Music and Family

I decided to ask my dad about his experiences with music because we often talk about musical topics and all the major differences between older music and modern music. We usually joke about our generations' music and artists. He always says that most artists today are not real musicians or don't really have talent like old artists and I think that a lot of the music from his generation is boring and monotonous. I wanted to dig deeper into what he actually thinks for this project and get a better understanding of why we have these different views.

I started off by asking him to "step into my office" (the kitchen table) and answer a few questions about music that I had. I then explained the project to him and then we started. 

It went like this: 137

Me: What or who was your favorite artist as a kid?

Dad: My parents didn't let us (him and his siblings) listen to really anything other than country, especially rock n roll, but I guess my favorite would be Ronnie Milsap.

Me: They really didn't let you listen to anything else?

Dad: Yep.

Me: That sounds like a living nightmare. Anyways, what kind of music did you dislike as a kid, and why was it country?

Dad: Country music, because that's all we listened to.

Me: I figured as much. So, that pretty much answers my next question; what kind of music did your parents listen to? And did you like it?

Dad: Only country and my stepdad like Elvis, but no, I did not like the country music. Elvis was the only "rock n roll" we could listen to, so I liked that.

Me: Okay, cool, let's move on. What kind of music did you listen to as a teenager?

Dad: What do you mean by teenager?

Me: Like, high school, maybe college.

Dad: Okay, I mostly listened to Rock n Roll and some Classical. 

Me: Weren't those considered polar opposites back then?

Dad: Maybe, but I had backgrounds and interests in both. 

Me: Word. Okay, next question: Did you go to any live concerts? Who for? What were they like?

Dad: I've been to a bunch; Ronnie Milsap, John Cougar Mellencamp, Aerosmith, Def Leppard, Lynyrd Skynyrd, and then later when I got into Contemporary Christian, I went to see DC talk and Steven Curtis Chapman. I liked the Lynyrd Skynyrd concert, it was fun. Aerosmith was good, but I didn't really like their attitudes. Def Leppard was the loudest music I had ever heard. I was doing security at the DC Talk concert because they were at my college.

Me; Oh, that's pretty cool. Okay, what or who were your favorite artists from back then? 312

Dad: Just to name a few, I would say Chicago, Journey, Boston, Rush, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Eric Johnson, and a little Mariah Carey.

Me: Did your parents approve of the music you listened to?

Dad: At that point, I didn't care what they thought about it. 

Me: Nice. Okay, what did you use to listen to music?

Dad: I couldn't afford a Walkman, so I listened to music on a boombox, my clock radio, and later my car.

Me: They had clock radios?

Dad: Yeah, that's how we woke up back then, to music from the radio.

Me: Ah, I see. So, do you still listen to the same music now as back then?

Dad: I would say about half of what I listen to is older songs, but I also listen to Classical and Christian music.

Me: Okay, so what do you think of today's popular music?

Dad: There are some that are good and obviously have talent, but a lot have little or no talent. Billie Eilish is talented, Bruno Mars, Beyonce, Maroon 5, all those guys have talent and are actual musicians. Also, all these smaller groups who play mostly live music all know how to play their instruments and know some things.

Me: I see. Next question: what do you think about musicals, then and now? What are your favorites?

Dad: They're great, I like old and new ones. The Greatest Showman, The Sound of Music, Grease, Hamilton, which exposed me to music that I normally wouldn't listen to.

Me: That's great, and I know how much you love La La Land (one of my favorites).

Dad: That one's actually pretty good too, except for the horrible ending. 

Me: Okay, next question: If you could have learned one instrument, what would it be and why?

Dad: It would probably be piano, because it helps you learn to read and is very applicable to many things.

Me: I agree. Okay, so what's your least favorite genre of music?

Dad: Probably death metal because that's not really music and 70s country music.

Me: That is a good answer. Okay, last question: Which movies have the best soundtracks?

Dad: Star Wars, Jurassic Park, basically anything by John Williams.

Me: That's fair. Well sir, thank you for your time, you'll be hearing from us soon, hopefully we'll have some good news for you.