For Better or For Worse by Lynn Johnston for September 20, 2015

refreshing, as always.

Lynn’s Notes:

During the 60s, I loved a band called “The Ventures.” I had all their records and I played them over and over. My mother would clap her hands over her ears and beg me to turn it off. “That is not music!” she’d tell me, “That is just horrible, awful noise!” The other day in the car I turned my satellite radio station to the “oldies,” and right there was a tune by the Ventures! I hadn’t heard them for years, and there they were! I tapped my hands on the wheel along with the straining, wowing chords, and remembered dancing with my girlfriends in the basement — trying to look like the kids on “Dance Party.” I could see what my mom was talking about though; to someone who sang along to Bing Crosby, Dinah Shore, and Rogers and Hammerstein, it was a lot of awful noise. I guess it’s all about what you grew up with. This makes me wonder…will my grandkids wax poetic about Pop?

One time my husband and I needed to borrow my mother’s car for an appointment. My husband noticed some cassettes on the dashboard, one being Pat Benatar. My husband said, "Your [younger] brother must have borrowed the car. I said, “No…those cassettes are Mom’s.” My mother loved current music. I actually enjoy a lot of my daughters’ music as well (although my younger daughter has little patience for music dating after1988)..

What I get a kick out of is the young people, tens, twenties and thirties who are big fans of the Beatles.

I like everything from Gregorian Chant to Rap.

As someone already stated, good music stands the test of time. 50s and 60s and even 70s music and perhaps 80s? will endure. My daughter, 28 years old, LOVES The 60s channel on satellite radio. It’s all she listens to. The Beatles music can be found as elevator music now (although that certainly makes me feel OLD). But it shows you that it will endure. There was melody, there was poetry (no, not in all songs, obviously). My parents didn’t like “rock” music, but they DID like the Beatles. My mother could even tell their voices apart. The jury is still out on today’s music….I mean, really, how do you hum a rap song? Good music, whether written 300 years ago or today, will endure. Bach and Beethoven have endured. Frank Sinatra is still popular. Big Band music is still beloved by many. And (good) rock and roll will never die!

When Michael gets home, John can be waiting there with his belt in hand. He can have two reasons for choosing the beating of the day-——————————————— “The beating of the day”?What? No flogging?And I bet you’d keelhaul him if he didn’t get his homework done.

There is always “garbage music”. Many of us listen to the music of our youth, but they only play the best. Just get out the less popular albums from any group(even Pink Floyd) and play them.

My taste in music is fairly eclectic. I love the big band music, and I also enjoy 60’s pop. And everything in between. We have a big CD player that will “shuffle” the discs and play the songs out of order. We can hear Rosemary Clooney followed by The Beatles, followed by Frank Sinatra, followed by Pat Boone, etc., etc. What fun!

I was brought up in a home filled with big band jazz & classical music. Popular music of the 40s & 50s, & then folk music, jazz, Dixieland, classical, show tunes were my diet of music. Then bluegrass took my soul, & I began playing a 5-string banjo, but still played tenor banjo old time tunes. Also flute, classical & jazz at rofessional level, but never played to earn money. Music was a back do to sanity.

The uncivil noise today can’t be called music. It’s painful over loud noise terrorism. However I do enjoy Manheim Steam Roller, & Bill Haley & the Comets early Rock & Roll.

“Pop” music is usually what fades with time. The “classics” - in any style - are what stick around for years or even centuries.

Not sure if Michael’s father will be waiting with belt in hand, but the fact John is angry is not helping Michael any. No one bats a thousand, but over these past few weeks Michael has been .000 with his attitude. Leaving loud music on when not at home strongly suggests Michael is very lackadaisical and off in his own little world. It is rude to run up the electric bill when you do not pay it.

When Michael gets home, John can be waiting there with his belt in hand. He can have two reasons for choosing the beating of the day, either “You think electricity grows on trees?” or “I found your radio playing loudly; you have no courtesy for others who are trying to work!”Maybe not that extreme. Another way to deal with it could be more music! After all, Elly used to play guitar. John could give a simple lecture about not wasting electricity and Elly could strum her guitar:“Michael, turn it off if you’re not here, alleluia. Michael, now clean up your room, al-lay-loo-hoo-hoo-ya!”

♪♫ And the beat goes on…♪♫

Gordon LongThe Comets started with 17 pieces including an accordion. When Weird Al ridiculed “an accordion in a rock and roll band”, I wondered how much research he had done. As for parody, let’s not forget Spike Jones or the Gluckenheimer Sauerkraut Band.

…and left it on just to annoy Dad. My Mom screamed about my music for years until one day I came home from school early and caught her in my room listening to my records and having a great time. Go figure.