Music and Family
I interviewed my mom for this blog. I have always been interested in what she liked growing up. She did not always have an easy childhood and used music as a way to cope. I decided to just do a transcription of some of the questions I asked her. I did get her sweet voice on a recording. She almost shed some tears, as she shared just how big of an impact music had on her life. This was a very special interview to me, and I am honored to have been able to interview someone so dear to my heart. Here is our interview, I hope you enjoy.
Me: Where did you get introduced to music
and how?
Mom's
answer: My parents and my grandparents were singers. Music has just always been
a part of my life for as long as I can remember. They would always sing to me.
Me: Is there any particular artist that has a
significant impact on you as a child and why?
Mom’s Answer:
I would say all of the ones my mom would listen to like Michael Bolton, George
Straight, the Eagles, Beatles. Just anything that was like that cause it made
me feel closer to my mom.
Me: What influenced your music taste
growing up?
Mom’s
Answer: I think people around me like friends and the radio
Me: Was there one particular song that
was the most meaningful to you growing up?
Mom’s Answer:
My favorite song growing up was George
Straight’s song Baby Blue. It was my favorite because it talked about the
colors of the woman's eyes that he was singing about and my eyes were blue, so
I just thought that it was great.
Me: What was your preference in music and
how did it shape your life at that time?
Mom’s
Answer: Actually, fun fact, don't have a preference. I like all genres except
for I don't like dark satanic or any of that, but I love rock and roll, loved
R&B and I loved rap. I loved country, I loved soul, I loved gospel, I loved
southern gospel, I loved anything, any music, just not the dark. I didn't like
dark satanic music.
Me: What was your favorite music group growing up?
Mom’s
Answer: Growing up as a little girl, it was new kids on the block.
Me: What music did you listen to in high
school?
Mom’s Answer:
Um, all genres, I would say that depending on the day of the week and what was
going on in my life, depending on what I listened to. So, it would I just had
such a mix.
Me. What music do you listen to now?
Mom’s
Answer: I mostly listen to Christ music now, worship songs. I have times on road trips and stuff where I
will listen to all genres again.
Me: What was your favorite era of music?
Mom’s Answer:
Oh. I mean, I was mostly raised in the 90s, so I would say the nineties, early
2000, but I really have appreciation for all. And I like a lot of 80s music
too.
Me: When you are stressed, what's your go-to
song?
Mom’s
Answer: In my wilder days, it would be a Tupac rap song, he had a song called
Me Against the World. That used to be the song, but nowadays when I'm stressed,
I turn to worship music.
Me: How do you feel about current music?
How do the themes from your past music taste compared to today's music themes?
Mom’s Answer:
Um, honestly, I would like to say that today's music is so horrible and it's
just not good, but that's not true because when I go back and listen to all the
stuff I used to listen to, I realized it's all there's a lot of the same things,
but it just sounds a little different. I think there are some really good songs
out right now too, in all genres.
Me: What song has impacted your life the most and
why?
Mom’s Answer: I would say, the Nicole C Mullins song Redeemer because when I began to follow Jesus at 24, that was one of the first songs and if you asked me who Jesus is to me, I would say my Redeemer.
Me: Why was the most outlandish piece of
music you ever listened to?
Mom’s
Answer: A Maryland Manson song, I don't know the name of it, but it was just
talking about like killing people and eating bugs and just really crazy dark
stuff.
Me: What is music to you?
Mom’s Answer:
I think it's a way to express what you're feeling. Sometimes when you don't
actually know how to put it into words, I think it can kind of take you into
another place in your mind. And sometimes it can help you escape reality a
little bit.
Hey! This is so interesting. It's cool to find similarities of music styles amongst different generations! I love that she appreciates all genres of music. Similar to her, R&B is a staple in my life. Great interview!
ReplyDeleteHi Victoria, I really enjoyed reading your interview with your mom. Her opinion about the current music is exactly how my mom feels which I find interesting. I feel as though everyone gets introduced to music by their parents. I really enjoyed listening to the music she listens to!
ReplyDeleteHello Victoria, your conversation with your mother was very enjoyable to reading. I like how common it is to find similar music styles between family that are from different era’s.
ReplyDeleteHey Victoria I think after interviewing my mom, the answers she gave me are very similar to the conversation we had. I enjoyed reading the conversation between the two of you. It was interesting to see the music that your mom was influenced by .
ReplyDeleteHeyy! I found it so cool that your grandparents are singers so it was always incorporated in your mom and families life. I love how she states she doesn’t have a preference for music and listed almost every genre that she loves including 2Pac!! I also love how she states she turns to Gospel music when she’s stressed- that’s so beautiful!
ReplyDeleteHey Victoria! What a powerful interview. The moment you mentioned she almost cried hit me hard. Music has that rare power to unearth emotions we didn't even know we were holding onto. Her answer to "What is music to you?" was poetic. Your mom's taste is amazing! It shows how music grow with us, reflecting different chapters of our lives. I loved her honesty about today's music too.
ReplyDelete