Ramones are for kids....

This morning I spent nearly an hour "teaching" 2-6 year-old students about punk rock at the Montessori school which my son attends. I briefly explained its place in time, why and how it was born -- focusing on a reaction to the lethargic, self-indulgent, about-nothing music that was increasingly characterizing rock music in the 70s, as well as punk's inherent expression of individuality; of extolling who and what you are, conformity be damned. I tied this latter facet into the story of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and his misfit toys, and how sooner or later every person's respective virtues become realized, even if it takes a while for others to take note. Obviously there was only so much I could do with such a young crew, but the kids really seemed to dig it, ultimately declaring The Ramones their favorite. I played them Sex Pistols, Clash, Ruts, Stiff Little Fingers, Birthday Party, The Jam, and the african american group Bad Brains, woman-fronted Siouxsie and Banshees, and a number of other groups. It wasn't easy trying to keep their attention, but I brought punk books for them to look at, and even affixed kid-safe safety pins to their respective shirts, to their joy. At the end, they gave punk rock a big thumbs up, though I told them that it would be perfectly acceptable if they didn't like it -- that's what all of this is about: to express yourself, make up your own mind, and be who/what you are. It did go over well, more than one kid declaring: "I liked all of it!" My son Adrien, on the other hand, found the reality of his daddy devoting his attention to all of his friends at his expense to be ... well, unacceptable. He did quiet down, but insisted on being held by me at all times and inserting the cds into the jambox, as if to say, "he's my daddy, don't you forget it."