This past Saturday, after having breakfast with my wife and kids at one of our favorite breakfast places in Johannesburg, JBs on the Corner, we walked through an area known as Melrose Arch, and I peeked my head into the bicycle shop down the road.
It was a very nice shop, stocked with everything a bicyclist could want. The gent behind the cash register was a very nice South African, and came right up to ask if he could be of service. (Which surprised me, because Customer Service isn't exactly preached here in SA.) Without a thought, I asked about the Johannesburg 94.7 cycle challenge that takes place in November. 94.7 km through the streets of Johannesburg. (All 5600 feet above sea-level Johannesburg.) He explained I needed to register online, and that I should (with a bit of training) do fine since his boss did it last year on a fixed gear bicycle tricked out to look like a chopper.
When I got home, I immediately went to the computer and registered for the race. November 15, I will be on my bicycle for at least 3 hours, and probably closer to 4 or 5. They will give me a tracking dot so that people can keep track of where I am and how I'm doing. In short, it'll be pretty darn cool.
However, how did I come to this point? What makes me think that I, John Benton (Jay) Parker can finish a bike ride of almost 60 miles? Riding a mountain bike? Through the hills of Johannesburg almost a mile into the air? Did I lose sense of myself? Was I high from the delightful Bacon Sandwich I had for breakfast? Am I really that desperate for time away from my kids?
The answers, in the order I gave above, are: I'd been thinking about it a while; I've ridden my bicycle a decent amount; if a dude on a glorified BMX bike tricked out can do it, why can't I on a Mountain bike; yes, it'll be thin air; no, not really; the sandwich was VERY good; No, I love spending time with my kids, but I think doing this is a good way to help my kids and others, as well as myself.
Lovely English Lass stated that to make sure I do this, I should try to raise money for a charity. That would make it so that I push myself to get on with the training, and don't backslide. It was a very good idea, and something that I've decided to do. I'm going to ride for Autism South Africa, because they really need the funds to continue to do the good work for Autism Awareness. LEL volunteers there, and they are a good group of people who see what Autism is about and want to help those who need it the most. If I can raise at least some money for them, it'll all be worth it.
I'm also doing this for my kids. I want them to see their big old father get on a bicycle and do something that takes tremendous amount of courage and self-discipline. If I, a fat 36 year old man, can get through this, they can do anything they want to.
Lastly, I'm doing this for myself. I look in the mirror and see someone that needs a change. I need to make sure I'm around to see my kids grow up. I need to exercise, but haven't been able to motivate myself in the last year to do so. Diabetes runs in my family, as does heart disease. I want to make sure I won't have to deal with those. So if it means I get up at 430 every morning to get to the gym, sit on an exercise bike to build my stamina, and then lift weights to make sure I'm strong enough for the ride, that's what I'll do. I used to ride my bike to and from work when I lived in Luxembourg, and always enjoyed it. Maybe I can make this my new thing: training to ride in long distance bike races. If I can do it, I know I'll consider myself a winner. I'll have helped children with Autism here in South Africa, and I may have extended my life just a little while longer. That seems like a fair trade. Watch this space if you want to donate, as I'll come up with info before the time.
So, 94.7 km in November... Like it or not, I'm going to have to be ready. Wish me luck.
Monday, April 30, 2012
Wednesday, April 25, 2012
My golf adventure
One of the guys that works here at the Consulate has been after me to play golf with him since I got here. And while I've definitely played more golf in the last 9 months than I did in the previous 5 years, we just hadn't gotten the chance. However, this past weekend my Lovely English Lass allowed me to go out for a round. I was very happy, and immediately booked a tee time for me and my friend at the Els Club at Copper Leaf.
Now I'd played there before, but the rain was awful and didn't really play as much as survive. So I was looking forward to giving it the old college try again. Now, to be fair, I am a horrible golfer. My tee shots always fade to the right (I turn my hips on my back swing) and I can't seem to keep my head down on my follow through, which tops the ball. But, I enjoy playing, and on occasion I hit a shot that makes it all worthwhile. (In fact, it's coming up on the one year anniversary of my making a 63 foot putt while playing in Virginia with family friend B.)
