My parents never attempted to understand what I listened to or cared to find
out what it was. My mom when she cleaned on weekends always listened to Tom
Jones, Engelbert and the rest of the swiveled hip clan. My dad wasn't much
of a connoisseur of music as a matter of fact the only two albums he owned
was Kate Smith "God Bless America" and John Wayne "America, Why I love Her".
So I guess you see where that went. My brother and I started collecting
45's when I was about 5. We set up our own Lip Sync band that played every
morning for the bus stop contingent from our living room from everything My
little red book to secret agent man (being so young I was glad the osmonds
were years away). For the next few years I dreamed of being Ringo Starr but
I loved the music and the way it moved me. When I was 12 and started switch
taste to music that more tied in with being rebellious, listening to Deep
Purple, Alice Cooper, Black Sabbath or anything that went with a smoke my
parents just got used to yelling "turn it down" then finding out what it was
I was wasted to that day. For the next seven years who ever I smoked with
was who I listened to. If I was with Dave we blasted Yes and air guitar
Howe's rifts, with Davey it was mellowing to James Taylor, Dave's sister
used to play in a band called "Fanny" and she turned me on to Joni and
Steely Dan, dating Bonnie it was "Bowie", surfing down at Newport or
Huntington it was "The Doobies or the Dan, some Honk, or Poco. When at home
it was Elton, or Neil, or Loggins and Messina, Eagles or anything that did
cause the parents to stick their head or hearts into my life. But never did
I ever feel so depressed or high or anything that I wanted to mutilate or
destroy what seem to be a cool existence. I think that if I was motivated
by anything it was the ability to do something that stretched who I was,
like getting in my car and driving from LA up to Bishop listening to Heijra,
or sitting on the beach at sunset in Big Sur. I do believe that music calls
you do feel something but like everything in this world I am not willing to
give up a Eminem if it means I have lose a "Carmina Burana" or Joni.
Eminem's song was played everyday at a hip hop coffee shop that a lot of my
students would ask me to meet them. I hated the song and what it stood for,
but that was my choice. I don't frequent that coffee shop there are others
that play the music I like. The feelings I get when I hear songs like that
is that I would like to meet that person in a dark alley but then that would
soon pass to reason. I don't know what the season of life have brought to
that person and though it would concern me if my children listened to music
like that I have to remember they are but it might not be as blunt. I have
always told my own children to take what I say with a grain of salt that
they have to seek things out on their own but to understand I am going to
protect them from as much as I can, not hide them from it. I guess what I
am trying to say is that we have to learn to make wise decisions and we have
to patience with people who are not as far along in the process. And as
Paul Simon would say one mans ceiling is another mans floor. Or you might
have more knowledge on one issue so educate me but don't presume you have
the greater knowledge on all.
Peace, Craig
NP: Peter Gabriel - OVO
