The Family (Or most of them)

The Family (Or most of them)
The Family

November 4, 2007

A BIG DAY

He's no Jimi Hendrix or Eric Clapton...yet. And he probably barely knows who those two guys are anyway.

But today, my 15-year-old son took one step closer to world fame when we went out and bought him his first electric guitar, which he is partly paying for.

Like any young teenage guy, my son's a dork. I love him incredibly, and he's got girls crawling all over him, but he's a dork. And he knows it. I remind him of this all the time. And now he's going to complicate things.

He's the lead singer in a band with a name that changes every week, and now he's decided that he may not continue singing, but he might just play guitar and do backup vocals for a lead singer his band doesn't have yet.

So all that money I spent on singing lessons, apparently, will now be transferred over to guitar lessons. "That's OK, Dad, I'm taking choral at school, it's just like singing lessons."

Right.



It's a nice guitar...an Ibanez, whatever that means in the world of guitars, not the top of the line, but he's just starting out. With the amplifier (which his bandmates and friends loved) and all the other accessories, it cost a pretty penny.


The guitar is all black, the amp's all black, the leather guitar strap is all black, and my pocketbook is in the red. How does that work?


I played it a bit myself...it does sound pretty good. Part of it is a gift from me, but part of it he'll have to pay for himself, plus interest, every month, just like an adult.
So he gets something he claims he absolutely wants, but at a cost that requires responsibility.

I have not yet directed him to the Rolling Stones song, You Can't Always Get What You Want.



Maybe he'll discover that one on his own.



After playing with his buddies all night, he wanted to show me how it sounded when he got home. But he was very tired and went to bed soon after.
He's a kid with big, if ever-changing, dreams. This may be just another one of those. I'm glad he went to bed full of them.

24 comments:

  1. A big day indeed! My brother's the same -- crazy about guitar playing and singing but no band. Just entertains his girlfriend.

    Your son probably gains a lot of cool points with the girls with that new guitar. :D

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  2. That was my son on his 14th birthday. He just turned 15 and now needs an acoustic guitar. Isn't that backwards?

    Your son looks so happy! But I'm not since you never visit anymore. How does one send a raspberry by blog comment? :)

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  3. Menchie:

    Yeah, he's playing it this morning, of course. I think these things can be chick magnets, definitely...

    Uh-oh...

    Andrea:

    I figured it should be acoustic first and electric second, but I don't know that there's a particular order to follow...

    Ha! Point taken on the lack of visiting, and I'm sorry, consider my hand slapped.

    I've been doing very little getting around or blogging but hope to get back into it...

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  4. ((waa de dee leedle wah wah e ee EEEEEEE wahmmmmmmmmmmm
    eee EEE wah wah EEEEEEEEEEEE wa wah wah wah braummmmmmmm wonka wonka wonka EEEEEEEEEEEEEEE))

    "Hey Dad, listen to this!"

    ((waa de dee leedle wah wah e ee EEEEEEE wahmmmmmmmmmmm
    eee EEE wah wah EEEEEEEEEEEE wa wah wah wah braummmmmmmm wonka wonka wonka EEEEEEEEEEEEEEE))

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  5. He looks so happy. You're a pretty cool dad. :)

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  6. So...maybe you could form a duet?You could be "The Magnets."

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  7. Homo Out of Tune-eons:

    I've been trying to figure out all day what guitar lick that is...he's playin' again, for the fifth time today...

    Anna:

    Thanks, you...he DOES seem happy.

    Dinahmow:

    Ha! Yeah, that would work! I attract the bills and expenses, he attracts the goils...

    He'd like that deal...

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  8. Awww! How cool. :)

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  9. Tidalgrrrl:

    Thanks Shelley! Yeah, he thinks it's all just that...coooooool.

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  10. it suits him well - you better start saving for the stratocaster or whatever they're called!mslrgj

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  11. mslrgj

    that was the wv - i put it in the wrong place - my mind is on holiday, I just hope it finds its way home, I'm lost without it . . .

