youngest mountain goats fan??
[if you're not familiar with the mountain goats, check them out. their music makes me very happy; apparently an inhereted trait.]
A month ago or so, Natasha and I were driving in Clare’s car to a play date. For awhile we’d been listening to this mix Clare had in her car that had a lot of hip hop from different countries/demographic groups (ie, Palestinian Americans, Punjabi hip hop, and so forth) as well as some Gnarls Barkley, Leon Rosselson (anarchists in love!), MIA and other stuff. But I decided to play a mountain goats cd I had, that I’d mixed up for travel purposes, kinda a Rahula’s favorites mg mix. So Natasha liked it.
On our way home later that evening from said play date, the same cd was in, and “Linda Blair Was Born Innocent” was playing, and suddenly, from the back, Natasha piped up, “That’s how I feel!”
“What?” I asked?
“that’s how I feel when you and daddy are mad or mean to me,” she said.
“What is,” I asked, pausing the music.
“Empty heart on fire, hungry for love,” she replied.
OMG she brings the emo, right? That made my heart feel on fire and empty too! I hadn’t realized the extent to which she actually hears lyrics. So I turned the music back on, and a bit later, when Cotton was playing, she said, “This song is for a lot of people.” “Hmmm?” I asked, pausing the music again. “It’s for the rats, and the soil, and all the people who love their families.” Huh! More listening.
Anyway, as we drove across the bay bridge in the dark, listening to an admittedly soft and emo mg mix, she commented a few more times and just really enjoyed the music. I think that this 5 year old has a strong capacity to appreciate melancholy.
Since then, she’s heard mountain goats music now and then, and requested the “empty hearts” song a few times, and she now sings along to it. Last night we were listening to music, and after we listened to two rounds of Linda Blair Was Born Innocent, (her singing along to certain lines, of course “empty hearts on fire, hungry for love, ready to drown” also, “you gotta admit she’s a real nice kid”) while Belgian things was playing, she said, “I love them.” “Who?” I asked. “The mountain goats, she replied. "I love them. They’re my favorite music. Can we write them a letter and tell them that? I really love them and they should know that.”
"ok," I said, an she said, "I'm a fan girl!"***
So, yeah. I guess we’ll sit down soon and write them a letter! ( I wonder if any of the all ages shows are actually *all* ages, as in, five year olds welcome. LOL)
***we use the term fan-girl to describe our relationship to dabka dancing (the palestniian national dane), which we've seen a few times and which Natasha just loves. We send the local dabka troupe emails sometimes...
A month ago or so, Natasha and I were driving in Clare’s car to a play date. For awhile we’d been listening to this mix Clare had in her car that had a lot of hip hop from different countries/demographic groups (ie, Palestinian Americans, Punjabi hip hop, and so forth) as well as some Gnarls Barkley, Leon Rosselson (anarchists in love!), MIA and other stuff. But I decided to play a mountain goats cd I had, that I’d mixed up for travel purposes, kinda a Rahula’s favorites mg mix. So Natasha liked it.
On our way home later that evening from said play date, the same cd was in, and “Linda Blair Was Born Innocent” was playing, and suddenly, from the back, Natasha piped up, “That’s how I feel!”
“What?” I asked?
“that’s how I feel when you and daddy are mad or mean to me,” she said.
“What is,” I asked, pausing the music.
“Empty heart on fire, hungry for love,” she replied.
OMG she brings the emo, right? That made my heart feel on fire and empty too! I hadn’t realized the extent to which she actually hears lyrics. So I turned the music back on, and a bit later, when Cotton was playing, she said, “This song is for a lot of people.” “Hmmm?” I asked, pausing the music again. “It’s for the rats, and the soil, and all the people who love their families.” Huh! More listening.
Anyway, as we drove across the bay bridge in the dark, listening to an admittedly soft and emo mg mix, she commented a few more times and just really enjoyed the music. I think that this 5 year old has a strong capacity to appreciate melancholy.
Since then, she’s heard mountain goats music now and then, and requested the “empty hearts” song a few times, and she now sings along to it. Last night we were listening to music, and after we listened to two rounds of Linda Blair Was Born Innocent, (her singing along to certain lines, of course “empty hearts on fire, hungry for love, ready to drown” also, “you gotta admit she’s a real nice kid”) while Belgian things was playing, she said, “I love them.” “Who?” I asked. “The mountain goats, she replied. "I love them. They’re my favorite music. Can we write them a letter and tell them that? I really love them and they should know that.”
"ok," I said, an she said, "I'm a fan girl!"***
So, yeah. I guess we’ll sit down soon and write them a letter! ( I wonder if any of the all ages shows are actually *all* ages, as in, five year olds welcome. LOL)
***we use the term fan-girl to describe our relationship to dabka dancing (the palestniian national dane), which we've seen a few times and which Natasha just loves. We send the local dabka troupe emails sometimes...