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Rock n'Roll Regression
Home Truths very own Frank Wilson meets Hugo, 11, his sister Gabriella and Tom, their dad, 50-going-on-16 to talk about the rock n'roll heroes of the 60s.
Tom confesses that he was heavily into Dylan, Canned Heat, Steve Miller, Steve Young, "I’m just a old late 60s early 70s boy.." For his daughter Gabriella, it's the Indy rock sound. But her brother, 11 year old Hugo has an altogether more refined taste in music compared to his father and sister.
At the precociously early age of 5, Hugo began to listen to jazz. He takes a suitably impressed (and approving) Frank Wilson through his CD collection, "Chet Baker's one of my favourites and I really like Motown…" Frank continues flicking through, "Atlantic Soul Classics, Arthur Connolly, Wilson Picket, Eddie Floyd… What do your mates say when you put one of those CDs on?" asks Frank. "Turn it off!" says Hugo. "Don’t you think it’s odd to like such old geezers?" says Frank. "No," replies Hugo, unworried by Frank’s implication that he's somehow abnormal for an 11 year old.
Hugo’s dad, Tom, is delighted with his son's musical taste, "He’s enjoying it because he feels it. He stands alone at school in terms of his musical tastes - Hugo enjoys jazz, rock and the blues along with the Simpsons and the Beano." Frank observes, "It’s odd that what he’s buying now pre-dates what you liked when you were a teenager…"
Traditionally parents are should find their children’s musical taste hard to stomach.
But instead of "Turn that racket down!", Tom and Hugo have a lot in common in an zone which is normally reserved for parent-offsping war. It can go a bit far, though. "Do your parents want to borrow your CDs?" asks Frank. "Yes" responds Hugo, "I haven’t got my Ray Charles back yet …" "We have a paltry CD collection, Hugo’s got a much bettter one.." says his Dad.
In another reversal, it’s Tom who’s into loud music. Hugo's quite happy with a pair of headphones. Frank points out that Tom’s more the teenage tearaway, "Doesn’t every parent become a teenage tearaway," says Tom, undefensive about bucking the dignified trend of old age, "hit 50," he continues, "and parents become the adolescent again. There’s something quite juvenile about getting old. I’m reverting to 20’s stereotype behaviour - which includes loud music - much to the annoyance of my wife. It’s an ongoing problem - I’m sure it’s going to get worse rather than better," he concludes cheerfully.
How are you bucking the diginified trend of old age?
In what ways have you found that your child behaves in a more adult fashion than yourself?
What is your partner or your family's response to your regression?
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