My friend and I arrived in enough time to get ready, but not enough to hit practice balls. This was a mistake, in hindsight. I wasn't warmed up, and as it turned out we were going to have a long afternoon. We arrived in our cart at the first tee, and met with the other twosome we'd be playing with. As we arrived, the starter took our receipt, and then said, "The rules for this tournament are best two scores on holes, and we'll be playing with handicaps." Confused, my friend and I looked at each other. It was then we realized that the two tee slots I had signed up for were for a tournament, and the people we were playing with (a man and his wife) were regulars on this course and were expecting to win. Yeah..... so not going to happen while I'm playing with them.
It all started off amiably, until I shanked my drive into the rough. It was then I heard them speaking in Afrikaans to each other. Now, Afrikaans is very much like Dutch, and I can pick out quite a lot of Afrikaans (to the utter despair of my local staff members). So what I heard them saying to each other was how crappy their lot in life was that they would draw to obvious amateurs, and one of them obviously out of shape. (Paraphrased). I did nothing over the next 4 hours to dispel them of the notion that they were correct that I was an amateur. Some of my drives took lovely detours into very high grass, never to be seen again, and some of them only went a few yards and stopped. Much sighing and head shakes followed. About the 6th hole, the lady started to actually mock me, telling me that she'd driven it further than I had, and oh I'd just barely cleared the ladies' tees. (Granted, the ladies tees on this course are sometimes at least 100 meters closer to the hole than where I was playing off of, but this started to rankle me.) I didn't re-hit a tee shot, and instead dropped where I'd lost the ball, so she gave me a not-played. If I stopped a putt short, she'd say, "Oh, you need to hit it like a man next time." It started to get annoying.
My friend, meanwhile, wasn't doing too badly for playing the course the first time. He did visit many of the fine bunkers the course has, which made him ask if per chance Ernie Els grew up in the desert. In the end he shot an 87, which was only 11 shots off the guy that plays there twice a week. His wife shot a 96. I shot somewhere close to infinity. But there were times I made myself smile with good shots, or even a putt or two that would have made old Ernie Els himself grin. Considering how much I don't play, it's amazing I finished less than 200. However, we had a good time, and after putting out on the 18th, we all took off our hats and shook hands. But not before the lady had one more parting shot. "You know, you just need to practice more often and play more often to get better. Obviously you don't, but you should to improve." Thanks lady, I'd like to but I have a wife, two kids, which are more important to me than golf, and a job, so I don't get to come out and play golf whenever I feel like it.
When we went into the pro shop afterwards, I walked in and found our partner complaining to the cashier about the stiffs they had stuck her and her husband with for the tournament. She didn't see me, and walked out without noticing me. I told the cashier I was the one she was complaining about, and he nodded and smiled. Then he said, "She's a pain in the ass anyway sir." Definitely made my day.
It was nice getting out of the house to play golf in the sun. When I got home I told Crazy Little Man we'd take his club out the next day and hit some tennis balls, which we did. He liked it, and I'm working on his swing. I want him to have the love of the game I do. And maybe one day he'll be a scratch golfer, and be able to hit that bunker shot to within a club length of the hole. Or maybe he'll be as bad as his father, at which case we'll join tournaments and ruin them for the pretentious people playing with us. Either way, we'll have a good time on the course.
PS Today is my 50th post. Yeah me!
Now I'd played there before, but the rain was awful and didn't really play as much as survive. So I was looking forward to giving it the old college try again. Now, to be fair, I am a horrible golfer. My tee shots always fade to the right (I turn my hips on my back swing) and I can't seem to keep my head down on my follow through, which tops the ball. But, I enjoy playing, and on occasion I hit a shot that makes it all worthwhile. (In fact, it's coming up on the one year anniversary of my making a 63 foot putt while playing in Virginia with family friend B.)
My friend and I arrived in enough time to get ready, but not enough to hit practice balls. This was a mistake, in hindsight. I wasn't warmed up, and as it turned out we were going to have a long afternoon. We arrived in our cart at the first tee, and met with the other twosome we'd be playing with. As we arrived, the starter took our receipt, and then said, "The rules for this tournament are best two scores on holes, and we'll be playing with handicaps." Confused, my friend and I looked at each other. It was then we realized that the two tee slots I had signed up for were for a tournament, and the people we were playing with (a man and his wife) were regulars on this course and were expecting to win. Yeah..... so not going to happen while I'm playing with them.
