When I am writing I typically lock myself away in my room, put my headphones on and escape into my own world.

Sometimes I begin to sing out loud and my roommates can hear me in the other room, but my headphones and mindset prevent me from realizing I don’t sound anything like Sinatra (although I’ve had a few good rounds of karaoke in my day).

When the writing is hard and frustrates me (this week, for example), I spend a lot of time perusing my hard drive, looking for old work that I never finished, something to get me going.

The music is important, too, because it’s another form of art and expression and one song – one line – can spark something in me and all of a sudden I can’t get up from the computer.

I am very diverse in my listening – Del Shannon to Duritz to the occasional Katy Perry music video (yikes).

And it’s sort of funny because, as I let my computer shuffle the songs, I realize how ridiculous my parents must think young people are today, not to mention the way my grandparents must feel.

Music has changed, man, good god has it changed.

For example, two songs that incorporate “poetry in motion,” one from today and the other from 1961 – only forty years apart (one generation, for argument’s sake):

My mother listened to Johnny Tillotson’s Poetry in Motion.

Today, people dig Childish Gambino’s new release Freaks and Geeks (you’ll have to listen to see how he describes “poetry in motion”).

One form of expression is no better than another, although some have more class, for sure, and we all have our preferences.

My own opinions aside, I can’t wrap my head around how we went from such a reserved, classy society to such an outspoken one.  We went from singing about making love under the boardwalk to boasting that we tag-teamed Rihanna. 

Every generation has its skeletons – and frankly, we are all pretty much after the same things. 

But where did the sense of decency go? What happened to the idea of keeping those skeletons in the closet?  And modesty? Has the ego killed it forever? 

I guess more importantly: Will the trend continue?

There are a few things I would like to see revert back. 

I suppose the Katy Perry videos can stay for now.