By Stephen Smoot
The generation of Americans born between the final phases of the Vietnam War and the opening of the presidency of Ronald Reagan inspired the application of endless tons of ink and required the sacrifice of endless trees in the era of hard copy journalism.
Those of the Baby Boomer age, who created the media and social obsession with generations, wrote early and often as they watched their progeny grow up.
What they called “Generation X” endured persistent analyses, many half-baked. Those of that time grew up in an era shaped by an intentional period of cultural calm. Musicians moved from protest music and drug inspired tunes to the mellow strains of what was later called “yacht rock” and pop country.
Generation X kids remember Kenny Rogers singing love ballads penned by Lionel Ritchie and songs softly sung about the hard edges of rural life. They mostly forgot his brief “acid rock” dalliance with the First Edition.
The most memorable films of the era came from earnestly written and produced works about the past, or fiction that drew heavily upon those tropes. Screwball comedies founded on treating traditions and institutions with irreverence balanced the Hollywood messages of the time.
Audiences flocked to see films like Patton, The Outlaw Josey Wales, and Star Wars, but also loved Blazing Saddles, Caddyshack, Porky’s, and Trading Places.
Generation X could be broken down into subsections based on the music they chose in their youth. From 70s and 80s classic and hard rock, to European inspired synth pop, to heavy metal, rap, and alternative, every few years kids from the era seemed to latch onto the latest genre. Parents, educators, and elected officials feared the energy and angst that pervaded what their kids listened to way back when.
Since the 80s and 90s, the children of that era have matured into a cadre of adults sandwiched between the social aspirations and beliefs of older baby boomers and younger millennials and others.
That generation also had a different life experience than those who came before or after. Children of that era spent a lot of time outside of adult supervision, getting into, or narrowly avoiding, trouble. They fell and skinned their knees, but took care of it themselves. Many made themselves and their siblings dinner and washed clothes because their parents worked later. They watched cable television, not streaming on their phone. Urban kids hung out in malls while country kids took advantage of cheap gasoline to “cruise” their hometowns.
This created an, overall, extremely self-reliant and self-confident generation.
Generation X directed the irreverence they learned from film culture at institutions and other aspects of American society that they felt had not bothered to earn their respect.
Their main contrast with those who came both before and after, however, came in a deep reverence for their grandparents. Generation X grew up on stories of childhoods in the Great Depression and early adulthoods spent fighting Germany, Japan, and Italy, or North Korea. Generation X respected Vietnam veterans much more than the Baby Boomers themselves did during the war.
The cultural anger of a Twisted Sister, Tupac Shakur, Metallica, or Soundgarden song has given way to the ethos behind the dominant phrase of the time, which was a rhetorical form of “excrement happens.”
At the time, sociologists saw the adoption of that two word maxim as a sign of social trouble, evidence of a generation that cared for nothing important. The belief behind that phrase actually leads to a mindset of prioritizing what can be affected and understanding that much of life lies outside an individual, a group, or humanity’s control.
In other words, an earthy version of “the serenity prayer.”
Paisley brings music that combines serious themes with a gentle and sweet irreverence. Like his generation, he wants listeners to know that serious subjects deserve serious treatment, but that he does not take himself too seriously.
Respect for the wisdom of elders pervades much of his music. In “When I Get to Where I’m Going,” Paisley yearns for a little more time with his beloved grandfather. It also reminds listeners that death never serves as the end, only a door into what God has planned for His children.
“Waitin’ On a Woman” tells the story of a happy old husband sharing the virtue and value of patience for the woman a man chooses to spend his life with.
Social criticism always aims up, such as when he fires his brand of wit at the Hollywood media and entertainment culture. Paisley also understood that the divisiveness of politics could only affect how people perceive both him and his music, so he stays away from such topics.
Few in the generations that have come after understand why some realms need to remain free of politics and ideology.
Paisley’s respect for the traditions of his field extended to building a fun partnership with “Little” Jimmy Dickens from the Raleigh County town of Bolt. His comedic take on country music earned him a spot in the Grand Ol’ Opry and the Country Music Hall of Fame. Paisley and Dickens performed and recorded together, their chemistry reminiscent of Roy Clark and his collaborators on and off of the Hee Haw television program.
When Dickens died, Paisley penned a social media tribute that ended with “do not mourn Little Jim. Celebrate him, Relive and share the memories. Aspire to be like him. And above all, laugh at the punchlines, the craziness, and the way he so gracefully made this planet a funnier, better, richer place while he was alive.”
In other words, live a life of serious dedication and choose the hard path toward real happiness rather than the easy one that makes one “feel good” in the moment. Excel in one’s field, but the more accolades one gets, the more humble one should remain. Respect the best of the past, but do not defer to anyone or anything that does not warrant it.
Live a life of Aristotlean moderation, except when it comes to love and joy.
And, most of all, love God, your country, your family, and stay proud of where you came from.
As Generation X enters its middle age, as time has washed away the emotions and uncertainties of youth, these have cemented themselves as the values of that generation.
And no one expresses them better than Brad Paisley of Glen Dale, West Virginia.