It all started off amiably, until I shanked my drive into the rough. It was then I heard them speaking in Afrikaans to each other. Now, Afrikaans is very much like Dutch, and I can pick out quite a lot of Afrikaans (to the utter despair of my local staff members). So what I heard them saying to each other was how crappy their lot in life was that they would draw to obvious amateurs, and one of them obviously out of shape. (Paraphrased). I did nothing over the next 4 hours to dispel them of the notion that they were correct that I was an amateur. Some of my drives took lovely detours into very high grass, never to be seen again, and some of them only went a few yards and stopped. Much sighing and head shakes followed. About the 6th hole, the lady started to actually mock me, telling me that she'd driven it further than I had, and oh I'd just barely cleared the ladies' tees. (Granted, the ladies tees on this course are sometimes at least 100 meters closer to the hole than where I was playing off of, but this started to rankle me.) I didn't re-hit a tee shot, and instead dropped where I'd lost the ball, so she gave me a not-played. If I stopped a putt short, she'd say, "Oh, you need to hit it like a man next time." It started to get annoying.
My friend, meanwhile, wasn't doing too badly for playing the course the first time. He did visit many of the fine bunkers the course has, which made him ask if per chance Ernie Els grew up in the desert. In the end he shot an 87, which was only 11 shots off the guy that plays there twice a week. His wife shot a 96. I shot somewhere close to infinity. But there were times I made myself smile with good shots, or even a putt or two that would have made old Ernie Els himself grin. Considering how much I don't play, it's amazing I finished less than 200. However, we had a good time, and after putting out on the 18th, we all took off our hats and shook hands. But not before the lady had one more parting shot. "You know, you just need to practice more often and play more often to get better. Obviously you don't, but you should to improve." Thanks lady, I'd like to but I have a wife, two kids, which are more important to me than golf, and a job, so I don't get to come out and play golf whenever I feel like it.
When we went into the pro shop afterwards, I walked in and found our partner complaining to the cashier about the stiffs they had stuck her and her husband with for the tournament. She didn't see me, and walked out without noticing me. I told the cashier I was the one she was complaining about, and he nodded and smiled. Then he said, "She's a pain in the ass anyway sir." Definitely made my day.
It was nice getting out of the house to play golf in the sun. When I got home I told Crazy Little Man we'd take his club out the next day and hit some tennis balls, which we did. He liked it, and I'm working on his swing. I want him to have the love of the game I do. And maybe one day he'll be a scratch golfer, and be able to hit that bunker shot to within a club length of the hole. Or maybe he'll be as bad as his father, at which case we'll join tournaments and ruin them for the pretentious people playing with us. Either way, we'll have a good time on the course.
PS Today is my 50th post. Yeah me!
Wednesday, April 18, 2012
It's time to be a big boy
We've been going through a very big change here in Johannesburg. Since my son turned three, we've decided it's time for him to become a big boy. He's always asking if he can join daddy when he plays golf, and I've always said, "Crazy Little Man, only big boys can play golf. Babies can't." I figured this would help him drop some of his baby things and become the big boy. Not a chance!
He decided to double down on them. He went everywhere with a pacifier (or dummy as we call them in our Anglo-American House) and wouldn't take it out ever. When he started speaking a little worse than usual, Lovely English Lass and I decided it was the dummy causing the problem. He also refuses to use the potty.
It was so much easier with his sister. Lovely Little Girl was attached to her dummies, but when we took them there was little problem. She also basically potty-trained herself. (She became quite the used car salesman. "Potty for Dora. Potty for candy. Potty for Key Lime Pie." She could definitely leverage her using the potty.) Crazy Little Man just doesn't do it. It was going to be a forceful take over, and one that neither LEL or I were looking forward to at this time.
LEL told CLM Monday that his time with the dummy was through. To protest this, he spent 90 minutes crying and begging for the pacifier instead of taking a nap. Finally LEL just let him out of the bed and skipped the nap. That night, without the dummy, he went right to sleep and slept the entire night. Tuesday, same protest with no nap, and that night same result with sleeping through the night.
CLM also went to a speech therapist, who did say the dummy was causing some enunciation problems, and that they should be fixed soon without the dummy in place. They did say he has some other issues with speech, which we knew, so he'll also be going to speech therapy. I'm sure LEL wishes she'd married a therapist of some kind now instead of a diplomat, so she wouldn't have to spend outrageous amounts of money on therapy.
