Tagged As: AC/DC, Akon, Britney Spears, Circus, Age

Recent reports from the AP have shed light on the fact that Akon has no clue how old he really is. Apparently, though he was born in the United States, he was raised in Senegal where age is simply not that important.

Akon, who recently released his new album Freedom, said that it is only here in the States and in Europe that such an importance is placed on age. He certainly has a point. Look at the shoddy records kept by the Chinese government for their women’s gymnastics team and sports fans know that any player coming from Cuba could be five to ten years older than they claim.

Of course, this deflection quickly brought him back to what is perhaps a fear we all share… growing old. He said that he is afraid of thinking about medical checkups and the consequences of age on insurance forms. If anything, this confession humanizes the artist that has suffered/profited from a confusing background of alleged criminal behavior and public relations snafus.

We can all relate to this fear of growing up, and perhaps in the entertainment industry that is all too evident. Britney Spears is still selling albums as a sex symbol despite the fact that she has already had two children and gone through an annulment and a very public and very messy divorce. Is she being irresponsible by wearing skin tight outfits on tour for her latest tour, The Circus Starring: Britney Spears, or is she simply living out the fantasy that every woman in her late 20s and her and even her 40s likes to carry on in her head?

Akon is going to catch a lot of flak for not knowing a piece of information every four-year-old displays with pride on a single hand, but his reaction, that desire to be 21 for the rest of his life is not exactly a crime, as opposed to throwing a fan from the stage.

So before we chastise this 25 to 35-year-old singer lets remember we are the same culture that still delights in watching the Rolling Stones hop on stage with artificial hips and likes to relive our own youth with tickets to the AC/DC tour.