LaxMom Posted January 20, 2009 Share Posted January 20, 2009 My personal inaugural funny of the day. As we are nearing the swearing in and I am essentially reduced to a sniveling mass of goo, thinking on how Martin Luther King dreamed of such a day in his famous speech, delivered when he was younger than I am now, how he, if not for a bullet fired by hate, would probably had seen the realization of his dream... My seven year old turns to me and says "Is she lip-synching?" Me: "Pardon?" Her: "Is she LIP. SYNCH. ING" (because she is fairly convinced that I am a little slow) Me: "Um, are you asking if Aretha Franklin, the Queen of Soul, is lip synching? No. No. Aretha Franklin does not lip synch." Her: "Who IS she, anyway? The queen of where?" And there you have it. My children do not know who Aretha Franklin is. I have ruined them by keeping them out of the public schools. Good grief. Obviously, we have now held a contemporary music lesson and we can now identify Aretha, John Lennon, and the lot. (Please note: My children do see Yusuf Islam and identify him as Cat Stevens, and know all the words to Peace Train, Moonshadow, and Morning Has Broken.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jennifer in NH Posted January 20, 2009 Share Posted January 20, 2009 I wouldn't be too sure that they would have known who she was even if they did attend a ps. Do you remember what is now an old song by Steely Dan, that has the line..."hey, nineteen.. That's aretha franklin, ..she don't remember the Queen of soul" And that song is getting old! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hornblower Posted January 20, 2009 Share Posted January 20, 2009 LOL. But the public schools wouldn't have taught them about Aretha anyway. My kids don't know her either & as I posted in the other thread, we all thought it was God Save the Queen..... :D Took us a bit to sort that out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elegantlion Posted January 20, 2009 Share Posted January 20, 2009 My personal inaugural funny of the day. As we are nearing the swearing in and I am essentially reduced to a sniveling mass of goo, thinking on how Martin Luther King dreamed of such a day in his famous speech, delivered when he was younger than I am now, how he, if not for a bullet fired by hate, would probably had seen the realization of his dream... My seven year old turns to me and says "Is she lip-synching?" Me: "Pardon?" Her: "Is she LIP. SYNCH. ING" (because she is fairly convinced that I am a little slow) Me: "Um, are you asking if Aretha Franklin, the Queen of Soul, is lip synching? No. No. Aretha Franklin does not lip synch." Her: "Who IS she, anyway? The queen of where?" And there you have it. My children do not know who Aretha Franklin is. I have ruined them by keeping them out of the public schools. Good grief. Obviously, we have now held a contemporary music lesson and we can now identify Aretha, John Lennon, and the lot. (Please note: My children do see Yusuf Islam and identify him as Cat Stevens, and know all the words to Peace Train, Moonshadow, and Morning Has Broken.) But can they identify at least four other compositions from John Williams? My ds' summation of the orchestral piece was it was boring, then sounded like National Treasure theme song, then it got boring again, then sounded like Stars Wars. We may have to do a lesson on Aretha as well. But he has John Lennon, Robert Plant, and Neil Young down very well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deidre in GA Posted January 20, 2009 Share Posted January 20, 2009 And there you have it. My children do not know who Aretha Franklin is. I have ruined them by keeping them out of the public schools. console yourself with the knowledge that if they were in public school, they would have wondered why Brittany Spears wasn't there - and yes, she would have been lip-syncing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LaxMom Posted January 20, 2009 Author Share Posted January 20, 2009 But can they identify at least four other compositions from John Williams? My ds' summation of the orchestral piece was it was boring, then sounded like National Treasure theme song, then it got boring again, then sounded like Stars Wars. We may have to do a lesson on Aretha as well. But he has John Lennon, Robert Plant, and Neil Young down very well. Nah. They just like Cat Stevens. (And Talking Heads, and James Taylor, and The Dead, and, actually, Mahalia Jackson... those poor children, their mother's musical habits are very schizo) They also didn't know from Yo-Yo Ma. :glare: I'll give them Itzhak Perlman; I haven't seen him for years myself. But come on, Yo-Yo MA?? We have the Silk Road cd! He had a CELLO! It's a dead give-away! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Desert Rat Posted January 20, 2009 Share Posted January 20, 2009 Oh! Cat Stevens is my favorite! Our wedding song was Can't Keep it In. His songs were the lullabyes I rocked my babies too (along with Sweet child of Mine and Jane Says). We have a wide musical base in our house and my boys know everyone from Lemmy of Motorhead to Jerry from the Grateful Dead. If it makes you feel any better, though, my boys didn't know Aretha either. Oh, the horror! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happy Posted January 20, 2009 Share Posted January 20, 2009 Well, if it makes you feel better, my hsed teen said his ps friends wouldn't have known who Aretha was either. He is quite smug that he did. You can't teach it all in a day. :D You still have time to fill in those gaps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lionfamily1999 Posted January 20, 2009 Share Posted January 20, 2009 My kids didn't know who Jimmy Hendrix was..... I am a disgrace. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carol in Cal. Posted January 20, 2009 Share Posted January 20, 2009 ...is going to be SO TICKED that she missed Aretha because her Nature Awareness class is today. She loves Aretha. Her favorite is "Respect". I forgive her, though, even though clearly "Rock Steady" is the better choice. Tell ME! She even knows that one of my life goals is to see Aretha in person. