It seems that classic rock is here to stay. In 1973, when I was 15, I made a bet with my father. I wrote it out on a piece of paper and still have it tucked away in a drawer. The bet was that the band Jethro Tull would be popular for at least another five years. (Obviously, I won the bet—by a long shot. Jethro Tull made albums, toured, and remained popular for the next thirty-plus years.)
I’m quite smug about it, and reminded him about it over the years. But who was to know that so many groups and singers from the 50s, 60s, and 70s would attain classic rock status and feed the baby boomers’ need for nostalgia. Jethro Tull were cool and British. “Living in the Past,” one of their only hits, was in 5/4 time, and jazzy. That’s all I knew at the time. There was no way of predicting how long they would last.
My father was cynical when it came to pop culture fads. He had seen many things come and go—soda fountains, zoot suits, hula hoops and fallout shelters. To him Jethro Tull, with its quirky mix of folk-jazz-rock flute music, was yet another flash in the pan. Perhaps he also thought that the music from his generation was the true classic music, and everything that followed paled in comparison.
I also listed other bands that I liked and were popular at the time. They included Canadian bands April Wine and the Guess Who, along with Deep Purple, Santana, Led Zeppelin, and the Who. All were popular for decades after and remain popular (at least for baby boomers) to this day. They are played on classic rock stations around the world. It makes me wonder if today’s music will enjoy the same status forty years on. Will Arcade Fire and The Weekend still be popular in 2063? It’s a good question.
Rock ‘n Roll Forever, Toronto, 1981, is from the series: Toronto Days
Give yourself a photo assignment. A bit of structure can be helpful when taking photos; it gives you a set purpose.
There is something to be said for wandering around aimlessly with a camera looking for whatever grabs your eye. This is the mode I’m frequently in; to me it represents the ultimate freedom. Some of my more memorable photos, however, have come about as the result of a specific assignment.
When attending Ryerson in Toronto I did a project on popular culture. My assignment was to go out on Yonge Street and record as many instances of popular culture as I could find. It was a fun task. I photographed record shops, posters, cars, televisions, fashions, and fast food stores. It led to some interesting photos; shots I normally would not have taken—like this photo in a pinball arcade, for instance. I almost never went to arcades (one of my classmates was addicted to Pac Man) but the assignment gave me reason to go there.
So, if you find yourself in a creative rut, or simply want to try something new, give yourself a photo assignment. It could be stop signs, people wearing hats, triangular shapes, or environmental degradation; the list is endless. You may be pleasantly surprised at the results.
Arcade Scene, Toronto, 1981, is from the Facebook series: Toronto Days
Nostalgia can be described as a sentimental longing for the past. It comes from the Greek nostos (homecoming) and algos (pain) and is thought to have been derived from Homer’s The Odyssey.
With baby boomers reaching their senior years, nostalgia seems to be their drug of choice. Advertisers target boomers with Beatles music, retro fashions, and even long dead actors such as Marilyn Munroe selling perfume. While boomers seem to be lapping it up, not everyone is crazy about the nostalgia bug. Heather Havrilesky writes in The Washington Post, “While griping about boomer nostalgia has become a somewhat common art, the cultural impact of that nostalgia transcends mere annoyance. Through sheer repetition and force of will, boomers have so thoroughly indoctrinated us into their worldview that we all now reflexively frame most current affairs through the lens of another generation’s formative experiences.” Abbey Hoffman might say not to trust anyone under 50!
I myself am a baby boomer. Born in 1958, I was six years old when the Beatles came to North America. I sang “A Hard Day’s Night” in my Grade One classroom, watched the moon landing on a fuzzy black and white TV, and took my Diana camera to Expo ’67 in Montreal. While I have nostalgia for those early years, the time I miss most was when I was in my early twenties, studying photography at Ryerson in Toronto.
The photo at the head of this blog captures the time that I am nostalgic for. It was taken in my neighborhood in downtown Toronto in my first year of study. Everything was new and fresh, conversations were stimulating, photography was invigorating. Several of my classmates from that year became lifelong friends. Since returning to those days is impossible, I can make the journey with my retro photographs. It’s the next best thing.
Gerrard East and Ontario Street, Toronto, 1981, is from the series: Toronto Days
