A Heartless B-Word

I heard this cool song on XM radio the other day- basically the lyrics were speaking out against opinionated record store employees. I guess they were addressing folks like the character Jack Black played in High Fidelity- people who find bad music offensive and a sign of a shallow soul and worthless life. The lyrics talked about how the record store kid knew nothing about him and had no room to judge him for buying the bad music. (What was he buying" I wondered?? Leo Sayre? Jimmy Buffett?? Sister Sledge??) Indeed, I am of the ranks of the music snobs- I have solidly refused to ever let musical crap cross the threshold of my home. The radio gets turned off if Dad, the musical Dictator, hears subpar tunage on the radio. I am arbiter of Music Taste here, like it or not. Luckily, I have indoctrinated my people well. No Britney.. No Justin... No Boy Bands (ever!!!) in my home. My kids are growing up with a good music pedigree, and I am to blame.

Like right now- I just downloaded what I consider to be one of the best records I have heard... ever.... (at least in the last couple of years). It is called "All This Time" by "Heartless Bastards" (not to be confused with James McMurtry's backup band The Heartless Bastards.. note the lack of the definite article here). I have a real yen for girl singers (Kasey Chambers, Lucinda, Cheri Knight, Chrissy Hynde..) and Erica really, well, to borrow an overused Rock and Roll phrase, kicks ass.

I played the cut "Into the Open" for my Twelve Year Old and she said she didn't like it. But, it pleased me to no end that she then piped up with "But I downloaded this cool Dandy Warhols Song" and she began to bang her head in the air, shaking her long, hippy-straight air in time with the song. Yes! I am an Alterna-Dad supreme!

Music is sacramental in our house. We listen to it to start up our day and end our evenings. We lack televisions (killed them a couple of years ago in a fit of self-righteous New Years Day Resolution making- that's another story) but regularly turn on the crappy stereo to listen to Satellite Radio and CDs and classical music (usually late at night).

Music contrary to my tastes is fundamentally offensive to me and subject to expulsion from my household due to the fact that I am the Daddy and the Musician in Residence who regularly gets up in public and makes music for others. I am the Musical king. I am the pre-Vatican II of musical doctrine for the Babuka Black Household. I am Cardinal Timmah defending the faith of music against the onslaught of commercial heresy. Cross me and you will face musical ex-communication and be forced to listen to your tunes forever on your headphones. Hear my inflexible, literal interpretation of musical belief and disobey at your peril.

Praise George, Paul, Ringo and John! Let Dylan Ring!