---

Collage: Simone Tieber

The Seven Faces of Eldercool

E-mail to a friend

Your E-mail:


Your Name:


To:

(Separate multiple addresses with commas)

Message:

(Maximum length: 1,000 characters)

CC me

• How To Up Your Eldercool

• Back to the Article

1. The Pro

• Examples: Donald Rumsfeld, Clint Eastwood, Chuck Yeager
• Characteristics: Unflappability, sharp clothing, conservatism.
• Also known as: Boss.

2. The Bad Boy

• Examples: Hunter S. Thompson, Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson
• Characteristics: Lack of respect for authority, history of run-ins with the law, health problems.
• Also known as: The Outlaw.

3. The Misanthrope

• Examples: George Carlin, Kurt Vonnegut
• Characteristics: Gruffness, righteous indignation, unpredictability.
• Also known as: Cranky Old Goat.

4. The Joker

• Examples: William Shatner, Leslie Nielsen, "Grandpa" Al Lewis
• Characteristics: Wackiness, shamelessness.
• Also known as: Quite a Character.

5. The Guru

• Examples: The Dalai Lama, Pope John Paul II, Walter Cronkite
• Characteristics: Incorruptibility, reassuring manner, facility with aphorisms.
• Also known as: Obi-Wan.

6. The Icon

• Examples: Miles Davis, William S. Burroughs, John Lee Hooker
• Characteristics: Timeless cult appeal, may already be technically dead.
• Also known as: The Ghost Of…

7. The Silver Fox

• Examples: Sean Connery, Paul Newman
• Characteristics: Good bone structure, preternatural energy, sass.
• Also known as: The Ageless Wonder.