Wednesday, April 9, 2008

Get Back on the Boat!

Have you ever seen someone with a mullet hair-do, driving a Camaro, wearing a sleeveless t-shirt and rocking out to Night Ranger’s Sister Christian? I just love scenes like that. A person who has found their look, attitude, tastes...their niche and got off, what I refer to as, THE BOAT. They fell in love with a time in their lives and they’re sticking with it!

I have always thought that I wouldn’t be a getting off the boat kind of person. I wouldn’t avoid trends in fashion, I wouldn’t keep the same hair-do for time and eternity, I wouldn’t be annoyed with the young folks' crazy ways, and I wouldn’t snub new music. But over the years I could see my boat sailing away. There I am in my Honda Civic, with my same straight flat hair, listening to Smashing Pumpkins, confused by Facebook and all the spanks and hugs being passed around, driving away into the sunset of my life. I can’t keep up! I'm turning in an old fogey already?

In an attempt to fight stagnation, I have tried capturing a new look by choosing clothes that had interesting detailing, patterns or colors other than black, but it turns out you can’t force the funk! I have tried getting new hair-do’s (oh GAWD!) and I had to accept I just don’t want to fuss with my hair. I admit I am totally annoyed with teenagers and realize Billy Corgan was right…youth IS wasted on the young! And music…Smashing Pumpkins is really good…why branch out now?

Talk about hair.  Lord have mercy, we look like Hair Central!

Enter Rolling Stone. I used to be a subscriber years ago, when I was solidly on the boat and thought maybe a new subscription could lend a hand in keeping me fresh on the music and youth culture scene. I started requesting CD’s I’d read about in Rolling Stone from the library. It was an easy, risk-free way of giving an artist a test run. Plus Rolling Stone compiles a handy wrap up of the year’s best albums, which Robby used as a working list to request from the library. And I’m happy to say I’ve at least made it into the dingy on the side of the boat.

I was thoroughly surprised at how much I like the new Kanye West album Graduation. He can rap about parallel parking and it works for me. Robby is completely digging Kanye too, but especially likes the new LCD Soundsystem. The boys are CRAZY for a song off Mary J. Blige’s new album Growing Pains, which I think by and large is quite good too. They ask us to put the ‘Mary’ song on for them in the car. When the song starts they turn to look at each other and smile a knowing smile. They beg to hear it over, and over, and OVER again. And the new Smashing Pumpkins album Zeitgeist rocked us pretty hard on one date night.

The injection of new music in my life has been a breath of fresh air and it’s keeping me from getting completely settled in my ways. I’ll leave Facebook and MySpace to those perky younger people, but I can still rock out with the best of ‘em.

Have you gotten off the boat? Let’s hear it.

9 comments:

Annalyn said...

I'm happy to say that when I was a chaperon at my nephews 9th grade dance a month ago, I knew almost all the songs.

As for the style - I never had a style to begin with so my boat was always more of a canoe or maybe one of those floaters that fishermen use. Anyway, I've NEVER been "in".

Camaro's are classic.
Billy Corgan still rocks.
Sister Christian.....well it's probably on Guitar Hero by now so the youth will come around.

Holly Child said...

Oh my gosh. I love reading what you right! It's like I'm sitting there right next to you in your car, toolin' around SLC....listening to the Smashing Pumpkins! Those were the days my friend!

I've totally gotten off the boat! How sad is that!? I'm just too tired to try to keep up with anything new. And there's that whole 'comfort zone' thing to deal with. I like my zone. I keep saying things like "When my kids are older I'll do this or that...", but when they're older it will be one more thing to keep me from getting back on the boat!

Ugh...listen to me go on!! Sorry! ;o)

Joey C Johnson said...

Funny you should post about fashion and music today. I went shopping on my lunch to purchase a few new shirts for work. I've become bored of the different hawaiian shirts I've been wearing for the last several months. I did buy the usual black and brown, but I climbed out on the proverbial limb and bought a bright green shirt too!

AND...On my way back to work, I totally caught myself singing along to Jesse McCartney's "Leavin". I was really embarrassed so I cranked up Zeppelin to recover my koolness.

Melissa said...

Well, regarding one of your comments, we just really love the 80s and I don't think we will ever stop loving it. I think that's fine.

I love Smashing Pumpkins. I still have this vivid memory of walking into a party freshman year of college and Cherub Rock was playing and I just thought - wow. This is so cool. I still can't shake those Pumpkins, even though I only own one album.

I really like that sweater that you got from Anthropologie, so I think you should continue in your quest to mix in fresh looks with what you are normally comfortable with. Yes. That is part of my quest too.

I loved the Hair Central picture. It is really intense.

I can't believe y'all know songs by Kanye West and Mary J. Blige. I do not. I try to keep up with some things but that paragraph just made me feel out of it. My 3 1/2 year old nephews are way hipper than I am.

I don't know what the point of my response is. I think it is that I am an old fogey and always have been. I just have to embrace it.

Heather said...

I'm stuck in 1998. I can't remember the last time I purchased a complete CD from anywhere. As far as I'm concerned, the sun rises and sets on Tori Amos and Ani DiFranco. I try and try to keep up with the fashions, and I do pretty well, but some "juniors" clothing just doesn't sit well on a 35 year old, no matter how short you are. I love that picture of you and Robby. And everytime I hear the Smashing Pumpkins I think of you, except for when I hear "Today", then I think of 1994, before we even met. Weird.

P.S.--Holly, I think you like to read what Regina WRITES, right?

Janice said...

Imagine riding in my car with the sun shining, windows rolled down and radio loud, all of this in a pearl colored suby (who knew I would own a Subaru?), see the excitement on my face when I hear that Poison is coming back to Usana for another year! Getting excited to sneak in my flask of tequila to make a slushy margarita of sorts. Then the disappointment when I realize they will be hear when we are on our trek across the U.S. CRUSHING!

I don't think it is wise to let go of everything in the past. After all, it all comes around again and if we still remember, we have a head start on the new hip, right?

Anonymous said...

I am still fighting for position on the boat. I haven't completely given up. I kinda do like that song "Sister Christian" though. "MOTORIN'...WHAT'S YOUR PRICE PER FLIGHT?" yeah that's some good stuff. But I also LOVE The White Stripes. Doesn't that make me cool?--Cara

Regina said...

It's been so fun reading everyone's comments!

I also love the 80's...no denying it. I've heard the 80's satellite station at some friends' house (hi Susan & Koji!) and I think it's called Fred...it is AWESOME. Love & Rockets, Echo and the Bunnymen, the Smiths, English Beat. I'm in heaven when I have the chance to listen to it.

And in my book, loving the White Stripes is an automatic boost in cool factor! "I'm thinkin bout my doorbell, when you gonna ring it, when you gonna ring it...oh yeah!"

Anonymous said...

Pretty soon you will sitting on your front porch yelling at kids on your lawn and babbling about the war. All while listening to some dreary guy talking about how meat is murder or something..

Annalyn knows all the new songs because she always listens to X96. I, on the other hand, listen to NPR. Now THAT'S when you know you're getting old. I'll occasionally catch myself watching golf on TV!

Screw the new stuff, you know you want to listen to some Duran Duran right now..