" Dad, can we change the channel?"
" No."
"Why not?" ...whining.
"Because." No dirty rotten rappers while I'm driving.
"This sucks..," glumly.
The OC leans over, increases the volume slightly on Beethoven, the Three Tenors, Wagner, whatever NPR has on offer. Adversity, he believes, is good for the soul, builds character.
Destination reached, they climb out, glad the torture is over.
The OC turns off the radio, and with the ghost of a grin, inserts U2 in the CD player, and continues on his way.
When we met, way back in the late sixties, I was crazy about the Beatles and the Beach Boys. He was a Stones fan. He introduced me to all his other friends too; Janis, the Bobs [Dylan and Marley], Neil Young, Santana, Cream, Moody Blues, Deep Purple, Three Dog Night, Cat Stevens, Simon and Garfunkel, Judy Collins, Joan Baez, Carole King, Sergio Mendes, Creedence..........I was dazzled and went home to Ireland at the end of that summer, my head awash in great music.
Fast forward to Sunday night. The YB [youngest son] is taking a music class this semester, for which he is required to attend several live performances of classical music. We sat in the concert hall and listened and watched, while Stefan Sanderling conducted the Florida Orchestra and the Master Chorale of Tampa Bay in a performance of "Schubert's Magnificent Mass". Not once did the YB grumble "Geez Mom, this sucks..... Can we change the channel?" And not once did I have to dig him in the ribs to restore consciousness. Which affirms my faith that there is a God. And He is in his heaven. And, at least for now, all's right with the world.
4 comments:
I remember as a kid sitting in the back of the old Valiant driving to my grandmother's with my mum and dad in the front, my little sister between them, and the rest of us 4 kids on the back seat.
Petrol fumes, pipe smoke (from dad) and no open windows, guaranteed recipe for car sickness. You'd never get away with it now.
Whispering in the backseat "you ask, no, you ask, I asked last time"... a little person leaning forward saying in a tiny voice "dad, can we have the radio on?"
On came the radio, usually playing Acker Bilk or Percy Faith Orchestra or the like.
Great. Thanks dad.
I feel your kids' pain Molly. :)
O Molly, all that music! All of it MY music, in fact, the soundtrack of my young life.
As it was the days before TV we always had the radio, when we were young- my Grandmother used to listen to "Potia Faces Life" a radio soap. I think it cured me of soaps for life, because I still cant stand them, even the visual type.
Loved all the music though.
Glad your son is enjoying his classical music, it never goes out of fashion!
And lucky you, getting to go with him!
Sorry to return- I see I put Potia- it was in fact Portia, & I think she was a 'lawyer'.
I suffered often with Tonsilitis, & so had to suffer many episodes, which I managed to 'tune out' of.
It often amazes me how inspired the old masters were. So seldom does todays music strike with such impact.
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