For Big Tent Poetry. http://bigtentpoetry.org/category/ring-1/
I'm so old that nobody will have heard of my pop icons (slight exaggeration).
I’m glad I’m not young any more,
no longer obliged to be cool,
pop icons are such a bore.
I don’t have to put up with fools, or
obey the rules, like at school:
so I’m glad I’m not young any more.
At parties, I brace myself for
loud noise, which I think of as cruel;
pop music is such a bore.
Some singers I just can’t ignore,
so dishy they make me drool.
I’m still glad I’m not young any more.
Heavy metal is what I deplore -
half-deaf and of the old school,
pop icons can be such a bore.
Just a beat and a roar,
at a level so loud you’ll
decline to be cool
and be glad you’re not young any more.
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About https://vivinfrance.wordpress.com
All poetry, prose and pictures posted here, except where otherwise stated, is my own, and may only be used elsewhere with my expressed permission.
Please don't be inhibited from correcting my bloopers and making suggestions: Most of what I post here is instant, ill-considered and off-the-cuff, in serious need of editing.
Vivinfrance's Blog 
Great job! So many icons, so little time! Actually, I was hard pressed to find a current one. And I doubt anyone would remember my older ones. 🙂
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I’ve always been someone who swims against the currents of mainstream music, so I can share these sentiments. Though some of the music I listen to may be a little loud for some :).
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Viv, You’ve done justice to the villanelle here. I love that form, and I love your piece.
“No longer obliged to be cool” speaks volumes about aging. Importance shifts. Great piece. Bravo! ~Brenda
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PS And I suspect that you never heard The Kinks (credited as having kick-started British heavy metal with ‘You Really Got Me’) in their heyday. Gloriously, intoxicatingly loud when I heard them at Klook’s Kleek in ’64!
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Well, I’m with you re heavy metal, Viv, but – much as I love the sound – there are few outfits louder and more in your face than a ’40s swing band in full cry. Which is exactly as it should be; volume has its place!
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Fun, viv. It would be difficult to decide who today’s music icons are. every niche has its own. I like your list, though I suspect the only one we would have shared at the time is Dusty Springfield.
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Some of today’s icons can be a tad ridiculous. Excellent work!
-Weasel
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Love the idea of using an old-school form to present some old-school preferences. Very clever.
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2 things: Loved the line about not being obliged to be cool anymore, just being me is more than enough. Thank you.
And I’m so glad I am not the only one who didn’t get into Elvis. I can remember walking to school with a girl who was head over heels about him, and how I would continually glance side-ways at her and wonder if I was the one who was screwed up.
Thanks much for this one,
Elizabeth
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I agree that heavy metal is a “pain in the ear” but could listen to it much easier than “Hip-Hop”.
The villanelle was done so well…(hey, that rhymes!)
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Viv love this poem and the villanelle is well-penned. I detest heavy metal but there are some new artists I like though.
Pamela
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Viv, I enjoyed your poem (I’m a fan of the villanelle and admire a good one) and also your answer to Stan’s question. I do like some of the music of today. Lady Gaga (despite her outrageous attire) is quite good; and I’m a big fan of the Black-Eyed-Peas. But a lot does nothing for me…most rap, heavy metal is noise!
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Viv you nailed icons on the head (so to speak). My daughters and I have delved into many hours of discussion as to the musical merit of Rap. I find none in Swahili shaman chant. I enjoyed your poem. Good work and thanks for the comment.
Regards,
DH
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There are days when I concur and days when I would disagree. Still in all, I love your take on the prompt and culture in general.
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I think I was weaned on folk music and it’s still my favorite. Loved your take on pop music.
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calmarse un poco y respirar profundo!
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I am perfectly calm and breathing normally, if with a puzzled air!
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Looking back over your life and writing about it.
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Viv, another good’un. You’ve got a whole theme running at the moment – time for a collection?
http://thelaughinghousewife.wordpress.com
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Do tell, Tilly – I can’t see any theme running through recent stuff. Except, perhaps for a feeling of kicking against the pricks, bolshie feelings at advancing age and decrepitude!
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You are so young, Stan (the same age as my daughter).
As a young girl: Vera Lynn, Bing Crosby, FRANK SINATRA, Perry Como, Vic Damone, Bill Haley and the Comets, (Rock around the clock was the first record I ever bought) Vince Hill, Des O’Connor, Jimmy Young, Cliff Richard. I never took to Elvis. … then for years I was into Trad Jazz and Ragtime. As a young married: The Seekers, The New Seekers, The Beatles and the entire Liverpool scene, The Kinks, Dusty Springfield Carole Carpenter, ABBA …FRANK SINATRA, ELLA. I can’t think of any current pop icons that do anything for me at all!
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Maybe I’m not old enough to share your poem’s view – I feel that as long as I can still hear, I’ll listen.
I’d love to know who your pop icons are… some of mine pre-date my birth (1964) by decades…
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