Why did you change?
One of the great things about being a designer AND maturing like fine cooking wine is that what’s left of a career after 45 is little concern to the rest of the world and most people’s expectations inch progressively, ever further downward, in a not-positive and (frankly) not very inclusive direction.This progressive and unexplainable downward spiral seems to remain consistent for most senior designers (male, female, others) agnostic of virtually any accomplishment, great & small, heroic battles for the better good, international awards won, or friends entertained and/or employed in the early years of said self-described superstardom. This inevitable slide to the bottom reminds me poignantly of a still-prescient memory in my final year of art school, not lost in the tick tock of the last millennium.In one of our infrequent P2P discussions of THE historical moments and THE historical great protagonists of (there were some token women, of course) Graphic Design, one of my more naive fellow classmates interrupted the discussion with a random question, seemingly out of nowhere:‘Are there any old designers out there, still alive?’
’What happened to all of ‘em?’
Good question. And probably not one to bode well for us or me. It seems timeless design and a recognised career is predicated on an early, yet silent, exit from the world stage and/or a gentle passing away in one’s sleep.What happens to all the designers as they age? Where do they go? Is it the same place Max, my favorite yet increasingly incontinent Great Dane, went in a one-way trip to the vet with two people calling themselves my “parents”? –What a wakeup call that was.I never saw Max again. Nor did I see Rudy Vanderlans or Suzanna Licko after 2001. That said, David Carson pops up every third day in a Master Class ad on Meta.What figures?[Chorus]
Golden lights displaying your name
Golden lights it's a terrible shame
But oh, my darling
Why did you change?
[Verse 1]
Boy in a million, idol, a big star
I didn't tell you how great you were
I didn't grovel and scream and rip
Your brand new jacket at the seams
You made a record, they liked your singing
All of a sudden the phone stops ringing
Ah, I never thought that you would let
The glory make you forget
[Chorus]
Golden lights displaying your name
Golden lights it's a terrible shame
But oh, my darling
Why did you change?
[Verse 2]
Top ten idol, king of your age
Who do you turn to when you're backstage?
Don't you remember you once knew a girl
You loved her more than the world
Is life always like this, brother?
Good for one side but bad for another
I must put you behind me tonight
Cause you belong to the lights
[Chorus]
Those golden lights displaying your name
Golden lights it's a terrible shame
But oh, my darling
Why did you change?
[Outro]
Oh, oh, my darling
Why, why did you change?
Oh, whoa, oh
–Golden Lights, The Smiths, Louder Than Bombs, 1987
Undeniably, one of the best songs The Smiths ever made.Am I exceeding your low expectations? Discuss!