I'm pretty sure in the 90s they went from text on white background to solid color, mostly. Noise textures are common nowadays, although usually not in gray with more details added to the page hiding most of the background. It's usually more elegant with a more complex design.
I've added a gradient to reduce the dullness of the noise texture a bit.
You don't need to debate the feedback, it's your website and you can do whatever you want with it. But you asked for critique so we are giving you critique.
You have a great tool, but it looks poor. It is even worse now with the blue gradient. This is what I think of when I see your webpage:
http://wondertonic.tumblr.com/post/550624342/the-geocities-izerIt looks fine to me.
