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11 July, 2024
Courtesy of Wikipedia, here are some other folks who were born in 1942, the same year as President Joe Biden:
Sir James Paul McCartney CH MBE (born 18 June 1942) is an English singer, songwriter and musician who gained worldwide fame with the Beatles.
Barbara Joan "Barbra" Streisand (born April 24, 1942) is an American singer, actress, songwriter, producer, and director.
Martin Charles Scorsese (born November 17, 1942) is an American filmmaker.
Carole King Klein (born February 9, 1942) is an American singer-songwriter and musician who has been active since 1958.
Addison Mitchell McConnell III (born February 20, 1942) is an American politician and retired attorney.
Brian Douglas Wilson (born June 20, 1942) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer who co-founded the Beach Boys.
Harrison Ford (born July 13, 1942) is an American actor. Regarded as a cinematic cultural icon, he has been a leading man in films of several genres.
John Davies Cale OBE (born 9 March 1942) is a Welsh musician, composer, and record producer who was a founding member of the American rock band the Velvet Underground.
Calvin Richard Klein (born November 19, 1942) is an American fashion designer.
Werner Herzog (born 5 September 1942) is a German filmmaker, actor, opera director, and author.
Gilberto Passos Gil Moreira (born 26 June 1942), is a Brazilian singer-songwriter and politician.
Henry St. Claire Fredericks Jr. (born May 17, 1942), better known by his stage name Taj Mahal, is an American blues musician.
Sir William Connolly CBE (born 24 November 1942) is a Scottish retired comedian, actor, artist, musician, and television presenter.
Caetano Emanuel Viana Teles Veloso (born 7 August 1942) is a Brazilian composer.
Barry Lee Levinson (born April 6, 1942) is an American film director, producer and screenwriter.
Graham William Nash OBE (born 2 February 1942) is an English-American musician, singer and songwriter.
Anna A. Eshoo (born December 13, 1942) is an American politician serving as the U.S. representative from California
James Lee Keltner (born April 27, 1942) is an American drummer and percussionist known primarily for his session work.
Jack DeJohnette (born August 9, 1942) is an American jazz drummer, pianist, and composer.
Bobbie Gentry (born July 27, 1942) is a retired American singer-songwriter.
James Roger McGuinn (born July 13, 1942) is an American musician, best known for being the frontman and leader of the Byrds.
Isabel Angélica Allende Llona (born 2 August 1942) is a Chilean-American writer.
Michael Dammann Eisner (born March 7, 1942) is an American businessman and former chairman and chief executive officer (CEO) of The Walt Disney Company.
Kenneth Gamble (born August 11, 1943, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) and Leon A. Huff (born April 8, 1942, Camden, New Jersey) are an American songwriting duo.
Michael York OBE (born Michael Hugh Johnson; 27 March 1942) is an English film, television, and stage actor.
Andrew James Summers (born 31 December 1942) is an English guitarist best known as a member of the rock band the Police.
Glyn Thomas Johns (born 15 February 1942) is an English recording engineer and record producer.
Alan Charles Jardine (born September 3, 1942) is an American musician who co-founded the Beach Boys.
Geneviève Bujold (born July 1, 1942) is a Canadian actress.
Jean-Luc Ponty (born 29 September 1942) is a French jazz and jazz fusion violinist and composer.
These are just a few of the 81-year-olds that I, personally, am most familiar with. Wikipedia shows more than 8100 notable people born in 1942 who are still alive.
I put together this post because I noticed Harrison Ford was born in the same year as Biden, and I don't think of Harrison Ford as old. I mean, I remember him talking about the differences for him in making the latest Indiana Jones movie, now that he's older, and the rule of "no 'old' jokes" for the movie, but even so - even though he, too, is 81, just like Biden - I don't think of him as old.
I don't think of Carole King as old. I don't think of Paul McCartney as old. I don't think of Roger McGuinn as old.
All of them are the same age, but I don't think of them as old.
It got me thinking about the power of association - I associate so many of these people with the creative flowering of the 60s and 70s, a time when youth was especially admired, and I tend to still think of them as they were 50 years ago.
It also got me thinking about what we can do with the years that make up a life. You can spend a 50-year career making music, or making movies, or making a difference in service to your country.
I am genuinely grateful for the music and the movies and the many extraordinarily positive things Joe Biden has done over the course of 50 years in public service.