I insist on paying for Sirius radio because it gives me multiple channels. But I really only use 6: the 60s, 70s, and 80s stations and the three classical stations, 74 (opera),75 (greatest hits), and 76 (more interesting selections, but no tone poems). I shift rapidly between those channels when I drive revealing, perhaps, a hint of musical ADHD. I no longer accomodate my daughter by going to 79 -- the Disney tweener station -- as a year of Katy Perry's *Fireworks* and the little guy who sings *Today I don't feel like doing anything* did some kind of damage to my equilibrium.
I am sure other Force chauffeur cum DJs have comparable problems. As far as I can tell Force parents have a passion for:
1) Barry Manilow
2) Sting (solo, no Police) -- a close second
3) Iron Maiden
4) Lady Gaga/Brittany Spears (for Force parents truly young at heart)
5) The artist formerly known as Prince and the Rolling Stones (Tigerwife)
God knows what a new ager like Cookie listens to! I imagine Gregorian chants in the Fitnessforest.
Yesterday, however, my carpoolers and I might have found some common ground.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4KUL9-eNXzQ
When Chic's 1978 *Le Freak* came on I was about to switch off to avoid hearing "That's weird, Dad" but, instead, the chit chat in the back of the Flex quieted.
Then, I hear a soft "hey." Then, a bit louder, a different voice, "cool," followed by, louder still, "what's that song?" At which point the rear view picked up the subtle swaying, synchronized motion of disco shoulder shuffles and, finally, the more musical girls picked up the chorus -- Freak Out -- and all joined in. Apparently, a well liked teacher has a rule ("Don't Freak Out") and the girls had found themselves an anthem of sorts for the afternoon.
Now I love Chic.
I have great memories of one my older sister's boyfriends, Emmett, dancing in our 10x15 living room -- wearing brown corduroy pants (like Corduroy Bear) and a red/yellow fake silk disco shirt opened to the waist -- while Le Freak blasted on our little radio. My mom was surly around Emmett. He was a senior and my sister was either a freshmen or a sophomore (she is now a determined soccer mom of 3 wonderful kids, great neighbor, successful churchgoing businesswoman and solid Romney supporter -- don't worry). Emmett had, like John Belushi in Animal House, a 0.0 GPA (seriously). But you couldn't not like the guy. Despite the GPA he went to school everyday -- mainly to hang out. He had "ginger" hair and freckles and was unusually affable. I remember he was sincerely impressed that, as a 7th grader, I could name all the provinces in Canada (as a senior, the best he could do was "Windsor"). Emmett never graduated, I don't think, but when he did the splits to "Freak Out", sliding one leg deftly under the wobbly coffee table, even my Mom smiled. It must have been Sunday when she had a few martinis.
Chic was a group that crisscrossed boundaries, including, time boundaries They were an African American soul band with rock tendencies that lit up disco halls for a few years. They talked hippie talk -- they wanted "peace, love, and meaning in ALL their songs (Freak Out!, go figure) -- and it was their *Good Times* track that was the basis for SugarHill Gang's *Rapper's Delight* -- the song that, frankly, made hiphop hiphop and is still with us.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5FStekWvln0
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