There we are, totes adorbs!
A little known piece of trivia about me: had I been born a boy, my name would have been Phillip Gabriel Tucci. My dad is an intense Genesis fan, so the Phillip was for Phil Collins, and the Gabriel was for Peter Gabriel, and my mom was so glad I had a vagina.
Being the Genesis fan he was, my dad used to play Genesis for me when I was growing up. He played a lot of great music for me when I was younger...Oingo Boingo (Dead Man's Party is still one of my favorite songs), Duran Duran, Kate Bush, Suzanne Vega, Crowded House, all manner of great music that I still listen to and love. But Genesis was the most common.
No Genesis album got more play than Trick of the Tail. My dad played two songs for me more than anything of the other ones: Ripples, and Trick of the Tail. Even better, my daddy used to sing them to me. I would ask him to sing Trick of the Tail to me, because I loved to hear him sing, and sometimes, we didn't have access to a radio to play his tape. So I'd ask him to sing, and he'd sing, and I'd love him for it.
This went on for years. I remember telling my cousins Russell and Jeremy about the song, and that I loved it so much, and that I'd get my dad to play it for them.
As was common in my family, it wasn't long before Russell and Jeremy were spending a day with me and my dad, and when we all hopped into the car, I was quick to pull the trigger on asking my daddy to play Trick of the Tail for us all. My dad said he didn't have it with him, so I asked him to sing it instead. And he agreed, and started to sing.
Russell started laughing at my dad, and I remember my dad stopping his singing, shaking his head, and putting the car in reverse, leaving wherever it was we were. And my dad didn't sing the song anymore.
My dad doesn't have a classically good voice. I wouldn't even say my dad's voice is note worthy to anybody other than his daughter. I love listening to my dad sing, and it always makes me chuckle, but it's love that keeps me listening. I've poked fun at him from time to time, like hearing my dad sing Bob Dylan's "Isis" (it's a fucking hilarious treat, and it sends me into hysterics every time), but for the most part, I'll be sad when my dad stops singing for good. We all do, eventually.
I regret not telling Russell to shut up. I felt so much shame in that moment. Not for my dad, but for me. Because someone was laughing at something I'd previously found to be the most wonderful thing in the world. I wasn't embarrassed by my dad for his singing, but I was definitely confused. It was an eye opening moment for me...that my tastes were not universal.
I don't think my daddy remembers that car ride, but I do. We drive back to his house in silence, and when we got there, my dad put on a movie for us and went to his bedroom to read. I don't think he thought anything else of it, but maybe he did.
My dad didn't stop singing around me, but he didn't sing that song again. He moved on to Apollo Smile, a change I was thankful for. Genesis always makes me think of that day in the car where I didn't defend my daddy, who has almost always had my back. I'll have to ask him if he remembers.
Ugh, this broke my heart :(. I can totally see the scenario in my head, which makes it even worse. I remember your dad singing, even though he wasn't doing it without music. It was one time when we went to see him at the Onyx and he had a tape of something in his car and we listened to it on the way back to his place (I think he was in the car with us... I think he was driving, if I remember right...). But I loved it :). People can be cruel and ugly... even into their adult years.
ReplyDelete