Our Music Was Never Like This

Kids these days.

That phrase never wears out because as long as there are kids, there will be adults criticizing their clothes, their hair, their language, their hobbies, their music, just about everything they do.

I know plenty of adults who seem to have forgotten that they, too, once were kids.

I consider myself pretty tolerant of kids these days.

Frankly, as a parent of two teen-agers, I think my tolerance level is pretty high. They might disagree, but I certainly have not forgotten that I was a kid and I make an attempt to treat them that way.

My wife and I see eye-to-eye on this, which is a good thing.

We are pretty lenient about clothes and hair and music and time on the phone and time on the Internet and other stuff that really isn't going to make or break a kid one way or the other.

We save the battles for things like grades and chores - you know, the general responsibility issues.

But try as I may to remember that I was once a kid, and to be tolerant of modern trends and to not be the "kids-these-days" parent, rap music sends me over the edge.

Not all rap music. Just the vile, vulgar, sadistic, misogynistic, abusive type - I'll call it smut rap.

I know, I know. My parents said the same thing about my rock 'n' roll music.

I grew up listening to bands like Black Sabbath, Deep Purple, ZZ Top, Led Zeppelin and other heavy rockers.

It used to drive my parents crazy. They hated it.

But they hated it for a different reason than I hate smut rap.

They hated it because of the way it sounded. It grated on their ears.

They liked Lawrence Welk.

But I don't mind the way rap sounds. Actually it kind of makes you want to move.

And I don't mind the volume either. Crank it up. I don't care.

It's not the music of smut rap that really bugs me, it's the message.

I don't mean to assert that the message of rock 'n' roll was entirely pure and wholesome. Some of it was about sex and drugs, no question about that. My generation pretty much coined the phrase, "sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll."

But mostly, it was music about having a good time. It was music about the times.

Some of it had a dark side. I was trying to remember some of the most controversial mainstream rock 'n' roll. The one that stuck out in my mind the most was a song called "Don't Fear the Reaper" by a band called Blue Oyster Cult.

I seem to remember that song being the topic of some congressional hearing or something.

Anyway, the lyrics go like this:

"Seasons don't fear the reaper, nor do the wind and the sun and the rain. 40,000 men and women every day, come on baby, we can be like they are, come on baby, take my hand, we'll be able to fly, come on baby, don't fear the Reaper, baby I'm your man."

This was considered to be some of the most evil stuff on the radio. These guys were trying to incite mass suicide, critics said.

Now, compare and contrast that with Eminem's stuff. (Eminem is the rap guy who is up for four Grammy Awards - including album of the year, rap solo performance and rap album.)

I surfed up the Eminem lyrics.

I considered printing a few excerpts, with the asterisks (you know, f***) but you know what? I honestly couldn't find a way to do it without incensing half our readership.

The guy is a freak.

I mean he literally talks about raping his own mother and murdering his wife.

He completely degrades women and derides all authority.

It is some of the most bizarre stuff I have ever read.

Of course I am an ardent defender of his right to ply his trade, but what amazes me is how successful he is at it.

He has sold millions of CDs.

And so have lots of other rappers who routinely regale our youth with poems about sodomy, rape, drug and alcohol abuse, and all manner of assorted mayhem up to and including murder. All of it in graphic detail that makes even my journalism-drenched cynicism seem like naivete.

My gravest concern is why it is so attractive to so many of today's young people.

There have always been fringy artists who pushed the limits of acceptability. But they were just that - fringy. And on the fringe is where they belong.

But Eminem's madness is far from on the fringe. It is dead smack dab in the middle of the mainstream and kids are crying for more.

Explain this to me.

How can kids listen to this stuff and not be disturbed and offended? How can they listen to someone call his mother every vulgar expletive in the book and then talk about raping her and think it's cool? What is the attraction?

My hope is that it is just the shock value. The "Wow, did you hear what he said" factor.

For sure, this is not your father's rock 'n' roll.

My day's music had some low points, but none of it preached hate, intolerance and social deviance like some of the rappers of today.

And the edgy music of my day never achieved the level of acceptance, popularity or acclaim of today's smut rappers.

This Eminem cat is up for four Grammys. We are honoring this evangelist of aberrance.

I can hardly wait to see what the next generation of protest music will bring.