My fourteen year old sister in-law loves Taylor Swift. She listens to her a lot and quotes her lyrics on her facebook wall because they are JUST SO MEANINGFUL. It makes me cringe.

And it makes me nostalgic.

This brings up an interesting point - shared musical nostalgia.

The only popular music I was ever into (at the time it was popular) was The New Kids on the Block (when I was 13 or 14). After that phase it was all Depeche Mode (pre-Violator) and the Cure (nothing post-Disintegration) and then it spiralled until I wouldn’t listen to anything new that was on a major label or played on the radio (pretty easy considering I lived in Fresno) or if there was more than 2 degrees of separation between me and any one band member. I read and subscribed to a huge number of ‘zines, MMR was my bible, I silk-screened my own band t-shirts and I made fun of anyone who liked bands like Stone Temple Pilots. (Of course, in secret I loved Nirvana and Smashing Pumpkins, but I felt justified because I had their first albums before they hit it big). So, I was the super-cool, non-conformist, DIY, punk-rock teenager. Now I’m 34, and where does that leave me? With absolutely no musical nostalgia that I can share with my peers. Nobody remembers all the random Central California/Bay Area bands I was into - I don’t even remember most of them. Hence why I get so excited when someone on here reminisces about Jawbreaker. To top it off, I had no exposure to cable tv until I was 17. When it comes to the pop culture of my teen years, I’m like a recently unfrozen caveman. So, don’t hate too much on the crap your kids listen to. When they’re adults, out in the adult world, it will be a common point of interest and embarrassment that they all listened to Taylor Swift or Lady Gaga or whatever.

15 years on and I’m still trying to find someone to share my Screeching Weasels shame.