Does it have to be old to be a classic?

The first classic rock station I ever heard was WCKG in Chicago.

As a teenager living through the vast wasteland that was '80s music, I loved CKG. I loved the whole concept of "classic rock" as a genre. It was as if someone had perused the soundscape of the '60s and '70s and picked exactly the kinds of songs I would have listened to if I'd been of age at the time. Chicago, Clapton, Pink Floyd ... having all these artists in one place was a real treat when I lacked the funds to buy all the records I wanted.

If there was one fly in the WCKG programming ointment, it was this: they occasionally played new tunes.

I wasn't opposed to new tunes on general principle. After all, I hadn't been aware of most of the old stuff when it came out. "Stairway to Heaven" debuted when I was two years old; obviously I wasn't in it for the nostalgia. Hell, I liked the idea that somebody was still making this kind of music. But WCKG conditioned me. Just as Pavlov's dogs salivated whenever a bell rang, I groaned every time the DJ announced that "It doesn't have to be old to be a classic." Because the songs they played after that always sucked.

Other listeners must have agreed with me. Somewhere along the way, the station quietly dropped its policy of ever playing new songs.

Fast-forward a couple decades. I live in Tucson, which has two classic rock stations, 96.1 KLPX and 107.5 KHIT. Of the two, KHIT is more populist. Between tunes they cheerfully announce that "You know every song we play." Hard, soft, art rock, 3-minute pop ... As their call letters suggest, it doesn't matter as long as the song was a huge hit back in its day.

In recent years KHIT has been adding more and more '80s music to its playlist. Some of the choices seem a little odd. Others make more sense. "Jump" by Van Halen? It has a synth-pop feel that pre-Casio '70s musicians never dreamed of, but Van Halen is still all about the guitar. "I Won't Back Down" by Tom Petty? Absolutely. In terms of singing, Tom Petty is basically Bob Dylan with a few voice lessons.

KLPX has a more coherent aesthetic -- a sense of itself and what it's about. The songs they play seem to belong together. The station leans toward harder material, so when they throw Def Leppard or Guns 'n' Roses into the mix, it doesn't seem out of place. The newer songs aren't exactly classic classic rock, but they feel like a natural progression of the genre.

Here's what gets me. These bands didn't stop making music in the '80s. If Petty's "I Won't Back Down" (1989) is classic rock, why not "Room at the Top" (1999) or "The Last DJ" (2002)?

The obvious answer: they will be in 20 years, if they stand the test of time (get radio play on other stations) and can therefore be considered safe.

KHIT trades on nostalgia, so I understand why they make the programming choices they do even if I find them annoying. Their entire selling point is that they don't threaten listeners' sensibilities with anything they (gasp) might not have heard before.

KLPX? No idea.

The whole state of affairs is a little depressing. Don't get me wrong, nostalgia has its place in music -- an important place. But one of the distinguishing features of so-called classic rock (to me, anyway) is that it never sounds dated. Rock and roll from the '50s sounds dated. A whole lot of pop from the '80s sounds dated. Classic rock, whether I like or hate the particular song, manages to sound fresh and relevant right now, wherever right now happens to be. That's its power.

For a radio station not to give new rock music a voice because people might not take to all of it right away goes against the spirit of rock music. Rock is not safe.

And then, before I can shake my fist in the air, I think of WCKG. What were they playing when they said it doesn't have to be old to be a classic? I cannot for the life of me remember. Maybe that's because whoever picked the music had awful taste and played only forgettable garbage. That seems unlikely, though.

Maybe they were playing Van Halen. Or Tom Petty.

I don't think most of us are nostalgia fiends who can't stand to try anything new, though those people exist. I think the problem is that most new music -- of any era -- is either crap or just OK. It takes patience to wade through all the mediocrity to get to the shiny gems you'll want to hear decades later.

What's your experience? If you're especially attached to some genre of a bygone era, do you also seek out today's gems? Do you still look forward to what's coming next?

Classic?

Scanning the radio on my way home, I skipped past a classic rock station, then stopped and went back. I listened. Was I hearing right?

Yep. They were playing "867-5309/Jenny."

Since when does Tommy Tutone count as classic rock?

