The New Century: The One That Crept Up on Us

I just discovered the musings of David Kamp of Vanity Fair and his provocative article, "The Summer of Death." Kamp asks why we became so involved in the passings of so many iconic figures this past summer. From Ted Kennedy and Walter Cronkite to Michael and Farrah, these were deaths that resonated beyond the mere People magazine cover. Kamp believes they were culturally signficant living links to past glories. The glories of the 20th century. Their passings are a wake-up call for us that time has moved on, as these icons pass from collective memory to wikis to be searched decades later. One of my memorable moments of this past summer is the shock I saw on a client's face when he learned John Hughes death was a leading blog post. He hadn't heard Hughes had died, until I told the story as part of evidence of the trend toward nostalgia. (the client was out of the country when Hughes died).

Kamp raises a very good question: how did it get to be the end of the decade so fast?I'm startled when my favorite radio station has a Saturday morning flashback from 1995. Or seeing a picture of the New Years Eve party I threw in 1999. At first blink, that doesn't seem all that long ago...

Kamp goes on to say the days of big, "shared" cultural moments that united us as a culture are over. He goes on to write that the uncertainties of living in the year 2009 creates the feeling in us all that this new century is on shaky footing. Gore Vidal also riffed and raged about in this territory this past week as well. Vidal says this is the end of the American Century. And when the new Empire, China calls in their loans--that seals the deal. But Vidal thinks we'll be better country, a better people when that day transpires.

Gee. Conjures up wistful feelings and the lyrics of "Twentieth Century Boy." Or to come full circle, how 'bout "Going to the Chapel." The lady in the pix above singing into the mic was Ellie Greenwich, famous songwriter from the bygone Brill Building era of pop hits.

http://www.vanityfair.com/culture/features/2009/10/summer-of-death-200910