How did I become "edgy"???

I seem to be out of step with popular music. People first accused me of this back in high school, when my taste changed in grade 11 from something close to my parents' to what is now called "classic rock" (but was simply "rock" or "progressive rock" back then).

Apparently, at the age of 42 (almost 43), I listen to "edgier" music than most people half my age. A case in point. I created a mix CD of music suitable for Halloween. I didn't think it was that "out there" (it had the Beatles, for heaven sake!) but apparently it was. I took it to Jimmy's Halloween party on Saturday. It didn't make it more than half way before someone asked to have it pulled. In it's place was some rather bland pop music CD.

So when did I become non-mainstream??? Me, of all people??? When I was in high school, what I listened to was pretty common. Nobody in my class admitted to listening to disco or pop. Rush was very popular. Led Zepplin, and The Who were also big. I never got into the Stones. I remember doing a movie for grade 12 Film Arts class and surprising my peers by using Pink Floyd for the theme music, not because Pink Floyd was strange but because they couldn't believe I was that "with it". Now stuff that's worse than late 70s disco is the rage while interesting alt-rock languishes on college radio.

I saw on one of the music stations up high on the digital tier mention of death metal. I used to know the names of a couple of death metal groups (though I never cared for it), but I hadn't heard of any of these. I remember when metal was played on mainstream stations (I may still have AC/DC's Back in Black on vinyl in the storage locker), now it's only played on the odd VH1 offshoot or late on a weekend night on classic rock stations. This is just more of the "lowest common denominator" trend I mentioned in my previous "Clear Channeling of America" post. Thank god for KXUL.

When Ashlee Simpson (the less talented sister of the horrible ditz Jessica Simpson) has the number one album on the charts, you know it's a sign of the Apocalypse.