While we're happy he's finally going to be done with the dummy, it's sad he'll probably end up losing his naps now. CLM gets very cranky when he doesn't get a nap. And so does, LEL, by the way. But to show him he's starting to be a big boy, I'm going to do something for him. Across from the Consulate is a large mall with a sporting goods store. Yesterday I walked past and saw inside a tiny little golf club about the right height for him. I'm going to buy it, and take him into the back yard (or back garden for my British friends) and show him how to use it. Hopefully it'll spur him on to do more things, like potty training. I know one of my fondest memories is the first time I got to play golf with my dad. Hopefully one day, when we get back to Florida, CLM, my dad and I can all go out and play golf together. Three big boys enjoying our time in the outdoors.
He decided to double down on them. He went everywhere with a pacifier (or dummy as we call them in our Anglo-American House) and wouldn't take it out ever. When he started speaking a little worse than usual, Lovely English Lass and I decided it was the dummy causing the problem. He also refuses to use the potty.
It was so much easier with his sister. Lovely Little Girl was attached to her dummies, but when we took them there was little problem. She also basically potty-trained herself. (She became quite the used car salesman. "Potty for Dora. Potty for candy. Potty for Key Lime Pie." She could definitely leverage her using the potty.) Crazy Little Man just doesn't do it. It was going to be a forceful take over, and one that neither LEL or I were looking forward to at this time.
LEL told CLM Monday that his time with the dummy was through. To protest this, he spent 90 minutes crying and begging for the pacifier instead of taking a nap. Finally LEL just let him out of the bed and skipped the nap. That night, without the dummy, he went right to sleep and slept the entire night. Tuesday, same protest with no nap, and that night same result with sleeping through the night.
CLM also went to a speech therapist, who did say the dummy was causing some enunciation problems, and that they should be fixed soon without the dummy in place. They did say he has some other issues with speech, which we knew, so he'll also be going to speech therapy. I'm sure LEL wishes she'd married a therapist of some kind now instead of a diplomat, so she wouldn't have to spend outrageous amounts of money on therapy.
While we're happy he's finally going to be done with the dummy, it's sad he'll probably end up losing his naps now. CLM gets very cranky when he doesn't get a nap. And so does, LEL, by the way. But to show him he's starting to be a big boy, I'm going to do something for him. Across from the Consulate is a large mall with a sporting goods store. Yesterday I walked past and saw inside a tiny little golf club about the right height for him. I'm going to buy it, and take him into the back yard (or back garden for my British friends) and show him how to use it. Hopefully it'll spur him on to do more things, like potty training. I know one of my fondest memories is the first time I got to play golf with my dad. Hopefully one day, when we get back to Florida, CLM, my dad and I can all go out and play golf together. Three big boys enjoying our time in the outdoors.
Monday, April 9, 2012
The Long Easter Weekend
South Africa, like England and a few other places, has a 4 day weekend during Easter. However, the Monday following Easter isn't Easter Monday. It's Family Day. Interesting, I think.
Anyways, we were busy last week with Lovely Little Girl having a chest infection, and Crazy Little Man being off school for a month. (Pray for Lovely English Lass. She'll need it with CLM being home for a month.) And of course April means Evaluations for the Department. Goodness help us if something really big happens during April and May, as almost all of the Department is writing evaluations. I wrote mine, and then I had three others I had to finish as well. So.... very busy indeed.
This meant that Friday was going to be a good day with time off with the kids and of course the long suffering wife. (Long suffering because she has to put up with not only me and my spawn, but a housekeeper that seems to think it's her house and we are just residing in it.) This weekend I learned quite a bit. For example:
1) Crazy Little Man is a VERY apt description of my three year old. He picks fights with his sister, his mother and with me. He runs around and cries at the slightest angry word. He is, in short, a three year old boy.
2) LLG can be quite sweet when she wants to be. However, she still has a huge attachment to her mummy, which can be quite a problem, especially when said mummy is in need of a restroom.
3) My children will say they want to watch a movie for the sole reason that they get popcorn with it.
4) South Africa really agrees with my cooking.
