Pop Culture

What is the evolution of MY music consumption practices through time? To be perfectly honest, I haven’t given it much thought before this question was posed to me. I am sure that music producers and companies would be disappointed with my spending habits when it comes to the music industry. My daughter often rolls her eyes and sighs, deep sighs of disbelief, when I ask her questions about current trends in music. She seems exasperated at my inability to remember which artist sings what song. If it wasn’t for her, I would be completely clueless as to what is happening in the music world. Yet to say that I am completely void of such purchasing practices would be incorrect as well. I am impressed with Thom Swiss’ ability to recall times in his life with such detail and significance. His very thorough and heartfelt recount in “A Nomad at Home� has inspired me to make an honest attempt at reflecting on my evolution of music consumption practices through time.

My home, growing up was very different from those of my friends. My parents were unique for the time (to say the least). “Getting back to nature� would be the appropriate theme that would best exemplify my parents. Organic farming was practiced long before it became the buzz word. Earth friendly was an expression that I was personally involved with long before the term “Global Warming� was introduced to society. My parents had a strong tie to the land that we owned. They taught us to respect it and that all that we need could be gotten from the land. Along with these beliefs was the deep resistance to technology, however, we did not live completely technology free. We owned one black and white TV, no it was not the 1950’s. As a child we were only allowed to watch TV for a limited time in the evening. I remember the TV was always on for the 6 o’clock news, but never, never on during dinner. We would usually watch one show together as a family. A favorite that I remember was the Carol Burnett show. My least favorite was Hawaii Five-O. Mom and Dad always controlled what was watched.

As far as music I know that we had a radio in the car, we must have, and I am sure that it played as we drove places, but I don’t remember a radio in the house or even a turn table until I was in high school. I do however remember an old reel to reel type of tape player, so to speak. This thing was huge and the tape was open, exposed, unlike the smaller versions of tape that would go into a tape recorder today. I’m sorry but I don’t know the technical term for it. I do remember that we were allowed to play with it as children. My dad showed us how we could record our voices and then listen to ourselves. We often told stories, read stories, sang songs and then listened to ourselves. This reel to reel was my first link to music. Shortly after my eighth birthday, I decided that we needed a piano to accompany our “beautiful� singing. I did what any eight year old girl would do. . . I asked grandma. My grandma was notorious for making my mother turn red with rage as she attended to our every whim. However, our house was much too small for a piano and I received a guitar from the Sears catalog instead. I started guitar lessons from Sister Vivian Huppert the next week. I played that guitar for two years until my guitar teacher explained to me and my parents that it really wasn’t a very well made guitar and that if I was to continue I needed a much better one. I purchased my first real guitar with money that I had saved from birthdays and odd jobs at the age of 10.

I remember the day that I purchased this guitar, it was a used guitar that was being sold by a young couple who was out of work and needed the cash. It cost $150.00. My dad took me to the couple’s house. I can still remember how proud he looked as I played a little tune on it. Little did he know that this guitar would be the source of much aggravation for him in the future. As I grew older I developed my own tastes in music and we often argued about what genre of music I would be allowed to play. He would sit me down to watch Roy Clarke and explain to me how it would make him so very proud if I could someday play on the Hee Haw show. I struggled with being who I wanted to be and being the “good� girl and doing what was expected of me. This was the point in my life when I was no longer referred as my dad’s “little angel�; I was now often referred as an independent little cuss. Now I want you to know that this was said in the most enduring manner (if you believe that I have a bridge to sell you).

I continued to play the guitar, classical guitar. It was the only way I could get my dad to pay for the lessons. However, in high school my brother and I convinced my mom to purchase a turn table. I do remember buying some albums: Rick Springfield’s Jessie’s Girl, and the latest Journey album, however, shortly after High School (August), I was married. In one year’s time I became a mother; suddenly pop music and pop culture were replaced with late night feedings and lullabies. That was 23 years ago.