Is Hootie and the Blowfish old enough to be cool again?

I kind of think so, but I’m really not sure. I mean, I definitely remember rocking out to songs like “Time” and “Hold My Hand” circa 1994. I was in fifth grade, a big number at the time. Being one of the big kids in elementary school meant that we were inherently cool. When we rocked out to Hootie and the Blowfish, it was a clear signal to the children of Northern Potter Elementary school, the citizens of rural America, and the world that Hootie and the Blowfish had arrived.

My mother is a yard sale addict. I mean that in all seriousness. Not a week goes by in which she doesn’t purchase some trinket, some piece of furniture, or some device that we don’t need. Because she’s out for a good deal, these things invariably have issues. The cabinets need to be refinished, the chairs are so fragile that they’re barely usable, the gadgets work “if you fiddle with the cord a bit,” and so forth.

I respect that going to yard sales is her hobby, and I make a point not to complain when she buys things such as a large butter churn or an antique horse-drawn sleigh (both of which we now own). I try not to ask how much these things cost anymore, even when we discuss my student loans. But usually her buys are entirely for herself, or at least not for me.

So when she presented me today with a CD copy of Cracked Rear View, I was surprised. I accepted it, figuring that if nothing else, I could get a little nostalgia kick out of it. Maybe dote fondly on the simplicity of fifth grade for awhile.

But will this gift ultimately be worthwhile? Are Hootie and the Blowfish doomed to be forgotten, like the Crash Test Dummies, the Men Without Hats and nearly every other badly-named band of the last 50 years? Or will Hootie and friends’ blend of cheesy watered down ’southern’ rock rise again? I hear that the whole recreating fifth grade thing is very ‘in’ in some circles.

One thing’s for sure. I’m keeping the CD just in case.

Posted on October 2nd, 2004 by Lee
Tagged: Music