When I was a kid, we would often take long road trips to visit family. To prepare for the 5 hour trip from Toronto to Ottawa, I used to gather together all of the portable toys I had and arrange an elaborate and organized set-up in the car so I had everything I needed at my fingertips.
These ‘things’ would include books, handheld video games and travel games, like solitaire and battleship.
This was long before the iPod, so portable music wasn’t yet at my disposal. And without a walkman, I was left with the car radio, and the musical choices of my parents. I clearly remember Abba, Randy Travis, Stompin’ Tom Connors and Boney M. being the mainstays on these trips.
Now, my parents were young parents. By the time I was ten, my mom was barely older than I am now, and I am in my early thirties. Their record collection is amazing, and contains everything from Chris Cristopherson to King Crimson to The Beatles. In fact, so amazing is their record collection, that I have been slowly stealing records one-by-one every time we visit my parents – please don’t tell them.
My point here: they clearly enjoyed popular music at some point in their lives.
That begs the following question – how did we go from Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band to Bud the Spud and Other Favourites? Or, to rephrase the question, can one be cool and be a parent at the same time?
This came to mind recently, when I bought the new Drake album for myself and the Black Eyed Peas album for my wife at HMV. As I walked to the counter to pay, I considered that in a few short years, I would probably be buying these two CD’s for Pea instead of for myself.
In the future, when I go to concerts with Pea, will it be a happy occasion because I also want to see the artist, or miserable because I have no idea what I am getting myself in to? When do I switch from Top 40 radio stations to Easy Rock? When will I no longer be allowed to wear band t-shirts and white sneakers?
I actually have no clue how to answer these questions. So, in the meantime, I’ll continue to enjoy Drake’s Thank Me Later and worry about that stuff later. But I might start to buy my music online, so I don’t have to deal with the HMV clerk looking me up and down, clearly wondering who I’m buying the CD’s for…
P.S. For the record, my parents are cool, regardless of what they listen to. I’m using my experience with our car trips to frame my personal questions about my own coolness, and in no way wish to paint my parents as uncool. I believe they listened to Boney M. because they knew how much my sister liked it. Not me, mind you, my sister. Yeah, that’s it. My sister likes Boney M.
When my son was in his teens he played Rep hockey…our loop was huge. Peterborough, Quinte, Barrie, Orillia and on Saturday night we always had an away game.
So in the car we would converge and as they were at my mercy for the radio station,we listened to Saturday Night Oldies with Don Daynard on CHFI.
My kids learned the words to every oldie and we sang them all the way to the games and back home.
In fact when my son was married 2 years ago they made a compilation disc to give all the guests…it included…Etta James, Peggy Lee, Louis Armstrong…and a dozen more “oldies” artists.
Good music never goes out of style and should be shared regularly with all age groups.
p.s. thanks for the Bonie M reference…now it’ll be in my head all day.
Just keeping introducing her to your tunes…
I got a ‘more more’ from the back seat when Babe I’m Gonna Leave You (Zeppelin) was over in the car the other day…you just never know!
And I’m with above – BEP – catchy but not cool.
And it’s the double K buddy – Kris Kristofferson! (still awesome AND hot after all these years!)
I have always embraced my dorky side, so I fear that my kids may grow up thinking the worst of me. I don’t know when the day comes that they stop liking music you like just because you are the parent, but right now I love that DD can sing along to some of my faves. She knows almost all the words to “Careless Whisper” – the Seether remake is one of her #1 hits.
I always thought my parents were major dorks growing up, especially on long car trips, and because I got married young I never got to spend a car trip with them as an adult until recently. We drove from Calgary to Lethbridge, a 2 1/2 hour trip. It seemed like 8 hours, listening to them both sing along to silly 60s and 70s BAD music was torture. My Mom was singing along in her opera-singer-like voice and my Dad was chiming in with his just plain bad-tone-deaf voice, it was torture. They completely killed the one CD they played that I liked, I don’t think I can ever listen to Bob Seger again. Just don’t be like them and Pea will come around some day!!
(And as an aside, I disagree, the BEP are cool, it is fun, catchy music that makes you want to move, what else do you need??)
Hmmm. If the Black Eyed Peas are not cool then I am definitely uncool.
I find as I get older my musical taste becomes more eclectic. I listen to some of the old stuff, my generation stuff and some of the new. For now, this is cool with my kids but I am getting closer to that 13.5 mark so will be watching out.
Uh, for the record, the Black Eyed Peas are not cool, just catchy.
i can speak to this! i have a 17 year old niece. you will be uncool starting around 13 1/2 and remain so until mid 17 when the first cracks in the teenage armour show. my brother is starting to be vaguely cool again but i think it will be a full year before he’s “daddy”*blink blink blink* and not “guh! daaaaaad”*rolleyes rolleyes rolleyes*