Ribbing the Stones gathers animosity

Well. Here’s a tip: Never tease a man about his Stones.

I know this because that’s exactly what I did last week. I took a few shots at Mick Jagger and the Rolling Stones, pointing out what I thought was obvious: Underneath the rock star persona, each is a man who is old enough to be a grandfather but still acts like a kid. Oh, and they are looking a little worse for the wear.

And then an interesting thing happened. I stepped right into a gap between the sexes.

Men called or sent cranky letters accusing me of being superficial and shallow, or downright prissy. One said my column was ageism at its worst. (Personally, I thought it was ageism at its best, but, goodness knows, I’m not one to argue.)

Taking exception to my comparison of the Rolling Stones to dolls made of dried apples, one suggested we paste my photo on an apple, carve a doll and see how the wrinkles settle.

Another quarreled with my declaration of devotion to Bruce Springsteen and my assertion that he still looks mighty good at 55, and wrote, “Too bad he can’t sing!” (Note to self: I’m not one to argue. I’m not one to argue. I’m not one to argue…)

Women just thought the whole thing was funny.

Maybe guys can’t get a clear perspective on just how rough and rangy the Rolling Stones look to those of us who don’t identify with them in any way. By that I guess I mean women and adult men under 30.

Apparently, a lot of men – of a certain age - see something entirely different when they look at the band. After all, The Rolling Stones are icons of youth and rebellion for those of us who grew up in the 1960s and ‘70s.

Now, most of us are stuck in the middle of the middleclass but are edging out of middleage. But, while we may be sporting a few extra pounds or despairing over receding hairlines and expanding waistlines, and working to keep marriages and families intact; balancing checkbooks, peri-menopause and the occasional midlife crisis, some of us still see ourselves as we were in our prime.

Some of us just readjusted the prime.

Is the problem gender-based? It seems that many men look at Mick and the guys and see cocky bad boys who still thumb their noses at the system, men who have made it into their 60s without losing their hair, and (this is the most important thing) can still rock ‘n’ roll all night long. But most women see a band of men who just refuse to settle down and act their age. Oh, wait, maybe we do see the same thing, after all.

Whatever. The important thing is I’ve learned my lesson.

So, OK, guys, I get it, I get it. If Mick’s still rockin’, you’re still rockin’. We’re all still rockin’.

You can bet I won’t take on another musical legend anytime soon. Unless it’s someone we can all pick on, like, say, KC and the Sunshine Band.

Because that’s the way, uh huh-uh huh, you like it.