Too old for rock and roll

[discreet]

1 minute ago, EssentialTension said:

And that was when pubs were only open a few hours a day, except for the lock-in. Or did I see you sat on a park bench with a bottle of Thunderbird?

How dare you! No, of course not. It was a bottle of sherry. 

[mentalextra]

7 minutes ago, EssentialTension said:

And that was when pubs were only open a few hours a day, except for the lock-in. Or did I see you sat on a park bench with a bottle of Thunderbird?

mmmmmmm sitting down! Almost as good as knowing there's a toilet nearby

[EssentialTension]

3 minutes ago, discreet said:

How dare you! No, of course not. It was a bottle of sherry. 

I do like a crisp cold Manzanilla around 11  o'clock. Preferably a large one.

[EssentialTension]

1 minute ago, mentalextra said:

mmmmmmm sitting down! Almost as good as knowing there's a toilet nearby

Standing up to urinate like a dog is definitely for the youth, including those of the feminine persuasion.

[discreet]

31 minutes ago, EssentialTension said:

Standing up to urinate like a dog is definitely for the youth...

As is peeing on the floor and assuming someone else will clean it up.

[skankdelvar]

4 hours ago, missis sumner said:

I'm 48 and relatively new to this, so what do I need to know?

* Young people in bands tend vocally to reject new or diverging initiatives straight off. Old blokes tend to let it fester then suddenly explode when triggered by an entirely unconnected issue

* Young people gig in skimpy t-shirts and unfeasibly tight trousers. Old blokes gig in waistcoats and Australian bush hats with corks on.

* Young people miss rehearsals because they are (i) off their faces on a lethal cocktail of drugs or (ii) putting the brisket to some sweet young thing. Old blokes miss rehearsals because (i) its their brother-in-law's birthday or (ii) they've got a proctologist's appointment the following week.

* Young people play too loud on cheap, generic gear. Old blokes play too loud on exotic and very expensive gear

* Young people obsess about being friends with their bandmates. Old blokes obsess about suppressing their hatred for their bandmates.

* Young people want to make exciting new sounds. Old blokes want to get exactly the tone that Jimmy Page had at the Albert Hall on the evening of 9th Jan 1970.

... and so forth.
 

Edited August 16, 2018 by skankdelvar
edit for: Zep gig date correction

[discreet]

59 minutes ago, skankdelvar said:

...and so forth.

Genuine LOL.  You could also add: Young people AND old blokes are always a whisker away from taking the whole bloody thing way too seriously, given the reality of the situation... 

Edited August 16, 2018 by discreet

[Happy Jack]

I may be old, but at least I got to see all the good bands ...

[Mykesbass]

7 hours ago, BrunoBass said:

Age is no barrier. Look at The Mystery Jets. Their frontman had his dad in the band on bass! 

The Brew have the same - 3 piece, guitarist/singer's dad on bass.

[skankdelvar]

Years ago I saw a band at a London club. Three or four kids aged about 12-18 with their Dad on something, keys, bass, can't recall.

TBH, it all looked a bit creepy, not least because Dad had a tendency to bark instructions at them between songs and scowl whenever one of them fluffed a note. 'Tennis parent,' I thought and sidled off to the bar.
 

Edited August 16, 2018 by skankdelvar
Edit for: capitalisation

[josie]

Catfish - my favourite blues-rock band - the keys player is the father of the (superb) lead guitarist, who is clearly in control. 

I once sadly lost a chance to join a band I would have loved to play in - we had exchanged recordings and chatted on-line and had an audition lined up, all was looking good until they emailed asking my age - to which I just said "over 50" and was politely turned down with audition cancelled - "we're all in our 40s and we'd like to keep it like that". Fair enough, but I still think if I had auditioned before they asked I would have got the gig.  

Everyone else in my current band is in their 40s I think (except the drummer who is the son-in-law of the singer!) - I'm 63, but look 10-15 years younger and even more important have an attitude maybe 20 years younger - I work with young people, and many of my friends are of my children's generation. I'm far more comfortable with people that age than my own. Can't be doing with the constant talk of ailments and problems. 

Yes there are stereotypes which might trip you up now and then. (I don't know if that's more true for women.) And I wouldn't want to play with 20-year-olds even if they'd let me. But (imho) you're only too old if you think you are. 

[BigRedX]

IME age is only a problem if you let it be. 

The vast majority of musicians I have played with (especially in the originals bands) since the mid 90s have been younger than me, and it's never been a problem. I got into the band that became The Terrortones because the other (younger) members thought that my age would give me experience and useful contacts, but since they had all just come out of various music-based college courses it turned out they had just as much useful experience and all their contacts were far more up-to-date and relevant than mine!

I'm a competent player who doesn't have any serious career or family commitments. I'm still enthusiastic about music and a prolific producer of musical ideas, and know how to present myself on stage, all of which are far more important than the fact that I'm rapidly approaching my 58th birthday.

