GLASS

No, I'm not talking about the stuff windows are made from, im talking about G.L.A.S.S which is short for G. Love and Special Sauce. I know.. odd name. These guys are phenomenal though. They are an acoustic alternative funk pop blues band. Quite a mouthful, but I'll be damned if its easy to try and pinpoint the sound these guys have. I love them. Their songs are unique and fun to listen to and sing along with. If you have never heard of them, check out their wiki page here.

I mention them today because of recent events that have transpired with my older son and to an extent my younger one as well. To understand what I am talking about, give a listen to the song I'm going to be talking about. It's called Rodeo Clowns. The video below is of a great live performance they did with another amazing guitarist Jack Johnson. Here ya go:





I know you probably missed most of those lyrics. They go by pretty fast. Took me a long time to be able to sing along with this one. The second verse is really what got me thinking about my two boys as they are growing up and getting older. Lyrics for that verse:



The disco ball is spinning
All the music and the women
And a shot of tequila
Man they'll say that they need ya
But what they really need
Is just a little room to breathe
Teeny bopping disco queens
She barely understands
Her dreams of belly button rings
And other kinds of things
Symbolic of change
But the thing that is strange
Is that the change has occured
And now she's just a part of the herd, yeah yeah yeah
Man I thought that you heard, yeah yeah yeah
The change has occured, yeah yeah yeah
Now she's just a part of the herd, yeah yeah yeah




My older son, has decided to grow his hair out. Up to now, he has always had a nice short buzz cut. Looks good on him, zero maintenance. He just got up and went to school and never had to worry about it. I knew this was coming eventually. He has talked about growing his hair out before and this time he seems serious. So I asked him what kind of hair style he is going for and he pointed out someone with a hair style along the lines of what he is thinking. It's not just long, its that whole shaggy sheepdog look with hair all down in the face covering his eyes half the time. /sigh



Along with this whole development, he has very recently had braces put on. That adds a whole new dynamic to his day to day life and I was prepared for him to get some teasing over it. Turns out though that so many kids have them these days, its at least as normal to have them as not. Hell he may even be joining the majority here.



What does this have to do with the song? The last part of that second verse really caught my attention today for some reason and I started thinking about it in context with the boys and their recent decisions and actions. The girl in the song is dreaming of getting her belly button pierced and "other kinds of things" which I interpret to be things along the lines of funky clothes, tatoos, or maybe a strange hair color like green or bright blue. These kinds of things at first seem like a step towards independance and uniqueness. Rebelling against the way they have been all along when their parents made most of those decisions for them. The song goes on to say that after the changes occur, she's just a part of the herd. There is a lot of truth in that statement.



Now don't get all defensive. I have no problem with people expressing themselves through their appearance. I certainly do my best not to judge people by their look alone. I also have no problem with my son growing his hair out, but it just struck me as I was listening that although he is rebelling in a small way with wanting to get away from how I have always had his hair cut, he is not really picking something unique to him. He didn't come up with something strange and funky that is only him, but instead this change will in effect make him part of the herd. The shaggy dog looking, I can't see anything past my bangs herd.


Another case in point. While I was in AZ over this past xmas, my boys were staying with my parents in their guest room. I was staying with my sister and brother-in-law. So one of the days my hosts both had to work and so my mother invited me to meet her and the boys at the food court at the mall for lunch. I get up there for lunch and am confronted with my younger son in quite possibly the most horrible combination of clothing I have seen him in to date. Greenish / grey camoflage pants. Bright read t-shirt with some kind of logo on it in black and yellow. Then to finish the ensamble, a pale blue striped button down dress shirt unbuttoned so that it hung open and you could see the red t-shirt.


Now I'm no fashion guru, but wow.. this was just a stunning visual sight. I was speechless for a minute. I just didn't know what to say about this outfit he had picked out for himself. I know my mother would not have let me out in something like that when I was a kid, so I know she didn't pick it out or approve it ahead of time for him. That means he had decided thats what he wanted to wear and that it was a smooth look for him. As we are walking around the mall to the foodcourt, I am pondering what to say to my son and I start to notice the other kids, especially the teenagers wandering around. Easily half of them were wearing some kind of hideous combination of patterns, designs and clashing colors. I don't think my younger son had any intention of putting that kind of outfit on to be a part of the mall crowd, that is just what he felt like putting on. But there it is again. He made those changes on his own because he wanted to and still.. ends up part of the herd in a way.


So am I saying that people shouldn't do what feels right to them to express themselves? On the contrary. Self expression through appearance is a wonderful thing. I like tattoos, piercings, funky clothes, wierd hair styles and colors and anything else you think fits you. I just think that its a little odd that so many people focus on doing these things because they think it makes them edgy or cool or that it fights "The Man" by going against the norm. Do it because you want to for you. Don't do it to impress others or try to make them think a certain way about you. Your actions and words and personality are what truly make you unique. If I like your personality and how you treat me as a person, I couldn't care less how many tattoos you have, how many times you pierced your body or that your hair is in 5 massive spikes sticking off the top of your head in a rainbow of colors. Just don't ask me to go headbanging with you at a rock concert.. thats how people lose an eye.



I bought a Motorolla Razor phone when my last one died. I ended up picking that one because a couple of friends had them and were impressed with both the battery life and the signal strength. I got chastised the other day for owning one because apparently out where my friend lives, having a Razor the only way to fit in with the cool, hip cell phone crowd. So while I didn't purchase mine to be cool, I am still a part of the herd trying to fit in on the other side of the country. Frankly, I think they all heard I was getting one and are just trying desperately to be cool like me. But hey, that is just my opinion.



So to all the pierced, tattooed, flaming pink hair wearing freaks out there.. I salute you. While I might not look like you, I'll still buy you a beer and hang out. Just remember, if you have as many piercings as this guy, magnets and sweaters are NOT your friend!