I think my younger sister's cohort was one of the last group of kids to not have their childhoods on VHS or DVD. I think I saw myself on someone's 8 mm film once when I was 12 and that was enough. It was very wierd seeing myself. Today, it's quite commonplace. I've often wondered how it has changed people's perceptions of the world and interaction with others, having seen themselves on film and having a different sort of self-awareness than most of us have gazing in a mirror. It is interesting to ponder--especially in post-Springer world.
I stumbled onto this gem this morning. The question is, do you think that THEY or this guy will be potentially more embarrassed in the future? The other question is, why did they choose an 80s dance repertoire for their medley? Another scary thing is that my childhood music is now considered "classic" or "oldies." It had to happen eventually.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
2 comments:
Stephanie, my generation (a bit older than yours) had the dubious pleasure of being tape-recorded, rather than video-taped or DVD'd. One of my most lasting memories dates back to when I was four or five. My dad brought home one of the original tape recorders that was big and bulky and used reel to reel tapes (now I am showing my age). I had been memorizing nursery rhymes so was commissioned to be the first to be recorded. After much deliberation, I decided to recite "Peter, Peter, Pumpkin Eater." Everyone gathered in my parents' bedroom -- my mother, father, grandmother, and aunt -- and I wasn't even nervous about it because it was all so new to me. So they pionted the microphone at me and I began:
"Peter, Peter, Pumpkin Eater,
Had a wife and couldn't keep her,
He put her in a pumpkin shell,
And there he keeped her very well."
Everybody giggled at the end, but I thought it was because I was so "cute." Little kids have a sense about these things and I used to play my "cuteness" to the hilt. But when we listened to the recording, they all laughed again and I demanded to know why. Well I shouldn't have asked. My mother told me gently, "You said 'keeped' instead of 'kept.'" "Oh," I said, a little embarrassed, "Well, then I'll have to do it again." "No," they all said in unison, "It was cute."
Well, I wasn't prone to tantrums, but almost had one right there on the spot. "That wasn't cute," I thought, "that was dumb, and I don't want anybody to hear it." I learned for the first time that I was a perfectionist.
Every time we had company, my dad would bring out the tape recorder, and "Peter, Peter," was always the first thing he played. I was embarrassed in the beginning, but after a while I started to think it was "cute" too. I often wonder how often I've messed up since then just to get attention. The things we teach our children...
My friend and I would make "old-fashioned" radio shows on our tape recorders. We did this in the 70s and 80s. I often wonder if she still has these on tape. We'd make up radio soap operas, interview shows, you name it.
Post a Comment