When Was the First Party that You've Attended?

"Dad, how old were you when you first attended a party?"

Wow, let me think.

It was almost 40 years ago! I was only 11, in 1982, when I started spending my summer vacations at the house of the family of my late uncle Kúya Edmund (Aranzamendez) in Better Living Subdivision, in Bicútan, Parañaque. He and his friends had a group called TRoPa '82 and a mobile disco named Metrou. It was in that summer or maybe the next when they first took me with them to one of those so-called New Wave house parties held in Annex 16-18 of the subdivision.

"Were there lots of people, Dad?"

Oh yes, friends of friends of friends usually attended. Sometimes, there were even gatecrashers. When teenagers in the subdivision learned of a coming party in the area, they just went there.

"Like in the movie Valley Girls that we watched, Dad?"

Yes, but without the bullying part. Fortunately, seldom were there fights. Most just wanted to have a great time, meeting people and enjoying and dancing with the music.

"What songs were playing at the party, Dad?"

New Wave music, of course. It was the 1980s! Two songs that always reminded me of that party were "In the Big Country" by Big Country and "Transfer Affection" by A Flock of Seagulls.

"I wish I was already there with you, Dad!"

Well, those were some of the happy days of my life. We could only relive them with music.

Every time we play these CDs, just imagine my younger days.

Here are some of the albums that soundtracked those parties that I attended in the early '80s, mostly in 1982 to 1985. These were some of the favorite New Wave bands in that period.

*Modern English - After the Snow (1982)

* Duran Duran - Rio (1982)

* Aztec Camera - High Land, Hard Rain (1983)

* Siouxsie & the Banshees - Juju (1981)

* The Fixx - Shuttered Room (1982)

* Fiction Factory - Throw the Warped Wheel Out (1984)

* A Flock of Seaguls - Listen (1983)

* Blue Zoo - 2 x 2 (1983)

* Big Country - The Crossing (1983)

* Depeche Mode - Speak & Spell (1981)

* The The - Soul Mining (1983)

* Spandau Ballet - True (1983)

* Tears for Fears - The Hurting 

* U2 - War (1983)

* Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark - Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (1980)

* Siouxsie & the Banshees - The Scream (1978)

Why Do Many Humans Become Less Interested in New Music as They Grow Older?

Because as humans grow older, their interests, focus, and priorities in life change.

When a person is in his teens especially, the sense of discovery and craving for something new is normally at its peak (After all, in human development, childhood and youth are the stages when an individual is most impressionable and excited for new things to experience); so, most people, when asked what kind of music they think are the best, claim that the music during their youthful days are the best; whereas the current, lackluster; but this is not true. They simply could no longer feel moved by new music because their sense of discovery had already waned and their budget for hobbies (like in school days) is now better allotted on family needs (They have become the providers of necessities and the payers of bills, tuition fees, kids' school allowances, etc.), so they have also become out of touch and could no longer catch up. 

Yes, the claim that there is no more good music these days is incorrect. There will always be good music, from any given generation since the beginning of recorded music's commercial availability. It's just that the older people become less interested, jaded, and have lesser money to spend on it.

Even many musicians I know have gotten stuck with the music of their heyday; they find liking new stuff difficult now.

Personally, I chose to become a music journalist, reviewer, and collector--this is primarily the reason I remain in touch with new releases. Add to that, being an album reviewer, I get to receive lists of upcoming releases and advanced copies of those that I want to review, from my publisher and from record labels; more so, being in Canada, where there are still a good number of record shops, I could buy music regularly. Most importantly, I have long developed a strong passion for music of various genres, so I always crave for it. If not for these, then I might have been among those who have long become outdated and jaded.

Lastly, in the current generation, there are already a lot of accessible forms of entertainment--no longer only a few that include music. So, younger kids have lots of choices. Music is no longer a top priority. Even if it is, there are already lots of platforms where one could listen to it anywhere, anytime. 

We cannot stop cultural evolution. We could only try to, at least, hold on to some of it and try to the best we can to influence our friends to stay excited or inspired in learning new items of culture such as books, films, and music.

Return to Blogging

Since the popularity of Facebook, I slowly began writing my musings on it, primarily because I find it more interactive. However, there were days when I miss the solitary feeling that blogging had given me especially during the years when I was still heavily writing on it.

So now, I decided to return to blogging, just to see where this will take me.

I want to feel again the quietude while writing with my thoughts. No quick comments, and not much traffic.

If being on Facebook feels like I am in a busy marketplace, blogging gives me the sight of myself's being in a quiet place, alone, with only my pen and journal, like how I always used to be.

I just couldn't sleep, so I logged on here, after four years!

Now that I've written my first blog...again, I'm going to sleep now. I still have work tomorrow.

aLfie