Simon Rushworth
Every week we hear from our resident blogger Self Made Man – he’s been around the rock block for some time now and what he doesn’t know about all things AC/DC, UFO, Scorpions and Joe Bonamassa you can write on the back of a postage stamp.
So don’t forget – every Friday. Right here. Self Made Man. It’s my youngest son’s 11th birthday today and among his presents, he received a Guns N’ Roses mug from his big brother at University in Belfast and a couple of Avenged Sevenfold CDs from Mum and Dad to complete his collection of his new favourite band.
The lad clearly has obsessive tendencies. When I plugged his iPod into my iPod library to put the new music on his appliance, I noticed he’d played several tracks from Avenged Sevenfold’s Nightmare and City of Evil albums more than 50 times.
And he’s only been listening to them for a few months!
Previously, it was Guns N’ Roses which dominated his playlist and while I can’t say I’m Avenged Sevenfold’s greatest fan, at least their sound has spared me Appetite For Destruction blasting out from our Conservatory 24/7.
But I’m doing son No. 3 an injustice here. He’s keen on Kasabian, Muse, The Who and Jimi Hendrix and is beginning to get into AC/DC and Airbourne.
There was some music, however, he stubbornly turned a deaf ear to for all my promptings.
Then one day a miracle happened. He actually asked if he could listen to a Neil Young track.
Now a month or two ago, you’d have got better odds on Mike Ashley been voted the most popular man on Tyneside or David Cameron being invited to the Durham Miners’ Gala than my youngest showing his appreciation of the legendary Canadian veteran.
But no, my ears weren’t deceiving me. He requested, nay, demanded Rockin’ In A Free World.
Then it was Daytripper by The Beatles, then The Troggs’ Wild Thing before the Chuck Berry classic Johnny B Goode became the subject of his curiosity.
And it’s all down to his wonderful music teachers at Rock School, which he has been attending for several months.
For they are the songs he is learning on bass guitar, the instrument he chose to play a year ago because of his admiration for GnR’s Duff McKagan (his music, not his hedonistic lifestyle!).
Michael received a bass guitar for his tenth birthday but despite the sterling efforts of two of my mates, who proved fine tutors, his enthusiasm waned to such an extent we were wondering whether to cut our losses and sell the instrument.
But rock school has not only rekindled his enthusiasm and improved his playing skills immeasurably, the guys there are influencing his musical tastes in highly impressive fashion.
Earlier this year, his 4G iPod only had about 80 songs on it as he closed his mind to nearly all Dad’s suggestions.
Now after playing – and enjoying – Daytripper, he is working his way through the Beatles catalogue and has even asked for me to import Led Zeppeling’s Stairway To Heaven. (Still can’t get him into Kashmir, I’m afraid).
I’ve absolutely no doubt that in the next few weeks, his two new CDs, Sounding the Seventh Trumpet and Waking the Fallen by Avenged Sevenfold will dominate his listening along with the band’s other two albums and of course, Guns N’ Roses.
But the lad’s musical education is coming along just nicely, thank you very much. All I need to do now is persuade the guys at Rock School to teach him some Pink Floyd!