Minivan Music Lessons

I was involved in a lot of extracurricular crap as a kid. For example: baseball, boy (and cub) scouts, soccer, summer camp, band, etc. And I mean as a little kid, not a high school kid. I didn't do anything in high school... but I digress... The bad thing about it was that Mom was constantly driving me around northern Virginia. The good side was those were the times I picked up my taste in music.

Music was always on in the car. (Who am I kidding? Music was always on in the minivan.) In fact, I don't know if I've been in a music-less car at all in 27 years.

When I was little, it was usually "classic" rock... sometimes oldies.

The Beatles, Clapton, Tom Petty, The Stones, The Allman Brothers, Aerosmith, The Doors, to name a few.

I knew all the words. But as I listened, I had a lot of questions about the music... Why isn't Queen around any more? Are their last names really "Doobie?" Did Joe Walsh's Maserati really drive 185?

Mom answered, but left out details about Freddy Mercury dying of AIDS, and why they were called the Doobie Brothers.

But that was in the eighties, and all of that was mostly about 15 years old by then.

What will our kid(s) listen to when we're driving them around? (It sure as hell won't be the Wiggles, I'll tell you that.) When they are 10, will classic be called oldies, and will 90's rock be called classic?

Will I be forcing them to listen to music by bands like Pearl Jam, The Foo Fighters, Weezer, Spacehog, Soundgarden, Live, Green Day, and Better Than Ezra?

Most likely I will.

Will they ask me... Why isn't Nirvana around any more? Why are they called Porno for Pyros? What does Crash Into Me mean?

Do I answer, but leave out details that Kurt Cobain wacked out on coke and shot himself in the head and that babies come from songs like Crash Into Me? I think I do.

Or do I just ignore them and pass back a couple more crayons for them to jam into the upholstery?

In the end, I really hope they appreciate the music I make them listen to. And secretly, I hope they hate that their mom will make them listen to country.