Music & Family
I come from a nonmusical family. Unless you count an uncle who played a little guitar as a teenager, the only musician in my family I know of is me! Despite my family's lack of performing musicians, I know some of my family members have strong musical opinions. I live at home with my parents, and my mom doesn't often talk about music. My dad does though, so I decided to interview him!
For some background, my dad was born in the 1970s and graduated from Spartanburg High School in the 1990s. I thought it would be interesting to interview him because he often expresses his distaste for "annoying" songs that play during commercials. However, he also sometimes shows my mom and me musicians he likes on YouTube.
Without further ado, here is the interview!
Abby: Okay. The first question is: Do you play an instrument?
Dad: Yes. I do.
Abby: You do? What instrument?
Dad: The acoustic guitar.
Abby: When did you start playing it?
Dad: One week ago.
(He got it for Christmas)
Abby: Why did you start playing it?
Dad: It sounded like a fun way to relax.
Abby: Is there any music you what to learn how to play?
Dad: I want to learn how to play some country and rock. I want to learn how to play Grateful Dead hits, and some old country songs from Willie Nelson and Hank Williams Jr and that era.
Abby: Okay. I have some other questions. What's a type of music that you hate?
Dad: Bluegrass music.
Abby: Bluegrass? I didn't expect that. But I've never heard you hating on bluegrass?
Dad: You haven't ever heard me listening to it either.
Abby: I guess not. What don't you like about it?
Dad: I guess every song sounds the same. And all the words and all the songs sound the same.
Abby: What are they about?
Dad: They're about dancing and being a redneck.
Abby: I thought you could relate to that?
Dad: I don't like how this interview is going.
(I actually think bluegrass is cool. I like the vocal harmonies in this song during the chorus!)
Abby: Haha. Okay. What type of music do you love? What's your favorite genre?
Dad: I love jazz and country.
Abby: Jazz? I've never heard you listen to jazz before.
Dad: I like jazz. I just don't listen to it much.
Abby: Do you have a favorite jazz instrument?
Dad: I like the saxophone. I think it sounds good.
Abby: That's a pretty good reason. Okay, I have more questions.
Dad: I feel like I'm being interrogated.
Abby: What's your favorite song or a song you like a lot?
Dad: Probably my favorite song would be Sugar Magnolia by Grateful Dead.
Abby: I don't think I ever heard that. Or you put it on the TV when I wasn't paying attention. What's your least favorite song?
Dad: God, there's so many bad ones. I would say my least favorite song would be any R&B song, but the song that I will turn every time it comes on the radio no matter what is by Whitney Houston: I Will Always Love You.
Abby: You don't like it? What don't you like about it?
Dad: I don't like how it sounds whiny. The whole tone of it is annoying. I don't like R&B songs at all.
Abby: Do you like R&B less than bluegrass?
Dad: No. I like bluegrass less than R&B. At least R&B has different messages. Bluegrass is all the same thing.
Abby: Okay, I have one more question. Do you think your taste in music has changed from when you were younger?
Dad: Yes. A lot. I couldn't stand the Grateful Dead when I was in high school, and that's when they were the most popular.
Abby: Why?
Dad: Because only the losers and dropouts listened to the Grateful Dead.
Abby: And you weren't a loser?
Dad: Uh-uh. Wait. I listen to them now.
Abby: What did you listen to then?
Dad: In high school? I listened to classic rock which then was like 60s and 70s. I also listened to country.
Abby: Did you feel cool listening to it?
Dad: No. No. I didn't.
Abby: That's too bad. What did you listen to the music with?
Dad: I had an eight-track player and also a cassette player. Then right before I graduated high school, I bought my first CD player.
Abby: What was the first CD you bought for it?
Dad: George Strait's Biggest Hits.
Abby: Okay. I think that's all I need to hear.
END OF INTERVIEW
I learned a lot by interviewing my dad. I had no clue he had such strong opinions about bluegrass, jazz, and Whitney Houston. Even my mom didn't know some of his opinions. I'm also looking forward to seeing his guitar skills progress. I hope he will get to play some Grateful Dead songs! This experience was very surprising, so I might ask more of my relatives about their musical tastes in the future.
hey hey! i love that your dad is beginning to learn how to play the guitar! kudos to him, it's so hard to do haha. also him not liking R&B is criminal i gotta give bro a playlist </3
ReplyDeleteAbby, thank you for sharing this interview you did with your dad! I love the relationship the two of you have, and the bits of the conversation where you tease each other. Interesting to read his opinion on Whitney Houston lol. We all have music we like and music we don’t!
ReplyDeleteHey, Abby! Your dad seems like a character to interview. He's seem very straightforward about his musical opinions. It was funny to learn that he also did not like the Grateful Dead growing up, but now he is a big fan. Grateful Dead are a really great band by the way. I am glad you took this chance to interact with your dad and get to know him better.
ReplyDeleteHi Abby! Your family is so cute. Also, I like the blonde you were sporting but I love your natural hair. I had never heard Sugar Magnolia before. It was an interesting listen. Also, I feel like your dad might not like bluegrass because he hasn’t listened to it really but that’s just my opinion.
ReplyDeleteIts cool that your dad is learning guitar, i hope his musical journey is fun for him. And if he ever needs R&B recommendations to sway his tastes let me know i'd be happy to put him on.
ReplyDeleteHey Abby, Your blog was so cool to read! I totally agree with your dad about bluegrass, and it is not my cup of tea, either. It's so cool to read that your dad is picking up the guitar, maybe you should give him some lessons lol.
ReplyDelete