Kevin Gilbert and Prognostic Pop

In 1995 a tragically unknown talent named Kevin Gilbert put out an album filled with crisp, biting lyrics and unforgettable hooks. More tragically, he died shortly after at age 29.

His music could be described as "progressive pop." It's sweet and sardonic, dissonant and refined. But what makes it all stick: the message behind the notes.

I was reminded of a Gilbert song while reading one of the countless articles about who's to blame for the country's economic mess. Clearly, there's plenty of blame to go around. But the preponderance of it sits on the shoulders of one demographic--here mentioned by Gilbert 14 years ago:

Goodness Gracious of apathy I sing
The baby boomers had it all and wasted everything
Now recess is almost over
and they won't get off the swing

I couldn't agree more. I wonder if Gilbert would be gratified to know in 2009 that recess is, indeed, over.

Kevin Gilbert Mentioned On Rush Limbaugh

So I was listening to Rush Limbaugh this afternoon. He was reading a blog post by some far-left wacko about how Sarah Palin is the devil, blah blah blah. The writer is Cintra Wilson, who, Limbaugh explained, was the girlfriend of Kevin Gilbert at the time he died. A quick glance at her website gives you an idea of who we're dealing with. But one thing she and I agree on: the genius of Kevin Gilbert:

He was the most talented human being I ever knew. A bloody musical genius. Picked up a cello one day and just started playing it. He was quite famous in some musical circles for writing and performing a lot of deeply personal rock songs with a lot of wordy lyrics and massive integrity. He never had the raging commercial success as a musical genius that he so richly deserved, despite the fact that he'd won a Grammy.

Thanks, Rush, for providing little much-deserved exposure for the dead Kevin Gilbert. And thanks, Cintra, for blathering loudly and crassly enough for Limbaugh to comment on it.

Sample one of Kevin Gilbert's excellent songs below.

The Economy: You Reap What You Sow

The credit collapse: How could anyone NOT see it coming? For decades hundreds of millions of Americans have sold their future for immediate luxuries - in the form of home equity loans, credit card debt and adjustable rate mortgages. Of course, shortsighted companies took advantage of consumers' stupidity in exchange for a quick buck. I think it all goes back to the "me-me-me, now-now-now" attitude of the baby boomer generation.

Prophetic were the lyrics of a 1990s Kevin Gilbert song:

"The baby boomers had it all, and wasted everything.
Now recess is almost over, and they won't get off the swing."

Well, recess is certainly over, and those who cashed in their financial future are simply reaping their own noxious harvest.

Also timely was the counsel of LDS Apostle Joseph B. Wirthlin:

“All too often a family's spending is governed more by their yearning than by their earning. They somehow believe that their life will be better if they surround themselves with an abundance of things. All too often all they are left with is avoidable anxiety and distress” (May, 2004).

My family is one of very modest means, but we've managed to avoid the pitfalls of deficit spending. Sure, we don't have a giant flat-screen TV, we drive a couple crappy sedans and our home isn't exactly dinner party material. But still, we have zero debt (excepting a standard mortgage). So I'm not really missing those extraneous niceties at this point.