New survey shows 'dad rock' is no longer fluffy
By Lee Vowell
When you and I were young - you know, in the late 1880s - our fathers listened to different music than the fathers of today. Back then it was all Perry Como this and Frank Sinatra that. At least, that is what we are told. That was safe music so our young minds could feel better about the world (until we learned that Sinatra was tight with a bunch of gangsters).
In reality, our dads were probably listening to Perry Sinatra, punk influencer, and Frank Como, still a crooner and still tied to the mob. Dads can have a dangerous side, of course.
Assuming our dads were telling us the truth, however, a new survey by a website called Merchoid suggests that we wouldn't like our dads' music. In the 1970s (for real, this time), surveys suggested that dads were more likely to listen to music of the early 1960s. Or, in my father's case, that dastardly criminal, Merle Haggard.
New survey suggests "dad rock" is actually pretty cool
Merchoid surveyed 3,000 Americans (which, admittedly, is not a large sample of music lovers) and asked, "Which band truly epitomizes 'dad rock' today?" Uncertain is the age groups of those surveyed. If one is 18-25, they might have a decent idea. If one is 85-95, there might be a different kind of answer.
Merchoid found that what many consider "dad rock" isn't actually "old" music. For instance, the group that topped the list was Nickelback at 26 percent, far ahead of Van Halen and Blink-182, both of which came in at 12 percent. With Nickelback being the most answered group, there could be an implication that many misheard the question as, "Which band truly epitomizes the death of rock music?"
Next. Five songs from the 1990s that had no business being great. Five songs from the 1990s that had no business being great. dark
Nirvana also made the list at number four. Dave Grohl likely doesn't care. He might even agree with Nirvana's ranking.
Oddly, Linkin Park was tenth. The band was popular, of course, and rightfully so, but they did not seem to be so successful that they would come to mind unless prompted when asked a general question about dad rock bands. Maybe Mike Shinoda was making some of the calls.
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