Count Machuki wrote:Thang wrote:A love-in is a hippy happening, I was trying the vernacular.
Like, far out, maan.
I love BCB, but I miss a lot of posters.
So do I, but I miss a lot of things from my past. This place may have been more "exciting" in the past because of the novelty of it all - a bunch of "older" people (i.e. older than teens/early 20's) who grew up listening to '60s/'70s music, finding other like-minded souls on a forum where we could all discuss the things we couldn't discuss with the people in our regular lives, eventually moving past the online stage and meeting in person - first in London during the Mojo days, then in LA and a few other cities (I don't remember the exact sequence) - then finally turning into a global thing, where people would fly around the world to meet each other, often putting visitors up in their homes. The implicit trust involved was never breached (no one ever claimed that possessions went missing after a BCB'er stayed at their homes), as far as I'm aware. Myself, I know that I could never have spent an entire week in the UK and spent $400 (plus airfare) without the invaluable help of BCB'ers Slider, Smamfy and Jumper K. LA has hosted BCB'ers from all (or most) corners of the world, and they know they're always welcome back. As for those who still haven't made their way here, know that the door is always open for you as well. And of course, the San Francisco JU of 2010 still remains one of the best times I've ever had in my life, and I know the others who attended feel the same. That weekend was pure magic. "No, they can't take that away from me!"
So now it's 2015, a lot of regular members have moved on, while several remain. We've gone over most of the same things musically, and NDL feels more like a coffee klatch - we come here out of habit because it's comfortable. Kind of the way I used to meet up with people at my local dog park, with the revolving group of 50 or so people whom I could count on seeing at least four or five times per week. As with BCB, there were maybe a dozen people there who formed a friendship outside the dog park and visited in each others' homes. This went on for ten years beginning in the mid-''90s, and as time moved on, all of us eventually lost touch, but the memories remain. I miss those days too, but it was fun while it lasted, and no one expected it to last anyway. Once in a while I hear from one of them, or drop a line to someone, and the connection is still there.
That said, I appreciate the input of the folks who have joined us in the last few years, and I hope they don't feel insulted whenever the subject comes up about "how much better it used to be" - what are these people, chopped liver? At least they're here. I even got a kick out of Googa and the way he could rile people up. If he was genuine, he was a real character, and if he was just an alias, he was pure genius. "Andy Williams, The Emperor Of Easy" -
!
Of course this place isn't going to stay at the same level after 12 years. Even if it's not as "exciting" as it once was, it's still comfortable. Nothing wrong with that. We're all getting older, even more than we were when we first got here, and a little comfort goes a long way in helping get through the day. Anyone who wants what they used to get out of this place has the rest of the internet to find it. If this place serves a different purpose, then it's probably what we need anyway. As Irene Dunne said to Cary Grant in
The Awful Truth: "Things are just the same as they always were, only... you're the same as you were too, so... I guess things will never be the same again."