Welcome, Please, The Zimmers

A group of about 40 elders, ranging in age from 78 to 99 and calling themselves The Zimmers, have recorded The Who’s tune, My Generation, at the historic Abbey Road studio in London. The video is one of the latest hits on YouTube. Lead singer, 90-year-old Alf Caretta, told the BBC:

“I can't believe this is happening. For me to have recorded a song in the same studio as the Beatles is just so exciting. I feel like the whole experience has brought me back to life. I was stuck in a rut and now I feel alive again.”

BBC News, 13 April 2007

The group was brought together by documentary filmmaker Tim Samuels, who has made a series about disenfranchised groups fighting back:

“'This is about old people sticking it back to the society that has cast them aside,' says Samuels."

Without further ado, ladies and gentlemen – The Zimmers…

Zimmers’ producer, Mike Hedges, who has worked with U2 and other contemporary bands says,

“My grandmother died when she was in her nineties and my mother in her late, late seventies and I miss them. Old people are highly entertaining to talk to. Their experiences, the things they talk about are just fantastic - really, really exciting. People forget that they know a lot and they've been through a lot."

Isn’t this band cool and it's even cooler that the young professionals working with the band have their heads screwed on straight about age.

[Virginia DeBolt gave her story a terrific title: The Tomato Patch Smoocher. It's at The Elder Storytelling Place today.]

Comments

[Mrs. R.]

Woot! Love this, love it, love it, love it. Smash those guitars ladies!
Thanks for sharing this Ronni.
Cheers!

[cesnh]

Wow - thank you for showing us this. It is just great!

[Micki]

That is the perfect way to celebrate the age!

[Rhea]

This is very cool. There should be more projects like this!

[Sarah]

This is wonderful Ronni, thanks for sharing!

[mizmell]

Marvelous! I guess this definitely proves it is truly never too late.

[millie garfield]

Wonderful, wonderful, wonderful!!!

[Dee]

Hurray for our side! Thanks, Ronni....a priceless video. I boogie a little every day! Dee

[notdotdot]

Made me laugh and cry at the same time!!! Can't thank you enough. This is a keeper!!

[steve garfield]

Funny ending.

[Rain]

that was great!

[Dalene]

I saw this last night over at Robert Brady's blog Pureland Mountain.

I really enjoyed reading the background information you provide about The Zimmers in this post.
They truly ROCK!

Thanks! Dalene

[lilalia]

Thank you so much. I want to be in The Zimmers II. I'm Almost Fifty (49) this year, and now I know what I want to do in twenty or thirty years time. Previously, I yearned to dance with Pina Bausch. Not much chance there, but maybe The Zimmers would take me. What do you think?

[la peregrina]

That was great. I also cried and laughed as I watched it. Thanks, Ronni.

[Joared]

This is great! I think there are groups scattered around over this country of older people performing if we could just bring more to the public's attention.

I know there's a yearly live show in Palm Springs, CA that brings rave revues. A local retirement community for the past ten years has been featuring a variety of original acts to a full house crowd with increasing numbers of performances.

[Fran aka Redondowriter]

Ronni, I am laughing so hard--but I'm also identifying so much! I just loved those happy looking elders--and the guy at the end simply made my day.

I went into the donut hole today on Medicare Part D and it's only April--and I'm pretty healthy.

My brother-in-law at 82 is dying of PSP in Washington state and my sister, 83 and in poor health herself, is bringing him home after 4 months in the acute hospital and nursing home. She is being advised against it as he has a feeding tube still but is rapidly failing. Hospice can't take him unless they remove his feeding tube and he chokes and gets pneumonia if he eats. (Disease is PSP) His Medicare days are running out this month. Though very ill, he is conscious and speaking, wants to keep the feeding tube, and is begging to come home to die. They were hard-working blue collar people. She doesn't qualify for Medicaid, but her 3 options are: 1. leave him in the nursing facility at her expense with the feeding tube at $400 per day, or remove the feeding tube and Hospice can help with expenses. The care is not to my sister's standard and none of their own doctors can enter the facility; the Hospitaler doctor just ignores my BIL. 2. Take him home at her own expense with around-the-clock care with the feeding tube et al at $3,000 per week for 50 days until her funds run out. The government can't take her mobile home or car, but her funds will be gone. At the end of 50 days, she will have to have the feeding tube removed so that Hospice can then help and she can qualify for Medicaid. 3. Take him home without the feeding tube et al and see how it long it takes him to die.

Their story is such a common one that it breaks my heart. I wrote yesterday at Sacred Ordinary (http://redondowriter.typepad.com) about my dear BIL when he was a bomber pilot in WW II, stationed in Bassingborne, England.

At least the Brits in this wonderful YouTube video, although discriminated against by their culture, at least have medical care until the end of their days.

I am proud to be an American, but something is sure wrong with our healthcare scenario!

Thanks for being our ongoing advocate.

[zoe]

This made my day!!!
My beautiful, creative, artistic, NYTimes double-crostic solving in ink Mother has been invaded by the dreaded Alzheimer's disease.
At this point, she has been swallowed by the state since the private place she was staying, 30k later, couldn't make the time needed to insure she took her medication, so she got "out of control" [read: under to non medicated] and is now at Western State Hospital, here in WA state.
She's currently a ferry trip and many hours away from where I live.
I wish I could show her this and she was able to understand it as she has a wry sense of humor -- sadly, she's incapable of doing so now.
So, for my Mother, I will stand up and say *Brava*!!!
Thank you Zimmers - encore encore!

[Kate]

Me, too. Gives me renewed hope about my fantasy to create The Dixie Hens!
Thanks again for all that you bring to us. :)

[Bonnie]

I am so grateful, and not dead.

[Kim Pearson]

Ronni, that was a hoot! Thanks.

[John Franklin]

Some readers might be interested to know the origin of the name "Zimmers." "Speakers of British English often call a walker a 'Zimmer Frame.' That term is a trademark of Zimmer Holdings, a manufacturer of walkers and joint replacement parts." (From Wikipedia)

[Kay Dennison]

Fabulous! Brings to mind Dylan Thomas:

"Do not go gentle into that good night.
Old age should rage against the fading light."

Thinking rockin' against it counts? lol

They were having a blast. When the Elderbloggers do their video, can I be the go-go girl? :-)

[Anita]

It too made me cry and laugh. I am only in my late 30's. I think the world should embrace their older family members. Our elders have lived so many wonderful and even difficult lives with such strength. We should learn from them and cherish them. Thank you for the video. The ZIMMER'S ROCK, I would by a ticket and cd in a heart beat.

[Melinda]

Absolutely wonderful!!! I loved it and sent your link onto all my elder friends.