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LaxMom Posted January 20, 2009 Author Share Posted January 20, 2009 (edited) My kids didn't know who Jimmy Hendrix was..... I am a disgrace. Oh, no. New lesson comin' on. (I sincerely hope the paper bag I'll be wearing over my head fits over the tinfoil hat.) Worse. I have just been asked to please turn OFF Jimi Hendrix before the 7 year old's ears bleed... but she did observe that he was "tall... and looks like Morgan Freeman" before running away. That would be a nada on Janis, too, but that she has just been mistaken for Susun Weed... What kind of freak show am I running here?!?! Edited January 20, 2009 by MyCrazyHouse Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lionfamily1999 Posted January 20, 2009 Share Posted January 20, 2009 Don't I know it...... They are well versed in Sonic Youth, Jane's Addiction, Modest Mouse, The Shins, etc; but sadly lacking in the root knowledge necessary for true understanding :( Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mom22722 Posted January 20, 2009 Share Posted January 20, 2009 Guess I've ruined my kids to. They said "I hope she doesn't go on American Idol because Simon would voter her off". I said "I doubt even Simon would vote of Aretha Franklin." They said "Whose she?" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keptwoman Posted January 20, 2009 Share Posted January 20, 2009 console yourself with the knowledge that if they were in public school, they would have wondered why Brittany Spears wasn't there - and yes, she would have been lip-syncing. :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tutor Posted January 20, 2009 Share Posted January 20, 2009 My dd12 asked who she was, too, so I started to explain that she was a singer whose specialty was soul then was stopped from explaining any more. "Okay, Mom, but does she live around here?" (we live a few hours form Nashville, so "here" means "does she live in Nashville") "Um, I don't think so. Why?" "Shoot. I like her hat and thought if she lived around here, I would be able to find one for me." :001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colleen Posted January 20, 2009 Share Posted January 20, 2009 Here ya go: 1) My boys wouldn't have a clue what "lip synching" means. 2) None of them has heard of Aretha Franklin, much less Cat Stevens. (I doubt most of their peers who are institutionally-schooled have heard of these two, either.) 3) Most of my boys didn't recognize the outgoing President. The result of limited visual media. Actually, over the past 8 years, when I heard his voice I usually first imaged his father. 4) When the camera showed a Michelle Obama greeting another man who looked sorta, kinda, okay-not-really similar to her husband, my 8 and 6 year olds piped up confidently: "There's President Obama!". I'm pretty sure we could sit next to these people in an otherwise-empty room and my children wouldn't have a clue they were sharing space with anyone of note. Good grief indeed!:tongue_smilie: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snickerdoodle Posted January 21, 2009 Share Posted January 21, 2009 Purple haze all in my brain... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LaxMom Posted January 21, 2009 Author Share Posted January 21, 2009 Purple haze all in my brain... Oh, good grief. For a minute, I thought you said "purple rain"... I was so confused about how Prince (or, you know, that no-sound-associated symbol) got in here... I must be having a "low literacy" day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hillfarm Posted January 21, 2009 Share Posted January 21, 2009 My dd asked who the lady singing was and I answered, "Aretha Franklin, but I think she may have borrowed that hat from Patti LaBelle." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kewb Posted January 21, 2009 Share Posted January 21, 2009 If it makes you feel better ds was in public school until 4th grade and he did not know who she was. I tell myself I am a successful parent because my kids love to rock to Meatloaf. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LaxMom Posted January 21, 2009 Author Share Posted January 21, 2009 That's okay--my music major dd didn't know who the Beatles were... :001_huh: I admit, I have no idea how this could possibly happen. I don't really even like the Beatles, but I'm sure there is not a single song I don't know. I tell myself I am a successful parent because my kids love to rock to Meatloaf. :lol: Whatever we have to tell ourselves to get through the day. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mommyof4ks Posted January 21, 2009 Share Posted January 21, 2009 My dd asked who the lady singing was and I answered, "Aretha Franklin, but I think she may have borrowed that hat from Patti LaBelle." Funny, I thought that same thing! I was just happy my kids knew who each of the presidents in attendance were, and they can pronounce Obama's full name correctly. My kids have really been deprived, because outside of 'kids music' and classical they don't know much. *sigh* More lessons are needed here... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mogster Posted January 21, 2009 Share Posted January 21, 2009 My 10 year old dd was riding in the back seat with her ps friend. Her friend mentioned that her brother was going to be Elvis for Halloween. My dd said "Who's Elvis??". Oh my.... While watching the Oscars pre-show, my son asked if one of the interviewers (who happened to be African American) was Obama. Oh dear... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doran Posted January 21, 2009 Share Posted January 21, 2009 I didn't recognize her either, what with the Bow Peep Hat and all. And, I told my kids later, "You know that woman with the giant bow on her head? She's the one that also sings R-E-S-P-E-C-T!" "Ohhhhhh", they humored, voices trailing off and eyebrows raising. :001_huh: The images they must have now! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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