Portal on the Past

I think it is funny that technology now gives me better access to the culture of my youth than I had at the time. I love to now watch videos of rock songs that I don't remember getting a chance to see as a kid on the few TV teens shows in my youth. Now, 50 years later, the stuff is at my fingertips. It is delightful that technology is able to resurrect what I didn't really get to experience the first time around. On the other hand, these old bones of mine just don't have the youthful zest to appreciate the performance as much as they should. As well as aging, some of the joy is gone because I've been jaded by the increased sophistication of our culture (and of myself) over the last few decades.

Here's Dusty Springfield with a fine rendition of the Burt Bacharach song (Hal David lyrics), Wishin' and Hopin'.



And here's a less famous singer, Leslie Gore, who wrote her own songs. I don't ever remember seeing her as a kid but I sure remember the music because a friend had an older sister who had a stack of 45s of her songs. Now, with YouTube technology, I get to see the performances and, through Wikipedia, I get to learn more about her than I really need to know. I guess it is cheating, because I'm thinking retrospectively of her life and art. When you are young it is all ahead of you and its all big, new, and mysterious.