I was listening this morning to the song 20th Century Man from The Kinks. Released in 1971 — don’t do the math, it’s a long time ago– it is a song of a man decrying his existence in a time in which he feels he doesn’t fit. Ray Davies may have felt that he would have been more at home in the 19th century but the odd thing is that the song’s words still fit very well for someone like myself whose life consists of mostly time spent in the 20th century.
Even though we’re well into the 21st century– that new century smell has pretty much worn off by now– I am still basically a 20th century man.
It struck me that the next generation that is quickly coming of age and into their own will be a group born in the 21st century, never experiencing a second in that distant time. I never gave that a thought before but their time will be spent entirely in a time unlike mine or people of my age. The 20th century might be just a distant thing to them, a source of old people’s memories and dry historic fact.
Relics.
And maybe that’s a good thing. I don’t know. For as pivotal as the 20th was in so many ways, it was mightily flawed and maybe trying to see the world beyond its lenses will be refreshing.
Hey, let me hope, okay?
So for this Sunday Morning Music here are The Kinks and 20th Century Man. The accompanying photo which jumped off the screen at me is from the great German photographer August Sander who I will be discussing here in the near future.
Have a great Sunday and enjoy your time in the 21st Century…
Redtree Times 