Music with Mom

For starters

    Before jumping into my interview and the collection of stories and commentary I got from it, I'd like to introduce my mom. She grew up in a small town in Georgia and her favorite time period is the 1980s (this will be evident). She was not happy to be recorded, but I've heard all these stories before because she loves talking about her concert experiences, mainly Rick Springfield. I'll also include a little bit of commentary from my dad, who came in at the end of the interview. He was very jealous he wasn't the one interviewed, but he is a self proclaimed "audiophile." This basically translates to asking him about music= a whole novel. So to backup his comments and additions a little about him is, he spent most of this time growing up in Seattle and went to college at Georgia Tech. Now that that's out of the way let's get into the meat of the blog.

The Interview

Me: So tell me about music and your childhood.

    

Mom: *laughing* what part of my childhood? When I was little? Middle school? High school? College?

Me: Let's go with middle school I know you have a lot of stories from then.

Mom: Okay. So I grew up in the 80s, which were awesome and had a lot of really good music. Now my first music crush was Rick Springfield. Actually, that probably started in elementary school. When I was around 12 my friend and I both really loved Rick Springfield and we got general admission tickets to a concert. I think it was in Greenville... yeah that sounds right. So we got there really early and waited in line all day. When we finally got in we had spots right by the stage, I could touch it! So we waited and the first band came out, 'Til Tuesday, and that was all fine and good. But when they left the stage and it was time for Rick Springfield to come out everyone in the crowd got... pushy. You kind of had to fight to keep your spot nothing crazy, but you had to stand your ground and push back. Well my friend couldn't take it so her older sister, who took us to the concert had security pull her out of the crowd. I really wanted to stay, but her sister made security pull me out too because she didn't want to lose me. I was mad. We still got to see the concert, but we were in the back.  Rick Springfield sat down right where I was standing, he would've looked me straight in the eyes. 

Me: But you got to see him later...

Mom: Well yeah he did look at me when he was in the audience in Vegas. About 20 or 30 years later I went to Las Vegas with your dad. He went to gamble, I went to see Rick Springfield. He looked me straight in the eyes and he was gonna pick me [to go on stage], but the lady in front of me had on an old concert t-shirt, like from back in the early 80s, and a signed album so he picked her instead. I was sad.

Me: What would you say your favorite concert you've been to is?

Mom: Ummmmm. Probably Bon Jovi Slippery When Wet. I was about 16 and my friends and I had just gotten our first taste of freedom, like going out without our parents. So we got tickets to the Slippery When Wet Tour in Atlanta and we got permission for just the four of us to go. One of the girls had driven down there a lot more than the rest of us. So it was like total freedom. Anyways we went to the concert and Bon Jovi was awesome and we screamed and carried on and I lost my voice for a week! And that was probably the most fun. And I've been to a lot more since then. Your dad really likes Depeche Mode so we've seen them like five different times. We've seen them in Atlanta, Orlando, Las Vegas, Atlanta again... so it's fun to take trips, stay overnight, go to concerts. Then we've done a lot of outdoor concerts just all day lots of different bands. That's where your dad and I met was at Music Midtown. We met at a Kool and the Gang concert. And that was our first dance [at our wedding], Cherish, cause Kool and the Gang.

Me: What kind of music do you like now?

Mom: I like... what's that I listen to? EDM?

Me: BPM or EDM I think.

Mom: Yeah it's kinda dancey music and also kind of trance. I also started listening to New Wave not that long ago, which is like 80s music. It's like Morrissey and Howard Jones. Like its a whole mix of stuff: Level 42, Depeche Mode. It makes me happy. OH! And I didn't mention how much I love George Michael!

Me: *laughing*

Mom: And its the Wham! song, I'm Your Man that's my favorite song of all time. Any time it comes on it makes me happy. I don't know why it just makes me SUPER happy.

Me: If you had to rank your favorites what order would you rank those in?

Mom: I know that one makes me super happy. I don't know why, love it though. And then, really, I still love Jessie's Girl, but it's been over played so much it's probably like number two or three on the list. And then there's this song its like Electric Blue. It's by Icehouse and it wasn't a super popular song, but it was an 80s song and I just love that song. And you never hear it-

Dad (who came down stairs during the ranking): It's over played a lot.

Mom: Electric Blue is not!

Dad: I hear it all the time. *singing* It's electric blue...

Mom: Anyway. I guess that would be top three. Now, what's that other I like? Huggin and Kissin?

Me: By Big Black Dahlia?

Mom: Yes! I love that song. And what's that monkeys band? Arctic Monkeys! I like some of their stuff too. So i'm very eclectic I like a lot of stuff.

Dad: What was the question?

Me: It's an interview for a music blog.

Mom: She's recording it.

Dad: oh, HELLO. HELLO INTERWEBS. HOW YOU DOING.

Mom: Your dad has some weird taste in music like he likes rap. That's an assault on my ears.

Dad: I like all music except country music. When I was in college and I wouldn't get up they'd come in my room and play country music so I'd have to get up to turn it off. It made me get up. It worked.

Mom: That's how I feel about rap music.

Me: *laughing*

Mom: What's that band you love that I hate?

Dad: 311?

Mom: Yuck! I hate that band it makes me wanna throw up.

Dad: I was one of the original people to find 311 when I went home to Seattle, even though they're from Omaha. I brought them back to college. I introduced everyone to 311.

What's that Song?

   

    Now I know not everyone is cultured in 80s music so here's a list of all the songs referenced in the interview. There are a lot. I included a link to some pages about the bands and singers in case you were curious. 

Cherish- Kool and the Gang

I'm Your Man- Wham!

Jessie's Girl- Rick Springfield

Electric Blue- Icehouse

Huggin and Kissin- Big Black Dahlia (this is NOT a happy song this is your warning)

Now Then

    I hope that you have enjoyed diving into the amazing world of music with Christie. My mom definitely loves the 80s and you can see by her song selections and hates rap and you can see by her conversation with my dad. My parents have both really shaped the music I listen to. My dad fully supported my middle school emo phase because he liked the music. And my mom is responsible for my amazing 80's playlist (it has her approval). I have similar music taste to my parents, because well they're my parents. I hope everyone could at least find one thing from the list of songs they enjoyed or maybe a band they recognize and like.