I am 30, ten years ago I dealt with on a regular basis at least five or six people on a regular basis who really really cared about a particular band. They wore their T-shirts, they talked about their music, they had their posters. Now I can't name anyone who I have run into in the last 6 months who even comes close to that. I have no insight into this, but I think there is something interesting there.

Is it an age thing?
Is it that the I-pod has allowed people to become more song people?
Is all music that crappy, but still in 1997 the guys I am thinking about weren't all just really into Phish, there was a guy who was really into the Beatles. There was a guy really into Nick Drake. There was a guy who thought that Radiohead spewed the meaning of life everytime they farted.

Not sure but I find it interesting.