Ok, I am a child of the '70s, maybe even of the '80s. Why do I offer that up front piece of nostalgic date bait? Because I have to not only inform the reader, but also remind myself that I come from a different time. Now, that in and of itself has no value. Let's be clear, I am not the kind of guy who walks around yelling, "Old school, baby! Old school". I for sure see the value of new technology and of new trends in all sorts of things, and not just new music or new music gear.
For example, I recently went on a nostalgic whim and jumped out and bought a late '80s mountain bike. I had been looking at bike builds on Pinterest (huh? Pinterest...told ya'. Im woke y'all) and was all sorts of stoked about all this old iron being brought back to life. So, I jumped on Craigslist and scored a beautiful Mountain Klein. Great shape and all original save the saddle and tires. It is nothing short of breath taking. Also, It was only $200! Back in '89 I could not have even dreamed of owning this bike. Once on my bike rack, I was sending pics to all my buddies and trying to organize an "old iron" bike ride. There were absolutely no takers....at all. None! Yet, I was not to be denied my blaze of old glory. I loaded it up and took it to my next little group ride. Let me tell you that the stoke of owning a Mountain Klein faded pretty quickly my friends. After years of riding modern mountain bikes, I had forgotten how basic first generation mountain bikes were. They were basically expensive road groupos bolted onto stiffer frames, with fatter tires added, and flat bars. The ride was brutal. Harsh and unforgiving, this old iron beauty was anything but glorious by comparison.
So old school is just that in many instances. Old. Plain and simple. And as I sat in my truck pondering the nostalgic wash out I had just experienced, I realized that back in the day it was not the old stuff that got us stoked. It was the new emerging technologies of the day that stoked us. Like when Yamaha came out with the Mono-Shock, or when polyurethene wheel firs started appearing on skateboards. That was the trick stuff. That was the stuff that was "Bitchin' man!
The lesson is not lost on this old dude for sure. Because I'm not some old dude. I am the same wide eyed 13 year old that actually shed a small tear of overwhelming joy when he rollded that 1981 Yamaha YZ 125 off the show room floor. Water cooled man!, F'ing water cooled!! Color me stoked.
So then should I not be as stoked when I see that new Kemper modeling amp or when Fox released a new mountain bike shock? Yes! I should be. I should be 13 years old every time I walk into Guitar Center (humor me here) or a bike shop or skate shop or any shop that has stuff I dig.
Let us not get trapped in the glory of the old. While it is totally bitchin' to plug into a real '65 Blackface, it is also, and it some ways more, cool to plug into a Blackstar Silverline and dial up a Blackface tone from the endless menu of digital models. It is seriously cool.
So my friends young and old. Dont be less stoked today as you were yesterday. Keep a foot in what brought us here for sure. Honor the champions of days gone by but also keep an eye on the champions of tomorrow. For these too will become memories. These too will some day be "old school".
Until next time. Stay stoked my friends. Stay stoked.
For example, I recently went on a nostalgic whim and jumped out and bought a late '80s mountain bike. I had been looking at bike builds on Pinterest (huh? Pinterest...told ya'. Im woke y'all) and was all sorts of stoked about all this old iron being brought back to life. So, I jumped on Craigslist and scored a beautiful Mountain Klein. Great shape and all original save the saddle and tires. It is nothing short of breath taking. Also, It was only $200! Back in '89 I could not have even dreamed of owning this bike. Once on my bike rack, I was sending pics to all my buddies and trying to organize an "old iron" bike ride. There were absolutely no takers....at all. None! Yet, I was not to be denied my blaze of old glory. I loaded it up and took it to my next little group ride. Let me tell you that the stoke of owning a Mountain Klein faded pretty quickly my friends. After years of riding modern mountain bikes, I had forgotten how basic first generation mountain bikes were. They were basically expensive road groupos bolted onto stiffer frames, with fatter tires added, and flat bars. The ride was brutal. Harsh and unforgiving, this old iron beauty was anything but glorious by comparison.
So old school is just that in many instances. Old. Plain and simple. And as I sat in my truck pondering the nostalgic wash out I had just experienced, I realized that back in the day it was not the old stuff that got us stoked. It was the new emerging technologies of the day that stoked us. Like when Yamaha came out with the Mono-Shock, or when polyurethene wheel firs started appearing on skateboards. That was the trick stuff. That was the stuff that was "Bitchin' man!
The lesson is not lost on this old dude for sure. Because I'm not some old dude. I am the same wide eyed 13 year old that actually shed a small tear of overwhelming joy when he rollded that 1981 Yamaha YZ 125 off the show room floor. Water cooled man!, F'ing water cooled!! Color me stoked.
So then should I not be as stoked when I see that new Kemper modeling amp or when Fox released a new mountain bike shock? Yes! I should be. I should be 13 years old every time I walk into Guitar Center (humor me here) or a bike shop or skate shop or any shop that has stuff I dig.
Let us not get trapped in the glory of the old. While it is totally bitchin' to plug into a real '65 Blackface, it is also, and it some ways more, cool to plug into a Blackstar Silverline and dial up a Blackface tone from the endless menu of digital models. It is seriously cool.
So my friends young and old. Dont be less stoked today as you were yesterday. Keep a foot in what brought us here for sure. Honor the champions of days gone by but also keep an eye on the champions of tomorrow. For these too will become memories. These too will some day be "old school".
Until next time. Stay stoked my friends. Stay stoked.
