The only angry piece of mail I’ve ever received about a “Cup o’ Joel” came in the aftermath of last year’s Super Bowl. Given the Janet Jackson brouhaha of 2004, I took it upon myself to scrutinize the 2005 halftime show – featuring Sir Paul McCartney – for moral failings. I didn’t have to look far: Sir Paul helped me out by singing “Get Back,” a Beatles song replete with drug and sex references.

Somehow, the FCC failed to take action.

But I don’t think it was my mild satire of The Cute One’s lyrics that earned me the criticism. I also had poked fun at McCartney’s age, 62 at the time.

“It’s almost like having Frank Sinatra perform the halftime show,” said my friend Josh, whom I quoted in the blog.

So here’s a message to the guy who sent me last year’s letter: I respect your views, but maybe you should stop reading now.

Good? OK, now we can get on with our main business …

… which is to remind the NFL, and indeed most of the rest of our culture, that the 1960s are over.

Have been for a long time. Decades, even. So long that the initial flowering of retro chic – with popular kids wearing hippie-type clothes – happened about 20 years ago, which means we’re due for a double-retro fad of teen-agers imitating the 1980s fashions that imitated 1960s fashions. It kind of gives me a headache.

I wouldn’t mention this, except guess who’s headlining this year’s Super Bowl halftime?

The Rolling Stones.

Help me out here – I wasn’t alive then – but did they play the first Packers-Chiefs Super Bowl back in 1967? Because they could’ve. They were popular then. They were, um, young.

There’s nothing wrong with the Stones – except, of course, most of their recorded output since 1980, and the outrageous ticket prices they charge on tour – and there’s nothing wrong with being 62, like Mick Jagger.

(Let me clarify. There’s nothing wrong with being 62. But I can think of lots of reasons I don’t ever want to be 62 like Mike Jagger.)

But it seems that the NFL and the television networks were so horrified by the Janet Jackson debacle that they’ve decided against featuring entertainers who aren’t also grandparents, which is silly because there are lots of entertainers under the age of 60 who won’t be offensive on national television. Really. And haven’t we all heard “Satisfaction” – which will inevitably be played on Sunday – a million times?

And, of course, it’d be nice if the Baby Boomers would give up a little bit of their cultural dominance and let the rest of us get a word in edgewise.

If the NFL can’t accommodate younger viewers, though, I’ve got a compromise candidate – someone famous who can combine the best of the old halftime shows with the oldsters of the new halftime shows:

Janet Jackson’s mother.