Dunno about the rest of youse but I used diligently to buy "Sounds" every week. And sneer at the Trendies who read the NME. And at the Saddoes who bought "Melody Maker". And especially at the ["Removed after taking legal advice" - Ed.] "Record Mirror" buyers.
I did once buy a copy of "Smash Hits", unless it was "Flexi-Pop", but only because there was a Motörhead flexi-disc on the cover.
My first job was editorial assistant on the now forgotten International Musician & Recording World, on which in return for being a general dogsbody and making sure the drinks fridge was always well stocked I got to do the occasional bit of writing, accumulated a lot of albums and occasionally got tickets to "sold out" gigs. We used to get loads of instruments coming in for "review", which meant they were sent out to the half dozen pro musicians that we had on the books to "test" them and often they didn't come back, and I remember Bryan Robertson of Thin Lizzy and Danny Kustow (Kustov?) from the Tom Robinson band coming in for a photo shoot one day and spending the whole afternoon getting spectacularly pissed and jamming on a couple of acoustic guitars that were waiting to be sent out. Fun times for an 18 year-old.
But, going back to the OP, you know you"re middle aged when you have friends that are younger than some of your records.