I get nice feedback from listeners about some of my on-air storytelling.
Once or twice a day, during a live break on the air, I'll step away from promoting MVY things (other shows, contests, etc) or talking about the music, and instead talk about something from my personal life.
Occasionally, I'll tell a story about my kids. Something funny they said. Some humorous conflict we had.
When I meet people out in public, many will say, "I love it when you talk about your kids."
And I do it for a reason. The stories are usually designed to be universal. If you've ever had a kid, or if you ever were a kid, you'll find something real and familiar within what I'm conveying. As a DJ, I'm trying to make a connection.
But I am very, very careful to limit the number of times I do this. Once or twice a week, tops.
Because nothing is more annoying than a person who talks incessantly about their kids. Nothing is more cloying than someone constantly forcing "life lessons" upon you, via their so-wise-for-their-age! children.
We love kids and the cute things they do and the sweet way they do it. But we don't want that in our face every day.
And that's my hesitation with the new Eric Clapton song.
It's an amiable enough piece of mid-tempo pleasant Clapton. And hey, I understand the desire to put out a second single that is more commercial and middle-of-the-road, after the completely kick-ass, spot-on rock of the first single "Gotta Get Over."
I'm with the track most of the way through, until it returns to the chorus late in the song.
The background singers who've been repeating "Every little thing/Every little thing" throughout the song, have been replaced. By children.
And they're singing "Every little thing you do is beautiful . . ."
The first time I heard it, I thought, "That's cute. I guess."
By the second time I heard it, I was already sick of it.
Could I imagine having it in rotation on MVY for the next few months?
Ugh. Nope.
I love my kids. I like your kids. Kids in general are great.
But no one wants to hear about them every day.
Hear the song on Youtube.
Tuesday, May 28, 2013
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
I have observed that most good music comes out of angst. Maybe that's why so many good songs are from artists who were under 30 when they get started. Lives full of broken dreams make for good songwriting. Take that away and all too many times what's left is just Pablum.
ReplyDeleteSadly, in a way, the worst thing that can happen to a good songwriter is that they have some success; meet someone; settle down; and raise a family. Something happens (happiness, I suppose) that gets them writing a bunch of uninteresting music.
It isn't until the relationship ends and life goes back to sucking again that they rebound with a whole new catalog of great stuff.
While I'm sure people will respond with numerous examples of folks to whom this didn't happen, they appear to be in the minority. Even those who start out as chirpy pop stars, usually aren't taken seriously for their music until after they've made a train wreck out of their lives. Out of disaster comes interesting music.