I am gratified to see that there has been a world-wide response to The Zimmers releasing a single which is a re-worked version of The Who’s My Generation. The Zimmers were featured in the final programme of the recent BBC three-part series Power to the People highlighting the isolation of old people who feel marginalised by society. Any publicity drawing attention to this blot on our national landscape can only be a good thing but I seriously question whether The Zimmers will achieve what they set out to do – or exactly the opposite.
The combined age of the 40 members of the band is 3000, with the lead singer, Alf, a wel-preserved 90. However, if I am brutally honest, watching them perform made me cringe. Old people singing Who songs are simply not cool; if anything their rather contrived rendition of this classic rock song reinforces stereotypes. I’m all for breaking down age barriers and taboos but, realistically, there are limits. Growing old disgracefully is something to be encouraged but am I the only one feeling more than a little uneasy about The Zimmers?
I agree. There is something that smacks of explotation about the Zimmers. It’s even worse than that’s kid’s choir of years ago that released ‘Theres no quite like grandma.’ I am all for genuine bands consisting of wrinkly rockers (the Stone and the Pirates spring to mind), but the Zimmers do not fall into this category–their an adman’s idea of a endearing gimmic. And anyway the real Who are quite old enough themselves!
Mark is right to a certain extent – there is a hint of exploitation about The Zimmers but for me it’s more about the image they present. They look old and decrepit; musically they are awful and the lead singer has as much idea of how to put over a song as my mother’s parrot. It was a great concept but they went about it the wrong way. In essence, they are just going through the motions. As Mark says, there are enough real bands of a certain age – the Stones and The Who being just two examples – who could and should have been used for this project. Or, at the very least, they should have found octogenarians with extra octanes to give the song some real ooomph!