[Gary Andrews]

One of my best friends has recently becoming a step-mum. To build a relationship with her new teenage step-daughter she made her a study playlist to help with her exams. There was an eclectic mix, but the most visceral reaction was to Alice Cooper – said step-daughter hated School’s Out.

On the other side, another friend’s teenage daughter excitedly said she’d discovered the most amazing “old obscure band you probably wouldn’t have heard of”.

The band? The Cure (now that’s a kid with good music taste!).

Currently my young daughter – while being a Swiftie – also likes The Specials and other late 70s/early 80s ska punk. And it was my mum who got me into The Kinks, one of our shared favourite bands.

So my question to start the week. What brands or artists have you tried to get your kids or grandchildren into? What’s got the best and worst reactions?

[Andrew Davies]

Of course, I would love the younger generation to admire and cherish The Beatles in the same way I have. One of my favourite pastimes is watching reaction channels on YouTube where young people (and those not exposed to mainstream music) experience some of the old classics for the first time. I still chuckle to myself when I heard about a new release a few years back, and the millennial comment was “I can see Kanye and Rhianna, but who is that old guy with them?” – it was Sir Paul McCartney!
A bit dated now, but I used to take joy in pointing out cover versions and showing my girls who the original artist is e.g. Atomic Kitten > Blondie > The Paragons (The tide is high); Youth Group > Alphaville (Forever young); No Doubt > Talk Talk (It’s my life); Smashmouth > ? and the Mysterians (Can’t get enough of you baby).
My budding guitarist son brought home a device called a voice box, and I had pleasure in showing him Peter Frampton’s use in the 70s in ‘Show me the way’.

[Gary Andrews]

It’s definitely fun to play the “here’s the original” game. My mum did this a lot after hearing a cover of My Generation butchered by a band I now forget.

I still love discovering new music, but it’s just as much fun to play musical DNA or trace the influence of some artists. One of my favourite current artists are The Lemon Twigs, but you can really hear the 60s Bee Gees influence on a lot of tracks.

[Author]

Posts