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  12. I hope your son always stays just as dorky as he is now and doesn't become the next eric clapton ;) -just finished reading eric's autobigraphy the night before last and what a life he's had! And most of unhappy (I had to buy it to find out his side of the thing with pattie harrison).Band name suggestion:The Dorks (?).

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  13. Anonymous7:14 p.m.

    Awww thats so cool!!!

    By the way on the 5th photo down it looks like your son has a cigarette in his mouth,but on closer inspection I see its part of his top!!! lol!

    Laura

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  14. Ziggi:

    You're the most amazing witch married to a guy named Himself that I've ever known, but...

    Huh?

    I'm not good at abbreviations outside the world of journalism.

    What does mslrgj stand for, and then what does wv mean? I will, however, start saving for the Stratocaster...

    Lee:

    No, the beauty of young men being dorks gives way to several forces, including their hormone levels over time...then they turn into ravaging beings that care about nothing except women and power.

    He won't be a dork for long. And in terms of Clapton, well, I expect my son will be more like Tiny Tim...(just kidding)

    Laura:

    I'll have to check out that pic, I didn't notice...but it certainly isn't a smoke...

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  15. A great post by a proud papa!

    "smiling indulgently*

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  16. Dreams do change, all the time, at that age. I wanted to be a singer, an actress, a marine biologist, and everything else under the sun... but I really wish my parents had gotten me into guitar. When my voice fails me, as I know it does sometimes and will always, maybe my fingers wouldn't let me down. I believe that musical dreams are among the most long-lasting, and if he's got the support and the equipment from a young age... he's a lucky kid. When a person is into music in a big way, it becomes many things: an expression, an escape, a skill and something to be proud of. Those things don't change overnight. Don't stress :)

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  17. Gautami:

    Ha! Thanks for smiling! I am too, even if I'm IN the red!

    Stace:

    Thanks for this. I tried to get him into this, that and everything else, but succumbed to the reality.

    He'll do what he wants to do. And if he wants it, I want to help him get it, if it's a dream.

    You were perfectly right with this:

    "When a person is into music in a big way, it becomes many things: an expression, an escape, a skill and something to be proud of. Those things don't change overnight."

    Whatever this music thing turns out to be for him, the point is music is a beautiful thing.

    He wants it. We'll see if he's ready to go out and get it. The most important thing for me is that he knows I'm listening to him.

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  18. you are such a cool dad w.w.!!!
    he looks so cool!!!

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  19. Angel:

    Thx...and if he LOOKS cool, he FEELS cool, I'm sure...

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  20. You must be one big proud papa!

    Such a handsome young man! I should take up guitar...but then again, the clarinet will suit me just fine!

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  21. Anonymous2:28 p.m.

    Today I thought "I have to visit WW and ask him about his son's music adventures" et voilà : here is the answer :-) Intuition or pure chance, let me believe it is intuition :-)

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  22. Talk about a big day -- HAPPY BIRTHDAYYYYYYYYYYY!!!!!!!!!!

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  23. I love guitars and blokes who play guitars :) Ur son is awesome!

    btw WW I cracked up at ur profile where u say ur 51, divorced and NOT DEAD YET. LOL!


    How hv ya been?

    Keshi.

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  24. Awa:

    So now it's just Awa rather than Awaiting? Does that mean you've shortened your waiting time or you're no longer waiting?

    And I see you're right-side up again...nice pic.

    Yeah, the guitar already has a wiring issue so we have to bring it in for repairs.

    Clarinet? Really? Play a few tunes...

    Hidegarde:

    Intuition it is, or some kind of psychic connection...

    TidalGrrrl:

    OK, so how did you know, though? Thanks!

    Keshi:

    I kinda think he's pretty cool too...first he has to learn how to play it, though.

    I actually just turned 52 today, so strange you'd be looking at my profile before I changed it.

    Sometimes I wonder if I'm still alive...I've been OK.

    Not blogging or visiting much, though; sorry I haven't been to your place, but it is what it is.

    Be well.

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