Dr. Dog at Americaplatz

Last night I made my annual journey to Musikfest. I’ve been making the trip since I was rolling around in a stroller. Only difference now is I can finally weave through the beer tent and fill up my mug.

It occurred to me as I was riding into work this morning–using my steering wheel as an interim guitar to the sounds of Poison’s Don’t Need Nothin’ But a Good Time–that my generation grew up in what I’d like to call the Sweet Spot. Our music reflected these times. It was, quite frankly, just fun and happy. I think this revelation actually began taking root last night while I was watching the coverage of Michael Jackson’s tragic death.

His music was the keystone for our “Let’s have fun,” “Party all the time,” generation. I concluded that our music– as pop-y and unsophisticated as some of it was–could have been a result of our generation not having the threat of war hanging over our heads. Unlike many generations before us, the boys in my high school and young men of my college era were able to totally focus on building a life. There was no talk of a draft and no major political or foreign conflicts that would denote the prospect of a protracted war in those days. How idyllic.