The Off Topic Topic

[celedhring]

That is awesome 

That song is still on my gym playlist.

[Tamas]

Place we went for lunch today had this on the wall. I was the only one who knew what it was.

 

[The Larch]

Just checked it, the song is... from 1994. Almost 30 years old already, I can see younger people not being familiar with it.

[Josquius]

Just checked it, the song is... from 1994. Almost 30 years old already, I can see younger people not being familiar with it.

I got pretty regular play on MTV2 even in the 00s I recall.
Though I suppose lots of people don't have the best of memories.

[Syt]

Just checked it, the song is... from 1994. Almost 30 years old already, I can see younger people not being familiar with it.

It's like people in 1994 expecting you to be familiar with pop culture of 1965.

[celedhring]

Just checked it, the song is... from 1994. Almost 30 years old already, I can see younger people not being familiar with it.

It's like people in 1994 expecting you to be familiar with pop culture of 1965.

Yes, if that pop culture is 2001: Space Oddisey or Lawrence of Arabia

[Josquius]

I'm not too sure that analogy works entirely straight.
Maybe its just my relative youth speaking but it does seem to me that the 'gap' between the 60s and the 90s though obviously the same length was 'bigger' than the gap between the 90s and today- take that up to the 21st century and the gap between 20 years ago and today vs that between 1990 and 1970 is drastically smaller.
The internet has really served to fundamentally alter the old 20th century idea of decades as cultural eras.


Edit - 60s and 90s gap bigger I meant. Not smaller.

[Tamas]

I'm not too sure that analogy works entirely straight.
Maybe its just my relative youth speaking but it does seem to me that the 'gap' between the 60s and the 90s though obviously the same length was 'smaller' than the gap between the 90s and today- take that up to the 21st century and the gap between 20 years ago and today and that between 1990 and 1970 is drastically smaller.
The internet has really served to fundamentally alter the old 20th century idea of decades as cultural eras.

Nah, I think we have just grown old(er).

[Grey Fox]

Really, it's both. We've grown older but we never leave anything behind.

We can remember and then relive almost anything pop culture related that has happened in the last 25 years and then share it with people from all over the world.

[grumbler]

Happy 92nd birthday, James Earl Jones!

While he was great as the voice of Darth Vader, his best voice performance was this one:

[Sheilbh]

I'm not too sure that analogy works entirely straight.
Maybe its just my relative youth speaking but it does seem to me that the 'gap' between the 60s and the 90s though obviously the same length was 'smaller' than the gap between the 90s and today- take that up to the 21st century and the gap between 20 years ago and today and that between 1990 and 1970 is drastically smaller.
The internet has really served to fundamentally alter the old 20th century idea of decades as cultural eras.

I feel like it's a bit of both

From a British perspective the mid-nineties was Britpop with Oasis very consciously referencing the Beatles. But also the whole "cool Britannia" thing which is a bit "swinging London". An exhausted scandal-ridden Tory government on its last legs with a renewing Labour government in the wings. Even a football tournament coming home, despite the "thirty years of hurt". I feel like the 60s was pretty present in the 90s.

For what it's worth I think the 90s are pretty present now. But more politically and socially because it's the order of the 90s that feels like it's falling apart: war in Europe, great power competition, history roaring back into the picture. Culturally it does feel a bit distinct though - there's lots of dissections of the 90s (the Crown/Harry, American Crime Story, Dahmer, the reappraisal of Clinton post me too). But that style of culture feels like it's almost consciously putting a distance between us and the past - it's not emulating 90s style (yet). But I think it does feel culturally different because it's the last pre-internet decade, in a way that Oasis and the Beatles felt like they were nodding acquaintances.

I feel like change - at least cultural change has slowed down since smartphones launched.

[Barrister]

Just checked it, the song is... from 1994. Almost 30 years old already, I can see younger people not being familiar with it.

It's like people in 1994 expecting you to be familiar with pop culture of 1965.

I was in undergrad in 1994.  I certainly was aware of pop culture from 1965.

Here's the top 100 singles from 1965: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Billboard_Year-End_Hot_100_singles_of_1965

It's an interesting list, but I definitely know the majority of these songs.  Also interesting that some of these songs are absolute classics, like Satisfaction or You've Lost that Lovin' Feelin', yet it also contains Hang on Sloopy and I am Henry the Eighth, I Am.

For comparison, here's the list for 1994: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Billboard_Year-End_Hot_100_singles_of_1994

Interestingly I think I know more of the 1965 songs, but that just might be down to the fact I'm not a huge rap/R&B guy, and by the 90s a lot more R&B is making it up the charts.  Oh - and Sabotage doesn't even make it on the Top 100.  (also, 3 Ace of Base songs in the top 10 )


All of that being said though - I think it has to come down to the decline of the music video as an important art form.  It took me a second to recognize the picture Syt posted.  I can pretty much guarantee though that Syt's friends would recognize the music to Sabotage, even if they never saw the music video.

[The Brain]

Yes, three is a bit low.

[The Larch]

All of that being said though - I think it has to come down to the decline of the music video as an important art form.  It took me a second to recognize the picture Syt posted.  I can pretty much guarantee though that Syt's friends would recognize the music to Sabotage, even if they never saw the music video.

I think this is it, the music video seems to be way past its heyday as a cultural product, so to me it's no wonder that younger people today don't even recognize references to music videos. That that particular video references something even older (70s cop shows) makes it even more distant from them.

[Barrister]

https://twitter.com/cspotweet/status/1615771667866980358

City of Edmonton announces Snow Plow names after a public contest.

Winners include Plowasaurus Rex, Ctrl-Salt-Delete, Buzz Iceclear, The Big Leplowski and Darth Blader.

Unfortunately it also includes "Mr Plow, Ploughy McPloughface, Connor mcBlade-it and Amarsleet Snowhi (based on mayor Amarjeet Sohi).