[Teebs]

Everyone has something to contribute, its just a matter of finding the right context. The OP is going to be the best bassist for the right band. The hard part is finding THAT band.

It will happen, I'm sure 🍀

[Teebs]

... failing that, put bricks in their paper round bags, little bas***ds! 😀

[skankdelvar]

51 minutes ago, josie said:

they emailed asking my age - to which I just said "over 50" and was politely turned down with audition cancelled - "we're all in our 40s and we'd like to keep it like that".

One time I was in a band, we're auditioning for a guitarist and the best one was 60. Our drummer says: 'He's too old. It would look wrong'. I said 'FFS, you're - what? - 46 and no spring chicken yourself' at which he sort of curled up like an autumn leaf and sulked for the rest of the night. I think some people are remarkably stupid when it comes to age.

Sure, if they're a bunch of bibbity-bobbity teens looking to get signed, that's one thing; but a klatsch of tubby, greying, (usually hobbyist) dadz banging on about 'too old' is a step beyond reason.
 

Edited August 16, 2018 by skankdelvar

[discreet]

12 minutes ago, skankdelvar said:

I think some people are remarkably stupid when it comes to age.

Yes. And I say to them: Do you think you'll never get old, you idiots? You are all going to die of old age - if you're lucky!

[Teebs]

42 minutes ago, discreet said:

 

 

42 minutes ago, discreet said:

Yes. And I say to them: Do you think you'll never get old, you idiots? You are all going to die of old age - if you're lucky!

...but but but - yoofs are invincible & immortal *unsure*

Edited August 16, 2018 by Teebs

[steantval]

11 hours ago, gary mac said:

I feel exactly the same when playing Teenage Kicks and I thing just about every band I've been involved with has done that song.

We have just kicked it out of our set, hoorah, two minutes of boring playing for me and didn’t really fit in with the rest of our set.

Replacing it with Turn the Page by Metallica.

Our band age ranges from 51 to 62.

[BassBunny]

2/3 of our band are in their 60's and the Drummer is the male singer's Dad. At one point we also had a Female vocalist with her Dad on guitar.

[lozkerr]

2 hours ago, josie said:

I just said "over 50" and was politely turned down with audition cancelled - "we're all in our 40s and we'd like to keep it like that". Fair enough, but I still think if I had auditioned before they asked I would have got the gig.

...

 But (imho) you're only too old if you think you are. 

Spot on. Whenever I'm asked my age and don't want to admit that I can remember the moon landings, I usually say 'old enough to know better, young enough not to care'. Usually works 🙂

[Dad3353]

At 68 (next Monday...), I'm the eldest in our band, drumming, with Our Eldest as Guitar 1, Our Youngest on bass, a long-standing buddy as singer, and Guitar 2 who has just left us, to take up a job in the Caribbean. We've another Guitar 2 lined up, but we're in no hurry, as we're all busy with other projects for now. I can relate to the Zimmer frame stuff, though..! 

[bazzbass]

I'll be 57 in two weeks and I'm not even the oldest in my band.

But you probably ARE too old if you think you are lol

it's just a number mate, ignore it, act like a teenager

[christhammer666]

1 hour ago, bazzbass said:

I'll be 57 in two weeks and I'm not even the oldest in my band.

But you probably ARE too old if you think you are lol

it's just a number mate, ignore it, act like a teenager

I do with regular occurrence lol

[mentalextra]

Traditionally, when 'rockers' get crusty, they acquire young girlfriends and are rarely seen without hats and sunglasses. Because that's cool?

[mikel]

13 hours ago, josie said:

Catfish - my favourite blues-rock band - the keys player is the father of the (superb) lead guitarist, who is clearly in control. 

I once sadly lost a chance to join a band I would have loved to play in - we had exchanged recordings and chatted on-line and had an audition lined up, all was looking good until they emailed asking my age - to which I just said "over 50" and was politely turned down with audition cancelled - "we're all in our 40s and we'd like to keep it like that". Fair enough, but I still think if I had auditioned before they asked I would have got the gig.  

Everyone else in my current band is in their 40s I think (except the drummer who is the son-in-law of the singer!) - I'm 63, but look 10-15 years younger and even more important have an attitude maybe 20 years younger - I work with young people, and many of my friends are of my children's generation. I'm far more comfortable with people that age than my own. Can't be doing with the constant talk of ailments and problems. 

Yes there are stereotypes which might trip you up now and then. (I don't know if that's more true for women.) And I wouldn't want to play with 20-year-olds even if they'd let me. But (imho) you're only too old if you think you are. 

+1 with that.  Spend too much time with people your age or older and you begin to think, feel and act old. Spend most of your time with younger people and you  tend to feel and think younger and be more mentally alert. I do, anyway.