Air Guitar Hero

It’s hard not to be swayed by the infectious energy of a five-year-old air-guitaring to rock music.

I love watching my son enjoy music. I love even more the fact that he doesn’t have the hang-ups for crappy kid music—Raffi, the Wiggles, et al—that most other kindergarteners have. We’ve had a No Barney Policy in our house since day one and I think it speaks volumes that the boy is, to this day, not interested in watching it. I think that if you just don’t have some things around, they just don’t know what they’re ‘missing’ and so are more inclined to accept what you do give them.

He’s always enjoyed ‘real’ music way more than designed-for-kids music. I mean, he enjoys an episode of The Imagination Movers from time to time, but I don’t know that he could sing the songs from the show.

The Beatles, on the other hand, are very near and dear to his heart. Even before we got the newest RockBand game, he was totally wanted to Hold [My] Hand and his idea of a cool vacation would be to go on a Yellow Submarine to see an Octopus’ Garden. Now, playing the game, he gets anywhere from 95 to 100% singing. He went so far as to name his stuffed walrus, a toy he’s had since before birth, John. He IS the Walrus!

Other favorite musical influences over the years have included The Ramones (I remember walking by his room when he was three years old and watching him play with a toy while mindlessly singing “Blitzkreig Bop”), The Police (Roxanne is his favorite there—and yes, I’m aware that all his favorite songs are sex-related) and his newest obsession, They Might Be Giants. I think TMBG is the closest he’s come to liking ‘kid music,’ what with their Here Come the ABCs and Here Come the 123s. When I told him tonight that there was now a Here Comes Science album, I thought he’d come out of his seat.

So I’m pretty pleased about not having to listen to pseudo-music that panders to the age group he happens to be in right now. I’m just waiting for when he’s old enough to enjoy some Nine Inch Nails with me—that will be some good stuff, I think.