talking 'bout my generation

Teaching guitar, you get the feeling that you're probably regarded as somewhat cooler than the average parent. Never mind the fact that you don't have a trophy car, a holiday home somewhere warm or go skiing every February, at least you have skills that the average teenager would see as desirable. This consolation quickly evaporates once you get down to the nitty gritty of guitaristy role models. When did you manage to go for the hundred year nap, only to awaken and discover that nobody with the word "teen" in their middle name has ever heard of John Martyn, Eric Clapton, Muddy Waters, Robert Johnson, Andre Segovia, Scullion, Paul Brady, Joan Armatrading or anybody else who ever raised a guitar in anger. In fairness, most of them are delighted to have their eyes opened, and being a part of that process is probably what makes life so enjoyable, but you get the feeling that somebody somewhere is not doing their job. I'm aware that there is some serious talent out there today, but probably only because somebody turned them on to some important pioneers at some stage during their development. If you draw a parallel with the health of the traditional/folk music scene in recent years, which owes a lot to the resurgence in interest by the previous generations, where your Sweeney's Men, Planxty, Bothy Band, De Dannann and many more breathed fresh life into the tradition.