One of the stories that amused me this week was hearing that 17-year-old Billie Eilish, the popstar, had no idea who or what Van Halen was. She was on Jimmy Kimmel’s show, and when Jimmy found out Billie had no idea about Van Halen, he was gobsmacked. He wanted to start crying because he suddenly felt so old.

So the reaction was insane and quite harsh on Billie from mostly old guys. How can you not know Van Halen? Her response highlighted the perceived ignorance of younger generations by old people. They’re dumb and uninterested the oldies raved.

I thought it hilarious because Van Halen was a Gen X band and the Gen X’s proved themselves to be just as self-obsessed about their generational greatness as Boomers, who are famous for saying that all the decent music ever comes from their generation.

I mean, why should Billie Eilish give a tinkers about a big haired swaggering cock rock monster like Van Halen who sing about jumping and have a song called “Hot For Teacher” which is about being, well, hot for teacher.

And here’s the thing.  If Billie doesn’t know about Van Halen it’s because her Gen X parents didn’t teach her about Van Halen. You can’t know what you don’t know.

By the way, name a station that plays Van Halen these days. The other day my partner Helen was talking to a Scotsman about how we’re going to Simple Minds next year. He didn’t know who they were.

But if the old ways are to be remembered then the old heroes have to be celebrated.

Three old heroes died this week and there was virtually nothing in the media.

Greedy Smith from Mental as Anything had a massive heart attack. The guy who brought you Live It Up, one of the most played songs on the radio over the past 30 years. He also brought us the best song title ever: If You Leave Me Can I Come Too.

Then Rick Bryant died. The best soul and RNB belter from New Zealand, from Blerta, through Mammal to Rough Justice, to Rick Bryant and the Jive Bombers to the Jubilation Choir. Rick got 50 words in a side column in New Zealand Herald.

But the biggest hero who was ignored this week was Arthur Baysting. He got one mention on one radio station, so I’m here to educate you.

Athur Baysting was a musician, songwriter, comedian and advocate. He first came to our attention with his alter ego Neville Purvis. Neville was the MC for the theatre group Red Mole who toured the country. Neville Purvis ended out with a TV show that lasted six episodes. One of the first modern comedy shows. This ended controversially in 1979 with Purvis apologising for the bad language in the series and adding, "at least we never said f**k," thereby becoming the first person to say the forbidden word on NZ television

Classic. So to escape the furore in 1979 he went to Sydney and started writing songs for Play School with Kiwi Peter Dasent. Who was also in the band the Crocodiles. Arthur and Fane Flaws wrote Tears.

Arthur also wrote the screenplay for Sleeping Dogs. The Roger Donaldson film that launched Sam Neill. He worked with ASH to stop smoking, There he met Helen Clark and became her electorate secretary for a couple of years . He wrote books. He was president of the New Zealand Writers Guild for two years.

Already you're thinking this man has done enough but his life's work was still to come. For 18 years he was with APRA protecting and promoting New Zealand Musicians. If you have Nature's Best in your record collection, that's Arthur. He hosted the pow wow that finally got radio to play a voluntary quota of new Zealand music. He promoted music in schools and the ukelele. At the 2013 Silver Scroll Awards, Lorde's producer and co-writer Joel Little paid tribute to Arthur for helping at various stages in his career beginning with a songwriting workshop at his school when Little was 10 years old

Arthur was a colossus and when he died the social media of the creative community exploded. And yet, in the paper, nothing. On the TV, nothing.

Maybe it’s because the media is younger and dumber and without a full grasp of history.  But you can’t know what you don’t know.

It’s time for the older generations to stop moaning about the younger generations ignorance and just start teaching them better.