Gang of Four

When did you become an adult? No, I don't mean when did you do "it" the first time. I mean, when did you start to think beyond playing in the playground, singing the songs you sung at school, and begin to realize there is this huge world of music, art, and simply, culture out there?

Certainly, most people can point to college. College is that environ where you're surrounded, in principle, by the educated elite. Of course, with colleges and universities being accessible by a large percentage of the public, you could hardly call it a meeting place of deep erudition. Even so, those concerned with more than sports (though certainly college attracts its party boys and girls and sports fans) often have opportunity to talk politics, art, music, and film with others who appreciate it too.

But for many, this journey starts even earlier, possibly as early as junior high school. It seems particularly odd to see kids this young pontificating on topics on the cultural zeitgeist (heavens, am I really using this world) of the 21st century.

Yesterday, while riding on the Metro that seemingly would not get to my destination, I noticed four teenagers, possibly not even teens. They seemed maybe 12 years old or so. Four of them. One guy in a soccer outfit. One guy with an LA baseball hat. One guy with a Volcom State shirt. One other guy, faced away.

Initially, they were talking about movies. I don't recall who they were talking about. Maybe Scorsese. Maybe Coppola. I do recall them mentioning Citizen Kane. One guy in particular was spouting out his cinematic tastes, discussing "important" films of the past. Then, the discussion went to music, and someone proclaimed the awesomeness of the Velvet Underground and Lou Reed.

I just happened to be sitting there, yes, somewhat eavesdroppping (is that like being somewhat pregnant), fascinated that kids this young would even talk about topics like this. Yet, I suspect, in many a place throughout the country, similar dialogues occur.

To be fair, if I had been eavesdropping on people talking about sports or about hip hop artists, or what-have-you, I might not have taken any notice, because those would have been outside my realm of experience, yet, I wonder if this kind of discussion on these kinds of topics are unique, that if you're going to talk intelligently about music and/or film, certain names will come up, and if you don't talk about them, you're not likely to talk about it at all.

To state it somewhat more controversially, if people are going to discuss great films or great musicians of the past, they'll look to a smaller group. Do hip-hop fans look reverentially to musicians from the early 80s. I know there's some throwback nostalgia for groups like the Sugar Hill Gang, but do they look at it as something they say is better than what they hear now? I wonder. Do they talk about the influences and directions rap has taken over the years, who were the key figures, and were they key because of their personality or their music?

I suppose I shouldn't find such precocity amazing. Twelve years old isn't so young, and certainly, twelve year olds are often well versed in movies. Of course, I could be completely misreading their ages, but for now, let's say I'm right. I remember being 9 years old and watching Star Wars, and following the stories even as I reached to 12. 12 is like 7th grade, and while I didn't really listen to pop music until the 10th grade, there's nothing stopping someone who has, say, an older brother, or parents, to push these ideas to someone that young.

It's also possible that this, being the first time I've noticed such a conversation, is a rare happenstance, and that such a thing is not that common.

In any case, I sat there wondering about youth, and how we learn to appreciate that which came before us, and when we learn to appreciate it. I sat there thinking "I should blog about this". And so I have.