my dad is in his early fifties. he has always been a lover of music. last year he gave me his guitar, the one i remember him always playing when he was home, except of course during dinner hehe. he bought the guitar used in 1969. it has a big crack in the seam of the body and small cracks on the backside. "from using it like a drum" he told me. the guitar is well worn and i have it sitting out in my apt. and yes, sometimes i attempt to play it! lol
anyway, as you can imagine, lots of music reminds me of him and of growing up. yesterday i was listening to pink floyd's the wall which reminded me of a few stories about my dad.
i was about seven and my brother was around five years old. dad had just gotten a new stereo and was messing with it. checking out all it's options. (this is about 1982, i can just imagine the options available LOL) dad sits kevin and me down, in the center of the sofa and tells us to listen. the song starts to play and it's all instramental. i didn't know who it was but i knew that i liked what i was hearing. enthalled, i wait for the singing to start..it doesn't start and doesn't start yet the music is seems to be building. then we hear a voice, "careful with that axe eugene......" "ARRRGHHHHH" wow! what is this??
about six years later, dad tells me i've got to watch this movie on VH1. i'm thinking, VH1, that's the grown-ups channel! but he tells me it's pink floyd's the wall. *smile* okay dad. i knew going into this that the wall and floyd were not good, ie jw approved, viewing material. but since dad, a jw, was telling me i needed to see this movie, i watched it. (to be fair mom and dad never imposed many viewing, listening and/or reading restrictions on us.) dad would come into the room periodically to ask what i thought so far. it's good, i like it i'd tell him.
a couple years later, dad and i are heading home after the meeting. the classic rock station is on and we are both singing "we don't need no education, we don't need no thought control, no dark sarcasm in the classroom" i remember thinking dad you're so cool :)
i love these memories because music has been something my dad and i have always been able to share. even the awkward years right after my da, we could always talk about music.