Music and Family

 For this entry, I decided I wanted to learn more about my mom and her journey with music. I already knew a few things like she was in choir growing up and she LOVES Disney music, but other than that I never really asked her a lot about music. She and I are very close mostly because we are closer in age than most moms and their kids and we share a lot of things with each other which is why I was able to ask questions like "What music would you want at your funeral?". 

This is how our little interview/conversation went:

Jan (J): All right. What's up? What is your earliest musical memory?

Mom(M): Probably when I was little at the old house, Pearman Dairy Rd.

J: With Gigi (my great-grandmother on my grandfather's side)

M: Grandmother was there

J: Cause that was her house

M: Yeah that was her house at that point in time and she had a keyboard, cause I went over to her house after school every day and she had a keyboard that I had to practice every flippin' day on.

J: That leads into my next question. Did you play an instrument?

M: Yes

J: Yes. What instrument?

M: I played the piano.

J: And you also played the flag (she was in colorguard in highschool).

M: I did play the flag I loved playing the flag. 

J: Did you play any other instruments other than piano?

M: Well, I mean like, all of the elementary instruments that you play. Like the recorder.

J: We (me and my younger brother) didn't play the recorder!

(Little side tangent about recorders)

J: How long did you play piano?

M: Probably close to eight years

J: Dang

J: Were you in any groups for piano? Because I know you were in the choir.

M: I was in the band (colorguard), but nothing for piano.

J: Did you like playing piano?

M: No

J: Why not?

M: Alright, my music teacher, cause I got private lessons we paid for private lessons. My piano teacher also taught Papa's sister (my grandfather's sister), Carolyn, and the entire time kept comparing me to Carolyn. You might want to explain why I don't call her aunt.

J: I'm not going to explain. It's fine.

M: Carolyn growing up was my favorite person and I wanted to be like her, true, but when the teacher kept going, "Why is it taking you so long to learn this?", "Carolyn learned it so much faster than you did"

J: Why did they pick the same teacher?

M: Because we went to church together. Our family knew her. It was, what was done, and I love her,. She was a good lady and I still love her to this day, but at the same time I didn't like the comparison, because I was always found lacking 

J: Did your parents make you practice?

M: No. Grandmother did. Because I went over to her house every day after school and part of my homework was to practice the piano and I practiced, she made me practice, at least an hour a day. Also, keep in mind Mimi and Papa (her parents/my grandparents) didn't know that I was being compared to Carolyn.

J: Did you quit?

M: Oh yeah

J: Why did you quit?

M: Because I got frustrated and I think I finally told Mimi what was going on. That I was being compared to Carolyn. I think I had an outburst and couldn't handle it no more. 

J: Why piano?

M: Because Mimi always wanted to play piano and isn't that what you're supposed to do as a parent?

J: Live vicariously through your children?

M: Isn't that why you play all the instruments?

J: I don't know. Is it? Alright, what is the soundtrack song of your life as a child? Like if you had to pick one song for your childhood, what would it be?

M: I don't know

J: Well figure it out

M: Depression and anxiety

J: Mama

M: What, I'm serious

J: I know. Well, what would be your soundtrack song right now?

M: Overworked and Underpaid. I think that is a song 

J: Oh my God it is. It's by Quiet Riot. It's from '99. What would be your soundtrack song as a teen?

M: Pennsylvania 65000. There's no words, but I didn't speak. That's the only words in it

J: I know. What about as a grown-up? Before you got to this point in your life, so from your 20s.

M: Jesus take the Wheel. I was a single mom.

J: So what would you're one be as a kid?

M: I don't know man, cause I didn't do a whole lot as a kid. I'm an introvert. Let's do Pennsylvania 65000 again.

J: I'll just keep that one blank. What is a genre that you love?

M: For music?

J: Yeah

M: I like everything.

J: You can't be saying that.

M: But I do though, you've seen my playlists (they are all over the place)

J: I know, but you can't be saying that because the next question is a genre that you hate. 

M: No. I really hate classical because I need words. I like everything else. I mean I like some classical, but it's not as much.

J: What's your favorite genre?

M: Let's just say pop.

J: Why pop?

M: I like the bounciness. But you know I like everything or you can put Disney. I do love Disney. I don't know if that's so much a genre though. I like oldies too, not the oldies that you consider oldies, but like the oldies oldies, like 70s, 60s, and back. I like the 20s music. I love Glenn Miller. I like everything.

J: What tech did you use to listen to your music growing up?

M: This thing that you've never heard of... a boombox.

J: I think I have one.

M: Well see, you used to have a boombox that was all one piece and you put batteries in it so you could carry it on your shoulder.

J: The one I have or the big Will Smith one?

M: Will Smith one

J: I don't have the Will Smith one. I have my one.

M: And that used cassettes. Then we used, when I was a teenager, we had CD players and we still had the boomboxes and the cassettes. You would still listen to cassettes cause you couldn't record on the CD player the way you could on cassettes. You listen to the radio and go all right (x7) and record. Yes, I got my song, but you had to be quiet. You couldn't say anything cause then it's gonna record you as well and it was a whole thing. Then if you missed it by like a second or you made a noise it was ruined, so you had to wait for to come on again so you could record it. It was so annoying. But then they made CD players. We would listen to the boomboxes. Those boomboxes you couldn't carry around either because then the CDs would skip and then you would get mad because then your CDs have scratches all over them and you couldn't use them. And the came the digital era. 

J: So how did the boombox affect when and how you listened to music?

M: Well I was a home girlie, I didn't really go out much.

J: So it didn't really affect you?

M: I listened to music when I was at home, when I was in the car I would listen to Papa's music or Mimi's music and then at Grandmother's house we didn't listen to music. 

J: So you didn't really listen to it with friends or anything like that?

M: I didn't have friends. I didn't have friends until 7th/8th grade.

J: What song would never get too old for you?

M: Let's see there's Pennsylvania 65000, The Thong Song, anything Disney, Move B*tch, Hansen's MMM-Bop, anything by 5ive and that's the 90's 5ive. Is that enough?

J: Yeah. How do you use music in your everyday life?

M: I listen to it in the car, sometimes. Mainly when my annoying daughter puts it on. 

J: What do you do on your way to work?

M: I listen to my podcasts.

J: Yeah you don't really listen to music now. Okay. You don't have to answer this one if you don't want to. What kind of music would you like at your funeral?

M: Move B*tch! Get Out The Way

J: Why?

M: Cause I think it would be hilarious and I think that it would give you and all of your friends and your brother and all of his friends that have ever ridden with me a good laugh when you need one.

J: Any other songs?

M: Pennsylvania 65000

J: Yes Ma'am

M: I don't know

J: Why that one?

M: It's a romantic song. Most people hear it and the lyrics are only Pennsylvania 65000 and they're like it's not a romantic song, but it is when you watch the movie. Because it's the girl's phone number and that's how he remembered it and he played it for her and it was sweet. 

J: Do you support my work in music 

M: NO (joking)

J: How dare! Why do you support my work in music?

M: Because I support anything you and your brother want to do as long as it's not, you know, harmful or, you know, illegal. And it's your passion, it's been your passion for, how long have you been, you know, alive?

J: Anything else you want to add? Scooby likes music (my dog) and Teddy (my godson) likes music.

M: The baby really likes music. When your father wasn't around and I needed to get you to go to sleep, I would have to sing to you.

J: The most out-of-tune singing because you can't sing?

M: I really can't and so yeah. And guess what the only songs I could think of at that point in time were Christmas songs. So you grew up with Christmas songs.

J: I wonder why. I was born so close to Christmas.

M: It's not my fault.

J: Yes it is. Scooby attack.