On Phil Collins...

[Regular Joe]

"In The Air Tonight" still pumps me up like I'm wearing a lavender suit and am about to bust up a major coke buy.

Hell yes.

Also, the Genesis video with the puppets was a joy of mine when I was a whippersnapper.

that video gave me nightmares.

This was one of two videos that would always be playing when I'd be getting ready for elementary school. It was haunting! The other one was that George Harrison video where all the furniture in the room starts rocking along with him (which at the time the single most amazing feat of technology imaginable. I would wonder to myself "how is he making the chest of drawers dance ?! Is this sorcery?").

[jamesp]

"In The Air Tonight" still pumps me up like I'm wearing a lavender suit and am about to bust up a major coke buy.

Hell yes.

Also, the Genesis video with the puppets was a joy of mine when I was a whippersnapper.

that video gave me nightmares.

This was one of two videos that would always be playing when I'd be getting ready for elementary school. It was haunting! The other one was that George Harrison video where all the furniture in the room starts rocking along with him (which at the time the single most amazing feat of technology imaginable. I would wonder to myself "how is he making the chest of drawers dance ?! Is this sorcery?").

Yeah that "Land of Confusion" video gave me the creeps. Those puppet faces are just too frightening. But I loved that George Harrison video for "I Got My Mind Set on You."

I was never a Phil Collins fan, but I do like the Police and Coldplay. I just don't think any of the three mix well with hip hop. What was the last good rap/rock collaboration that wasn't just a mash-up?

[JonFromMaplewood]

Imagine if you will:

You are fifteen or so and do not yet care whether a musical artist has hipster cred.
Lights finally go down at Madison Square Garden.
Crowd goes insane.
Drums beat in the dark. No other instruments. Just drums.
Lights at stage level shine up at the drum risers. The two drummers' shadows loom a good 40-feet high on the white curtain behind them.
The drummers are Phil Collins and Chester Thompson, banging away the opening of "I Don't Care Anymore."
The experience is overwhelming.

Who did that happen to?  Ha ha. No, not me. That guy was Mitch Cumstein...my roommate.

[John Junk 2.0]

Imagine if you will:

You are fifteen or so and do not yet care whether a musical artist has hipster cred.
Lights finally go down at Madison Square Garden.
Crowd goes insane.
Drums beat in the dark. No other instruments. Just drums.
Lights at stage level shine up at the drum risers. The two drummers' shadows loom a good 40-feet high on the white curtain behind them.

Sorry, but my fifteen year old self would've already recognized this as lame.

But it's okay for other people to enjoy themselves, I guess.

[<<<<<]

I was fairly close-minded about music at fifteen.

Phil Collins out, Iron Maiden in.

I mean, c'mon, Phil didn't even have hair.   

[JonFromMaplewood]

I was fairly close-minded about music at fifteen.

Phil Collins out, Iron Maiden in.

I mean, c'mon, Phil didn't even have hair.  

I'm starting to get the feeling that we have an age difference here.  I am 39-years-old.  John Junk and Angstrom, I assume that you are younger.  When I saw Phil in concert, he actually did have a little artistic credibility still lingering. It was waning, but still there.  Any semblance of credibility was mostly due to pre-"Invisible Touch" Genesis.  That reputation had been slowly slipping away with each album since Peter Gabriel left..."A Trick of the Tail" is great if you are a fan of early Genesis, but by the time of their self titled album, it was getting hard to justify listening.

In sum, Phil Collins had more hair when I was fifteen than when you were fifteen.

(And btw, I'm bald.  What you got against us bald folks, Junior?)   : )

[Bryan]

But it's okay for other people to enjoy themselves, I guess.

This is clearly untrue.

[Shaggy 2 Grote]

Sorry, but my fifteen year old self would've already recognized this as lame.

But it's okay for other people to enjoy themselves, I guess.

This reminds me of one of my more ridiculous marital arguments - I insisted to my wife that, even at 9 years old (or whenever it was), the familial relationship triangle between Darth Vader, Luke Skywalker, and Princess Leia was contrived.  She was not hearing it, in no small part because I was insulting her 9-year-old self, who thought it was an awesome reveal.

[iAmBaronVonTito]

my 9 year-old self considered it strange and confusing.  lots of new feelings.

[gravy boat]

Sorry, but my fifteen year old self would've already recognized this as lame.

But it's okay for other people to enjoy themselves, I guess.

This reminds me of one of my more ridiculous marital arguments - I insisted to my wife that, even at 9 years old (or whenever it was), the familial relationship triangle between Darth Vader, Luke Skywalker, and Princess Leia was contrived.  She was not hearing it, in no small part because I was insulting her 9-year-old self, who thought it was an awesome reveal.

I wonder if she was lucky enough to see it on the first day.  That news swept through my elementary school like pinkeye. 

BTW - my wife -- who otherwise had a pretty normal upbringing-- has steadfastedly refused to ever watch any of the Star Wars movies because she doesn't like sci-fi.

[Shaggy 2 Grote]

Sorry, but my fifteen year old self would've already recognized this as lame.

But it's okay for other people to enjoy themselves, I guess.

This reminds me of one of my more ridiculous marital arguments - I insisted to my wife that, even at 9 years old (or whenever it was), the familial relationship triangle between Darth Vader, Luke Skywalker, and Princess Leia was contrived.  She was not hearing it, in no small part because I was insulting her 9-year-old self, who thought it was an awesome reveal.

I wonder if she was lucky enough to see it on the first day.  That news swept through my elementary school like pinkeye. 

BTW - my wife -- who otherwise had a pretty normal upbringing-- has steadfastedly refused to ever watch any of the Star Wars movies because she doesn't like sci-fi.

I had it spoiled pretty early too, by an uber-nerd uncle who was doing stuff like going to ComicCon before it was-- well, not cool exactly, but whatever it is now.  She's from rural Indiana, and back then stuff would move pretty slowly through the cultural pipeline.  Luckily for me, she loves sci-fi and fantasy and even likes comics (though not to my insane degree).  Arguably she has better taste in comics than me, in fact; every Christmas she pops into the comic shop and gets me something that catches her eye, which is how I've gotten into stuff like the Norwegian cartoonist Jason or the French cartoonist Lewis Trondheim.  She hates Westerns, James Bond, and sports to a semi-irrational degree, but I can live without most of those.  Every so often I've got to talk her into some classic Western that I feel like an ignoramus for not having seen, but otherwise: smooth sailing!

[iAmBaronVonTito]

its hard to find girls (who arent socially inept) who are into sci-fi, relatively speaking.  but when you do, its awesome. 

[<<<<<]

(And btw, I'm bald.  What you got against us bald folks, Junior?)   : )

Nah, not in the least.  Just was making light of how long hair corresponded with being "badass" when I was fifteen is all.  There is an age difference, but it really isn't too bad.  (I'm 33.)   

[Shaggy 2 Grote]

Yeah, I should stress here that my wife is not, like, dressing up as Boba Fett and going to conventions and stuff.  She just likes the movies.

[John Junk 2.0]

I'm 30.  I will concede that my  6-year-old-self may have been thrilled if he went to this concert with your 15-year-old self.  At age 6 I had yet to even enter my big-fan-of-CATS-the-musical phase.