Nostalgia, the feeling of missing the past, can be sparked by memories or experiences from one’s childhood.
Science teacher Robert Evans grew up listening to music from the Eagles and the Journey.
“My father was a big Eagles fan and I remember driving around with him a lot, he would listen to the Eagles. I ended up really, really liking them,” Evans said.
Evans has played guitar since he was in high school, leading to him having a greater appreciation and feeling of nostalgia towards older band music highlighting guitar sounds and musical craftsmanship.
“I like music that showcases what I’ve perceived to be really good craftsmanship where all the musicians are talented and it’s a combination of not only the instrumental part but their ability to carry melodic tunes,” Evans said.
His nostalgia for this music genre influences his music taste to this day.
Similarly to how Evans’ father influenced his taste in music, senior Ayrton Wang’s father introduced Wang to the music he finds the most nostalgic. His dad played a lot of ‘80s music in the car and Wang mentions how this served as a gateway to discover more music and culture in that older time.
Wang says he enjoys music from the new wave, a music genre featuring ‘70s and ‘80s pop-influenced songs. He likes listening to bands like The Cure and New Order.
With an enduring passion for older films, senior Dana Schoenhorn feels nostalgic for ‘80s movies,
particularly “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off,” “Footloose” and “Grease.” She remembers watching older films with her parents ever since she was little, leading to her love of old movies to this day.
In addition, Schoenhorn highlights how her fondness for older films has helped her expand upon her other interests, such as fashion.
“I’m into fashion and I really like to dive into fashion [of past decades], so just watching movies and stuff gives me almost inspiration for fashion,” Schoenhorn said.
She comments on how older films and older music serves as a window into the past for her to discover new things about past culture. Schoenhorn’s nostalgia for these media makes her want to experience the years in which her favorite older films and songs were created.
“I’d say [nostalgia is] kind of a comforting feeling, but it also makes me have a sense of longing for a time that I didn’t exist [in],” Schoenhorn said. Schoenhorn comments that she thinks older media, movies and songs are starting to die out a little bit as people lose interest. She encourages people to listen to older songs and try watching older movies.
Senior Santiago Tamayo feels nostalgic towards classical rock from the ‘50s through the ‘70s. As he was growing up, his parents and grandparents would play this music.
“As I got older, when I started listening to a lot of mainstream music, I wanted to find other music. And from rock, I found all of this old music in my parents’ drawers like on cassette tapes and I’d be listening to it. And I knew about American classic rock, but when I found out about Mexican rock, [I] really got attached to it, so I feel a lot of nostalgia for it,” Tamayo said.
Tamayo also expresses his love towards the nostalgic “Jurassic Park” as it was a childhood favorite of his. “I used to be obsessed with dinosaurs. It was the only thing I loved watching,” Tamayo said.
He comments on why the feeling of nostalgia is so important when it comes to movies and songs. He describes nostalgia as a rush of excitement that can bring people just the feeling they need at the times that they need it.
“It brings you back to either better times or worse times…but it’s a feeling that you sometimes want because you’re missing something and you just want to chase that feeling,” Tamayo said.
These students and staff hope that people continue to watch old movies and listen to older music to keep it alive and maintain this rich culture.
