Well, my girlfriend’s 12yo son actually, but not bad going in only 3 years! Earlier this week he announced he no longer likes Eminem or 50 cent, and really likes the Nirvana tunes I slipped onto his iPod while I was “fixing” it.
So now his favourites are The Beatles, Queen, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Powderfinger, Talking Heads, and Nirvana! Next up in The Plan are REM, You Am I, Blue Oyster Cult, Cream, Wishbone Ash, and in the longer term Jethro Tull, Yes and King Crimson.
BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA send me your children and I’ll fix’em right up, just the way you like 'em!
Hmmm…Lose the Pepper Chillis, Powderheads, Talking Fingers, and Nirwhoever. Replace with Skynyrd, Led Zep, Doors, and Hendrix. Throw in some Janis for good measure…
Nah. Talking Heads is a good choice. Avant, without being unlistenable. I like the Wishbone Ash choice…very subtle. Include their latest CD, and fold in some The Pursuit Of Happiness, a touch of John Hiatt, and a soupcon of They Might Be Giants.
My fourteen year old daughter is Stevie Nicks’ number one fan. She likes a lot of other cool stuff, but instead of trying to tell you what she likes, I think I’ll just bump this thread for now. I’ll give her a call a little bit later and just ask her what her top ten musical favorites are.
My nine year old son likes Billy Joel and Meatloaf.
My kids know way more about the popular music of the seventies and eighties than they do about the tunes of the nineties or today. A bit of a social handicap, but the Little Beetles seem to be okay with being Different.
That’s nice. I remember as a kid being like “who the hell is this crap my parents listen to”. Then one day I actually looked through their record collection. They actually had some not bad stuff in there - The Beatles, Boston, Dire Straights, Genesis.
Apparently Mom is the only one who listens to music. My Dad bought one tape like 20 years ago and it was something like The Manhattan Transfer or some such crap.
Why don’t you throw a little classic U2, Smashing Pumpkins and maybe even some old school Beastie Boys while you’re at it?
When my daughter was a 5 year-old, she asked to borrow my portable CD player. I loaned it to her without thinking about what I listened to last.
Several hours later, she asked me, “Daddy, what does Para-dise by the Doshboard light mean?” It appears that I’d left Bat Out Of Hell in the CD player. Which she’d been listening to for 3 hours…
There was much explaining to my wife…
I’ve had to buy another copy, because daughter now keeps stealing it to listen to during the afternoons.
I like Eminem and 50 Cent, and Nirvana and Talking Heads. I hope eventually your son discovers that they are not mutually exclusive tastes.
I was raised on music, with Pink Floyd the steady frontrunner and the rest of the pack probably easy to guess from there. My earliest memories all involve music. Sometimes I think this is the reason I’m still speaking to my parents.
My 17-yr old son is all about the British invasion.
His 15-yr old daughter has been raiding my collection to download all manner of punk, psychobilly, and the like - Clash, Ramones, Social D, Jason and the Scorchers - to complement her Avril, Green Day, and All-American Rejects.
(There older sister only listens to classical and showtunes!)
Back when I was in Junior High, I listened to Rap just because I liked it. I liked LL Cool J and Kool Moe Dee and loved watching “Yo! MTV Raps”.
But, somewhere along the line, I was informed that the cool bands were Aerosmith and AC/DC and Zeppelin.
I was completely oblivious (well, not completely, but mostly) when DoggyStyle and “The Chronic” and “Enter The Wu-Tang Clan” and “Fear of a Black Plent” came out back in '92-'94 or so. I only rediscovered them years later and always kicked myself for letting others dictate what I listened to back then.
Don’t get me wrong, I still love those bands I cranked all through High School and college, but I’ve always regretted having lost some of MY vestige of independent thought along the way.
(oh, I do know Askance’s statements about “gettin’ the boy right” were Hank Hillish – or at least I hope so – but it’s still a mindset I try to guard against)
I’ve been threatening my sister that it’s about time that my nephew (13) learns that you have to fight for your right to party.
I’ll second those who have said there’s nothing wrong with exploring rap, though it’s good to introduce him to some other great music too. Eminem especially has some really good stuff; 50 Cent not as much. I’d be introducing him to some older Snoop Dogg and Dr. Dre (the aforementioned “Doggystyle” and “The Chronic”), but that’s just me. (I was so proud recently when my best friend called to tell me she was introducing her son—my godson—to Snoop. She told him all about how Auntie Val was the one who introduced Mama to Snoop. I was so proud. sniff) I also bought my 17-year-old nephew a Johnny Cash CD for his birthday. He’s really into the old-school country right now. Nothing wrong with that either. It’s good to have a broad interest in music.
My 12 year old daughter claims she only likes celtic music and show tunes. All summer we’ve been listening to the Alternative Music Choice Channel on our cable TV and my ipod.
Now she likes “Possum Kingdom” by the Toadies, “Bullet with Butterfly Wings” by The Smashing Pumpkins and some Nirvana.
Besides some stuff my parents played, I only listened to Christian music until I was about 14. Until then we liked the same christian music, and after I started listening to my own stuff and ignored theirs.
The big exception with what I grew up with is the Beach Boys. My dad’s a huge fan of theirs, so I grew up listening to some of their stuff. I thought it was okay, but didn’t pay any attention.
More recently I’ve started to appreciate some of the secular music my dad likes. Ever since I went with him to see Brian Wilson a few years ago, I’ve discovered how good the Beach Boys are. We also share an interest in Motown and soul.
I’ve introduced some stuff to my parents too. I was listening to the first New Pornographers album yesterday and my dad came in and seemed to like it. I’ve also introduced them to The Shins, some Big Star, Jayhawks and other stuff. They also seem to like my Calexico/Iron and Wine cd.
