Two things about this social phenomenon strike me. First is the obvious irony of pretending that new things are old to make them feel legitimate. Faux-vintage is, of course, illegitimate by all accounts.
But even our love affair with the genuinely old sits uneasily with me. Yes, The Beatles may very well have hit the peak of pop musical development for the foreseeable future. However, our more gratuitous nostalgic tendencies are also so well-cultivated that they overcrowd the patch of dirt where the new and improved might otherwise blossom.
(Speaking of gratuitous, how do you like that metaphor? Or this attempt at a witty aside? Oh, self-reference, my favorite modern invention.
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