The fourth point is interesting, because I've always liked to cook, but I think I'm doing a better job of it now. For example, I used to use Trader Joe's baking mix for my biscuits while I was back in the US. They are very tasty, and everyone likes them. However, now that I don't have any mix, I've been making biscuits from scratch because that's what my kids want for breakfast sometimes. Let me tell you: I've figured out how to make those bad boys rise even while at almost 6,000 feet above sea level. And they're good too. Never would I have known I could do that without being in South Africa. Somewhere in the afterlife my southern relatives are looking down at me and smiling that I'm making my own biscuits from scratch. (Looks to the sky, kisses fingers and points upward) Thanks guys!
So this weekend I started off by making chili. I got a top roast of meat, put it into the crockpot and cooked that thing down. I also soaked black beans and navy beans overnight, and put them in as well. LEL put some carrot strips and green peppers in and we made a fantastic batch of chili. Sunday I got up and made what I call Sunshine cups. (Bread cut into muffin tin, lightly cooked bacon on top and then crack an egg on top of that.) It turned out pretty darn well. This morning I made bacon and fresh buttermilk biscuits and just now I made really nice burgers which I put fresh made guacamole on top of before eating. I'm telling you, I'm really enjoying this.
Anyways, it's been a good weekend, and I'll be sorry to go back to work tomorrow. Hopefully it'll be a good week, and I'll be ready for next Saturday. Not sure what we'll do, but I think it'll be fun. And hey, I can always cook, right?
Anyways, we were busy last week with Lovely Little Girl having a chest infection, and Crazy Little Man being off school for a month. (Pray for Lovely English Lass. She'll need it with CLM being home for a month.) And of course April means Evaluations for the Department. Goodness help us if something really big happens during April and May, as almost all of the Department is writing evaluations. I wrote mine, and then I had three others I had to finish as well. So.... very busy indeed.
This meant that Friday was going to be a good day with time off with the kids and of course the long suffering wife. (Long suffering because she has to put up with not only me and my spawn, but a housekeeper that seems to think it's her house and we are just residing in it.) This weekend I learned quite a bit. For example:
1) Crazy Little Man is a VERY apt description of my three year old. He picks fights with his sister, his mother and with me. He runs around and cries at the slightest angry word. He is, in short, a three year old boy.
2) LLG can be quite sweet when she wants to be. However, she still has a huge attachment to her mummy, which can be quite a problem, especially when said mummy is in need of a restroom.
3) My children will say they want to watch a movie for the sole reason that they get popcorn with it.
4) South Africa really agrees with my cooking.
The fourth point is interesting, because I've always liked to cook, but I think I'm doing a better job of it now. For example, I used to use Trader Joe's baking mix for my biscuits while I was back in the US. They are very tasty, and everyone likes them. However, now that I don't have any mix, I've been making biscuits from scratch because that's what my kids want for breakfast sometimes. Let me tell you: I've figured out how to make those bad boys rise even while at almost 6,000 feet above sea level. And they're good too. Never would I have known I could do that without being in South Africa. Somewhere in the afterlife my southern relatives are looking down at me and smiling that I'm making my own biscuits from scratch. (Looks to the sky, kisses fingers and points upward) Thanks guys!
So this weekend I started off by making chili. I got a top roast of meat, put it into the crockpot and cooked that thing down. I also soaked black beans and navy beans overnight, and put them in as well. LEL put some carrot strips and green peppers in and we made a fantastic batch of chili. Sunday I got up and made what I call Sunshine cups. (Bread cut into muffin tin, lightly cooked bacon on top and then crack an egg on top of that.) It turned out pretty darn well. This morning I made bacon and fresh buttermilk biscuits and just now I made really nice burgers which I put fresh made guacamole on top of before eating. I'm telling you, I'm really enjoying this.
Anyways, it's been a good weekend, and I'll be sorry to go back to work tomorrow. Hopefully it'll be a good week, and I'll be ready for next Saturday. Not sure what we'll do, but I think it'll be fun. And hey, I can always cook, right?
Sunday, April 1, 2012
My Inner Lester Bangs - 1991
This week, whilest trying to write my evaluation, I hit writer's block pretty hard. I thought about writing many other things instead of my eval. One of these was to indulge my inner critic and see if I could write something about one of my favorite topics: music. I've said before that I've always had a soundtrack going in my head, and it's something I totally enjoy. I have been thinking about music made during my lifetime and decided to start focusing on years. I decided to start with the year 1991.
