I know it’s ultimately of little significance to me but when I’m watching an actor or actress who I know to be around my age and whose career I’ve been following for awhile, I can’t avoid taking notice of the types of roles they’re now playing and making comparisons to where I am in my life . The same is true with bands or individual musicians. I think of how much their music has changed (or not changed) and how they fit into the scene now. That’s why I’m throwing out this Topic for a thread. I’m curious whether age plays a role in whether you follow someone.
No. I might pay a little more attention just based on the greater chance I have heard of them. That is more not bothering to pay attention to what is the latest big thing than them being in my age range.
It’s more of a generation thing than an age thing. I have to relate to them in some way, and that’s much more appealing to me when they have the same cultural touchstones as I have. And interestingly there are a lot of people who are considerably younger than me (15-20 years younger, making them 30-35) who despite everything are still able to achieve that. There must be some kind of personality or shared experience adjustment that happens as we head into proper adulthood that makes us all more alike than we are different.
Anyway, in terms of “following” them, it’s less about an actor’s roles or a musicians career, than it is a YouTuber or comedian or celeb on Social Media, i.e. tapping into a small part of their personal life, that makes them easier for me to connect with them on a similar level. With the artifice of entertainment stripped away, I like them that much more.
I don’t “follow” people.
Do you mean that I’d be watching a movie and think “Hey, that guy is about my age. I know! I’ll look up the actor’s name and find all the other movies he’s been in, and watch those as well. I wonder if he’s got a fan club I could join? Hope they have hats, otherwise I’d have to make my own by sharpie-ing his face on a beanie.”
Now, there are musicians and actors I like, but I’d have to look them up to see how old they are. And often to find out their name. I do know some teenagers who have crushes… and I bet they “follow” them.
Doesn’t following people imply they’re going places and you’re not?
It certainly does. If they’re old geezers like me then I’ve seen enough of them already.
So you’d turn down these free Springsteen tickets? Okay…
Bieber’s younger, you can go see him.
I can turn down both of them. Take the tickets and enjoy.
Interesting. Asked my twenty-somethin’ kid about this, he said “F*** no, who were the last concerts I went to? Morrissey, Willie Nelson, Neil Young. These guys have depth, they’ve suffered.”
I’ll ask him, but I bet he’ll say “I can learn a thing or two about life from them, more than some YouTuber kid my age.”
Generally, no, but in 1991 I was pretty indifferent to Nirvana, Pearl Jam and Red Hot Chili Peppers (who were the tops with teenagers at the time) until I heard they were all my age, so I gave them a serious listen and liked them.
Still indifferent to U2.
No. Back in the 70s, I loved the older blues performers as much as I did newer acts like the Allman Brothers. Nowadays, I’m not impressed by a lot of younger acts, but it has nothing to do with their age as much as it does with the fact everyone tries to sound like everyone else. I’m still up for young performers who try to sound different.
It doesn’t affect me in the arts, cinema, or the like, but I do remember it being a very weird feeling watching professional sports and realizing that most of the athletes were younger than me. This being after years of being a kid and always thinking of pro athletes as grown-ups.
I’m not much into music. For me this question applies to actors. If they’re my age they’re trying to pretend they’re much younger and doing it poorly.
I have taken note of a number of them who were born the same year as me, and I would say it depresses me when they die more than the average celebrity death. Both because the familiarity of following their careers for a long time increases the feeling that I “know” them, and because it’s a pointed reminder of my own mortality I suppose.
Regarding music, I’ve long held to the idea that people tend to be biased whether they realize it or not. Listening to pearls of wisdom or heart break, is easier when it comes from someone your age or older.
When the youngsters sing, it’s like: “yeah kid, been there, done that”.
For actors, I guess it does a bit. Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio are my age, and they’ve both made a lot of good movies. I’ve seen them on screen for thirty years or so now, so I’ve grown up seeing them grow up, too.
Just the other day I discovered a band - First Aid Kit, from Sweden - led by two sisters who are easily young enough to be my kids (I’m 55). I’m very impressed.
I do give the next generations a chance to impress me, and occasionally they do. And there’s no upper age limit to my respect-o-meter either.
As far as music goes, I don’t care about age too much, as long as they rock. There are some good ones out there younger than I am: Jason Isbell, Molly Tuttle to name a few.
When it comes to age, what I notice is when people died. I am 51 this year, and over the past few years I have thought much about:
Rory Gallagher, dead at 46
Joey Ramone, dead at 49
Dee Dee Ramone, dead at 50
It’s kind of weird knowing that I lived longer than those guys.
I follow a few Kpop forums and it’s amazing to read how many posters ask “I’m in my late teens, early 20’s. I am too old to listen “X or Y” because they’re younger/older than me?”. smacks head.
The only time it mattered to me was when Marie Osmond debuted and I thought to myself, “Wow she’s the same age as me (a few months older) and look what she’s accomplished!”. Then I grew up.
Younger, older, same age, it doesn’t matter me. Talent or lack of it is what interests me.
That said, I do find it interesting, and he’s acknowledged it onstage, that Neil Young is now older that the Old Man he sings about.
I prefer younger musicians. While I listen to a lot of artists who are now my age and older, I mostly prefer the music they made when they were younger. And the new music I’m finding I like is made by younger people (sometimes significantly younger - Skating Polly, Aurora, Sigrid, Kælan Mikla. ) I think the oldest new music i really like lately was all made by people in their 30s.
I don’t care how old musicians are. I don’t watch music videos.