Thursday, March 21, 2013

No Hokey Pokey Allowed

I was raised in a musical household.  We didn't do sports, that I recall, but we all were involved in some way in music.  I did two years of organ -- much against my will, as I hated it, and the teacher, Mr. Ribble, creeped me out.  Then I did a year of violin, was ambivalent, so I switched to viola, which I really enjoyed.  After that, we moved to a school that didn't have an orchestra, so I switched to piano, and did choir.  But we always had some form of music in our house.  Some of my earliest memories are of Mrs Miller --- God help us, I don't know where my dad found HER, Johnny Cash, Donna Fargo (shine on me sunshine, walk with me world, it's a skip-a-de-doo-dah day), all my dad's choices, and Three Dog Night on my transistor radio, and the Dixie Cups on my 45rpm record player.

Of course, that was interpersed with the Disney 33 1/3 rpm records that I listened to over and over.  I listened to Bambi over and over.....kids today have no idea what it was like to not have DVDs.  I found out the other day that Rodgers' and Hammerstein's Cinderella is playing on Broadway again, and if it comes to town, I will trample someone for good seats.  Oh, the memories............

Today, I rarely have the radio on, and my iPod is rarely charged.  Matter of fact, I just gave it to Seth the other day.  If a CD makes it in my player, I generally play it until someone complains which, these days, is at least a couple of months.  More often than not, however, I travel in silence.  But music gets stuck in my head all the time.  Yesterday, I was stuck on a country tragedy channel of George Jones and Brad Paisley/Allison Krauss (who has the voice of an angel).  Tonight it has been soundtracks, namely Gladiator, which is some of the most powerful soundtrack music in recent history.  This is, of course, interspersed with the sounds of the boys' music:  Thomas is on a 70s Progressive Rock phase, and Seth is into, of all things, waltz music and soundrack music.  (Don't worry, he'll be back to techno in a New York minute).  Jill listens to mostly pop, but if Michael is choosing, it's Waylon and Willie and the boys.  I will say, I am glad that my children have such varied taste in music.

Last weekend, Jill asked me to go with her and Michael to scout out wedding reception locations.  One of the places we went to had a place where the DJ could be on a balcony above everyone, and the tour guide pointed out that it would make it difficult for people to make requests.  Jill said that was fine, because they didn't WANT people to make requests.  HUH?  Jill mentioned a "do not play" list.  HUH?  Michael, in a rare moment of opinion piped up with "yes, we are rather picky about our music." He was even a bit emphatic about it.  HUH?  Apparently, there is to be no Rihanna, Chris Brown (it'd be weird to have a couple with an abusive relationship at your wedding anyway), and a bunch of other artists.  But then they dropped the big onet:  there is to be no music "with steps in it."  HUH?

Apparently, there is to be no Electric Slide, Macarena, step-to-the-left-step-to-the-right whatever that song is, Chicken Dance, Hokey Pokey...........none of it.  I pointed out to them that the point of those dances is to incite the crowd to DANCE, because non-dancers will get up and do their thing too, but they are dead set on their musical rules.  I, of course, am only in the consultant role here -- it's their wedding, and it should be done their way.  Given the insane events surrounding her parents' wedding, I wouldn't dream of making waves. Come to think of it, she probably shouldn't even have me along to consult..........

But what if the hokey pokey IS what it's all about?


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