The Old Songs Are The Best

The Old Songs Are The Best is a phrase that many people use when they get older. I usually reply that at any given time 95% of music is at best forgettable , and it’s up to us to find that 5% , and I try hard to do that.

It’s the same with TV and film , if something is good , it is good.

I have known people who refuse to watch films because they are in black and white or have subtitles.

Throughout my life I have been denigrated because of my age ever since I passed 30.

As a kid I remember thinking people at 16 were old , although I have known 16 year olds going on 65, sitting in a pub in the corner nursing a half pint for the whole night.

I am 65 this year.

Many people think they look younger than their contemporaries , but I have never rated my looks , though I see people now who I think look old and think , they are probably twenty years younger than me.

I do a lot of walking and there is a guy who I often meet and thought he was maybe ten or fifteen years my senior. In a conversation he told me he was born in 1968 , which shocked me, he is ten years younger than me!

I was thinking of turning this into a poem, but this has gone on for a bit longer than I expected.

I’m probably in a better physical state than I have been for years, and mentally I am more than competent for work and creating things.

People can go on for a long time if they don’t allow themselves to get old. There isn’t much you can do about the body, apart from look after it the best you can, which is what I do, and I know everyone can’t look after themselves but I am lucky enough to be able to do this.

There is a saying which is roughly “You Get Old Because You Stop Playing” ., and I have been playing all my life and have no intention to stop.

There is a problem caused by the media that white men over a certain are creeps and predators. It’s because of this I would not presume to send a friend request to any woman, and think that people do see me as a threat if they don’t know me. They also think that because I am at my age I am losing my mind for no other reason than my age, and I know I am not the only one in this position.

The problem is there are a lot of predatory creeps out there , and to many that is me , because I fit in the box that they have defined for me.

If someone calls me old I cannot deny it.

If they then say I am losing it because I am old , I will challenge that , but will be met with the repetition that because I’m old I must be losing it. These critics don't want their image of me disproved.

The reality is that I am dynamic and fairly fit and a great friend to those that will have me. I care and look out for others and the age range of my friend is from 18 to 100 , in my opinion that makes me a good friend, but there are those who will label me a predatory creep.

So I love my friends , I love the time I spend with them , I try to care for them and be there if they need me and they do the same for me.

My body might be ageing , but my mind and soul are vibrant and in the now and always will be.

Going back to the musical point , part of today's 5% is Sam Fender , the “Shields Springsteen” so we gotta have “Seventeen Going Under” , an amazing song and video filmed about eight miles east of where I am typing.