Page 8 - 01-Jan-Feb-2024

ED.
THE WHO GOT IT WRONG
Rock music has said it over and over, through the years — getting old is the worst.
(That is, unless you’re a senior citizen who’s a member of Kiss, raking in the dough on what I estimate is the band’s 4,112th farewell tour.)
“I hope I die before I get old.” It is one of the most famous lines in rock history, punk before that term had ever been coined. Pete Townshend wrote it. Roger Dal- trey cried it out.
And, when I was young, I thought, “Yeah, that’s me.”
I lived day to day, didn’t think a lot about the future and tried to squeeze as much living out of every day that I could.
Somewhere along the way, I got old. I didn’t die.
And, really, I don’t want to die. But, I do worry. A lot.
I think about my kids and what will happen to them in the years to come. I wonder if I set a good example for them, or not. I want to be there for my family as long as I can.
And, weirdly enough, I think about legacy. No, I don’t mean like having a hospital wing named for me or a sports team raising my banner to the rafters. What I mean is: How am I working to make this world a better place? Or, more specifically, how am I working to make Edmonton a better place?
So maybe the Who didn’t have it right, after all. For sure, there are some of us who burn bright for a short time, but, for most of us, life is a marathon.
Instead, I will offer another classic song as inspiration: The Clash’s “Clampdown.” It’s a cautionary tale. It’s a warning that, if you’re not careful, you start to compromise your principles as you get older. As the late Joe Strummer screamed: “But, you grow up and you calm down, and you’re workin’ for the clampdown. You start wearin’ blue and brown. And workin’ for the clampdown.”
This is the kind of thing we need to remember as we go on living, as our hair turns grey and our waistlines expand. We need to fight against that urge to simply take life for granted. We need to think about the things that were important to us when we were younger, and not let them go.
This month, we’re featuring six people who never worked for the clampdown — and have remained shining lights for this city. These “Six Who Inspire” passed their Top 40 Under 40 eligibility dates decades ago, yet they’re not fading away. These six inspire us all, because, frankly, they are doing more in their so-called senior years than many of us did in our 20s.
In the process of putting this list together, I had the pleasure of meeting Gurcharan Bhatia, who remains a stead- fast advocate for human rights, well into his 90s. Spending time with him was more energizing than paying to see any sort of motivational speaker.
I sat next to Nick Lees, who told me stories of how he and his friends waited out a blinding snowstorm near the peak of Mount Logan. And I marveled at how he’s battling cancer with the same smile-in- the-face-of-danger attitude that he had when he jumped out of perfectly good air- planes or cycled through mountain passes to raise money for sick kids.
The stories continue. Audrey Poitras. Lesley MacDonald. Brian Webb. Allan Wachowich.
This is an issue that celebrates legacy — in the best meaning of the word.
And, wait, aren’t The Who still touring?
Steven Sandor
Editor-in-Chief
8 EDify. JANUARY•FEBRUARY.24
PHOTOGRAPHY BY RYAN PARKER