Retro

Saturday, May 27, 2023

Remember R.E.O. Speedwagon? If you don’t know who I’m talking about, chances are, you’re too young for my blog.

Kiddo had the first day of her softball tournament today. She did well. They won all three games, she got to play and hit in all of them. It was good to see her thrive on the field and with teammates and coaches that bring out the best in her. I, of course, didn’t really speak to anyone and did my damnedest to avoid as much human interaction as possible.

After the tournament, I decided to treat my kiddo to dinner. We stopped at The Original Mel’s. I love old school 50’s diners. The jukeboxes on the table, the neon, the black and white tile, not to mention the burgers and shakes… it makes me smile. While going through the jukebox options, the kiddo picked (with zero surprise from me) as song from Grease and Michael Jackson. I had a more difficult time. It was full of so many different songs that bought back so much nostalgia.

Growing up, the music I was surrounded by depended on which parent I was with. With the womb, it was a LOT of hair metal: Guns N’ Roses, Def Leopard, Poison, Mötley Crüe, Whitesnake, Skid Row. With my dad, it was (what is now) classic rock: Pink Floyd, Boston, Journey, Led Zeppelin. I have distinct memories of driving in my dad’s Camaro, passing by a rice farm, listening to Pink Floyd’s “The Wall” watching the sound bars reflected in the window. I also have a distinct memory of watching R.E.O. Speedwagon videos at my Dad’s sister’s house and thinking that the voice didn’t match the face.

I admit to listening to R.E.O. Speedwagon on the drive home… prompting my kiddo to put in her AirPods.