How I See the Aging of Rock and Roll

Generations by Decade

by Anthony Servante

I've compiled a list of art and music scene by decade, starting with 1890 to 2010, to encapsulate my view of trends being anachronistic from day one. That is, every new fad is already outdated as soon as it begins. Let's begin. 

1890 Lost Generation (Purple Reign & Fin de Siecle Decadents)
1900 Interbellum Generation (Progressives & Union Men)
1910 G.I. Generation (All-Americans & Military Men)
1920 Greatest Generation (Flappers & Boaters)
1930 Silent Generation (Be Boppers)
1940 Swing Generation (Swingers & and Jives)
1950 Beat Generation (Beatniks & Bohemians)
1960 Hip Generation (Hippies & Yippies)
1970 Me Generation (Glams & Disco & Punks)
1980 Generation X (Slackers & New Wave)
1990 Millennial Generation (or Generation Y & Grunge)
2000 Generation Z (or the Tweens & Emo)
2010 Generation Alpha (Hipsters & Beards & Nerd Chic).

Now keep in mind that no generation begins on any one date at any given time. There's a lot of overlap and carry-over. But I think this system works best for pigeonholing. The Purple Reign, for instance, had Oscar Wilde and Aubrey Beardsley. The G.I.s had "all-American" songs like "God Bless American" and "Over There". I also like the decade system because then we can see how certain generations hold up to aging. Slackers, for instance, are now in their 50s. 

I go to many Rock and Punk music concerts and old rockers and punks are not a pretty sight, I can tell you. And that's how I look at every new generation--by how they will grow old. Imagine the bearded hipsters when they're in their 40s and 50s still trying to look current and relevant. 

Anyway, I can't say I've been part of any fad or craze, but my heart has always been beatnik in spirit, if not in decade. I'm from the New Wave/Glam Rockers age. I just never wore it. I've always seen every generation in its time as anachronistic, always outdated as their generation blossomed and withered in the same moment. 

Take my pessimism with a grain of salt. Enjoy your youth. Every one of these generations did. Cool, Daddy-O. :)