Thursday 28 June 2012

The Dads Influence of Musical Taste

I often wonder about Dylan growing up.  I wonder what he will be like.  What he will choose to do with his life.  And most importantly of all, what his taste in music will be.

Dad rock is probably around 30% on the scale of coolness.  I wonder if dad rock even existed a generation ago.  But by the time Dylan is old enough to appreciate music I hope that what I listen to now is considered dad rock.

Music has been a life long love of mine.  I haven't been at nearly enough festivals and gigs in my time, yet I've probably seen more bands than most.  My taste in music has evolved through many genres from pop to punk and ska and rock and metal etc etc...  In my old age (28 going on 105) my taste has settled on the more gentle indie rock, with bands like arcade fire and modest mouse making the sound-waves that bounce around our home.

Dylan is still very very youthful (11 months) and as such is very easily influenced.  He seems to just love to dance around the room in my arms rocking out to *his* favourite tunes.  He tells me some of his favourite bands are exactly the same as mine, and when his mummy isn't around he always asks me to put the music on nice and loud.  So I am dreading the possibility that when he gets older he might grown out of the music he loves so dearly now.

Even when he was still in his mums tum he was going off to gigs.  Before being born he had felt the vibrations of jimmy eat world, less than jake and feeder.  Because you have to start them young these days.

I am hoping that by playing my music in the house as he grows up, he will go to nursery and through his school years as an advocate of what will one day be defined as dad rock.

Kids these days seem to use music as a form of rebellion against their parents.  Playing what parents consider to be the most offensive music ever created and turned up to volume 11.  If Dylan chooses punk rock to rebel then I will know that I have brought him up well... musically at least.

What are your musical aspirations for your little ones?

Or have your children already grown up, and if so, how has your music taste influenced your child?


5 comments:

  1. My dad influenced my musical tastes entirely- all the way back in the late 80s. I am a total rock/punk music fan and Isaac, though only 8 months, seems to enjoy it immensely. We used to put earphones to my baby bump and play him some of our favourite music, and it seems to have rubbed off on him- for the first 3 weeks of his life he screamed until we played him some Foo Fighters and he went out like a light... Long may his good tastes continue!!

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  2. That's great to hear. I didn't have any lasting musical influence from my parents. I put it down to them having a poor taste in music!

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  3. We are both musicians and music is a big deal, so am horribly disappointed that the teen daughter listens to One Direction! The two younger boys love a bit of ska punk tho! X

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  4. I'm a great believer in exposing kids to the music you want them to discover, without making a big deal about it. If they like it and pursue it themselves, great. If they don't, great. I reckon they'll discover pop music by themselves, which is just as well, as I don't progress further than Abba and Shakespear's Sister. But my 8 year-old has grown up with loads of classical and 1930s–60s music (yes, I'm a fogey) and likes opera, especially if it has a gruesome ending. So all's going according to plan so far...

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  5. I know Dylan will of course like a lot of music that I will not be too keen on. But as long as the crazy frog never returns then my suffering wont be as bad as parents 10 years ago. But just as long he takes a little of my tastes with him I guess that's all I'm really after.

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