Find Yourself

I’ve got pretty eclectic taste in music. After all, logging more hours than I can count in the ballet studio means developing a certain appreciation for Chopin, Mozart, Tchaikovsky and even Stravinsky, though his music is far from a favorite. I’m no musician though and you really don’t want me singing anywhere near you. When I was in high school, I was in the marching band—well, the color guard, technically, but marching band music is still really special to me. I love the stuff so much that when a drum and bugle corps held practice at our local high school this summer, I packed dinner for my family and made them all go with me to listen and watch the group drill on the field. Once a band geek, always a band geek, apparently.

So, anyway, I like 80’s pop, some disco, contemporary Christian, traditional church hymns and country. Yes, I said COUNTRY! I have a particular fondness for Kenny Chesney, Phil Vassar and Brad Paisley. I’d venture to say that Brad Paisley is on the cutting edge of incredible wit. The man must have an absolutely wicked sense of humor, else how could he write songs like ‘Celebrity’ or ‘Ticks’ or ‘I’m Still a Guy’ or my personal favorite of late ‘Online.’ I mean any song that pokes fun at the potential pitfalls of the internet based social networking sites and includes an actual marching band is pretty cool in my book. Don’t misunderstand me. I’m pitifully addicted to facebook. It’s beyond amazing that there’s a forum for keeping up with friends who live all over the world so easily, and I’m judicious about what I post. If I put it on facebook, then I’m fine with the rest of the known world seeing it…what others post is beyond my control and accounts for the majority of the photos of me in shiny gold lamé, which a delightful friend of mine, who shared the colorguard experience with me, says should really be spelled without the accented ‘e,’ but I digress--what was I saying before I got distracted by the lamé?

Oh, right, Brad Paisley… I received a generous gift of three Brad Paisley CDs for Christmas, two that I requested and a bonus third that I didn’t even know existed, from my father-in-law and am enjoying them immensely. Then, out of the blue, though I don’t really believe in coincidence, a very dear, longtime friend, but not particularly a country music fan, that keeps in touch via facebook posted the link to Brad’s video for “Welcome to the Future.” That’s a super song too all about the changes in daily life over just the last 20 years or so, due to the technology available. It IS pretty amazing that the video games my peers played on huge consoles in arcades now operate easily on handheld devices. But he was brave enough to offer some social commentary about the civil rights movement as well…pure genius, to my way of thinking, because the progress is all related.

Along with the music, I decided to hunt around on the web to see what else I could find out about this talented and quick witted artist. First of all, his blog (this link will take you to my favorite entry http://bradpaisley.musiccitynetworks.com/?inc=59&blog_id=2741&page_id=14678 ) is hysterically funny and insightful at the same time. And then I remembered an interview of him I saw years ago that had a cameo with his parents talking about how he was overwhelmed to be considered an entertainer of sufficient talent that he was literally speechless on being invited to be a member of the Grand Ole Opry. Say it with me, “Awww…how nice.” Another time I heard him talking about how he met his wife. That’s a pretty sweet and romantic love story that’s still unfolding as they now have two children and appear to be completely devoted to each other. So then I went to my trusty iPod and found the Paisley playlist. It’s been wonderful to hear some songs that I’d not heard in a while like ‘He Didn’t Have to Be’ the very touching ballad about a stellar step father and “Letter to Me” which focuses on the advice he would give to his teenage self if it were possible to send a letter back in time. Hmmm…lots more than comedy going on in that brain, making his music even more impressive. Then “When We All Get to Heaven” plays. Beautiful guitar and familiar lyrics in that sweet, smooth voice reminds me of the eternity I’m striving for.

Then comes “Find Yourself” from the movie soundtrack for “Cars.” Ouch…that’s the last movie I saw in the theater with my dad. (Yeah, he died three years ago this Saturday. I don’t dwell on that, but I know the date by heart. The same way I know my husband’s birthday and our wedding anniversary.) My parents were in town for a visit shortly after “Cars” was released, and Dad always loved movies, so we all escaped the Memphis summer in the local movie theater with lots of popcorn and diet coke. It was a fun time. Now I can’t say that visits with my dad were fun as a rule, so that little sentence is pretty significant. There were plenty of times he and I did not get along and even other episodes where there was no love lost between us. But this was a good time, and we remember it fondly, especially when the kids are missing Papa. This song is a bit plaintive in its reflection on the price of progress, but reaches the conclusion that you can ‘find yourself’ in much better circumstances ultimately by being open to the road in front of you even if it seems to head in an unexpected or wrong direction. After the funeral, this song used to bring tears to my eyes every time I heard it, but now… that only happens to me sometimes when it plays.

After this little trip down memory lane, I go back to listening to my new CDs. What a relief the comedy is. I’m laughing, the kids are laughing, my husband is listening but not being particularly into music, he doesn’t start laughing until “The Cigar Song” plays.
BWWWWWWahahahahahahahahaha!!!

Track 12 comes on, keep in mind that this is a new CD and I’ve only glanced at the song titles, and almost immediately I’m dissolving into a puddle while my kids sing along with the mellow voice. He’s, well all of them are, singing a song I haven’t heard in many years, but it’s absolutely unmistakably a song my dad used to play. He liked the Carter family and played their music often. I never cared for their harmonizing style, and said so on more than one occasion directly to Dad which offended him but didn’t stop him from playing the song. Yet, here in my minivan with my family, I’ve been caught in a most bizarre time warp hearing both the Brad Paisley recording on my stereo and the Carter family version echoing in my head with my own kids accompanying “Keep On The Sunny Side.” Fortunately, the kids didn’t really notice my reaction and my husband was driving, leaving me free to cope without distraction. I did and manage to compose myself and push past the whole experience. Ironically, I like Brad’s, I say as if I’m somehow on a first name basis with this megastar, version, and not just kinda sorta either. The kids ask me to play that CD pretty often right now. Even though I really like the song, without fail, I cry at track 12…which may be okay; I’m not sure. I couldn’t really cry when my dad passed away, so maybe it’s catching up with me now. My friend says that’s how grief is; it just finds its way out. Of all the potential triggers, talk about random…one of my favorite singers has recorded a song I never liked that I received on, you guessed it, that third CD, the one I didn’t know existed.

To steal a line from Bill Cosby, “I didn’t come here to tell you all that.” Honestly, I had no idea all that was floating around in my head; I thought I was trying to get housework done between teaching math and grammar today. Oh well…sigh

If ever I get the chance to meet Brad Paisley, maybe I’ll tell him how his music has been part of the journey to find myself… in the meantime, my sister tells me she found white, flavorless Nerd’s candies in a box she got at the movie theater.

All together now, “That’s whack!!”

I mean, really, what would be the point of such a thing? Hmmmm…I have no idea, sorry. Though since I’m one of the 10 people in the Memphis metro area who has yet to see “The Blind Side” maybe I can check into the matter at my local movie theater. While I’m out, you can check into Brad Paisley’s music; be careful, though, even if you’re not a country music fan, you just might find yourself. I’m told that sometimes happens in the most unexpected ways…