John Denver and GTA5

31 December 2013

   No end of year reflections for me.
   I just need to burn off some blogs, it's been a while and I'm behind.

   Today's topic is John Denver.
   I grew up listening to specific vinyl records my mom had:  Elvis---specifically Blue Hawaii which was on blue vinyl and we weren't allowed to touch. The Everly Brothers, who I credit with my love of harmony. The Smothers Brothers, who are the source of my early understanding of humor along with my dad's extensive collection of K-TEL 40 Funky Hits. The Carptenters, God Bless Karen Carpenter, everyone could sing along in her vocal range.
    And John Denver.
    In addition to the vinyl exposure, my mom learned to play guitar. In my memory, she learned it from a PBS show, like the guy who teaches you to paint. But  mom learned to play guitar. She would sit in front of the TV with her guitar and follow along. I'm told by mom that my memory is "weird", so that may or may not be accurate in reality. I also remember her watching a show about a guy who could bend a spoon with his mind and trying it in our kitchen. Anyway, she played guitar a lot, and part of the 1970's Guitar Club Membership  was to know songs by John Denver.
    I know every song by heart. I know the harmonies and even though I haven't picked up a guitar in years, I could probably figure out the chords.
    When my own children were small, I played neither the guitar or John Denver. I blasted The Beastie Boys as we pulled into the elementary school parking lot, and the girls developed a personal love for Queen, specifically Bicycle Races, and for Jane's Addiction- the song they called "The dog barking song." They needed more variety than just the XM kids station, however, thanks to XM Kids I still listen to John Lithgow's children's songs. "Big kids scare the heck out of me, big kids scare the heck out of me, whenever I see them gosh oh gee....big kids scare the heck out of meeeee."
    When we moved out of civilization and away from our walking distance preschool, park, library and coffee shop, I realized that suburbia has no place to walk to that is cool. So we started driving to Evergreen a day or two a week, for no reason. It was pretty. We found what we decided was a marmot playing in the creek and named him Ted. The following summer we discvoered Ted had a friend, so we named her Tina. Fourteen years later and we still refer to driving to Evergreen as "going to visit Ted and Tina."
    Part of the gig on the drive was to listen to John Denver.
    I am unsure how this came about, but it made sense and the girls enjoyed it. Drive to see Ted and Tina, listen to John Denver. Life was simple.
    Yesterday, the girls and I decided to drive to Evergreen. I said "for no reason" but of course it was to see Ted and Tina, even though it is winter and they are not home.
     Genoa was riding shotgun and therefore was DJ. I asked about John Denver and got a flat "No, I don't have him on my phone."
     But on the return trip, Harper was DJ and Country Roads began to play. I smiled and she said "You tube".
     All the way home she played John Denver and all the way home we sang along.
     My children know all the words.
     And I have the harmonies so drilled into my head I can't even try to find the melody line.
     And sitting in the backseat, singing along, was Genoa.
     Harper kept turning up the volume, and I thought she wanted to blast John Denver as we descended from Evergreen, but I think the truth is she was trying to drown me out.

      Last night, while Genoa was at a friend's house and Jim and I were watching Breaking Bad, Harp curled up in her chair and started playing her "Hookers and Cars" game (she got Grand Theft Auto 5 for Christmas. This is an amusing and entertaining game when you have the correct demeanor. Harp has the correct demeanor).
      I thought I heard strains of John Denver floating down the stairs, barely audible over the sounds of hookers and stolen cars and gunshots --her game, not Breaking Bad. I came upstairs and looked at Harp, who smiled sheepishly. "What?"
     "Do I hear John Denver? With hookers?"
     "No." Smile. Back to the game. Puts hand over phone playing Rocky Mountain High. Runs stolen vehicle into a lamp post.

     Harper plays guitar. She's been playing since the second grade. But John Denver is not played on her guitar, he is played during botched car theft attempts (Harper is terrible at this game, she runs the cars into cement walls and alleys, mows down pedestrians and spends more time dressing her character than is befitting a car theft professional).
    And also he is played during car rides to Evergreen, to get a coffee at Java Groove, check the stream for Ted and Tina. That is also when John Denver is played.