2.22.2006

Come for the company, stay for the cheese

I was not aware that the kingdom of parental loserdom had boundaries quite so vast. Yesterday’s kind--too kind--responses have encouraged me to open up just a little more, and share the pathetic state of affairs that is my iTunes playlist.

(In the interest of disclosure, and further evidence of failure at modern-day grooviness, here I must reveal that I have deliberately written iTunes playlist and not iPod playlist. Nate bought me the iPod for Valentine’s Day a year ago and in that time I’ve used it twice. Well, carried it twice, used it once. But I love it, honey! Really! I’m going to start going to the gym soon and when I do, I’ll use it every day, I swear!)

Imagine that you’re sitting at my computer. I bring you a nice cold glass of water and a plate of Wasa crisps and some hummus, because let’s face it, I’m a nice hostess that way and if I have nothing else in my fridge I have hummus. You click open my iTunes. Your first impression is that the alternative genre takes up a good amount of space. I’ve got all the Clash and Elvis Costello you’d expect of a former 80s alternachick who thought she was extra alternative because she wore a rhinestone dog collar around her black converse high tops, and scribbled the anarchy A on the toes. In permanent ink.

As you continue scrolling through the list, you find plenty of standards, some inoffensive classic rock, and you’re starting to wonder what the big deal is about this playlist anyway. And then you get to soundtracks.

Nate always rolls his eyes and makes that guttural Yiddish chhhhhhh sound like he’s got a hair caught in his throat, whenever I race towards him in the Virgin Megastore waving a soundtrack (this, by the way, always occurs in the “cool bands 30-something mothers are not allowed to have heard of” aisle). I suppose the only way I have access to new music these days is if Wes Anderson finds it for me first. So you’re perusing my soundtracks thinking yeah, Rushmore was pretty cool, and Go! did have that great Fatboy Slim song and wait…what’s this?

Show tunes.

Show tunes!

You nearly choke on your Wasa crisp as you eyeball the soundtrack from The Music Man. And another from Godspell. And then Pippin. There are more showtunes than Beatles tunes and surely that breaks some kind of musical law.

And, holy mother of God, is that an actual K-Tel collection of soft rock hits from the 70s? You had heard of such an album, but didn’t know it was a real thing that real people actually owned. Sort of like a Ginsu Knife. Or a Flowbee.

Now you know you’re onto something, so you sort the list by artist, but only after petting my bulldog who is rubbing up against your pant leg where the dog hair will remain until the next Ice Age. Suddenly it all becomes clear. There are a disproportionate number of singles on this playlist. And what singles they are!

The Logical Song. Hello it's Me. Midnight at the Oasis.

You have hit the mother load--the secret stash of Mom101’s loser tunes.

Rockin the Paradise. Islands in the Stream. Do Ya Think I'm Sexy?

These are cherished souvenirs from the Napster days. I discovered the service the week it was being shut down, which was just long enough to download all the guilty pleasure one-hit-wonders I could get my hands on. (“Hey, whatever happened to Dr. Demento?”) It's all the music I wouldn't have been caught dead listening to as a young 80s alternachick, but now, free from the shackles of my artsy-fartsy peer group, really enjoy in a frighteningly non-ironic way.

Ride Like the Wind. September Morning. Jump Shout Boogie.

While Nate spends his stay-at-home days with the baby on his lap, introducing her to music from Spoon and the Silver Jews, I had to run to his computer just look up those names. To add insult to injury, I related this passage to him and he reminds me that these bands have all been around, like, ten years. Idiot.

Nate’s diligence is paying off; Thalia's already showing a profound interest in Belle and Sebastian. Curses, bested by my 7-month old.

Thank God I'm a Country Boy. Shaddappa You Face.

You are now looking at your wristwatch in an exaggerated way, as you prepare to tell me that you think you left the oven on back home.


14 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

There was a post I read awhile back that talked about the "gay" song on the IPOD - the one that you freak out if people hear. LOLOL.

You are a brave woman. And I admire you for it. I'm surprised you didn't have Xanadu on there. And don't be afraid because:

I LOVE A PARADE!!!!

Please I'm a fucking musical whore. In fact, I'm going to be in one this spring - and I sing Chorus Line all day long - at night, the huz tells me to shut my trap (as you might have imagined, I'm LOUD)....

