Re: Songs of previous generations, I don't agree with the assessment
that anything that's not today's disposable pop doesn't appeal to "the
young".  They're not homogenous and there seem to be a lot of trendy
young people nowadays for whom retro, antique and vintage things are
"in".

My experience is that hipsters, chaps, techy types and steampunks all
seem to be impressed by mechanical music when they meet it and the age
of the music rolls is part of the charm.  The problem is they don't
meet it, because there's not a lot about and much of it is not visible
to those who don't already know to look for it.

Unfortunately the majority reaction of people I meet under the age of
40 to even the commonplace pianola is, "How cool; I had no idea these
things even existed!"  I get far more of the "What, you like that old
rubbish?" reaction from people old enough to remember the sixties!

(I'm not strictly young, and was never trendy, but I saw one player
piano once at the age of about seven.  I bought mine at 32 not having
met another since; two years later I'm on here and up to the armpit in
Orchestrelle.  This stuff is dangerously infectious!  However I am very
fortunate indeed to be able to afford the floor space, and indeed not
to be renting and facing having to move instruments regularly -- that's
the real obstacle for mine and younger generations.)

Lester Hawksby