On opening night last week I went to see Rock of Ages. I went by myself, but I didn’t care. I just wanted to see it. Well truth be told, I wanted to hear the music. That whole hair metal era in the late 80’s was my time baby. I own just about every song that was played throughout the movie. And it was just a whole lot of fun.

It reminded me of a post I wrote on my other Mum’s Word Blog titled Did You Listen To Your Parent’s Records?

I wrote it way back in December 2006 and I glad to say that my nephew who features in this post has seen the light 😉

All those old 45’s and 33’s and some 8 track cartridges.  My parents certainly did not have CD’s.  They still don’t.  Purists.  And I can’t say I was ever a fan of their music library.  Primarily because their library consists of old folky Greek music that I just don’t get.  Doesn’t mean that I was subjected to it by the truckloads (but that’s another topic – things your parents made you because they say it would be fun – I might do that one tomorrow.  But I digress.)

I never gave it much thought before – how my parents might feel about the fact that we didn’t share the same musical tastes.  I had my own music that I loved to listen to and didn’t see that it was a problem.  Though one thing I do remember is that although my parents didn’t listen to Bon Jovi or The Police or Led Zeppelin, they didn’t once tell my siblings and I we were wasting our time listening to this stuff.  There was always music in the house and a radio in every room.

Now I am blessed with 3 children of my own and my CD collection is over 400 strong and forever growing.  What if there is nothing in my CD collection that my kids will listen to with me?  What if we never discuss Alanis Morrisette’s first album release and concert tour; or those heady days of grunge and Nirvana or better yet, those Over The Top days of pretty boy hard rock bands in the late 80’s.  These are pivotal moments.  What if?

Surely with my sizeable CD collection covering music from the best part of the 20th Century and into the 21st Century, there will be something my kids will like.  Surely.

My brother (45) had this very fear realized when his first born son (17) looked at him quizzically and said, “Led Zeppelin?  Why are they so fantastic?  Stairway to Heaven is crap”.  My brother, sister and I just gasped for air.

My nephew’s education was about to begin.  My brother sat his son down and played him the classics.  He even went so far as to ensure that my nephew learned to play some of the songs to connect with the music and gain a deeper sense of the brilliance that is Led Zeppelin.  Day and night, night and day, they discussed, listened and played until it was all covered and covered again.  The outcome?

“They’re alright I suppose”, my nephew now says.

It was a disappointment not to see the twinkle in my nephew’s eye when Page’s gut punching guitar riff and Plant’s haunting primal scream in “Immigrant Song” blasted out the stereo.

Yes of course my nephew, as well as my children, will have their own taste in music that perhaps I won’t understand – but I’d like to think I would.  But I can imagine it would be a bitter pill to swallow if your children disregard the songs that shaped you and continue to shape you.

So what does my nephew listen to?  Those old folky Greek songs in my parents record collection.  Oh, they would be so proud.

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