I'm so loving that YOU have Pippin on there. Fuck, I love you even more now.

I should follow this all by saying, I have no ipod because I still listen to records hehehehe

2/22/06, 12:59 PM  
Blogger MrsFortune said...

Oh my ... Vilkommen, bienvenue, welcome ... to the CABARET that is my i-tunes list.

Not to mention ... I am a total whore for Streisand/Gibb duets. I am right there with ya. :-)

2/22/06, 2:05 PM  
Blogger the stefanie formerly known as stefanierj said...

Godspell? Know. Every. Word.

Please tell me there's some Helen Reddy on there somewhere....

2/22/06, 3:28 PM  
Blogger Mom101 said...

MF: but we have nothing to be guilty of. (Or is that Guil. Ty. Of.)
SRJ: I once was singing "Learn Your Lessons Well" to the baby and Nate freaked because he thought I was teaching her some religious propaganda song. No Helen, just Carole and Carly.
K: thanks for the idea! I'm going to upload Xanadu right now.

2/22/06, 3:41 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

You are nominated - and voting is currently going for the CHBM Member of the Week. So pimp yourself out... get some damn votes. :)

2/22/06, 6:46 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Mirror, mirror on the wall
I am my mother after all

2/22/06, 7:03 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Dan Fogelberg? Anyone?

2/22/06, 8:00 PM  
Blogger Mom101 said...

Dorf: Not quite. That would require some Willie Nelson, of which I have none.
Nancy: Damn you! I just got "Same Old Lang Syne" out of my head from Christmas and now you've gone and put it right back in there again.

2/22/06, 9:34 PM  
Blogger Childsplayx2 said...

I was always partial to Grandma's Feather Bed.

I'm right there with you. In fact, when becauseimyourfather.com asked me to provide a playlist post for his site, I had to think long and hard to find a balance of geekdom and hip. Not sure I pulled it off.

No showtunes, however. Although the song to Rent is hitting the airwaves so maybe you're on to something!

2/24/06, 5:56 PM  
Blogger The Histrionics of a Fat Housewife said...

Again, I was never hip enough to know what hip music was or currently is. I once even asked a kid at school what an "inxs" (rhymes with "sphynx") was. Yeah. INXS.

But my ipod is heavy on the soundtracks, too. Like Shrek. And Shrek 2 (by far the better of the two, btw). And Shark Tale. Madagascar. Kenny Logins and Carly Simon doing Pooh Bear. Dora (oh, yeah, as if that monkey wasn't irritating enough on DVD, they bring out the soundtrack). The Wiggles. Toy Story.

But my four year old daughter prefers the Pussycat Dolls and Kelly Clarkson. So really. Who am I keeping those soundtracks on there for?

2/26/06, 10:21 AM  
Blogger zinalasvegas said...

Oh my God, you just saved me from the purgatory that is This Afternoon. LOVED IT. In fact, I am such a lying sack of sh--, I took the soundtrack to "Funny Girl" OFF of the list I just did because I just couldn't own up to it. Literally, I deleted it. Thank you for making it OK to be a complete and utter Music Goob.

3/22/06, 4:28 PM  
Blogger Marcie said...

I am sooo late jumpin on the be my best friend bandwagon, but here goes! I love all of that music you listed! How about "Annie get your Gun"? Ethel Merman version of course. And the seventies soft rock crap? LOVE IT! Ambrosia and Firefall, nuff said. Napster was great for that kinda music, cuz who would ever want a whole album of that stuff? I don't have an ipod, but if I did it would have everything from Dr. Dre to Led Zepplin to The Carpenters.

3/23/06, 5:10 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Just linked back here from today's (4/30) post about ny parents, and I can't resist commenting on your inclusion of Pippin in there. One of my favorite soundtracks of all time.

Think about your life, Pippin.
Think about the dreams you planned.

4/30/07, 10:25 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

You can never have enough musicals on your itunes. Les Miz! The Wiz! Kiss Me Kate! Avenue Q! My Fair Lady! West Side Story! Sweeny Todd! Evita!

I also have an insane collection of 70's disco that would make Donna Summer proud!

Don't be ashamed - there are more people out there like you ;)

6/18/08, 12:06 PM  

Post a Comment

<< Home