Musicheads open discussion: Did you have music you had to explain or defend to your parents?

Well, my mom wasn't too thrilled when I'd play Depche Mode's 'Master and Servant' remix on our stereo, but she never said too much. I'd say she was entirely too permissive, as she allowed my younger brother (maybe 13 yrs old) to purchase Guns N Roses 'Appetite for Destruction' which had some pretty horrible lyrics and liner art. NOw she says she was stupid, but we kids just thought she was cool.

Probably about anything I saw a video of on MTV in the mid 80's. They always commented on the loud noises, sloppy dressing and sexual inuendos of those videos. Beyond that, I kept my music turned down pretty low and the door shut. However, I had to endure Janis Joplin's scratchy voice singing "Me and Bobby McGee" anytime my folks had friends over and a-hem "partied".

My mother hated "squeeze box". Needless to say I wore the record out playing it and had to pick up another.

I remember a few. I had the Who, Meaty Beaty Big and Bouncy. Rush, 2112. I listened to the Doors a lot when I was 14 or so, Road House Blues, The End. I had the Ziggy Stardust Album too. I blew out my dad's Bose 301 speakers with Bowie, in 1980. The Stones, Mothers little Helper was a problem. I moved to the basement in 1981 so Could listen to The Sex Pistols, Never Mind the Bollocks, The Dead Kennedy's, Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables, and Peter Tosh, Legalize It. All the other kids in my neighborhood listened to a lot of Rock music, so it was ok with my parents as long as I didn't do drugs. My parents thought the Beatles were ok. They liked the Kingston Trio, and Peter Paul, and Mary.

PS, now that I think about it, I don't think my parents listened to the lyrics much. I had headphones, and played some albums mostly when they were out. What they don't know won't hurt them.

I don't believe I ever had to explain or defend any music to my parents. Probably because the music I listened to was pretty "safe AM radio fare" at that time.

I do believe my mother thought that the large Led Zepplin & Queen posters that adorned my bedroom were a little odd!

My parents were rarely happy with any of the music I listened to. They still aren't. I'm 33 for crying out loud! But thankfully (for their sake) they haven't been subjected to any of it regularly for at least 16 years.

The Dead Kennedys probably caused the most brouhaha.

As I'm actually thinking back on all this, it wasn't so much the music itself that bothered them, but the many t-shirts I wore and accumulated throughout high-school. In particular, they took umbrage to my "Jesus Built My Hotrod" (Ministry) t-shirt. Then, there was a Sonic Youth t-shirt I made in a graphic arts class. On the front: a close-up picture of the female image from the cover of the "Goo" album. On the back: the caption from the "Goo" cover, reading "I stole my sister's boyfriend. It was all whirlwind heat and flash. Within a week, we killed my parents and hit the road." One day my senior year of HS, I came home to find my mother had washed, dried and folded my laundry. The Sonic Youth shirt was gone. My mom threw it out.

*sigh*

i had to explain Yes to my parents - & in fact to this day i still have to defend them to my friends & acquaintences (ahem!) - so after that when i got into the Ramones & Sex Pistols & Clash (yes - & that was in 1977), i didn't even bother to try. i knew the gap would have been too much of a leap for them. i remember watching the news reports when the Pistols came to America & trashed their show in Atlanta, & my mom going on & on about, & me just sitting there nodding my head going "uh-huh" all the time thinking "this is cool!"

thank god for Talking Heads - proving that you could be new wave and still wear collared shirts.

Frick, it was probably the language in Steppenwolf's "Pusherman." What was your dad's issue w/not eating the yellow snow? Sounds like good solid advice to me!

Kevin, Sorry about your Sonic Youth shirt. Just wait...one day one of your kids will wear a possibly offensive t-shirt and you have to make that call!

I would have to say that my parents were entirely too forgiving, music wise. They only complained when they would come home and could hear the stereo blasting from a block away. My Dad flipped, however, when we played George Carlins 7 words you can't say on TV or whatever it was called. He heard the whole bit, took the lp off the turntable and broke it in half right there. Other than that, my parents both like music, and I always used headphones, so there were no problems.

My Dad blamed Led Zeppelin (actually, my playing Led Zep at "sonic boom levels of volume" according to him) for the crack in the living room ceiling.

It might've been my 350w Peavey bass amp running thru the 2x15 cabinet, though you'd think that would've cracked the foundation rather than the ceiling.

My mother has always been a fan of wonderful music and I owe much of my knowledge growing up to her. She introduced me to the walkmen, and adores neutral milk hotel, the shins, and neil young. However, she could never ever ever understand Bjork. I have attempted to explain the wonderful ridiculous world of bjork to my mother by listening to Vestpertine, which is my favorite album of hers, and even watching dancing in the dark. Unfortunately... my mother just concludes her to be a weirdo, which I suppose she sort of kind of is...

i played Soundgarden's Louder Than Love Cd probably about 1231 times in a row in my room, and to make matters worse for them, i practically learned guitar to that album. in retrospect it was pretty dark and heavy for them to listen to. but man it really had teeth. thats what they didnt get. why did i need to listen to that stuff! haha