Interview my friend's mother Michelle

What kind of music did you listen to as a child?

"Well, my parents listened to country/western music like Hank Williams, Conway Twitty, Johnny Cash, and Patsy Cline. In my early teens, I heard my first song by Bob Dylan and loved him. Other music that I listened to included the Credence Clearwater Revival, The Grateful Dead, Patti Smith, and Bruce Springsteen. "

How did you listen to music, i.e. what technology did you use?

"Mostly the radio, but there were rare occasions when my father would come home with a cassette or a record."

Was there any dancing involved? Why or why not?

"There was always room for dancing. My mother and father would often dance just because they were happy."

What sort of environment did you listen to music in?

"We listened to music in church, my mother sang in the choir and my father played the organ."

How did your parents or teachers feel about your music of choice?

"My mother would let me listen to my music in the kitchen while I did homework and she cooked, she could only handle a few songs by Bob Dylan, she said that he had a nice way of story telling but not a great way of singing."

What happened once you became the parent or teacher?

"Well, my sons and I both have similar tastes in music. I especially love Darius Rucker. I was kind of afraid when my oldest, Alan, started getting interested in rap and hard rock because of their use of language. Now that has passed on to Matthew and I'm hoping it doesn't last for very long."

Did you play an instrument or sing yourself? How was that for you?

"I played the clarinet in marching band during. It was really fun but I didn't keep up with it. I still have it tucked away in my closet somewhere."

What was your musical environment like?

"My brother was a part of a band in Georgia during the 70's, they played covers for some country music and rock like Pink Floyd and The Eagles."

Why did you listen to music? Were there any situations that caused you to turn to certain kinds of music?

"I listened to music everyday. When I broke up with boyfriends, I'd listen to old country music like Patsy Cline's "Crazy" and when I wanted to just cry, I'd listen to Patti Smith's music especially her song called "Pissing in a River" because it had lots of emotion in that song."

Were you ever exposed to music outside of your own culture? How so, and what was it like?

"Last year we went to the International Festival at Barnet Park and had lots of fun listening to different music. My son Alan found a few videos of popular american music being played across the world and I like to watch them and see all the different types of instruments and costumes they wear."

Michelle's Favourite Video- Enjoy