Yearning for the Past

As I have previously attested to, I loved the film Midnight in Paris. One of the most interesting aspects of the film is how it looks at the common nostalgia many feel for past generations that they believe were more interesting, more socially relevant, had better music or an altogether better scene. I can completely relate to the main character in the film and his lust for the 1920's Jazz Era and its carefree, party attitude a la, The Great Gatsby. However, what really struck me was how this past weekend my little sister commented that she wished that she had been around for the music scene in the 1990's.

I was born in 1981 so was a teen throughout the 90's. It was just so funny as I remember being 14 (the same age my sister is now) and thinking that the 90's were kinda lame, but the 70's seemed like such an amazing time, particularly after I watched Dazed and Confused and then later Velvet Goldmine. While I was really into the alternative artists of the 1990's (Nirvana, Hole, Soundgarden, Green Day etc), I was also discovering more and more amazing artists from the 70's such as Bowie, Iggy Pop, The Clash, Black Sabbath, Fleetwood Mac, Led Zeppelin etc.  I began to link together how they had influenced the bands of the 1990's. After my love affair with the 70's, I moved on to the 80's where I obsessed over 80's Bowie tunes and the likes of the New Wave era which included The Smiths, The Cure and New Order, again seeing how those bands also influenced many of the bands of the 2000's. Watching the film 24 Hour Party People helped to cement this. Now I am in love with the 1960's, particularly the fashion and styling more so then the music...although the music is really great too. Again my passion for the 60's has been fueled by films such as Breakfast at Tiffany's, Bedazzled (1967), An Education, Factory Girl and of course, the series Mad Men.

This all brings me to question whether a great segment of the population is just predestined to be unsatisfied with our current era? Do you find yourself longing for a past decade, feeling like you would have been better suited to live in that time?

Here is a sampling of some of my favorite actual figures and portrayals of the last few decades:

The 60's

 The Rolling Stones

 Audrey Hepburn

 The Beatles

Brigette Bardot (done-up and casual)

Warhol muse, Edie Sedgwick

Catherine Deneuve

The 70's

Dazed and Confused

 Iggy Pop

 The Sex Pistols

David Bowie

The 80's

 The Cure

 New Order

The Smiths

The 90's

Oh, Kurt and Courtney

Nirvana. I actually had this poster above my bed in junior high.

Early 90's Green Day...well before American Idiot.

Soundgarden

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