Seven Ways to Tell if You’re an Xennial
What is an Xennial? That was the question I found asking myself recently. Xennial was a word I’d never come across but I was intrigued and wanted to know more.
An Xennial (pronounced Ex-Ennial) is someone who is a little bit ‘Generation X-y’ and a little bit of a millenial, but doesn’t fall neatly into either category.
That’s a pretty narrow age gap to fit into. And so if you’re an Xennial, you’re pretty unusual – there aren’t many of us out there. Here’s why:
What is an Xennial? – The Quick Guide
By the early 1980’s the last of the Generation X-ers were being born. The first came around in the mid to late 1970’s, but by 1983, Generation X was over and the first millenials were being born.
The last millenials were born in the early 2000’s and are reaching adulthood right about now. So Xennials are people born right at the confluence of the two generations – X and Millenium. If you were born between 1980 and 1985, the chances are….
You are an Xennial.
Or are you? How do you know you’re an Xennial – is it a state of mind, or simply the year in which you were born. Or are there ways to tell if you truly are not quite ‘X-y enough’ but neither are your a millenial brat…?
Here’s my list:
1. You Watched The Breakfast Club on T.V.
The Breakfast Club came out in 1985. Starring Emilio Estevez and a few other ‘Brat Pack’ favourites, it was one of the seminal movies of Generation X.
The problem is you were in nappies when it came out. Which means you were way too young to see it in the cinema or movie theatre.
But you did see it later, probably one one of those nights you were allowed to move the T.V. into your room while your parents had friends over.
2. Your First Music Album was on Cassette
I tell people about the first album I bought (REM – Monster) and not so much about the second (PJ and Duncan – Psyche).
Those albums did have one thing in common (no, it’s not ‘they’re both AWESOME). I bought them both on cassette. And the cover folded out and had the lyrics in minuscule text. They cost around £8.00 which was a staggering amount of money. But then CDs were £14.00 so it was a cheap deal.
I was ten, so the lyrics to Eternal Love by PJ and Duncan didn’t mean much:
When autumn leaves were on the ground
We had long walks together with no one around
Long conversations alone in the park
That carry on ’till way after dark
Winters chill and icy streets
Inside is warm on Christmas eve
The fire burning, our bodies yearning
Round and round the wheel of loves are turning
But then REM lyrics still mean nothing to me.
3. You Owned a CD Copy of Nirvana ‘Nevermind’
Fast forward a few years and I’d discovered grunge. It started with a sketchy cassette copy of ‘In Utero’ by Nirvana but progressed quickly to a CD of Nevermind. I turned the cover inside out so my Mum wouldn’t see the picture of the baby’s willy.
Grunge became my musical love, and still is. I lived in a plaid shirt, Pearl Jam t-shirt and combat boots and listened to Alice in Chains on repeat.
4. The First U.S. President You Remember was Bill Clinton
William Jefferson Clinton became U.S. President in 1993. Which was around the time I’d started watching the 9 O’clock news with my parents. Bill Clinton’s presidency taught me a lot of new words and phrases such as:
- Perjury
- Impeachment
- Felatio
- Sexual Relations
- Kosovo
By the time he was on the way out, my formative years were almost over.
5. You Saw The Star Wars Trilogy in the Cinema But the Remastered Ones
I’m one of the deprived generation who will never see the original Star Wars trilogy. Because they seem to be lost for ever. And all that is left is the, now outrageously dated, ‘improved CGI’ versions that George Lucas released in the mid to late 1990’s
I had a cousin who had the originals on VHS but alas, these are now lost forever given that no one has a VHS VCR.
6. And You Thought The Phantom Menace was Lame
You know who enjoyed the Phantom Menace? No one, that’s who. It wasn’t just the worst Star Wars movie of all time, it was probably one of the worst movies of all time.
Released in 1999 it had terrible acting, an awful plot and some really weird bits (like the little boy who was in love with the woman who ended up getting married in another episode).
The only (and I mean ONLY) way to enjoy the movie is through the medium of this parody song by Weird Al Yankovich:
7. You Remember Chris Cornell as the Front man of Audioslave, Not Soundgarden
On a sweaty disused airfield in Scotland, Audioslave had just left the main stage of ‘T in the Park’ music festival. But an encore was imminent.
And whenTom Morello struck the first chords to ‘Killing in the Name Of’, I felt like I’d died and gone to heaven (if heaven was a mosh pit in which I got repeatedly punched in the kidneys and had to recover in the ‘VIP’ bar with minor celebrities such as ‘Shellsuit Bob’ from Scotland’s TV soap ‘River City’).
(The second encore was Chris Cornell singing an acoustic version of Black Hole Sun.)
Don’t get me wrong: I love Soundgarden, but they were over by the time I was into music, as were Rage Against the Machine. So listening to Audioslave was like being transported back into an Xennial time/dream machine.
You Know What? Xennials Rock
We rock because we’re still young, dynamic, free thinking but without all the petty angst of Generation X. We also lack the unbelievably annoying precociousness of Millenials.
I’m proud to call myself an Xennial, and you should be to.
Neil
P.S. I’ve written about Fatherhood from an Xennial’s perspective (i.e. mine). Get it here.
