old, too cantankerous, crotchety, set in my ways--or, alternately, burned out, bummed out, brain dead, etc.

One such bit is Facebook. I signed up and have an account but rarely look at it. Don't get it, need it, want it, relate to it, or something. (Which reminds me: I really should have another boo today...)

Another phenomenon I've never paid much attention to is...YouTube. But last night that changed, if even for a couple hours. The occasion was hearing The Brothers Four on a satellite folk station yesterday. So, last night, idly, I googled Brothers Four and found some You Tube tapes of them.

Interesting.

But as I scrolled down, clicking on this and that, I came across, eventually, this bit of video, featuring Peter, Paul, and Mary.

You need to understand the significance of PP& M in my life. They were my all-time greatest folk singing heroes--the one who inspired me, more than any others, to spend countless hours alone in my room with my guitar. The piece of music above, called San Francisco Bay Blues, is gimmicky (using kazoos, something I never heard them use before) and displays exceptional talent and exuberant fun. In the comment section someone remarks, "Where has this kind of talent gone to?"

I know: every generation connects to the music of their growing-up years the most, but it's also true that really good stuff stays around to impress generations that follow. I now appreciate some old New Orleans jazz (20's, 30's), Big Band music (30's, 40's), old Rock and Rollers (50's) as well as numerous classical music scores (1700's, 1800's).

I also now listen to stuff from the 60's that used to turn me on and think, "That's not so great."

And, I must add, I also occasionally hear on the radio contemporary music I find absolutely transporting, riveting, and/or diverting. I'm talking some pretty heavy duty rock stuff (though I most appreciate actual talent, melodies, and the like).

Good music is good music is good music, and once again my mantra is, "Must we forever be slicing and dicing ourselves culturally, with each five-year cohort adopting their own little words, ways, signs, styles, hit songs, and so forth? Pretty dumb, and I think it largely has to do with marketing: getting each group to feel special and part of a clique and therefore buy stuff to feel "in". Maybe they feel alienated from their families, need to belong somewhere, or what have you. (Boomers do all this in a big way as well, obviously.)

And thus endeth my cultural commentary for this Saturday morning...Now I need to get crackin' and do some of my Saturday "to do" list stuff!!!!!!!