Mood music

When it comes to songwriting, it's not my policy to wait around until inspiration strikes. Inspiration tends not to show up until I hunker down and work.

Lately, though, I haven't wanted to work on songs unless I'm in just the right mood. Which can mean different things at different times.

Take the last song I wrote. It's full of energy and enthusiasm and rah rah can-do spirit. It is unflaggingly optimistic. And it took forever to write. If I didn't feel all rah rah myself, I didn't believe I could carry it off.

On the other hand, the song I'm writing now is pretty dark and cynical. If I'm even a tiny bit happy, I can't access the emotions I need to work on it. Or, maybe I could if I tried, but I'm generally not that motivated to kill a good mood.

So I wait for darkness and cynicism to hit. The catch is, I usually don't want to do anything creative when I'm down.

It didn't used to be this way. I don't ever remember having to sync with a song's emotions back when I started. I'm not sure why. Maybe it's because my early songs mined experiences I'd had years before, and I wasn't as close to them anymore. These days I write about stuff that's relevant to me right now. What's relevant to me right now feels a lot more raw.

I need to get over it. Tonight I was tired and irritated and not inclined to deal with much of anything. All I wanted to do was turn off my brain, hook myself up to my iPod, and listen to somebody else's music. But I didn't. I made myself think about the dark, cynical song. Specifically, I made myself think about the part I was stuck on. The part that made me fear I'd have to scrap the whole thing.

And I did it. I solved the problem.

My mood has miraculously improved.

How about you? Do you have feel a certain way before you jump into something creative? Or do you forge ahead regardless?

Owie

Went to the periodontist today for a bit of oral surgery. We were originally going to schedule the appointment for the Monday before last because I wanted the thing done and out of the way. But then it occurred to me to ask:

"Hey, I've got gigs coming Friday and Sunday of that week. Will I be OK to sing?"

The periodontist said it should be fine. His assistant said I might want to put the surgery off 'til after.

Yay assistant. The anesthetic just wore off over here. It's actually not that bad, but of all the things I'd like to do right now, bursting into song is last on the list. And the handy "Instructions Following Surgery" sheet they gave me says it's common for discomfort to increase in three to five days.

Yay also to Ron the Drummer. Someone offered us a gig for the coming Saturday. He prudently turned it down on my behalf.

That's all the news for today. If anyone needs me, I'll be right here, not singing.

Piracy: A little perspective

If you follow the news about music piracy and the RIAA's valiant attempts to eradicate it, you've probably heard about a couple well-publicized cases. Most notable is Jammie Thomas, who owes $2 million in fines for downloading 24 songs.

To put the crime and punishment in perspective, Gapers Block has compiled a list of seven crimes that will incur smaller fines than music piracy. The list includes arson and kidnapping.

Seriously, read the whole article. It's good. I'll wait.

Not everyone is sympathetic to the plight of Jammie Thomas. Theft is theft, don't do the crime if you can't do the time, etc. All I can say is, when you fine someone $2 million for downloading 24 songs, it's no longer punitive damages. It's a business model.

People on the mountain

Music on the Mountain gig went smashingly. Lots of people came, and they seemed to enjoy our music. They happily stuck around for the Amber Norgaard Baand despite the intermittent rain, which started just after our set. The tent kept everyone dry.

The surprising thing: many of the people who came to hear us had never heard OF us until today.

Bonnie Vining, founder of LAVA and mastermind of MOTM, is a freaking genius. Has to be. It's so hard to get people to venture out to see bands they already know and like. Bonnie created a concert series that not only gets people to venture out for bands they know nothing about, but go all the way up Mt. Lemmon to do it.

If you live in Tucson, you know why that's impressive. It takes a good hour to drive up Mt. Lemmon.

Anyway, yeah. Smashingly. I hope Bonnie does this again next summer.

How far to the top?

Someone on the Cinder Bridge mailing list pointed out that saying we'd be playing at the "top" of Mt. Lemmon was a little vague. If people literally go to the top, they'll be at the Observatory ... a thousand feet above where the music is.

So. The gig is in Summerhaven, which is around the bottom of the top of the mountain. Music will be right past the visitors center. When you see the big tentlike thing, you're there.

Now to send another e-mail to the group. Hopefully they won't get too annoyed by the multiple messages.