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Andy Rooney Doesn't Listen to Billboard Top 200, Suprises No One (Video)

8:37 p.m. · May 10, 2010 · by Bob Marshall

Andy Rooney (that guy on 60 Minutes who complains about boring things at the end of each show) apparently doesn't know who Lady Gaga, Justin Bieber or Usher are. This should make sense, as Andy Rooney is really, really old. But, as easy it is to laugh at senior citizens when they start to "lose it" mentally, he does bring up an interesting question when addressing the generation gap: "Why should our tastes suddenly diverge when it comes to the sound of music?"

Well, Andy, think of it this way. Billboard tracks the highest selling albums and singles. The people who buy music are traditionally those with expendable income, usually kids and young adults who receive this money in the form of allowances, paychecks from part-time fast-food jobs and rolled-up bills from pushing drugs. That's why the music industry targets these people first and foremost with advertising and marketing. As we all know, these people have a notoriously bad taste in music and are attracted to new, shiny things (Lady Gaga's shiny hats, Justin Bieber's shiny hair and Usher's shiny jewelry).

The difference is that as people get older, money becomes tighter and views become rigid. The idea that "I can do without" becomes your credo, and "I can do without" transforms decades later into "I don't care." So, Mr. Rooney, you're telling us that you didn't watch the Grammy's (featuring Lady Gaga), you didn't see She's All That (featuring Usher) and you don't read the news (featuring Justin Bieber) because you don't care.

This is all fine, and it's safe to assume that other people don't care about what your preferences are for pets, beer, sports mascots or food either. But, for those of us who enjoy the music of Ella Fitzgerald and still pay attention to the Billboard Top 200, it's because we care about where money goes. What's more American than that?