I USED TO BE COOL

Submitted by David Wright on July 22, 2008 - 22:41

I used to be cool. While my formative years were spent in geekish pursuits such as listening to heavy metal, playing Dungeons & Dragons and reading comic books, (which are all considerably cooler pursuits these days), I didn’t hit my cool stride until I was in my 20’s. It was during that time that my musical tastes and collection had earned me street cred among all the cool people. I listened to artists and bands years before most of my friends heard of them. I’d gone from high school outcast to the cool go-to guy for all music related questions.

Want to know what that cool trip hop song in the commercial was? Ask Dave. Want to create the PERFECT mix tape for any occasion, Ask Dave!

I was like some revered character from the movie, High Fidelity. I took this honor seriously and cultivated it, reading and listening to anything I could get my hands on, always staying on the cutting edge of what was cool.

Somewhere along the way, I began to lose that coolness.

With marriage and adult responsibilities (read: bills). I couldn’t keep up with the ever-evolving music scene. Even if I could, who was left to impress? I’d moved away from my friends and all the cool indie record stores. I am now married and don’t need to impress women with my musical knowledge anymore (not that any were ever that impressed to begin with). Despite all this, I still listen to cool music, and like to think I still have a sense of what all the “cool kids” are listening to.

Recently, though, something happened which convinced me that I’m holding onto a fading past and I am in fact, no longer cool.

That realization came the other day, in the shower oddly enough, when I found myself singing (…brace yourself…) a Veggie Tales song! (I shuddered a bit as I typed that) Yes, not only children’s music, but Christian children’s music, which (no offense to Christians) is about as far from cool as you can get.

Somewhere, the Music Gods are demanding that I turn in my music collection.

Before you start thinking that this was some voluntary transition, it wasn’t.

My indoctrination to the stylings of the friendly singing vegetables with a wholesome Christian message came via my one year old son, who absolutely loves listening to their CD in the car. Try as I might to avoid it, over time, the songs GOT INTO MY HEAD!

It started innocently enough with me humming along in the car. Gradually, I started singing along in the car because my son seemed to enjoy daddy’s singing. I have absolutely no excuse for singing Veggie Tales songs in the shower, though.

So, if you have a question about what’s cool in music these days, ask someone else; someone younger. I have forfeited the right to be known as That Guy. I am consigned to the fact that I will never be cool again. I am now a Veggie-Tales singing dorky dad.

Well, at least one person still thinks I’m cool, and that’s my son. And I’ll take that over all the street cred in the world any day of the week.

Besides, it won’t be long before he is listening to some outrageous music that I’m just not cool enough to “get.”

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