One of the greatest things about having a kid is sharing your interests with them. Your favorite movies, music, sports, etc. Sometimes they develop a love for your favorite band and well sometimes they wish you'd stop singing "Jumpin' Jack Flash." When they do develop that wonder about your interests it's something that makes you proud. You feel like you're sending your kid off into this world with some taste...especially with what's being pushed down their throats nowadays. My son started getting into some of my music about a year ago. I wondered when he would get that spark to hear a particular song or band. It finally happened with the band DEVO. I think he really loved the electronic sound to them and what they wore. Recently he has also gotten into Talking Heads, which I'm most pleased about because they're my favorite band to listen to while driving. When we listened to DEVO he would request to hear "Gates of Steel" or "Whip It!" in the morning on the way to school. During one trip we were listening to DEVO's song "The Super Thing" and he said he wanted to learn how to play guitar so he could play Bob 1's riff. It gave me a great feeling. I thought Wow..what the heck was I into at 9 years old? I don't think much because I grew up in a small midwestern town. We didn't have cable tv until I was in high school and radio sucked. I didn't really get into great music until I was in high school, which was in the 90's. At that time Mtv was still pretty decent. They had shows like 120 minutes, Headbanger's Ball, and Alternative Nation. Even their tv shows weren't bad at all like Daria, Aeon Flux, and The State. That was when I was introduced to great music that has still followed me to this day. Also a friend at the time I had met in school was a transplant from California. He had been raised with indie radio, wonderful music, and a concert to go to every weekend. Fortunately now even kids living in small towns or in the country can find out about Joy Division or 70's punk music. The internet has opened those doors to exploration. Of course, back in the day we were all about D.Y.I. We didn't have Hot Topic or an online store to put our look together. We hit Army surplus stores, thrift shops, and stole clothes out of our parent's closets. Truthfully, I always thought putting your own look together was far cooler than buying it off the rack. I had a German Army jacket with a Union Jack on the back with snippets cut from an old Sex Pistols shirt that I'd wear with an old Dead Kennedys shirt. Like every generation people would look at us like What the hell are they wearing? What's that metal ring coming out of their nose and what's with the pink hair? Now this look is more common and not shocking as it was back then. I also think when you're sharing your interests with your children you may spark something inside yourself that was missing. Music that you may have not listened to in ages or seeing a classic John Hughes movie will give you that warm feeling. Next thing you know you're digging through old photos and showing your kid what you looked like back then. When I was going through some of my old stuff from high school, I found the literary magazine we had made. Reading some of those entries made me cringe a bit and realize that we couldn't get away with what we wrote now. They would be calling the suicide prevention hotline or calling the police in fear of a school shooting. Back then they just saw us as "Just a phase." I laugh now because I still wear band shirts and listen to the same music. I may have ditched the piercings, black lipstick, and combat boots; but I'm still the same person. Unlike my own Mom, I will embrace what my son wants to listen to or wear. In the realm of things I understand it's about expression and finding yourself. That's what your teen years and early twenties are for. I'm glad with every generation we are exploring more and becoming individuals instead of following what is spewed out there by advertising masterminds. Now, we still have a ways to go, but it's definitely better. The newer generation is helping with the vinyl revolution and helping music from yesteryear stay alive. I hope when my son is older he still holds onto the music he listened to in Mom's car and it has a special place in his heart...along with my vinyl collection that he will one day inherit!
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AuthorAngela Marie. I like writing. I like music. I have thoughts falling from my head. Archives
July 2018
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