Thursday, December 16, 2004

"It's Been A Hard Day's Night"

Work progresses on the paper. I've added another four or five pages just since I came to work this afternoon (most of the morning was spent trying to find a few new things to say for the first couple of pages of the paper. Ugh).

My boss's kids came into the Writing Center this afternoon. The younger of the two, the boy Byron, asked me what I was listening to on my headphones. I'd just popped in The Beatles' Hard Day's Night, and told him so. He asked if he could listen for a moment, as he really liked The Beatles. This surprised me a bit, first because he's so young (only eight or so), and because he's African-American. That statement sounds more racist than it was intended to be, so let me qualify--virtually every African-American student I've encountered at OU listens to rap, hip-hop, or R&B. The Beatles don't fit into any of those categories. I did not imagine that an eight-year old African-American boy would know The Beatles, I guess. Of course, then he asked me if I had a CD with "Eight Days a Week" or "Yellow Submarine" on it, and seemed genuinely sad when I said I didn't have those songs with me. Needless to say, a false assumption was shattered today, and I feel a better person for it, even if I'm still slightly amused by the fact that Byron was a Beatles fan.

Just goes to show what I've always said, though--The Beatles are the greatest band ever. Everyone knows 'em.

~chuck

Song of the Moment: The Beatles, "And I Love Her"

2 comments:

RND-Thoughts said...

Children are great! I am glad the kid could teach you something, or maybe show you something. Music is the single thing that everyone can agree upon, if only they take the time to listen, listen, and listen.

Chuck Cottrell said...

I'm a firm believer in the power of music as an emotional, intellectual, creative, and social force. I think it has the power to change the world, or at least the one inside my head (and change, after all, starts with the man in the mirror, right?). But yes, the insight the child inspired was truly revelatory, and I'm glad it happened.