Thursday 29 March 2012

Kids Today

there's no clear answers
i'm quite sure that i'll be messing up my kids
no matter what i do
the mandate is to just be there
as much as possible
let them know i care
and that they're loved

but why oh why
can i not control the music they listen to?
my oldest boy loves weezer and aerosmith and ac/dc
but he's been drifting towards rap and some pop songs
i put the pop station on in the car
he knows all the songs

the little one
he likes anything that pumps
rap
we blast it together
it's fun
but i try to counter it with some beatles
nouns and colours and orchestration
he listens
but if i switch over to a rap song
the change is instant
he likes to rap along
and moves while doing it

my brady daughters have evolved
they're a little bit older
one day the young one loves bon iver
and the pop stuff is forgotten like cotton candy lip gloss
the older one wants something real
and broadway tunes
as long as it's smart
she likes it

but none of them have gone through a zeppelin phase yet
years ago i worked as a journalist
i emailed all the politicians about their music choices
and what that says about their campaigns
the answers were telling
none of them went through a zeppelin phase
consequently none of them are in office today
clearly there is a scientific connection here
based on my collected empirical data

as the founder of a company
i'm always adjusting the rabbit ears
looking for the heir apparent
my kids have been dragged through countless backstages
they've handed musicians guitars at sound checks
they've sat alongside me during radio interviews
they've traveled to florida and taken part in the hard rock live experience
and still they're completely nonplussed

we do art day from time to time
we cover the table in a sheet
dump art supplies
put on Q107
and just make art
the other day my ad for the queen show comes on the radio
i always get excited when my ad comes on
not the boys
the older one continues to paint
without missing a beat
zero acknowledgement
dad's on the radio!
nada

the younger one hesitates for just a second
looks at me out of the corner of his eye for a flash of a second
and goes back to colouring

i have a cool job
but not really
it's just a job to my kids
i'm still a nerd to them

next week we perform sgt pepper with the mississauga symphony
i'm forcing them to go
and i'm going to quiz them on different aspects of the show
that's the plan
it'll work
they'll embrace classic rock
and want to take over my company in 20 years
and keep the spirit and discipline alive
because without the dna factor
it won't work

my reoccurring nightmare
is years from now
after i've been eaten by polar bears
my kids are sitting around a boardroom table
discussing shows
and one of them says 'katy perry had a big album in the 2011'

craig
march 29, 2012
drinking heavily

5 comments:

  1. I'll never forget Rumours and Bat Out Of Hell and the Lay down Sally, Linda Ronstadt.. my mom drilled that Classic Rock in daily before I was even 9 and truth be told I had a huge Rush, Zeppelin, Who and Doors Phase but at 13 when I heard Run DMC, Beastie Boys and eventually by the mid 80's Easy E and NWA, I got deep into Rap. I mean I loved it. I was fascinated by the scratch'in and rhyming and stealin, saw a few shows and I will say nothing ever came close to seeing the LASERS and DRUM SOLO at a RUSH show in 1987 or a Molly Hatchet and Triumph show at the Buffalo Aud. It was different and I had different friends for each type of music and had to hide the Rap to a certain degree... silly really.. I love music... by the 90's Rap headed down hill except for the Beasties and maybe some Tupac but I drifted back fulltime to my Classic Rock Roots.

    I click over to Backspin on the satellite radio to remember the Rap I enjoyed and the New Wave Channel occasionally to here "How Soon is Now" and remember High School... but you know Lithium, The Bridge and Classic Vinyl gets more airplay... and in the long run with a dad like you... the kids will head back to what they use to listen to growing up.

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  2. My 27 year old son inherited my love/obsession for The Beatles at a very young age. In fact, I still have one of his 3rd grade papers that he wrote, gushing about how great the White Album is. I was the proudest father at the open house...

    He wandered a bit in his early teens, listening to Slip Knot, Mudvayne, etc., but he always came "home" to The Beatles. I guess the Bible was right - "Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it" ...;-)

    Over the last few years we have been on a "Living Legends" quest, trying to see as many 60s and 70s classic artists as we can. Dylan, Clapton, Frampton, Ringo, Dave Mason, Heart, The Guess Who, ELO, Todd Rundgren, yada, yada, yada. I'm thrilled that he appreciates how important these people are/were to music.

    But to really show you how cool he is, he turned me on to CAL a few years ago. Since then, we've been to almost every CAL Beatles show in Orlando and Lakeland, FL.

    Keep up the great (and important) work; and thanks for giving me an opportunity to spend quality time with my son. It's just as important now, at 27 as it was when he was younger.

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    Replies
    1. this is the message of the year

      it was for our benefit mr. kite

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    2. Thanks! By the way; when your kids hit their 20s, they'll realize how cool their Dad is. It's just the way it works....

      See you in Melbourne for the Rubber Soul/Revolver show....

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