Music and the memories it can evoke are wondrous things. Recording technology continues to advance to the point where you can now, thanks to iPods and MP3 players, carry an entire crate's worth of 33 1/3 lps around in your pocket. Pretty awesome, when you stop to think about it.

I was watching television this past weekend, and caught up with some folks that made music when I was a child. Nebraska public broadcasting was airing a special of the music of Randy Bachman and Burton Cummings, recorded last year in Toronto. Folks my age and older may remember these two Canadians who were part of a group called The Guess Who is the late 1960s and early 1970s. Their records occupied space on turntables in the house that I grew up in, whether it be a 45 of "American Woman" or a lp that contained "These Eyes," these two Winnipeg boys made some great music.

Eventually, as is the case with most rock bands, they went their separate ways, Cummings, the vocalist and keyboardist, going solo and guitarist Bachman forming another band, Bachman-Turner Overdrive, or BTO as they were referred to in the day. Both achieve success on the charts, but BTO was by far more successful. I even saw Burton Cummings in concert in Omaha when "Stand Tall" was a hit.

Eventually, like so many other bands before them, the Guess Who discussed reuniting for a tour and album. One of the original members of the band bought the rights to the name and refused to allow Bachman and Cummings to use the name, so they simply toured as Bachman Cummings. The PBS special had them singing Guess Who songs, BTO songs and Burton Cummings solo songs. It was nice to see and hear these familiar songs, but it was also sad.

Randy Bachman will turn 64 next month, Burton Cummings will turn 60 in December. Bachman has aged gracefully, Cummings still has coal black hair and mustache. I realize we all are, on some level, vain creatures, but come on! You can't be 25 forever, not should you want to be.

When I saw these two, the mental images of both in their youth came back, as did the way I remembered they sounded. They don't sound like 25-year-olds any more. I always thought that Burton Cummings had one of the most unique and pleasant voices in rock. Watching the special with my eyes closed, I could hear an echo of the past voice. It made me happy and sad at the same time.

In past years, I have seen other artists from my youth perform for PBS. I can recall another Canadian, Gordon Lightfoot, doing a set during another fundraising drive. Lightfoot's 1974 album "Sundown" got it's share of play on our Gambles stereo system and the 1976 dirge, "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald," is one of my favorite songs. Mr. Lightfoot will be 69 this fall and he's still doing the wear tight jeans like it's 1974 routine. While I realize that is the image that many have of him, that was 33 years ago. The shock of seeing someone that's nearly 70 trying to look and act half their age is a bit much for me.

But television seems to be the place for old rock stars to go. Ozzy Osbourne, who will be 59 in December, had a good run with a reality TV show based on his family life. The same formula is being used for Rev. Joseph "Run" Simmons of Run DMC, who will be 43 in December. Heck, even Gene Simmons of Kiss has his own reality show.

I was a fan of Kiss back in the day as well, and it is a bit disturbing, to say the least, to see Gene Simmons, who will be 58 later this month, with jet black hair that is his own (or transplanted to his skull), cut in a helmet style, try to act the rock star of 30 years ago. His common law wife, Shannon Tweed, and children seem to put him in his place on a regular basis.

Aging is natural part of life -- we all do age (the alternative is not pleasant), and while it's good to see and catch up with these stars from my childhood, I would hope that they would, at some point, act their age.

But I doubt that pays very well...

As always, I welcome your comments. You can reach me by email at tstangl@lemarscomm.net, telephone 712-546-7031, x40 or toll free 1-800-728-0066 x40.

Thanks for reading, I'll keep in touch. Feel free to do the same.