He's 15, I'm 43, and Lord, we sure don't usually agree on a radio station! However, things are a- changing! I am told all the time by our counselor, my mother, and the books I read: "You need to have more conversations that don't involve giving directions, and try to connect with your son!" So why not bond over music? I mean, it is popular culture, and what makes for a better conversation piece?
The original.
Lady Gaga
For the longest time we could never agree on what music to listen to. I have been into blues, rock, and sometimes alternative. He would switch it to 93.3 (hardcore) and 97.9 ( a little more bearable). Okay, maybe I'm blurring the lines between hip hop and pop, but last summer we both loved the Eminem/Rihanni song "The Way You Lie." No one asked for a channel change! I sang along! He pretended not to! It was great!
So, it helps that I won a pass and have been attending dance fitness classes that mostly jam to, you guessed it, hip hop! And I must say, I am getting used to the pulsating, danceable rythms...they are actually growing on me! Now, when I pick him up from somewhere, he opens the car door and says, "Man! Do you really need the music that loud?" Are you loving the role-reversal as much as I am? I allow him to turn it down, but he is usually alright with the music selection. I have lately had a lot of interesting conversations with him about Lady Gaga, queen of the outrageous. He knows the songs, I know of the latest buzz about her ever-changing wardrobe. She is pushing the boundaries, meat-dress included, but I shall talk no more of that, because a meat-dress is just downright stupid. Having said that, Gaga is really outrageous, just like that long-remembered 80's icon, Madonna. She pushed the boundaries, dressed and danced sexy; the similiarities are obvious and glaring.
The original.Anytime her recent song, "Born this Way", came on, I would play it and sing along. I, of course, had to point out to him the resemblance to Madonna's "Express Yourself." The pitch, the beat, the bridge, add in any other musical terms you like....just take a listen to both and you'll see what I mean. I am, of course, not a music expert, but I have a good ear, as my son has. I think he enjoyed this type of conversation. I also informed him of the outrageous costumes, lingerie on stage, suggestive dances, dyed hair, huge hair accessories, and other various things Gaga seems to have "borrowed" from the 80's icon. Guess what? Madonna was huge and is probably still living off her 80's earnings. Gaga seems to be catching on much the same way. I have poked fun at her and slammed her for being unoriginal. But she sure seems successful. My son loves these conversations. I actually sound like I know something about pop culture.
But I can't deny that I totally get goosebumps when I hear her latest song, "Edge of Glory." Everything is great: her voice, the beat, pretty catchy lyrics too.....I will crank it up and sing along, shimmying my shoulders while driving, inspiring my son to HIDE HIS FACE. Parents today, we're embarassing. He'll be alright. At any rate, I have searched her video on youtube so I could download it. There she is, blond bob (with hint of black), heavy black eyeliner, and leather lingerie with what seems to be metal accents. Sound familiar?
Let me just enjoy the song. We'll have to stay away from the video. In other genres of pop culture, one of the summer reading books in my son's school is Into the Wild , a true story about a young man he gave up all the monetary trappings of his family and society, and went alone to live off of the land. We have both seen the movie. I suggest you do, too. It was also shown in his Geography class last year, another source for many bonding conversations. Hey, at this point, if he is willing to talk to me about it, I will have (or develop) an interest, no matter how objective!
