I had an interesting conversation last evening with a friend whom I have known since my college years (back in the late 1970s). In his opinion, everything that he once cherished during his younger days has now become either superficial and/or borderline tacky due to its current perceived status symbolism. As a result, he has now retreated into a somewhat low-key existence when it comes to high-end consumer goods.
Case(s) in point. At one time (primarily during the early-to mid 1970s) BMWs like the 2002 tii and 3.0 CS models were esoterically cool cars and each had their own unique following. The same could be said of pre-war Martin guitars and 4-digit Rolexes. Then came the self-important/upwardly mobile/yuppie mid-1980s and the entire sublime concept got shot to hell. Within a matter of months, newly emboldened 320i owners were now giving earlier BMW drivers a bad reputation (due to their oftentimes rude and incompetent driving personas/techniques), Rolexes became nouveau-riche status symbols and the majority of recently-produced and vintage-era Martin guitars had become little more than extrinsic ego gratifications for self-indulgent owners who couldn't even play a basic triad chord. High-end audio and photographic brands soon followed and the pattern continues into the present.
Looking back in time, I had to agree to a certain extent. In the mid 1970s, we both owned 2002 tiis and spent considerable off-hours modifying our cars via Hardy and Beck/Miller and Norburn/Alpina aftermarket performance components. Classic Rolex models like the 1675 and 5513 remained somewhat unfamiliar to the masses and the majority of Martin guitars were mostly owned and played by a devoted and musically competent following. Fast forward to 1990+ and everything has seemingly/noticeably changed, perhaps for the worst.
What the hell happened along the way?
