My Mother and her Music

When I thought of who to interview in my family, seeing as I do not come from a long line of musicians, the first person who came to my mind was my mother. Although she always expressed herself through visual arts I can always remember her exposing me to music and talking about music. She taught me Beatles song, my first song being "The Yellow Submarine". A native to Greenville she grew up as the middle child of 4 kids. Her teenage and early twenties was a revolutionary time for music. I remember the stories she told and probably knew who Freddie Mercury was before anyone else my age did.

What sort of environment did you listen to music in?

I started off listening to music because my parents were music lovers. They had lots of albums, of course we weren't allowed to listen to any of them. Of course there was church. When I was a teenager collecting albums and 45s was a big thing. We went to the record shop at least once a week. If you were lucky you could get an album. The big thing in the seventies with album was the album art and the lyrics to the music on the album itself.

Another big thing when I was a teenager were outdoor festivals. A bunch of bands would play during the day in a ball field or a park, it was kinda an offshoot of woodstock.

How did your parents/teachers feel about your choice of music?

My mother really liked the music I listened to. This was a time when the use of cuss words were starting to be used. Usually nothing more than the word "damn" though. So, that was really looked down upon.

My father took my The Guess Who album, they used the words "god damn" in it, and it was the second or third song in. So he took my album and used his pocket knife to cut a groove in the record right where the words were used so it would skip over it. He could have taken the whole record but, he didn't.

I also remember the burning of Beatles records.

What happened when you became a parent?

Well I guess the big thing was that I raised you on muic I had listened to as an adult. Such as The Beatles, Van Morrison, The Cars, Sting, Queen, and Grateful Dead. So instead of teaching you traditional nursing rhyme songs I taught you Beatles songs. So you have to imagine my dismay when you started listening to all that music with that screaming shit. I could have also lived without the Marilyn Manson phase. I was happy you listened to Tori Amos and Ben Folds and that you were into Depeche Mode, David Bowie, Peter Gabriel. I thoroughly enjoyed A Perfect Circle.

Did you play an instrument or sing yourself?

I attempted to play the guitar but gave it up after I learned how to play "Stairway to Heaven". I never sang. My expression was through my art.

I did have a lot of friends who were musicians. Mostly in my college years in Richmond.

What types of situations made you listen to music?

As of now if I don't listen to music while I'm working I lose my mind. There's certain music I listen to when I'm bummed, or driving down the road having a good time.

Because I was brooding teenager I listened to Neal Young, Joni Mitchell, and some Simon and Garfunkel.

Were you exposed to music outsdie your own culture? How so?

One thing that sticks in my mind more than anything was when I was in fourth grade and we had a field trip to the Greenville Symphony Orchestra. I was so excited and moved by it and thats how I fell in love with classical music.

What about music in your own culture?

When I was seven or eight or Dad took us to see Loretta Lynn. It was in a small venue, almost like a barn. My dad was a real advid Loretta Lynn fan. I'll never forget at the end of the show she did her Buck Dance barefoot.

Just like my mother I too was a brooding teen who turned to her music. Today we probably share more music tastes. I have made her a Depeche Mode fan and she has made me a fan of Simon and Garfunkel. Unfortunately, my Marilyn Manson phase is not over.