But having passed the Aloha Age (because I'm now Five-0), I started to think up lists of things I;ve already surpassed in age:
- For the first time, I'm older than the President of the United States, which I noted on my election Day post.
- I'm older than Carroll O'Connor was when he started playing Archie Bunker in 1971 (47).
- Redd Foxx was "just" 49 when he started in "Sanford & Son." Bea Arthur had just turned 50 when "Maude" became a series. O'Connor, Foxx and Arthur are all now dead.
- By the time of Mozart's 50th birthday, he'd already been dead 15 years (thanks to Tom Lehrer for that one).
- Two years ago, Turner Classic Movies aired the deservedly little-seen "Skidoo," which included a shot of Carol Channing in her underwear. I realized that at the time I was watching, I was older than Carol Channing (47), and I still did NOT want to see her in bra and panties. At least I still enjoy seeing my wife…
- No one aged 50 or less has been elected Pope since Clement VII in 1523. So if I really cleaned up my act, I could still… oh, wait… yeah… married.
- Prince has the same birthday as me, except he'll always be a year older.
- I saw Neil Armstrong walk on the moon live on TV. You have to watch a kinescope compressed for YouTube.
- I thought once the entertainment industry stopped pandering to aging Baby Boomers, there'd be more radio stations playing great new rock acts. But when I tune in to local college and high school stations, they're still playing music recorded before they were born. Guys, when I was on radio, no one was phoning in requesting Elvis. And now they've gone from remaking 60's sitcoms to making movies based on 80's toys.
- Most of the teen idols, models and movie stars of my age look more like me. And their careers will never be as hot as they once were.