In 1991 I was 15 years old and either a freshman or sophomore in high school (depending on the time). It was an interesting time in my life, as I had just failed my first class ever (Algebra II) and was starting to wonder if perhaps going to a high profile college was in the cards for me. 1991 was also the year of the end of Operation Desert Storm, with George H.W. Bush's poll numbers in the high 70s to low 80s. Everyone thought he'd be re-elected. The film "Slacker" was released, and a new meme was started nationwide, and a book by Douglas Copeland, Generation X: Tales for an Accelerated Culture gave a generational id to these slackers.
One thing that was greatly in flux that year was the music. If I was asked point blank which year during my lifetime produced the greatest music, I would have to say 1991. There is pretty much no contesting that. The amount of music made during 1991 that is still played today and considered seminal is just astounding. Not only was Rock being revitalized, but rap was about to move to the G-thang with one last gasp from good time hip hop. Even country music was changing. The old tropes were being torn down, and replaced with music that wasn't flashy, like hair metal, or even dopey, like what country music had become (I'm looking at you, Alabama). Music-wise 1991 was a time when no matter the past, all music was valid. Dance, rap, rock, alternative. Everything was around.
Queen released their last album with Freddie Mercury, and Boyz II Men released their first album as a group. Nirvana hit it big with Nevermind, and Pearl Jam slow burned with Ten. U2 re-invented themselves with what at the time was considered the album of the year with Achtung, Baby! and Guns n Roses released a double album, Use Your Illusion I and II. Lollapalooza made it's first trip around the US, with Jane's Addiction having their first farewell tour. Ugly Kid Joe hit it big with "Everything About You", and Matthew Sweet hit it big with Girlfriend.
Everywhere you looked, music was being made that would last. Even a small group like Black Sheep released a song still heard today on television commercials: "The Choice is Yours." A Tribe Called Quest released one of the greatest rap albums ever, The Low End Theory. The Red Hot Chili Peppers came out with Blood Sugar Sex Magik and Soundgarden released Badmotorfinger. Everyone moved to C+C Music Factory's "Gonna Make You Sweat" and and 2unlimited's "Get Ready for This." When except for 1991 would the group, The KLF, be able to release an album and have an international hit with, "3 am Eternal." (By the way, what were the Ancients of Moo Moo anyway?) EMF came out of nowhere with a sample of Andrew Dice Clay and a catchy tune for "Unbelievable."
In fact, I'd put up any of that music against the music of today. Who would you rather listen to: A Lady GaGa song, or PM Dawn's "Set Adrift on Memory Bliss"? One of the kids from American Idol, or Mr. Big's "Be With You"? Even Van Hagar released a great album that year! Jodeci were riding high with "Forever My Lady" and Bryan Adams had a monster hit with "Everything I do (I do for you)" from a REALLY bad Robin Hood movie. I know I'd rather listen to "Hunger Strike" by Temple of the Dog than most of the music today.
So why was 1991 such a banner year for music? Was it because the world was in an economic downturn? Was it because the Baby Boomer's had grown up and their children were starting to come of age as well and were sick of listening to their parents talk about how great Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young were back in the day? Was it a backlash against the excesses of the 1980s? Rock and Rap decided to strip itself down to the basics and make good music again? Why was Seattle hitting it big? I'm not exactly sure. I lived through it, and I just remember thinking that the music was fantastic. I mean, I left LL Cool J's "Mama Said Knock You Out" off this list of great music, and it wasn't even missed.
Needless to say, music back then had a reason for being. People were allowed to experiment, and that's a good thing. I honestly think there is good music out there, but because of the internet it's diluted a bit. No longer is there a great music scene in a city that is just begging to be discovered. The music industry is broken, and they need to find a way to fix it so good music can come back. Pre-fab may be fine for some, but it won't last. Bieber won't be remembered in 20 years like Metallica's Black Album is today. "Enter Sandman" is still a kickin song 21 years later.
Maybe I should go back again to listen to the music of 1991. Screaming Trees' Uncle Anesthesia is a great album, and I still get happy for Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch. Heck, Primus released "Jerry Was a Race car Driver," which still doesn't get the credit it deserves. However, I know in the future I'll probably bore my children to death talking about how the music was much better in my time than there's. Maybe that's just the course for getting older. But, considering what happened in 1991, I will probably be right.
