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Ageism

by Sweeney

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1.
Preference 03:47
What is your preference? Decide The vagaries of a young man’s coded lies Discreet and indifferent Decide The practice for an age under disguise Hand down the medicine Decide An offering not asked for None too wise 1990s An ageing fade of double lives So many died then Forgotten men Lost in time What is your preference? Decide A better man will gaze into your eyes Not open to everything Decide “Monogamy - not into partnered guys” A promise broken An altered state of self-despise The straights won’t bend here The gays will turn But never rise Rise! Rise! Rise up!
2.
Better Man 03:34
They say you were the better man Always holding on to the years To the fears Head down work for a better plan Saving up all those pitiful tears Oh the tears But you work too hard for them And they gave you nothing in return In return It’s a mountain you must climb Just to leave this past behind It’s yours if you want it Don’t say you were the better man Always holding on to the fears And the years Dirt left on your hands Was the work you did That no-one asked you to do But you did And you wasted All the hours spent With hands in pockets Hands in his On his You’re a better man than this And you’ve found this hard to tell me But tell me now… Swipe left, swipe right, swipe up And you’re not interested In getting any older In getting any older
3.
In a wide-screen cinema A ghost play with amateur parts Now you’re auditioning For a character who’s dead from the start 
To fail, to fear, to fail again To fail, to fear, to fail again A shape in a mirror Looks just the same in the dark Now turn to the water A face of infinity, scarred To fail, to fear, to fail again To fail, to fear, to fail again To fail, to fear, to fail again To fail, to fear In an age of exteriors Of painted gods never sold Your bones at the funeral Were made up entirely of gold To fail, to fear, to fail again To fail, to fear, to fail again To fail, to fear, to fail again To fail, to fear
4.
The skin that is thin In the age that I’m in The eyes they are going And the sun is exploding In the age that I’m in The less I am growing The less I am showing In the age that I’m in Oh the age that I’m in Watch me die in front of you now In front of you now “No! No!” Soon the tears will end In the age that I’m in Fade do the failings of self In the age that I’m in It’s a city that’s crumbling In the age that I’m in Oh the age that I’m in Watch me die in front of you now Watch me die in front of you now Watch me die in front of you now Watch me die in front of you now In front of you now
“No! No!” Watch me die Watch me die Watch me die Watch me die Watch me die Watch me die
5.
Young 03:25
You are still young Young It’s just a number friend Go out and find your man But the men are so young Young So you swipe another face “He’s not for me” you say And the night is still young Young But slowly comes the day Now the sun reveals your face And you’re no longer young Young Just old before your time And now you’re old who’s wise? And what song to be sung? Sung The words you sing, so vague Sing you to an early grave Oh… you were young
6.
I wanted it all The feel, the taste It’s not enough A screen, a face Until I turn, turn over another page Some fear his skin Some fear his eyes Too old to go pull on his chain Too old to go see him try Gonna step, step up on another ledge Until I fall, fall off from a narrow edge Oh, when it’s enough to know it’s not enough just to know his name Never growing up, grow up, never be the same Never, no it’s not enough just to know his name Knowing when your time is up Gonna step, step up on another ledge Some fear his skin Some fear his eyes (Too old) Some fear his skin Some fear his eyes Another suicide, another battle of an age Another death, dead, a lonely queer, alone again Another sad stat, an algorithm, no remains Another time, another place, and no reply again Another other is another mess upon a grid But until then - turn off!
7.
Your eyes were always haunted Had a face that did not age Until the day it changes
“Oh dear god…” Don’t fall in love Don’t fall in love With inbuilt obsolescence If I could hold a mirror What a strange occurrence there You must the face harsh realities “Please no more!” Don’t fall in love Don’t fall in love With inbuilt obsolescence Don’t fall No, don’t fall in love
8.
Daddy-O 03:17
Hey sir Old man Where’d you go? Come Be my favourite Daddy-o Daddy-o! Grey-sealed Stealthy Private album Open it up for me I wanted to be younger older stable I wanted to be leaner tone-deaf bigger I wanted to be useless careless top-vers I wanted to be someone else here worthy I wanted to be younger older stable I wanted to be leaner tone-deaf bigger I wanted to be useless careless top-vers I wanted to be someone else here Worthy of you
9.
A few years to live... Youth goes ... Beauty goes ... No triumphs left ... Past bitter defeats ... Something dreadful ... Dull in the eye ... False ideals of age ... So live! ... Live ... Only here for a season ... Year after year ... Limbs fail ... Turn into vulgar sock puppets ... Just haunted ... And so there is youth ... Youth ... Nothing but youth … Always ageing! Always ageing!
10.
Life goes one Two is already done No more to say I'm dying here anyway Yes, I will be here Haunting you Long after I'm gone Long after I'm gone

about

Sweeney’s sixth full-length solo album “Ageism” collects the singles from 2023, including the popular ‘Daddy-O’ as seen on ABC TV’s Rage.

“Ageism” treks through 10 electronic pop songs about what it means to be old and queer. When ‘old’ these days can mean anything over the age of 35 (and getting younger). It is not an album of complaint but rather a series of interconnected songs that carry with them a broken nostalgia, failing ideologies and the ghosts of a music era now gone.

How does an artist grow old in an algorithmic world of momentary promises, short-lived news cycles, flashing appearances and an obsession with numbers? How does a musician age and work out time as a speeding thing, unable to pause and yet manage to produce?

And then, what if that musician existed in queer time that is non-linear but still demands a youthful beauty and a fluidity that doesn’t age well?

In a time of online dating and hook ups being one of the dominant ways to meet people for sex or possible relationships, there is a certain element that often gets overlooked: ageism. From a specifically queer perspective - and that of an older queer man (aged 51) - the signals are mixed.

From outright rejection (as both an ageing body and a washed up musician) of being too old to being fetishised as the Daddy figure (even if that is not part of one’s online profile identity) does one just simply retreat and find that invisible space?

“Ageism” embraces age instead of shunning it. The 10 songs observe the ageing queer body as a site of beauty, of wisdom, of false promises and a fragile future. Something to look forward to, something to leave behind.

credits

released February 1, 2024

Written, performed and produced by Jason Sweeney
Recorded on stolen Kaurna Country (South Australia), 2023
"A Picture of Youth" features vocals by Jarrod Takle.
"Life Goes One" features vocals by Garrett R Cooper from Brave Mistakes.

'AGEISM' is supported by the Government of South Australia through Arts South Australia.

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Observable Universe Recordings / Sweeney Australia

A record label based for music by Sweeney and associates. Based on Kaurna Country.

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