Music, Memories, History
Way back in the dim, dead 90's, there existed a revival of swing. It was at this time that I was back in college, in the best physical shape of my life, and basically having the time of my life. My boys were loveable, gorgeous babies. I had a brand-new car. For some reason(and I'm not bragging, I promise), men adored me. I had it all.
I fell in love with the Cherry Poppin' Daddies and played "Zoot Suit Riot" until the cassette broke. One could still purchase cassettes at this time. To be honest, this song still, well, swings, so, as a lyrical walk down memory lane, today I pulled out a CD purchased from a Wal-Mart bargain bin and blasted it on the stereo.
The boys, of course, could not remember this song, having been toddlers when it was popular, but they were quite taken with it and begged for me to play it again. I did, and, much to their delight, I guided first one and then the other into a scaled-down version of the popular swing dancing. Good times.
Now, because my kids are smart, one of them asked, "Mom, what's this song about?" Now it was my turn to be delighted. I told them about the actual Zoot Suit Riots and how the song actually has meaning if you know about them. I'm not going to discuss the tale of the Riots here; I'm a big fan of "look it up for yourself" when it comes to adults.
The boys and I then looked at pics of modern-day zoots on the internet. I also found a few pics of Cab Calloway, probably the king of the zoot. Now my sons want zoots for themselves, one favoring the silvery sharkskin style, the other wanting one that is UK blue. Of course, they both want the hats with the sweeping feathers and the pocket watches with absurdly long chains. You know what? I'd say, before the year's over, they will have their zoots. I have never been one to squash creativity and imagination.
As for me, though, listening to the Cherry Poppin' Daddies brought back a memory so clear and clean I could taste it: Cruising along in my new car, dancing as I drove, the world wide open ahead with every possibility and no limitations. Good times, indeed.
I fell in love with the Cherry Poppin' Daddies and played "Zoot Suit Riot" until the cassette broke. One could still purchase cassettes at this time. To be honest, this song still, well, swings, so, as a lyrical walk down memory lane, today I pulled out a CD purchased from a Wal-Mart bargain bin and blasted it on the stereo.
The boys, of course, could not remember this song, having been toddlers when it was popular, but they were quite taken with it and begged for me to play it again. I did, and, much to their delight, I guided first one and then the other into a scaled-down version of the popular swing dancing. Good times.
Now, because my kids are smart, one of them asked, "Mom, what's this song about?" Now it was my turn to be delighted. I told them about the actual Zoot Suit Riots and how the song actually has meaning if you know about them. I'm not going to discuss the tale of the Riots here; I'm a big fan of "look it up for yourself" when it comes to adults.
The boys and I then looked at pics of modern-day zoots on the internet. I also found a few pics of Cab Calloway, probably the king of the zoot. Now my sons want zoots for themselves, one favoring the silvery sharkskin style, the other wanting one that is UK blue. Of course, they both want the hats with the sweeping feathers and the pocket watches with absurdly long chains. You know what? I'd say, before the year's over, they will have their zoots. I have never been one to squash creativity and imagination.
As for me, though, listening to the Cherry Poppin' Daddies brought back a memory so clear and clean I could taste it: Cruising along in my new car, dancing as I drove, the world wide open ahead with every possibility and no limitations. Good times, indeed.
posted by Deonna at 10:03 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home