Youngbloods could possibly benefit from the tutelage of older folks. Credit: JAMES OLSTEIN

Youngbloods could possibly benefit from the tutelage of older folks.

Youngbloods could possibly benefit from the tutelage of older folks. JAMES OLSTEIN

“I won’t go out with guys in their 20s.”

Over the decades, I’ve lost count of the number of women I’ve heard say those words. So this sentiment should be taken seriously. Which sucks for guys in their 20s, of course.

The thing is, though, people of all genders in their late teens and early 20s are mostly works in progress. Your college years typically are marked by emotional volatility, fluctuating ambitions, and financial hardship. (If you’re a trustafarian, you can still benefit from an elder, because as the Beatles and Ralph Tresvant sang, money can’t buy you love.)

Dave Segal is a journalist and DJ living in Seattle. He has been writing about music since 1983. His stuff has appeared in Gale Research’s literary criticism series of reference books, Creem (when...