Are YOU too Old to Rock and Roll?

So, there is a reason why I ask this question. Back on March 3rd, I turned 45. I lurk, but don't post, on another long time music forum and always think about a post I read there a few years back. A member there, who had turned the same age as me talked about how since his early forties he had lost the "taste" for Hard Rock/ Heavy Metal and it was nothing but AOR for him now. I can't foresee a time that I wouldn't want to have the windows down on a sunny summer day and blare some Hericane Alice or a night where I have the house to myself and crank up Pantera as loud as I can.

I am not trying to sound elitist and say that you have to listen to Thrash into your sixties to be "troo" or anything like that, but I just don't understand how you could lose interest in things you have loved for 25, 30 years or more. I almost joined that forum a few years back to ask that particular member why he felt this way. What do you all think?

I can assure you that I will be listening to metal for the rest of my life. I've had friends that have dropped metal because they "grew up." That whole way of thinking is baffling to me and leads me to believe that someone who does that only adopts a musical style for fashion reasons. Why would I ever give up the music that I love and brings me great joy?

"Lost his taste" for it? Sorry, but ...screw that guy. Haha.

I must have missed the memo that sez once you hit your mid 30's, you're supposed to grow a beard, start wearing turtlenecks and listening to Dave Matthews Band.

...thank God!

I don't understand that mentality. I'll be listening to metal as along as I possibly can. Seems to me this guy you read about was only listening to hard rock/metal because he was trying to be "edgy" or something.

Back in the 90s, I had a boss at my former job ask me if I'd ever outgrow this style of music. Of course I told her no.I won't change now that I'm even older. I've been listening to hard rock since before I was 10 and then migrated over to heavy metal. I don't see how anyone could just stop listening to a certain type of music that has been such an important part of their life.

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Back in the 90s, I had a boss at my former job ask me if I'd ever outgrow this style of music.

I get that occasionally from co-workers to this day. "You don't look like a metal dude," or even worse, "You still listen to that stuff? At YOUR age?"

There's a guy in my office who's about 10-15 years younger than me, he's a guitar player into mostly classic rock (Clapton, Zep, Stones, Yes, Yardbirds, etc.), and he's absolutely mystified at the idea that I'm almost 50 and have two kids, yet I still listen to "stuff like GWAR."

The same guy has also been known to randomly ask me music questions like, "Hey Keith, which Deep Purple albums did Dio sing on?" ...no kidding, he really did ask me that one day. I was like, "....(slaps forehead) Dude, you are KILLIN' me."

I walked away from rock and metal in my early 20's for evangelical reasons (dumb), came back briefly around 2005 (smart), soon decided to spend the rest of that decade seeking more, I dunno, "mature" artistry in music (good intentions, bad outlook). I wish I would've stayed metal, honestly, but while pursuing other areas at the same time like I do now. Sure, I was happy to discover just how great the Greenwich folk movement was, or track the many subgenre changes Wilco made in their career, or even spend some quiet time with Brian Eno. I felt "grown up," like I was finally getting my shit figured out in the adult world.

Then Overkill released Electric Age and I blew up into tiny pieces. Going back to this music for the first time in almost ten years was memorable. I also have to credit That Metal Show, with all its follies, for getting me back up to speed with the talent. Then I came here to learn even more. Heavy metal has been 90% of my daily listening habits since 2012 and guess what? I'm still growing up more than ever.

Besides, doesn't this music just help you get through shit in life more than any other??

While I'm admittedly not seeking out "new music" as much as I used to, I still enjoy the metal I have and don't see that changing anytime soon. Sure, I might not listen to the more thrashier stuff I did when I worked out regularly, but I still want to hear Slayer every now and then.

As I get older and "popular" music gets more and more awful to my ears, it's only natural that I fall back to the music that comforts me. Which is hard rock and heavy metal. And there is more than enough variety in that category to keep me happy.

My dad just turned 69 and he still listens to the same 50's & 60's rock n' roll he enjoyed when he was younger. Why shouldn't I do the same?

When I was a kid just discovering metal, my mom kept telling me it was just a phase and I'd grow out of it. She said this all through my childhood up until one day I asked her what she listened to when she was my age. Her answer was the Beatles, the doors, etc...I then asked her what she listened to now, already knowing the answer. The answer? the Beatles, the doors etc etc...Then I asked her if she was going to grow out of her phase that I'm sure my grandmother said she was going through, and she never said that to me again.

I'll always be a metalhead till the day I die. I don't seek out new bands near as much as I used to, but the ones I have are a part of who I am and I'll never just stop listening to them. I'm not closed off to finding new music, but it has to be something really good to pry money out of my pocket.

It's common in pop music to like the latest thing and listen to it for awhile. Then forget it and move on to something else. People consider music like it's a movie - "this one was fun in the summer of 1993, but now there is a different thing". They just don't understand music can possibly resonate on a deeper level.

I pretty much listen to the same stuff as when I was a teen. However, my taste has expanded to just about everything but country and rap. And I hated New Wave when I was a kid but love it now. But still crankin' metal, listened to MegaDeth on the way to work this morning.

I don't think too many people "grow out" of metal, but I do know of plenty who only like metal of a certain era.

I have spoken to some people who knew people that listened to a fair bit of metal growing up, and a number of years later, they do still like metal. However, the only metal they still listen to is the metal they grew up on, and nothing else. They have not heard any of the newer metal bands, and seem to have no interest in them. Even the newer albums by the old guard, the bands they grew up loving, they have no interest in hearing what they're like (in some cases, they're better off not having heard them, but many of them still make great albums).

