When exactly are we? I get the decades mixed up*
I will be 52 this coming February. Mm.
As I get older, the years seem to pass by faster and faster. I still haven’t quite figured out why but I hope it just means that I am living my life to the fullest and so…
My youngest son Jeremy turned 18 this year and it does feel like a whole new chapter of my life is unfolding before me. Pop culture remains the only true constant in my life. My earliest memories always involved TV shows (Astro Boy), scifi movies (Planet of the Apes) and pop music (The Chipmunks singing the Beatles) and that aspect has not changed.
Power of Pop has been the main outlet of my pop culture obsessions since 1998 (coming to 15 years) and whilst it’s not an income earner (I am too idiosyncratic and indisciplined for that) – it has provided me with free concert tickets, access to new albums, interviews with famous pop stars and a chance to work with young, talented writers and artists/bands. These fringe benefits were intensified in 2012 and I managed to watch many gigs (by local and overseas artists/bands) and expanded my contact base within our so-called music industry.
I have noticed many new music webzines sprouting out in our music scene and that is a very positive development and I wish these webzines all the best. I hope that they do not target merely commercial success (in dollar terms) but derive satisfaction and drive from the love of music writing itself, so that in 15 years time, they will still be doing what they love…
Whenever I talk to folks about what kept me occupied in 2012, there seems to be a consensus that I must be very busy. To be honest, I still have loads of time to do more of the things I love and I hope to do so in the coming new year. I am quite hard on myself in the use of my time and get restless when I seem to be doing ‘nothing’. What I have enjoyed most in the last three years are meaningful conversations and developing relationships. There have been numerous bumps and obstacles in this particular journey but that’s life. However, that’s not going to stop me from doing more…
For Power of Pop, I want to thank our fab writers – CJ Ang, Jeanette Chin, Melissa Ng, Samuel Caleb Wee, Desiree Boey, Hydar Saharudin, Cheryl Chew, Maricelle Wong and Rebecca Lincoln for their excellent contributions in 2012. I also want to thank all the wonderful promoters, publicists, managers, artists and bands that provided the materials from which our content was produced.
… and so on to 2013 and on the horizon: the release of Emo Fascism, the 20th anniversary of Democracy and one or more special projects which shall remain a secret for the time being.
…still there’s more…
KEVIN MATHEWS
info AT powerofpop DOT com
*From “Amateur” by Nada Surf.