How were some classic rock acts viewed when you were growing up?

[Dave78]

The musical climate back in the 70's was probably a lot like it was in the 60's. Everyone was cool and no one went out of their way to put a band down or anyone who liked them. I do, however, remember reading how in the post-Elvis early 60's, there were two camps; those who liked The Beatles and those who liked The Beach Boys. I don't know if those two camps co-existed peacefully or not, but the comparison that comes to mind from the 70's is the rock, punk and disco genres. The people who liked rock looked down on the Punk groups, and they hated Disco. Hated it! By the late 70's, the old-guard rock groups from the 60's and 70's had all but faded away or had disbanded, so the rock landscape was pretty much wide open for the newer rock bands like Aerosmith, Journey, Van Halen, Judas Priest, The Scorpions and UFO to gain new fans to buy their albums and concert t-shirts. And when New Wave came along in the late 70's and then MTV in the early 80's, it seemed like everyone liked everything now that Punk and Disco were all but a sad and pathetic memory. But for me personally? The only two bands I ever really cringed at were Wham and Culture Club because they were both very UN-rock-like. And I wasn't a 14 year old girl. I was a beer-drinking guy in my early 20's. But even as a beer-drinking guy in my early 20's, I never got into the speed metal bands of the 80's either, but I didn't put anyone else down for liking those bands. Just like all the Industrial rock (NIN) and rap rock bands (Kid Rock) in the 90's and beyond... I didn't like them either, but I didn't put them down or anyone who was cranking their music at a tailgate party at the racetrack. I know I'm leaving a lot out of this, but that's the gist of it from my Southern California perspective.