Anyways, I do know of some people who are like this for some other kinds of music, such as jazz, rap, etc. They only have interest in a certain era of it. They'll check out some newer stuff in some genres, but not others.

Fat Freddy wrote:

I get that occasionally from co-workers to this day. "You don't look like a metal dude,"...

I've received the "You don't look like the type of guy who listens to metal" comment before.

Given that I have short brown hair, wear glasses, and almost always wear "normal" clothes to work, I guess they envision all metal fans having long hair, wearing bullet belts and/or denim vests with metal band patches on them, etc.

I do remember being kind of shocked many years back getting complimented on my Sepultura - Beneath the Remains shirt by a man with short, graying hair that appeared to be in his mid to late 40s at a gas station once. It was really cool.

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Given that I have short brown hair, wear glasses, and almost always wear "normal" clothes to work, I guess they envision all metal fans having long hair, wearing bullet belts and/or denim vests with metal band patches on them, etc.

Same here. I cut my hair off more than 20 years ago, I also wear glasses, and I wear golf shirts and khakis to work.

I only own a couple of concert t-shirts nowadays (one Kiss, one Overkill, and one Iron Maiden) so I don't even get all "metalled up" on the weekends anymore. I'm such a poser!

I actually own many metal band shirts, but I rarely ever wear them to work.

I'm not an only metal listener but I can't see it not being a big part of my listening until I go deaf or die.

I am almost 50, still love music and will do so til the day, too old rock n roll, man kiss my ass!

Seriously????

Look to the left of this post, second line under the avatar.


Have my tastes changed over the decades?  Sure. 
Do they include "mellower" music I used to shun?  Yes.
Do I listen to AOR?  Occasionally.

But has my love of hard music diminished?  HELL NO!!!!!

I listen to weirder shit now than I ever would have considered when I was younger.  My basic love of hard/heavy music has simply expanded to include other types of music but I sure as hell don't see myself ever restricting my listening habits to something as limiting as AOR.  Or anything for that matter; I find that the older I get, the more open I am to other styles of music. But my basic love is and always will be hard and heavy rock!

Yes I am.

But there again I do a lot of shit that I'm too old to do and I've no intention of stopping!

Required Fields wrote:

I have spoken to some people who knew people that listened to a fair bit of metal growing up, and a number of years later, they do still like metal. However, the only metal they still listen to is the metal they grew up on, and nothing else. They have not heard any of the newer metal bands, and seem to have no interest in them. Even the newer albums by the old guard, the bands they grew up loving, they have no interest in hearing what they're like (in some cases, they're better off not having heard them, but many of them still make great albums).

My cousin is exactly like this. He was just as much a metalhead as I ever was while growing up. Played guitar, and got really good. Played in some bands, always looking out for music. Now he couldn't be bothered with anything new. Still loves his old stuff, and the old bands, but has no clue a lot of them are still putting out music. Last time I saw him I put Nostradamus on the stereo and he was shocked that Priest was still around. He probably has no clue they've put out a few more albums since then lol

I just don’t get it really. How does age affect your musical tastes? People who say they grew up or got too old for metal were never true lovers of our music. I don’t see ever changing no matter how old I get.
Sure I’ve broadened my horizons the older I get and can enjoy the mellower stuff but I’ll still be jamming on the heavy stuff til I die.

That's the question to ask the 'once youthful' metal musicians -
who STILL somehow tour - 30 - 35 plus years later.
Me, I'm 5 years and 6 months away - from being 60 years old.
With that said - being on this site - lol - where are the older metal chicks !

All my life I've been over the top
I don't know what I'm doing
All I know is I don't wanna stop
All fired up, I'm gonna go till I drop
You're either in or in the way
Don't make me, I don't wanna stop - OZZY

Lari wrote:

It's common in pop music to like the latest thing and listen to it for awhile. Then forget it and move on to something else. People consider music like it's a movie - "this one was fun in the summer of 1993, but now there is a different thing". They just don't understand music can possibly resonate on a deeper level.

Good point.

Just a personal observation? I turned Fitty a couple of weeks ago. I am still in every pit, pulling kids into the center by doing the blender, sweating myself to oblivion at the front of the stage. And I am HELLA-FAT! I feel no different now than when I saw Kreator in 87, Circle Jerks in 86, Rogue Male in 85, WASP/Metallica in 84, or Loverboy in 83. But, then again, You all have kids, right? I know that some how makes a difference. It should not, but it does.

Required Fields wrote:

I don't think too many people "grow out" of metal, but I do know of plenty who only like metal of a certain era.

I have spoken to some people who knew people that listened to a fair bit of metal growing up, and a number of years later, they do still like metal. However, the only metal they still listen to is the metal they grew up on, and nothing else. They have not heard any of the newer metal bands, and seem to have no interest in them. Even the newer albums by the old guard, the bands they grew up loving, they have no interest in hearing what they're like (in some cases, they're better off not having heard them, but many of them still make great albums).

Anyways, I do know of some people who are like this for some other kinds of music, such as jazz, rap, etc. They only have interest in a certain era of it. They'll check out some newer stuff in some genres, but not others.

True. I know I have posted about a friend of my best bud who stopped listening to anything new after 1992 or so. He won't even listen to anything new from an old fave. I can't think of a time when I won't want to buy the new Overkill or Chastain or Dokken album. I still seek out new (old) music from the 80's and 90's. In the last month I discovered 3 new bands (Tyton, Wild Dogs, Railway) and bought albums and CD's from the first 2 and have the third in my Ebay want list.