Your Favorite Bands Are Now Dad Rock Music

Is your favorite music now considered Dad Rock?

When I say "Dad Rock" what bands come to mind? My 30 year old nieces and nephews would say Led Zeppelin, Rolling Stones. Maybe Motley Crue and Bon Jovi. What about Pearl Jam and Nirvana?  Yep - Dad Rock!

With the death of three prominent musical artists over the Labor Day weekend - Jimmy Buffet, Smash Mouth's Steve Harwell, and Gray Wright (may they all rest in peace, and find comfort in the amazing band they are joining) - maybe it's time to look at "Dad Rock," and how far back it can actually go.

Well some punk (you actually have to say that once you're at least 10 years older than someone who does something you don't like) kid made a video claiming that bands like My Chemical Romance, Linkin Park, Matchbox 20, Red Hot Chili Peppers, and Fall Out Boy are now DAD ROCK.

Whaaaaaat????

According to the Urban Dictionary, Dad Rock is basically just that: Rock music your dad listened to when he was young. According to that definition, that can span several decades, depending on how old your dad is.

But seriously - My Chemical Romance and Red Hot Chili Peppers?? 

In the 80's when we listened to oldies, it was 60's and 70's songs. 90's kids oldies were 70's and 80's. So by that loose scientific research, I have determined that music that is 20 - 30 years old, is now considered and "oldie." Yikes!

Now if you're 20, 25, 30 years old, your oldies are going to be relatively new. But the sad fact is that everything will soon be an old, dad rock song.

So dads, go ahead and put in that Linkin Park CD, and let the dad bod start happening! And know that your music IS, and always WILL be COOL!

Next up: Moms and Yacht Rock. It's going to be yachty!

Interesting, and possibly even ironic:  The kid who made the video is wearing a Metallica shirt...

A poll on "retro activities" you have never done, found out a few interesting things that might surprise you:

Seven percent of people have never used a printer,  10% have never used a wall calendar. and 11% have never bought a *physical* newspaper.

CES was just in Las Vegas with hundreds - maybe thousands - of the newest tech gadgets. You have to wonder if some of these items will one day be considered  "retro activities" your kids, or grandkids? Ok, ok - you're not THAT old. But you have to wonder.

Some of the interesting - and weird -items at CES:

Smart baby strollers that follow you, and give you more power going up a hill, or automatically brake if you're out of control (???).

A car with "mood paint" that supposedly knows your mood, or feelings, and changes color accordingly.

The aromatherapy shower head (which actually sounds really cool).

A cutting board with a screen - so you can watch videos, movies - and follow the recipe, while you dice carrots. And you don't want to  miss the TikTok video of someone pulling their own teeth.

SkyTed - a "disruptive sound absorbing open air mask." I can only say that you HAVE TO SEE how this works this, and you can do that here.

It's 2023, which means that you might have to be in your 40s to even remember a time BEFORE the Internet. There are some people who will NEVER know a time before the internet, because in there lifetime it has always been there.

And then there was some stuff that was only around, and popular for a few years - Friendster, Koosh balls, and Kirk Cameron  - they are all in danger of being forgotten completely.

A new poll asked people how often they did various "retro activities."  It included people of all ages - here's a rundown of what they found. And here's to the day DROPPED CALLS, and paying WAY TOO MUCH FOR PRINTER INK are retro activities!

-Carla Rea

It seems most of us actually have listened to a cassette. Only 6% have not. And if you still have some, bonus for you!

Photo: MarkPiovesan via Getty Images

Ten percent have never taken photos on a *non-disposable* camera that uses film. And then waited two weeks to get the pictures back.

Now it's something that is just left on our doorstep to recycle, but we used to use the Yellow Pages to look up a phone number. 13% of respondents have never used the Yellow Pages, and many didn't know they existed.

Photo: AtnoYdur via Getty Images

Pay phones (and phone booths) were everywhere at one time. 14% say they never used one.

Photo: Neal McNeil via Getty Images

"Everybody stay off the phone - I'm getting on the internet!" - in 10 minutes, as soon as it connects...  Surprisingly, 19% have never connected to the internet using a dial-up connection/modem. 

Photo: madsci via Getty Images

Twenty six percent of people have NEVER watched a black-and-white television. It was actually very cool.

Photo: Hulton Archive via Getty Images

A whopping 26% haven't owned, nor opened,  an encyclopedia. And for the record, we had the Funk and Wagnalls encyclopedia.

Photo: Mario Tama via Getty Images

Pagers were the cool thing to have before cell phones. Your bestie would page you "911" so you knew you'd have to get to a payphone right away to call them. Or they'd just send"80085" - which looked just like the actual word on a pager  - and you'd laugh and laugh! WOW - 73% have NEVER EVER used a pager. It was one of the simple pleasures - if you could afford it.

Photo: Comstock via Getty Images

Ahh yes, the typewriter  - which WAS modern technology at one time - 33% have never touched one! Then along came the Selectric, then the word processor, and BOOM - no more typewriter. Now where's my Whiteout?

Photo: creuxnoir via Getty Images

18% haven't used a physical road map. This one is very underappreciated.  The next time you're driving in an unfamiliar area with navigation on your cell phone, imagine trying to do it with a paper map. and then having to FOLD that map back up when you're done! Reading, and folding a road map is now a lost art.

Photo: Seltiva via Getty Images

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They really weren't around long, but 16% never used a floppy disc on a computer. Now we have thumb drives, or just simply computers that can store massive amounts of data. But floppy's make great coasters now.