January 29, 2017 — I know. I made a resolution to give you all more of what you guys want: rock ‘n’ roll. But the thing is, that’s the trouble with resolutions; they are hard to keep. Sure, I love rock. But, for my taste, there isn’t that much good new rock, and I’ve always, and I mean always, been that person who listens to everything, especially new. Indeed, I would always wake up early on the weekend mornings to listen to the countdowns, the pop countdowns, the newest of the new. So borrowing from Donny and Marie: “I’m a little bit rock ‘n’ roll and I’m a little bit pop, … oh and country, and EDM, and classical, and even crazy blue grass, sometimes. And for my audience, I suppose I should say, indeed warn, I’m a little bit old, and I’m a little bit new!
What does this all mean? It means I’m going to lose you sometimes, but hopefully not all the time. Sometimes I might have an article that makes you cringe; sometimes you’ll see that I love rock ‘n’ roll just as much as you all do. So I’m thinking I have to alter my resolution a bit, make a resolution that’s a bit more true to me. Mind you, this is scary because I always want the people around me to be “happy”, but I think I’ll resolve to accept that that’s okay to put stuff up here that doesn’t capture you, to know that I can’t win all the time, to know that sometimes I’m going to make you downright “unhappy”. And you know what? It means I am not going to feel like I have to listen to things like Lady Gaga in the closet. I do think she has merit, so I’ll put it out there. Same with Lana del Rey. Same with Ellie Goulding. I can’t even tell you how excited I’d be if one of those artists were playing the Superbowl. Hum, except that Lana doesn’t stand a chance, but Ellie? And…. I’ve taught my parrot the singing part of Ellie’s song Keep On Dancin’, and I’m determined to get video of it to Ellie. I just know Ellie will love it! If Ellie makes it to the Superbowl, my parrot Sasha is going too; I just know it. Yes, Ellie, and my parrot, especially my parrot, are a definite long shot, but hey, there’s always Taylor Swift! Surely she would kill the Superbowl!
By the way, each of these women play guitar. Now, mind you, none of them have the prowess of Eddie Van Halen, but in one crazy turn of fate, just as I sat down to write this story, a story that was going to be about something so completely different and intended to make my audience “happy”, this popped up in my Youtube feed. The tag-line: Is Taylor Swift the Next Eddie Van Halen? With the storm I’ve caused lately, I just had to play that, and it moved me so much, I am delaying my intended story.
The video is an explanation of one guitar teacher’s personal statistics. He acknowledges that the legions of former mostly-male students were influenced by Eddie Van Halen, influenced not only to listen, but to play. His point though is girl students. He gives the statistics from the time of the establishment of his school about ten years ago of the percentage of girls learning guitar in his school. Eight percent was the most, up from less than four percent. But now, the amount of his girl students is up to 60%. He talks about the need for gear to appeal to women, asking the manufacturers to make things that are something other than the undersized and pink gear they have now. Bring back fawn tolex, I say! He talks as if women, and their tastes, are in the guitar world to stay. And why is that? Taylor Swift. He says that eight out of ten of his girl students attribute Taylor Swift as the reason they are in his guitar school learning guitar. Even he admits that people can talk about how Taylor Swift is just a pop star, think she is lesser because of that, but she does play guitar. He doesn’t say what I know: that Taylor’s early music was guitar-based, and that her fans listen to it all. I know, he knows, she’s not Eddie, not in ability, but she is Eddie in inspiration, if only to girls.
To me, this is exciting! I’ve said it before: my girlies inspire me. Turns out, I’m not alone! There are many other girls picking up the guitar, really picking up the guitar, inspired to play, not just to listen. Oh and we get to the Zeppelin, … the Van Halen, perhaps by a different route than you would want, but I have those books too, mixed with my Ellie Goulding, and of course, my Taylor Swift, so I would bet those other girl students do too. I’m a proud 60%, which brings me back to the point where we fell off the rails.
Lady Gaga. I’ve been listening to Lady Gaga this week. Her new material is very singer-songwriter material, like the material from Lana and Ellie that I like the most as my own personal musical learning influences and personal inspirations. There are still many dance influences in the current Lady Gaga work, but then again, I do so love to dance. I’ll put up some Lady Gaga songs during the week (old and new to get you all ready for the Superbowl show, and to further torture you all). Mind you, the new material didn’t do well on the charts, leaving Gaga to say she will release another album in 2017. While I’m not sure what it will be, I do hope she stays true to her own musical direction. Wait? Her own musical direction? That’s kind of like a resolution, isn’t it? Stay true to yourself?
And guys? You just never know. One of these girls out there in guitar class who gets good enough to play Eruption after starting with Taylor Swift, or Lana, or Ellie, or even Lady Gaga, something that appealed to her girlie side, might just, someday, blow you away. Then …she’ll break into a really cool dance routine to top it off, you know … one of those she practiced in her living room during her happy moments when nobody but her dogs and her parrot were watching.