The composer Carl Ditters von Dittersdorf was at least as popular as Mozart in the late 18th century, but we don’t even consider them to be comparable now. It seems to me that judging what of the contemporary culture will last is virtually impossible to do. We can all make guesses, and some of those guesses will be correct, but it will mostly be a matter of luck. Few things are obviously classics right at the start. So while I agree that I probably place more importance on some of my favorite things than my father would, I’m not sure he is in any better position than I am to judge what will last. We’re both just too close to it all.