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My Gen X Playlist: What’s My Age Again – Blink 182

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What’s the coolest thing you’ve ever found (and kept)?

When I was in my twenties, I moved to the Westside in Los Angeles. Discovering the surroundings is always a fun part of moving someplace new. In my search, I found a really cool coffee house not far from my apartment. There was something almost every night. If there wasn’t live music, there was open mic comedy or open mic poetry reading. It was a little gritty, but I didn’t care. I considered edgy and artsy to be it’s flavors. I liked the sense of community. There was always a cool vibe going on.

I’ve moved a number of times since then. I now live in the suburbs where a place like this doesn’t exist. The angst ridden youth writing poetry on her coffee cup is replaced by the soccer mom grabbing Starbucks on her way back from yoga class. The cool edgy vibe was swapped out for family friendly. It’s a trade off, I know. And I’m not complaining at all. I’m happy we moved and I like where we live. I just miss the grit every now and again. I miss the sense of community, the congregation of the neighborhood. I miss atmosphere. Most of all, I miss being twenty again. And maybe that’s where the nostalgia is really originating from. Not the coffee house itself, but the vibe of my youth I felt when I walked through the doors. Do I really miss the grit? Yeah, I actually do.

I was up in the old neighborhood awhile back. Sad to report the coffee house is no longer there. The area gentrified since I moved and a trendy restaurant now sits in it’s place. It’s still a cool area, just a different kind of cool. Ah well, things gotta change, right? Or do they? There must be a twenty something, somewhere, walking into an artsy coffee house embracing that same vibe I felt thirty years ago. There has to be. I just know it. And for now, that’s good enough for me.

I guess it’s not uncommon to look back at your twenties and notice how you’ve changed. Blink 182 sang about it in What’s My Age Again back in 1998.

The song lyrically revolves around the onset of age and maturity, and the failure to implement changes in one’s behavior. Hoppus declined to label the song as autobiographical, but admitted that he spent his twenties acting immature. . . It was originally titled “Peter Pan Complex”, an allusion to the pop-psychology concept, but the record label found the reference obscure and adjusted the title. The song’s signature music video famously features the band running nude on the streets of Los Angeles. It received heavy rotation on MTV and other music video channels.

– Wikipedia

OK, give me a little credit. I wasn’t running around naked on the streets of LA in my twenties. Thank goodness. I’m not sure I’d have nostalgia for that.

–

For a complete playlist, please click here.

For the Spotify playlist, please click here.

I took her out, it was a Friday night
I wore cologne to get the feeling right
We started making out and she took off my pants
But then I turned on the TV

And that's about the time she walked away from me
Nobody likes you when you're twenty-three
And are still more amused by TV shows
What the hell is ADD?
My friends say I should act my age
What's my age again? What's my age again?

Then later on, on the drive home
I called her mom from a payphone
I said I was the cops and your husband's in jail
This state looks down on sodomy

And that's about the time that bitch hung up on me
Nobody likes you when you're twenty-three
And are still more amused by prank phone calls
What the hell is call ID?
My friends say I should act my age
What's my age again? What's my age again?

And that's about the time she walked away from me
Nobody likes you when you're twenty-three
And you still act like you're in freshman year
What the hell is wrong with me?
My friends say I should act my age
(What's my age again? What's my age again?)
That's about the time that she broke up with me (Please stay with me)
No one should take themselves so seriously (Please stay with me)
With many years ahead to fall in line (Please stay with me)
Why would you wish that on me?
(Please stay) I never wanna act my age
(With) What's my age again? (Me) What's my age again?

What's my age again?

20 thoughts on “My Gen X Playlist: What’s My Age Again – Blink 182”

  2. Great post. Spoken word poetry nights at coffee shops and bars were my thing when I was twenty. I even ran my own open mic at my favorite bar for a time. There were many gritty places that had that sort of feel you reflect on here. There are a lot of things I don’t miss about my twenties, but I do have fond memories of these feelings of belonging and community. Now in my 40s, I wish I had a place that felt like that too. I’d like to think it is out there somewhere.

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  5. Nice! I can’t find a coffee shop here with spoken poetry and I work/live in around campus. Sounds like everyone is so into trivia games in my area. Not complaining but I’m not very keen on trivia.
    I’m glad you enjoyed your twenties in LA. I wish I spent my twenties in LA! 😅

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  7. I enjoyed your post. Had forgotten about this video.

    It’s pretty hard to find the vibe of those old coffee places nowadays. Closest I’ve come to one is a storefront that was turned into a brew pub/art gallery with some comfy seating in a town an hour out of my city. Drove out there with my son to watch him play a solo gig, which was fun. No one out running naked there either… too cold, for starters!

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      2. Thanks, Steve. I appreciate you sending the link. You certainly have reason to be a proud father. Your son is immensely talented. I listened to both videos. Both are really good and I leaned toward the live version. Something about it pulled me. It’s a wonderful nod to your father. You are a fortunate man. Congrats, my friend. May you enjoy many many more of his live gigs. I can’t imagine a better place for you to be.

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      3. Wow, thank you so much for this lovely reply, my friend! I am indeed very proud of him. There is a lot of his heart and soul in the album and I appreciate you reading and listening, and sharing such warm sentiments. It’s really great to have connected with you over something we are both passionate about… music!

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  8. Great post. I can totally relate. My 20s seem so long ago. I miss the bar scene and discovering local bands and secret shows. Blink-182 brings me back to my high school days, when I was the only punk in town 😂

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  10. Pingback: My Gen X Playlist: Circle – Edie Brickell & New Bohemians – MyGenXerLife

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