the march of time

I am working on a production of Sound Of Music right now (pray for me) and during a rehearsal with the kids we were talking about the fact that pre 1950's the whole concept of teenager, let alone tween, didn't exist. You were a child and then you were an adult, no stops in between. Kids couldn't wait to grow up. Ah , how things have changed. Since the 60's many adults cling to thoughts of youth, Peter Pan rules the world. Chubby middle aged guys still parade around in jeans and T- shirts! Imagine that. The Monkees , that pre fab teen sensation of the late 60's were obviously created in a lab somewhere in Southern California just for me. I was 12, 13 years old head over heels in love with the Rock and Roll and here was a lovable band of musical knuckleheads delivered to my living room every week. (mondays at 7 if I remember correctly) Right from the start I was a fan of Mike Nesmith, I was enamored at first I think by his sideburns, something of a hippie Mutton chop. My parents had a salad serving set and the spoon from that set when placed against the cheek gave a satisfying simulation of said side burn. Loved the songs he sang, loved them even more when I discovered he wrote some of them. My admiration only grew years later when he introduced his video show Elephant Parts, a collection of sketches and songs, that rang in the era of Music Video. Late he also became a novelist and all round nice guy entrepreneur. The other day I cam across this clip of him accepting an award. At first I was taken back by how old he had gotten , but listening to his remarks I was reminded of what a talented ,forward thinking, charming guy he is. And you know what? It's more than okay that he looks like an old guy- he was 68 when that was filmed! I'm still dressed in jeans and a T shirt (Beatles Abbey Road album cover) but maybe some day I'll dress like a grown up