In 1991 I was 15 years old and either a freshman or sophomore in high school (depending on the time). It was an interesting time in my life, as I had just failed my first class ever (Algebra II) and was starting to wonder if perhaps going to a high profile college was in the cards for me. 1991 was also the year of the end of Operation Desert Storm, with George H.W. Bush's poll numbers in the high 70s to low 80s. Everyone thought he'd be re-elected. The film "Slacker" was released, and a new meme was started nationwide, and a book by Douglas Copeland, Generation X: Tales for an Accelerated Culture gave a generational id to these slackers.
One thing that was greatly in flux that year was the music. If I was asked point blank which year during my lifetime produced the greatest music, I would have to say 1991. There is pretty much no contesting that. The amount of music made during 1991 that is still played today and considered seminal is just astounding. Not only was Rock being revitalized, but rap was about to move to the G-thang with one last gasp from good time hip hop. Even country music was changing. The old tropes were being torn down, and replaced with music that wasn't flashy, like hair metal, or even dopey, like what country music had become (I'm looking at you, Alabama). Music-wise 1991 was a time when no matter the past, all music was valid. Dance, rap, rock, alternative. Everything was around.
Queen released their last album with Freddie Mercury, and Boyz II Men released their first album as a group. Nirvana hit it big with Nevermind, and Pearl Jam slow burned with Ten. U2 re-invented themselves with what at the time was considered the album of the year with Achtung, Baby! and Guns n Roses released a double album, Use Your Illusion I and II. Lollapalooza made it's first trip around the US, with Jane's Addiction having their first farewell tour. Ugly Kid Joe hit it big with "Everything About You", and Matthew Sweet hit it big with Girlfriend.
Everywhere you looked, music was being made that would last. Even a small group like Black Sheep released a song still heard today on television commercials: "The Choice is Yours." A Tribe Called Quest released one of the greatest rap albums ever, The Low End Theory. The Red Hot Chili Peppers came out with Blood Sugar Sex Magik and Soundgarden released Badmotorfinger. Everyone moved to C+C Music Factory's "Gonna Make You Sweat" and and 2unlimited's "Get Ready for This." When except for 1991 would the group, The KLF, be able to release an album and have an international hit with, "3 am Eternal." (By the way, what were the Ancients of Moo Moo anyway?) EMF came out of nowhere with a sample of Andrew Dice Clay and a catchy tune for "Unbelievable."
In fact, I'd put up any of that music against the music of today. Who would you rather listen to: A Lady GaGa song, or PM Dawn's "Set Adrift on Memory Bliss"? One of the kids from American Idol, or Mr. Big's "Be With You"? Even Van Hagar released a great album that year! Jodeci were riding high with "Forever My Lady" and Bryan Adams had a monster hit with "Everything I do (I do for you)" from a REALLY bad Robin Hood movie. I know I'd rather listen to "Hunger Strike" by Temple of the Dog than most of the music today.
So why was 1991 such a banner year for music? Was it because the world was in an economic downturn? Was it because the Baby Boomer's had grown up and their children were starting to come of age as well and were sick of listening to their parents talk about how great Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young were back in the day? Was it a backlash against the excesses of the 1980s? Rock and Rap decided to strip itself down to the basics and make good music again? Why was Seattle hitting it big? I'm not exactly sure. I lived through it, and I just remember thinking that the music was fantastic. I mean, I left LL Cool J's "Mama Said Knock You Out" off this list of great music, and it wasn't even missed.
Needless to say, music back then had a reason for being. People were allowed to experiment, and that's a good thing. I honestly think there is good music out there, but because of the internet it's diluted a bit. No longer is there a great music scene in a city that is just begging to be discovered. The music industry is broken, and they need to find a way to fix it so good music can come back. Pre-fab may be fine for some, but it won't last. Bieber won't be remembered in 20 years like Metallica's Black Album is today. "Enter Sandman" is still a kickin song 21 years later.
Maybe I should go back again to listen to the music of 1991. Screaming Trees' Uncle Anesthesia is a great album, and I still get happy for Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch. Heck, Primus released "Jerry Was a Race car Driver," which still doesn't get the credit it deserves. However, I know in the future I'll probably bore my children to death talking about how the music was much better in my time than there's. Maybe that's just the course for getting older. But, considering what happened in 1991, I will probably be right.
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