Disclaimer

I'm no Martha Stewart or Mary Poppins. I may even swear occasionally. I am not anything but myself, and trust me, some days that's even more that I can handle.

Friday, June 25, 2010

Can Music Save Your Mortal Soul?

I may not be able to play an instrument, but I love music. I always have. You name a song, a singer or music group and I probably connect it to a moment in time. Shaun Cassidy's "Da Doo Ron Ron?" Yup, I used to request it on WNAV and listen to it on my transistor radio (you young 'uns can go Google all that).

"Country Roads" by John Denver? That would be driving through the hills of Pennsylvania in our Blue Van with my father singing (he'll probably deny that, though) and smoking cigars with the windows rolled up.

I remember when we got cable tv. The remote control was bigger than my foot, and it was tethered to the cable box with a wire. You had to punch the numbers in on buttons that looked like a calculator. And if the wire got unplugged, all of the "preset" channels were lost.

But that box, that magical cable box brought me MTV. Oh, what a channel. Nonstop music videos, bands I had never heard of, clothes I had never seen, Duran Duran Simon Le Bon... New music videos were an event. I ate it up. The "Thriller" video was epic...Madonna singing "Like a Virgin," the Beastie Boys fighting for their right to party....Headbanger's Ball, 120 Minutes...I even watched Yo, MTV Raps. I couldn't get enough music.

I have passed my love of music on to my kids. They have just as impressively eclectic collection of music on their iPods as I do on mine. We took JP & Russell to see Buffett when they were itty bitty (unlike my first concert - The Bangles when I was in college). I thought I had done a good job instilling a sense of music history into the kids until one of my children (who shall remain nameless to protect his pride) asked me,"Was Ringo Starr in KISS?"

OMG. I about spewed Diet Mountain Dew out of my nose. I answered that no, he was in the BEATLES, and the boy child said, "really? Are you sure?" I almost fell out of my chair. Am I sure?!?! Yes, child, I am sure. I'm no fan of KISS, to be sure (all those years of nuns telling us we'd go to Hell if we listened to them had a little effect...that and I thought they were untalented and ridiculous, but I digress).

This is definitely a black mark against me and my children's musical education. I think I'll make him watch all the Beatles movies then make him watch "Kiss Meets the Phantom of the Park." That should do it.
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1 comment:

  1. AnonymousAugust 15, 2010 at 5:18 PM

    When you start to worry about the success of your child's music edumacation, ponder this:

    My 17 year old manchild, belting out the lyrics to the Reba theme (My roots are planted in the past...) in full falsetto. This is the same child who A) refuses to sing in public, either solo or in a group and B) (and remember, this is MY SON) cannot identify a Springsteen song without a video where he can see the Big Man rockin' the sax. Thankfully, he is is a bit put off by the fact that I know the words to much or eminem's work.

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