Music and Family

I decided to interview my aunt because I felt that she would have some interesting stories that she would love to share.

C: I am here with my aunt, Amy. Hi Amy, I have some questions for you about how music has affected your life.
A: Hi
C: What kind of music did you grow up with?
A: Well my parents only really let me listen to the oldies, like the Beatles and Christian music.
C: When and where did you listen to it?
A: We would listen to this thing called the radio in the car.
C: Was the kind of music you listened to growing up popular at the time, either in general or within your friend group?
A: Since I was only allowed to listen to Christian music and the oldies, I didn’t really know what was popular at the time, until Middle School when my friends introduced me to new music.
C: How did you listen to music? What kind of technology did you have, besides the radio?
A: Well first it was cassettes, then we would burn things onto CD’s because my parents would never have gotten me the actual CDs. They didn’t know what I listened to in High School.
C: What was the first concert you went to?
A: You know Finlay Park in Columbia? They used to have a lot of concerts there where they would play a lot of local bands, and occasionally some bigger acts and I went to my first concert when I was in 9th grade.
C: Speaking of concerts, didn’t you meet your husband at one of his concerts?
A: Yeah I did, actually. I was actually on a blind date that my friend set me up on and it was not going well; there was no romantic connection. I noticed Mike(her husband) now a while ago because my friend really got me into his band. After that terrible blind date, I decided to go up to him and introduce myself and that was how I ended up meeting him.
C: Oh cool! I don’t think that I have ever heard the full story. So, what was your favorite concert that you’ve been to?
A: The Lady Gaga Artpop concert in Denver at the Pepsi Center. It was such a magical experience. Everyone was so dressed up and I got to meet a lot of cool people. I also got to go with some of my favorite people.
C: Has any musician inspired you? I have a bit of a guess.
A: I would have to say that the one who really inspired me was Lady Gaga. A lot of her albums really connected with me at certain times of my life. Her first album, The Fame was a club dance album and at the time, that was how I was having the most fun in my life. When she released Born This Way, I was just starting cosmetology school at Paul Mitchel and I was starting to really change my life for the better and explore my own interests. When Artpop came out, I was being super creative with my friends with lots of projects. When her western-inspired album, Joanne, came out, I was about to move across the country from South Carolina to Colorado.
C: It’s wild that so many of her albums connected with your life! I mean, I’m sure that you didn’t move just because the album came out.
A: Yeah, no I didn’t, but it was pretty cool that it did come out around that time.
C: Definitely. So, how did your parents influence what you listened to?
A: Because of the fact that they wouldn’t let me listen to what I wanted, I would listen to the music that they didn’t like. By pushing me away from alternative and pop music, I was drawn more to it.
C: Do you still listen to the same kind of music you listened to growing up?
A: Yes and no. I still listen to a lot of early 2000’s music, especially at work. I always turn on that playlist. I mainly listen to pop music now, including Lady Gaga and some of what is on the radio.
C: How has your relationship with music changed over the course of your life?
A: Well, the fact that I am able to listen to whatever I want now has definitely made it more enjoyable than it used to.
C:  What sort of music do you listen to now?
A: I have recently started listening to some of the music that I have found on this app called Tik Tok, and like I said earlier, a lot of Lady Gaga and 2000’s pop music.
C: Do you like the music of any other sort of culture? Have you been exposed to any other music culture?
A: I haven’t really been exposed to much other cultural music, but I really do enjoy Bollywood movies and musicals, so I guess that.
C: Do you like any type of music that might be surprising?
A: I’m not really sure that I have, what would be surprising?
C: Well the idea of you listening to any rap music would surprise me. You have never talked about it before.
A: Well you know Lil Nas X?
C: The guy that made Old Town Road? Yeah.
A: After I heard that song, I played the rest of the album and made Mike(her husband) listen to it.
C: Oh really? I would have never expected that. Are there any special songs in your life?
A: Probably Born This Way by Lady Gaga. It’s the song I listen to every day on my way to work. It’s a really good song that pumps me up.
C: I can totally see that. If you had to describe your life in one song, what would you choose?
A: It would also have to be Born this Way. It really feels like one of those songs that tells you that it’s okay to be yourself.
C: I’m guessing that it has some importance regarding how you feel about your parents.
A: Yeah, definitely. This song makes me feel like there is no judgment for whatever I do or listen to.
C: Well thank you very much for letting me interview you! I really appreciate it.
A: No problem!