Today Bob Mould is 62. That simple fact brings me great joy.
As someone who has tried to remain creative into middle age, I am constantly worried that I will one day wake up and have nothing else to write. Nothing new to build. No areas of the craft or furniture left that I want to explore.
Yet somehow every day I am eager to pick up the tools, read a new (or old) book and try something I haven’t done before. Will this urge leave me?
Maybe. But maybe not. And so I put Bob Mould’s latest album, “Blue Hearts,” and sit down with the LP’s lyric sheet in the library. I’ve been listening to Mould since I was 18 when I first heard “Flip Your Wig” thundering down the hallway of my dorm freshman year.
Mould’s band, Husker Du, were like nothing I had ever heard in Arkansas. And I would argue that he single-handedly changed the course of rock music while he was in his 20s.
Out of debt to this man, I bought every one of his albums when they came out. When he slipped into electronica and dance music in the early 2000s I was almost done with him. But something on every album – maybe just one song – kept me adding the CDs to my collection.
In 2012, Mould changed gears – he downshifted back into first gear, and the noise was incredible. The album “Silver Age” rejected the drum machine and brought back the loud and distorted guitar that is the sonorous background noise in my skull. The album was as good as anything Mould had written in his 20s. And his following four albums each exceeded the previous one.
I have played his 2020 album “Blue Hearts” so many times I might wear through the 180-gram vinyl.
So anytime I worry about remaining creative into my late 50s and 60s, I remind myself that it’s possible to still stoke the ashes and find the same fire is burning hot below.
Late last night as I was lying in bed, the topic and structure for my next book came into perfect focus. I scribbled a few words in a notepad on my nightstand. (I think you’ll be happy to hear those words weren’t “chair” or “workbench.”) And I rolled over to sleep like a log.
And today Bob Mould is 62. And that fact brings me great joy.
— Christopher Schwarz
Glad you’re finally gonna be writing that long awaited book on epoxy river tables. Can’t wait for the chapter on mica dust glitter!
I was hoping birdhouses
“The Anarchist’s Record Cabinet.”
Thanks Chris. I worry a bit about losing interest. If I did (which I don’t think I will as my other passion, chemistry, is stronger now at age 54 that it was when I was 18), I suspect it would be because I am pursuing some other interest. What I worry more about is the physical capacity to continue woodworking. My hands ache after a day of dovetailing. What if I reach a point where the ache won’t stop? I’ve probably got another 15ish years before that really becomes a potential issue.
Very glad to hear another book is on the horizon. Mould’s knack for innovation is clearly alive and well if he managed to change gears by downshitting. A true artist!!
Because you are a builder
Bob Mould, Hüsker Dü, Sugar and his other projects were inspiring musically, as your site is in regards to woodworking
I don’t think you should worry about being aged out of a certain level of creativity — certainly, people can continue to produce into their 70s and 80s. But the ability to generate truly new information is age-limited. One of my mentors, one of the fathers of ecodesign, Ab Stevels, at the TU-Delft, retired at age 62. I asked him “why are you quitting?” He said “I’m not quitting. But I also realize that my mental flexibility is declining, and I want to go out on my own terms. I have no intention of stopping work. But I’ll give up my faculty position.” I think there’s some wisdom there, and I’ve heeded his example. Realizing others less long in the tooth will be the ones coming up with truly new trends is important. We don’t want to be part of Max Planck’s famous edict, “Science (or woodworking) advances one funeral at a time.”
So glad to hear another with such appreciation for Bob. I leave it for others to decide how much he changed the course of rock music (I’d say he did) but he definitely change the course of my music completely. Happy birthday Bob
Your scribble is “pie safe!” That’s right, isn’t it?
I saw Bob Mould in concert in Chicago around 1998. I was a poor grad student at the time and got asked by my friend who was an arts reporter for the Sun Times if I wanted to go. Obviously said yes. He was unplugged and just him. Wow could that guy rock. I was so impressed. Yes hear you about the fear of losing your creative edge. Glad to hear he’s still creating!
“ downshited?” A very interesting typo. Someone call Frued!
Thanks for the kick in the butt. I’ve been slacking a little.
There you go baby! I’m not the great success I dreamed of in the 70s but at almost 77 I long for morning when I can get up again and chase after another branch of my craft whether a Chair or a Hawk House or as Christmas Gift for my Granddaughter. And sometimes I don’t wait for morning! I believe we all have it in us, the path may be rocky, (mine was) but if one lets it, the desire will come and it’s Wonderful.
Double thumbs up.
Just sayin. I’m 70 and a professional pianist. I’m spend more time making furniture than playing Beethoven. I’ve recently become a Schwarz fan given all the history you bring to the work. It somehow dovetails with my previous music study. Let’s all keep it going.
