Will You Tell Your Kids You Listen to John Maus?

[sfjoe1013]

I remember when I got old enough my dad sharing his musical tastes with me. Thelonious Monk, The Stones, Clapton, etc. I thought he was so cool and I loved spinning his records. I'm scared what my kids would say if I tried to share John Maus with them. I doubt I would be the cool dad. Thoughts>?

[ricky]

Of course. And I hope they tell their friends that their dad listens to weird music.

[fl00de]

..




when in Brussels some time in past, John asked me about some song I would like him to sing that night.

I told him about my daughter, she was 10 at that time, and how she would act when "This Is The Beat" was played at my home.
she would jump on my bed insanely, screaming / shouting / singing it
it was really nice

later that night John sang it.



..

last sunday, Easter day, my daughter was traveling back from beach, she spent the holyday with her mother / family.
when I finally could reach her by mobile phone we talk a little then the call failed

a few minutes later she called back, before answering her call, I put "This Is The Beat" loud then the phone close to it.
after two minutes I said "heeey! how are you?"
she was just screaming and singing at the phone...

when I asked her where she was at that moment she said she was inside the car with her mother, uncle, aunt and cousin from Germany.

"oh... ok so..." I said
"say hi to them"


what have I done?

[LadyLazarus]

..
when in Brussels some time in past, John asked me about some song I would like him to sing that night.

I told him about my daughter, she was 10 at that time, and how she would act when "This Is The Beat" was played at my home.
she would jump on my bed insanely, screaming / shouting / singing it
it was really nice

later that night John sang it.

I just love this story.

If I ever had the inclination to have babies, I feel like this would be a no-brainer. Come first term, John, Ariel, Joey Pizza Slice, Armand Schaubroeck Steals and Stockhausen would all be there for the gestation period, in the same way that people listen to Mozart before an exam to improve their cognitive abilities or whatever, this would just be essential criteria to coming into my world. Perhaps I have a fundamentally skewed idea of just creating some mini-me when procreating, but this seems such an obvious question. To love me is to love my music, and, naturally, I'd want to show my offspring the best of this world we live in.

[ricky]

That was such a rad story! Thanks for sharing.

[Deadserfs]

I'd never force a kid (my own even! if I had any to bother) to listen to the music I listen to, but I'd have it playing around the house (or the flat) for sure. At any rate, I'm probably more suited for the "weird but cool" uncle role. It's easier to exert a stronger cultural influence on a kid when they don't intrinsically view you as a figure to rebel against. I also think one shouldn't "out rebel" their children by confounding the shit out of them early on in their conscious existence. They may end up aggressively embracing normative mainstream values in an effort to overcome the self-righteous totality of your "good influence". And that would be a LEGIT way to spread their wings. No one likes being told what to do...basically I wouldn't want to see the premise of Family Ties playing out (and funny me, I always sympathized with the kids in the show).

[mtntwg]

Yes, indeed. I will force them and my future wife to love him. Negative feedback = divorce.

[fl00de]

..

Yes, indeed. I will force them and my future wife to love him. Negative feedback = divorce.

[AppTrans]

I won't...because I'll never have kids

[epiphamus]

..
she would jump on my bed insanely, screaming / shouting / singing it

awesomely cool :nod:

[RareGoat]

My daughter (age 7) is well on her way to being a hardcore music fan. She has fully absorbed the Beatles' catalog, and can identify any of their songs by name and can usually sing along with most of it. She pretty much ignores most of the other music I play, as most of it is not as immediately graspable, especially to someone that young. John Maus would probably fit in that group too. Like Ariel, he hits me more on a subconscious level.

Back to the question though - I'm a bit uncertain as to what kind of teenager she is going to become. Teenagers sometimes have a tendency to grow in an OPPOSITE direction to their parents, one way of establishing their own identity. So if I continue trying to be Cool Hip Dad, will she become cool too, or will she go noggin-first into Top 40 Hell? I've braced myself for the latter, with the comfort that perhaps in her 20s she'll get back on the right path.