DEFINITION OF CLASSIC ROCK

How old does a song have to be before you can play it on a classic rock station?

20, 25 years old?

I just heard Nirvana's Smells Like Teen Spirit on Big 106.

It hasn't been 20 years since it smelled like gunshot residue and Kurt Cobain was no more.

The song was released, like, exactly 20 years ago.

But that leads to a new question...

How do we track the evolution of Classic Rock?

Many of Madonna's songs are over 20 years old, but I don't expect to hear them on Big 106.

Don't get me wrong, I like her, but she isn't Classic Rock. (Or Rock & Roll, while we're on the subject. She shouldn't be in the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame either.)

Nirvana was solidly Alternative.

They were not rock.

Music ages in dog years and yes, many of our 90's rock music is now found in elevators; the retirement home for old songs.

But call Nirvana "classic alternative", not classic rock and get your own fucking station.

Now, exceptions. (there always are)

1) Old bands, new music.

Rolling Stones is the quintessential classic rock band. But they are still churning out the hits.

I'm okay with hearing new music from an old classic rock band on my classic rock station.

2) Song is classic rock, band isn't.

Ever heard of the power ballad? Sometimes bands that are mostly something else, dabble in the other. If the song is classic rock, play it.

3) Straddling the fence / morphing bands.

Green Day used to be alternative, but I'd almost call them Rock now.

Eric Clapton used to be Classic Rock, but is almost exclusively blues now.

And there have always been great bands that have straddled the fence. I'm not trying to be a purist here, but don't argue with me about a slippery slope till we're already sliding, okay?

At the end of the day, it smelled like barf in my car when I nearly threw up at hearing that song on my classic rock station. I do understand that Miami is left without a rock station now that 93.1 went Coastal, but please don't throw that on BIG's shoulders.