Table of Contents
This Sixties Man was born on October 1, 1951, so technically I grew up in both the 1950s and the 1960s. But let’s face it—the Sixties tend to get most of the attention.
They were years of enormous change in music, culture, politics, and technology, and they left a lasting impression on me. It’s been a long—and sometimes crazy—journey from those days to today.
The people around me have changed too. Parents, teachers, and neighborhood friends gave way to coworkers, a wife, children, grandchildren, and now a lifetime of memories spanning more than seven decades.
Through all those changes, two things have remained constant: books and music.
From World Book to Kindle—and 45s to Spotify
I’ve gone from reading the World Book Encyclopedia to reading on a Kindle. I’ve gone from spinning Pat Boone 45s on a record player to having millions of songs available instantly through Spotify.
Yet I still love physical books, and I still enjoy hunting for vinyl records at record stores, thrift shops, and yard sales.
So here I sit—a child of the Sixties who is now in his seventies, still curious about the world around him. I still enjoy discovering new authors and musicians and rediscovering old favorites. And I still find myself wandering down unexpected rabbit holes involving history, genealogy, music, books, running, family, and simply trying to understand the world a little better.
Life Is a Safari
Over the years, I’ve come to think of life as a safari.
A safari isn’t simply a trip from one place to another. It’s a journey of discovery where the unexpected often becomes the most memorable part of the adventure. Every book, every album, every family story, every morning run, and every forgotten piece of history can lead somewhere new.
That’s what A Sixties Man is about.
It’s about looking back without living in the past. It’s about continuing to learn, explore, and grow. And if along the way I can help someone discover a great book, a wonderful album, an interesting piece of history—or simply inspire them to stay curious—then this old Sixties Man will consider that a success.
How This Safari Began
When I first started blogging in 2010, I was fifty-nine years old, and my world was changing in ways I never expected.
My youngest child, Elizabeth, was leaving for college, and my wife and I were beginning the transition to becoming empty nesters. At the same time, the engineering company where I had worked for more than thirty years was sold.
The new ownership was very different from the old, and for the next several years I went to work with a pit in my stomach, wondering if that would be the day I was laid off. Gradually, there was less and less work for me to do.
Then one day it was over.
There was no retirement party. No thank-you. Just: “We don’t have any work for you.”
Looking back, it was one of the best things that ever happened to me.
During that period of uncertainty, I started a blog called Me, Myself, Music & Mysteries. It gave me a place to write about the books I was reading, the music I was listening to, and the things I was discovering along the way.
What began as a way to cope with uncertainty soon became something much more—a way to preserve memories, share discoveries, and continue learning.
Books, Music and a Lot of Rabbit Holes
At the time, most of the music I listened to fell under the broad umbrella of Americana. Folk, blues, and bluegrass were the soundtrack of my listening life, while mysteries and thrillers dominated my reading. Naturally, those became the primary subjects of my writing.
As the years passed, the safari expanded. My musical horizons grew to include more jazz, progressive rock, New Age music, and plenty of other discoveries. My reading expanded too. Meanwhile, genealogy, family history, running, everyday life, and politics all found their way into the journey.
Many of the older posts you’ll find here come from those early years. Others are much newer. Together they form something of a trail through my life—what I was reading, what I was listening to, what I was thinking about, and what I was discovering at different points along the way.
And the Safari Continues…
This site may have roots going back to 2010, but it isn’t simply an archive.
I’m still discovering new musicians. Still finding authors I’ve never read before. Still uncovering family stories hidden in old records. Still exploring history, running new roads, browsing used bookstores, digging through crates of old records, and learning something new almost every day.
And now I can also look back at more than fifteen years of blogging and rediscover some of the books, albums, musicians, authors, and stories I wrote about along the way.
The safari isn’t over.
In many ways, it’s just entering a new chapter.
I’m glad you stopped by. Take a look around, follow whatever trail catches your interest, and I hope you’ll come along for the journey.
