WASHINGTON, D.C. — We’re really into defining ourselves.Not simply in the sense of I’m-that-guy-who-works-at-the-Reveille-and-has-the-articles-about-Lil’-Wayne-and-has-the-glasses-and-smiles-too-much-and-I-think-this-needs-to-stop-now (which would be the personal sense), but also in the sense of where we are in time.This is done in many ways. On a macro scale that covers most of life on earth, we have terms like Bronze Age and Gold Age and Platinum Age — well, that one’s coming — even though those remind me more of Age of Empires than of earth.But on a more micro level, we tend to associate spans of time with periods of popular culture. This makes sense, to a point, as popular culture is what invades our lives day in and day out, but this logic sort of falters in today’s Internet-driven, fast-paced world where popular culture changes faster than Wayne spits.I mean, let’s take a moment of silence for Michael Jackson. But, honestly, can you imagine someone being called the king of pop now? Jackson was, without a question, the king of pop. But that title cannot exist nowadays.And, yeah, it’s partially because of the Internet. When overwhelmed with a hurricane of songs, television shows and YouTube clips, it’s hard for one thing to burst out of the crowd. Of course, when something does blow up, it takes over the known world. But that’s neither here nor there.We view our past through periods of popular culture, though mostly through periods of music it seems. There’s classic rock, disco, punk, grunge and metal. All of these words probably put images in your head.Classic rock makes us think of Woodstock, and then it kind of splits into our dreams of tie-dyed hippies and long-haired rockers. But, still, it’s the ’60s and early ’70s, no doubt.Disco is later ’70s, with images of bell-bottoms and roller rinks and, of course, the disco ball.Punk brings to mind huge Mohawks spiked to the stars and loud, brash guitar rock with splash cymbals being hit harder than Mike Tyson.Metal, on the other hand, gives us images of goofy leather pants, long hair and effeminate men singing in high-pitched voices about doing frightening sexual things to women. Then we’ve got grunge, led by its savior Kurt Cobain. Then, sort of, alternative rock with Alice in Chains and Pearl Jam and Metallica — though Metallica spans metal as well — somewhere ending with the rise of rap and the fall of Napster.It all gets gray there, and the question that keeps being asked is “Where are we now?”This question has many answers that have been offered by many people. Is it electro-pop? Is it the rise of indie music? Is it hip-hop’s reigning age?All of these are somewhat correct. We are in a period of music without true definition, sort of like post-punk — the period of music that followed punk. Most of the periods we associate with labels like classic rock or grunge are very short periods of time punctuated by a few large bands. If Cobain had never ate that shotgun, perhaps grunge would have never defined a generation. Would a country of people have worn flannel — even during the summer in the South — had Cobain never put Seattle on the map as a musical mecca?It’s arguable. Where we are musically sort of defines where we are as a generation.After punk, a variety of music rose in reaction. It was all called post-punk, whether it was the shoegazing of My Bloody Valentine or the moody, bare, atmospheric rock of Joy Division. But there was not a strong connection between the different types of music, save for that they were what followed punk. If heard years later, it is clear when one’s listening to punk. It’s not so clear when one’s listening to post-punk.Which brings us to, well, us.We yearn for definition. But sometimes that definition simply does not exist.  And in a time that is supersaturated with music dripping off the Internet, in a time when joke rap songs (“I’m On a Boat”) are given the same radio play that real ones are, in a time when every song is immediately given 2,000 acoustic covers on YouTube, we cannot have definition.For the first time, we are so spread out we cannot define ourselves.But we shouldn’t fret. Little bands are making it. Big bands aren’t going anywhere.Seattle’s not a musical mecca. The Internet is.And, sure, the record companies are slowly folding, but we, as consumers, are benefiting.Just think about your iPod, and how often you would have gotten to hear those songs 10 years ago.We are a technology generation. And there’s nothing wrong with that.
 
 
Travis Andrews is a 21-year-old English senior from Metairie.
 
 
 
—–Contact Travis Andrews at [email protected]