Years ago when I was lamenting that I had so much on my to-do list, an old farmer neighbor told me, “When you runout of projects, you die.”
Great Post! This hits pretty close to home for me, at 58 I’ve been wondering if I’ll even accomplish 50-75% of my projects to-do lists? Long time Bob Mould fan here too.
Age is a state of mind! You will retain your creative ability as long as you wish barring any unfortunate physical or mental disability. You love what you do and it comes out in your blogs, comments, teaching and books. I am 76 and I am still as creative as I was as a young attorney but with more wisdom and tact. The same applies to any work situation.
My birth-father studied sitar under Ali Akbar Khan and taught at the Ali Akbar College of Music for decades. Khan was known for his pyrotechnics on the sarod. As he got older and slowed down, he said (paraphrasing here): “I may not be playing as many notes but I think I’m playing better ones.
I bought my first Husker Du album (Warehouse) in high school and was floored by it. I worked my way backward from there (Candy Apple Gray, Zen Arcade …) and then followed Bob Mould through his solo albums Workbook and Black Sheets of Rain, which became soundtracks to my college years. Lost track of his work since then, but this post inspires me to go re-engage with his 60-year-old sound. Looking forward to the next CS book too…
+1
Don’t worry, I walked away from corporate life on December 31st.
I’m about to hit 63 and just getting back in the groove, so to speak.
Been dreaming up bigger and better things all year, and I’m working on them.
The dreams/ aspirations never leave you; one can leave them behind for awhile, but it’s always a mistake for dreamers .
I’m sure you would never be satisfied if you were to walk away, and be a “normal” person.
Long live the Du… and just like your stick chairs, books, and writing, Bob’s music will last the ages!
Copper Blue will always be one of my favorite albums!
Creativity and the mind are interesting things. Aaron Copland said his ability to compose stopped as suddenly as someone “turning off a faucet” when he was in his 60s; in retrospect this was probably the first signs of his impending Alzheimer’s. Other artists, like Haydn, write about how in their final declines of old age they are still being driven mad by the desire to express the constant flow of creative ideas.
I suspect you won’t have much trouble staying creative.
Bob Mould permanently damaged my hearing on the Copper Blue tour. But I was (and am) ok with that. And he taught me to wear ear protection to concerts!
For me, it was after the Born in the USA Tour I realized hearing protection at concerts was important. Fortunately, that was early on in my concert going experiences.
I’m 74 and just begging to make and create. You have a long and wonderful road ahead of you.
Jackson Browne was my Bob Mould, whose music I’ve not yet heard. I’ll make a point of changing that in the near future.
Must be something in the air; I was revisiting some Joy Division and Tangerine Dream this weekend. Great music from a great time.
I believe I still have hearing loss from Hüsker Dü shows, but I don’t blame Bob (or Grant or Greg for that matter). When I first heard them, in Wisconsin, they blew my teenage mind and everything from that point on was different. Happy birthday Bob! I think I’m going to listen to New Day Rising now, although Blue Hearts is an awesome album, you’ve made me wax nostalgic.
I owe much of my tinnitus to seeing Hüsker Dü many times, and I too have followed Bob through his time in Sugar and solo work. If you have not read his autobiography “See a Little Light”, you should. https://www.amazon.com/See-Little-Light-Trail-Melody/dp/1573449709
I have a house full of fine furniture and other things I made after retiring from a day job 10 years ago. Woodworking was my passion. But as BB King once sang, “the thrill is gone.” I have not made anything of significance in over a year. Is age a factor? Perhaps. I’ll be 78 in December. More draining than aging however, are wildfires, drought and covid isolation. Having evacuated more than once in the face of wind-blown wildfires for days at a time, not knowing if my home or workshop will still be there upon my return, certainly changes ones perspective. Years-long drought not only increases the risk, but also lengthens the wildfire season; and homeowners wells are running dry. Despite being fully vaccinated, covid paid us a nasty visit anyway, and we are not out of the woods with that either. Just to keep everyone on their toes, there was a 4.4 earthquake here recently as a reminder of where we live. Someone with more fortitude than I might push ahead regardless, someone like the late Nancy Hiller. At this point, I’m about 50/50 on whether to sell everything off or hang on and hope somehow the passion returns. In the meantime, I’m enjoying bird-watching. Age isn’t everything though, I can still heft a 10 foot 4×4 without passing out.
Sounds like you’re in the Santa Rosa area. We visited some friends there just a couple days after that quake. They’ve also evacuated many times. One of the times houses at the other end of their block burned down.
Thorens rock!
Some artists keep evolving & can still play at a high level. Jeff Beck is still doing impossible things on the guitar at 78.