Wednesday, May 10, 2006

Nevermind

Freddie's into Nirvana. I think that's completely cool, and I encourage it by buying him books of guitar chords and tab with Nirvana songs in them, so he'll learn guitar playing songs he digs instead of "Go Tell Aunt Rhodie" or some such eye-glazing shit.

Betty, a social young thing, prefers the Teen Sensation of the Moment. I think this is likewise perfectly cool, and am planning to take her and a friend to see the latest manufactured Tiger Beat phenomenon, a nauseatingly saccharine pair of girls called Aly and AJ. I won't enjoy it much, but she and her pal will, and a dad must make sacrifices. May be some good blog fodder in it.

Tonight was Taco Night chez Jingo, and we donned our sombreros and serapes and celebrated Diez de Mayo. I mentioned to the kids my loony idea of last night, about doing a perfect replica of "Up, Up and Away." I explained a little bit about the song, the sort of place it held in my heart, my intention to perform a gedankenexperiment exploring the relationships among music, nostalgia and human emotion by having a good long wallow in all three. I mentioned that XTCfan had expressed an interest in participating in the recording, and that I'd half-seriously proposed to him a family-get-together-cum-recording-session where we cut the vocals and had a nice meal.

Wonder Woman said she agreed with Blue Girl's comment that "One Less Bell To Answer" would be another great song to do in a social setting like that. As she assayed line-readings from that song, Betty began to enumerate songs she'd like to do covers of: "Walking on Sunshine" and "Do You Believe in Magic," both hoary chestnuts she'd discovered on her Aly and AJ CD.

Freddie had been listening quietly at the other end of the table, chewing and, I think, looking for his moment. As Betty's enthusiastic flow ebbed slightly and Wondie lapsed into humming into her salad, he deadpanned, with utterly exquisite timing:

"Rape Me."

I'm the only one who got it right away, and I swear I was in serious danger of blowing a roaring mouthful of ground beef and pico de gallo all over the room.

Jesus Christ, I think I may have actually done something right.

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

LOL!

I think Freddie and Blue Kid might be related.

God, when they're great, they're great.

p.s. Can you even believe the lyrics to "One Less Bell To Answer" -- So 70s for the non-feminist crowd. I still love it though. Her voice is velvet -- like buttah.

Kevin Wolf said...

Dammit! Not having a kid, I don't know the reference and therefore can't indulge in the full Neddiness of this post.

First time, I think.

Shit!

My best to Freddie anyway...

Anonymous said...

Kevin, just imagine the most perfect snarky attitude with perfect timing. Makes your heart burst with joy.

Jeddie, I'm listening to OLBTA right now. Her voice is actually kind of *normal* -- but *better* than normal -- (better than Brittney Spears, that's fer damn sure) -- again, like you said in the previous post -- totally tied to emotion.

Neddie said...

Kev:

"Rape Me" is a Nirvana song, Kurt Cobain at his utterly blackest:

My favorite inside source
I'll kiss your open sores
Appreciate your concern
You're gonna stick and burn

Rape me
Rape me, my friend
Rape me
Rape me, again

With a perfectly sharpened, mordant two-word non-sequitur, Freddie punctured the treacly goopiness at the table. Not half bad for a twelve-year-old.

GlueBirl: I confess I wasn't familiar with OLBTA. Just downed it from iTunes, and it's gorgeous. I want to mix up a dry martoonie, smoke some dirtweed, retire to my circular bed and contemplate growing out my sideburns and pursuing a career in porn.

helmut said...

Helmutian mixed tape from last summer:

1. The Love Generation – Groovy Summertime
2. The Cyrkle – Turn Down Day
3. The Parade – Sunshine Girl
4. The Beach Boys – This Whole World
5. Harper’s Bizarre – 59th St. Bridge Song (Feelin’ Groovy)
6. The Archies – Catchin’ Up on Fun
7. Bossa Rio – Up, Up and Away
8. The Love Generation – She Touched Me
9. The Zombies – Walking in the Sun
10. The Beach Boys – Feel Flows
11. The Troggs – Love Is All Around
12. Sergio Mendes – For Me
13. Harper’s Bizarre – Come to the Sunshine
14. The Zombies – Summertime
15. The Beach Boys – Don’t Worry Baby
16. Ohio Express – Vacation
17. Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass – Walk Don’t Run
18. Harper’s Bizarre – Happy Talk
19. The Archies – Time for Love
20. Lovin’ Spoonful – Daydream
21. Astrud Gilberto / Walter Wanderley – It’s a Lovely Day Today
22. Thorinshield – Light That Love Brings
23. The Beach Boys – Good Vibrations
24. The Love Generation – When the Sun Goes Down

You want the best of the worst of the worst it's The Love Generation, although parent-nostalgia takes me to Herb Alpert and Sergio Mendes, Burt Bacharach and Dionne Warwick, and pretty much anything written by Jimmy Webb.

Rape Me.

Nice.

Anonymous said...

"Up, Up and Away" won a Grammy for song of the year in 1967. It is such a happy (dare I say, uplifting) song. What the heck...goopy or not, it made you feel good. Mom had several 5th Dimension Albums ... I'd play em on the hi-fi. Brother and sis played guitar and we'd have sing alongs.

I too loved the sorrowful "One Less Bell to Answer" and used to wander through the rooms of our house growing up singing it with great drama. sometimes embellishing on the words to add comic relief.

So... here's a dark thought. What if Freddie's comment really meant this: "Rape Me" is to Freddie (in 2006) what "Up, Up and Away" was to Neddie back when he was 10. Ponder it. Was Freddie really trying to say "Rape Me" is the song that moves him? Was this comment not really a case of a 12 year old's well-timed sarcasm, but instead just an innocent and honest interjection of opinion into a family dinner conversation? Awe, heck, I hope not. No! No! No! Woe is the human condition in 2006. What happened to Age of Aquarius? Sniff.

"In the year 2525..."

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