I knew I was an old man when a guy posted a request for some good, easy bass riffs. I suggested some early Alice Cooper. I think the melody and timing he learned from 'Billion Dollar Babies' would give him a good start on anything else he tried. I'm still looking for a bass player who can do a fluid job on 'Lemon Song' from Led Zeppelin's 2nd album. I meet far too many guitar players who developed Steve Vai's speed, without learning his sense of melody.

I can't claim a lot of familiarity with new music. The hooks are gone. The stuff that gets airplay has been homogenized to the point of blandness. At the price of CDs, I'm reluctant to part with my hard-earned coin for one or two good tracks on a disk.