Words of Wisdom

There are any number of quantitative or qualitative measures for coolness to be found in our society today, whether it be related to money, attractiveness, clothes, a proclivity toward a sport, or any other sort of talent one may have. Personally, I find myself often judging people by two things: the books they read and the music they like – please note, though, that a lack of agreement in either of these areas is not disqualifying, it just means that we may not have a lot to talk about.

My older daughter, Rachel, has shown a good bit of interest in the field of music – both in making it herself and in listening to it – so I have tried to propagate that to the best of my ability over the past year or so. There were certainly songs and artists that she liked better than others beforehand, but it was not until we received Guitar Hero III, that her true love for music really surfaced. Soon, she had many of the songs from the game memorized word for word and then, when she discovered that I also had many of the tunes on my Ipod, she began asking to hear the songs even more often.

This past Saturday I was taking the girls across town to see our local fireworks show when she spoke up with a magical question, just a few words that could make a rock aficionado like me beam with pride. As we pulled out of the driveway, she asked, “Daddy, can we hear Welcome to the Jungle?”

Yeah, I think I’m doing a pretty good job.

Some of her other favorites from the game inclue:
Foghat – Slow Ride (Seriously, how many 6 year olds ask for Foghat??)
Kiss – Rock and Roll All Night
Lacuna Coil – Closer
Mountain – Mississippi Queen
Pearl Jam – Evenflow

There are others she likes not found in the game that can also bring a smile to my face. Guitar Hero includes the song “One” by Metallica, but a nearly 8 minute song that ends with a machine gun-like thrash session did not really appeal to her short attention span, so I introduced her to another tune by the band, one that is shorter and catchier to the ears, “Enter Sandman.” One listen later and it was undeniably one of her favorites. Secondly, when I picked up Green Day’s latest, 21st Century Breakdown, it rarely left my home and car stereos, so her young ears heard much of the album (some songs, of course, were skipped when the kids were present) and one song struck a chord with her, “Know Your Enemy.” From that point on, any time I was listening to the album, she would constantly ask to here that song again and again.

Her most recent musical love is not something that I carry on my Ipod or even something that I like all that much, but it was still kind of funny to me. Last week, Rachel came to me with a questioning look on her face and asked, “Daddy, who is Michael Jackson?”

Now, I’ve never been much of a Michael Jackson fan, but I did happen to have a copy of Thriller on vinyl, so I retreated to my upstairs office and returned with the large black disc, a relic from an era of which she knows nothing. Soon she was bouncing off the walls with excitement, dancing around the room filled with joy and happiness at this new discovery. Yes, my 6 year old is now a huge Michael Jackson fan. She confiscated the record sleeve and soon memorized all of the lyrics to her newest favorite song, Thriller.

So, if Rachel had an Ipod, its contents would no doubt include the aforementioned songs from Guitar Hero, Metallica, Green Day and Michael Jackson, along with an assortment of tunes from Hannah Montana and High School Musical.

I have an eclectic kid. She takes after her daddy.

Bekah is catching on, too, so it won’t be long until we’ll have a house full of rockers!