Music & Family Blog - My Dad, Phish, & Zappa for President

    The person I interviewed for my “Music and Family Blog” was my Dad, Ryan Alley. He is 41 years old, born in 1981. I decided to interview him because he’s the most involved with music out of anyone in my family. He also has shaped my music taste today. One of my favorite things to do with him is to turn on music loud and cook dinner together. I gave him the questions ahead of time so he could write down his answers and be ready by the time of the interview. This man loves to talk so I did record the conversation and paraphrase down certain answers, but the majority is still his words. Here's some pics of him / us to put a face to his words!

                   

Me: What are your earliest musical memories, including earliest artists or styles you listened to?

Dad: My earliest musical memories would be watching Warner Brothers cartoons like Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Porky Pig, etc… who would quite regularly play classical music by Strauss, Chopin & Bach to name a few.  Also, I remember musical scores from movies like Star Wars from 1987 & Indiana Jones from 1984. Earliest artists would be Garth Brooks which was Country, Lionel Richie & Boys to Men who were R&B, and Led Zeppelin.

Me: What kinds of songs resonated with you when you were younger, or DIDN'T resonate with you when you were younger? Child, tween, teen, young adult, etc.

Dad: When I was a child, I listened to really whatever my parents or brother was listening to at the time.  This was around ’81 through ‘90. 

When I was a tween, it was songs like Nirvana’s “Smells like Teen Spirit” & “Come As You Are” & Stone Temple Pilots “Plush” & “Creep”.  This is where I started really listening to music, to the lyrics, to the sounds, the beats, the chord progressions, what each individual in the band was doing, etc.

When I was a teen, this is when I started listening to the full albums of the artists I already liked and saw how the multiple songs flowed together like telling a story.  This further opened my mind up to listening to EVERTHING!  All things classic rock - Van Halen’s “Hot for Teacher”, Pink Floyd’s “Comfortably Numb”, Led Zeppelin’s “In My Time Of Dying” to name just a quick few.  This is also when I started listening to rap music which in turn opened my eyes to 60’s & 70’s R&B even more since they would sample that older music in their music.  Snoop Dogg “What’s My Name?” & “Gin & Juice”, Tupac Shakur “I Get Around” & “Keep Ya Head Up” & The Notorious B.I.G. “Juicy” & Big Poppa.”  Around 16 years old is when I first got introduced to a band called Phish.

Okay Young Adult… Honestly, this is when I literally listened to EVERYTHING except for newer country.  This is also when I would go see my new favorite band Phish about 3 or 4 times a year.  I really got into 70’s fusion jazz like Miles Davis, The Weather Report, Return to Forever, Head Hunters & specifically Frank Zappa.

Me: 70’s Jazz Fusion is so good. Don’t you have a “Zappa for President” sticker on your truck?

Dad: Yeah, among my other USC Gamecock stickers. 

Me: Did you listen to mainstream music or something else?

Dad: I started off listening to mainstream music only because it was my only source available at the time.  Once I became a teenager and technology provided me an alternate source to further broaden my musical curiosity I started listening to a larger amount more than what radio could provide or allow in regards to lyrics and length and songs.

Me: Did the style of music you listened to influence other areas of your life, like how you dressed or who you hung out with?

Dad: I wouldn’t say music ever influenced how I dressed but somewhat who I associate myself with.  In life you’ll always be gravitated to others with the same interests & views as this is nature but, music, the style of music or liking a certain band wouldn’t, couldn’t, and shouldn’t be a deciding factor.  For instance, the majority of my closest friends all like Phish and we would all go to shows together but my best friend, the love of my life, my wife... she can’t stand them.

Me: I wouldn’t be able to stand them after you made her stay on an Indian reservation with alligators in a tent with no shower! 

Dad: Yeah she was NOT happy.

Me: How did you listen to your music? What kind of technology did you use?

Dad: As a very young child the car radio/8 track tapes or house radio/vinyl albums, although we never really had many albums. Then car radio/cassette tapes or house radio/cassette tapes, though we never had very many tapes…but I did get a portable cassette player around this time and started acquiring tapes. Then car radio/compact discs, CD’s, or house radio/CD’s.  This is about the time I started spending a lot of time & money buying CD’s & using a computer to burn music to CD’s.  I also had a portable CD player at this time.

Me: How has change in technology changed what you listen to?

Dad: The change in technology has by far & most certainly changed what I listen to musically because it’s made it so much easier and less expensive to listen to anything at any time.  For example, back when cassette tapes were the newest technology, if you didn’t want to have to pay for a cassette tape with your favorite song - a single - you’d have to wait until it was played on the radio to record it.  Now, I can listen to that same song from back then anytime I want anywhere I want with just a push of a button on my cell phone.

Me: What kind of concerts did you go to in high school or later? What were they like?

Dad: I’ve seen Phish 30+ times ranging from ’98 to ’21 from Philadelphia, PA to Naples, FL to Las Vegas, NV.  Phish fans are very “unique.”  Their shows are like parties and they have a cult following reminiscent of the Grateful Dead type following.  Some of them follow them around and see every show on that particular tour.  Others will follow them around to every show on that tour and only actually go into one show but sell merchandise to pay for them to go to all of them.  Most fans, like myself, will go to the closest show to them on the tour, arrive at the show early to start pregaming, walk around shakedown street, which is where all the merchandise, food, beer & drugs are being sold.

Me: Is that where Mom got that really good quesadilla made by the Hippie chick?

Dad: Yeah actually…but other more known artists I’ve seen in concert are Dave Matthews Band 4 or 5 times, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Foo Fighters, Coldplay, The Black Crowes, Lenny Kravitz, Galactic, Alan Jackson, Bela Fleck, George Strait, Medeski, Martin & Wood, Trey Anastasio Band, Wood Brothers, Victor Wooten, Little Texas, Soulive, etc. A large number of these concerts were at outdoor venues as a lot of artists who do summer tours in my region find it enjoyable to perform in the night air.

This is his favorite Phish song: "What's The Use"

Me: Did you ever learn an instrument, and why did you choose it? Did you like it?

Dad: We always had a piano in my house.  My mother tried to show me how to play the piano at a very early age but at the time I wasn’t very interested. So, the instrument I really learned was only the guitar.

I know a little and own a bass guitar & drums. My dad had a classical Yamaha and I enjoyed playing around on it.  I wanted to learn how to play classic rock songs and be loud. I did like it - I would look forward to guitar lessons every week.  I also enjoy hearing a really cool song and trying to learn it and then play behind it some.

Me: What kind of music do you listen to today? 

Dad: Basically everything except newer country & certain styles of rap.

Me: What is your favorite album?

Dad: I’m sorry but this is simply impossible for me to answer because there’s sooooo many great albums. I might not even like the artist but the album can still be fantastic.  An example of that would be The Beach Boys, ‘Pet Sounds.’  I’m not a big fan of The Beach Boys but the album is fantastic.

To give you a few of my personal faves:

Stevie Wonder, ‘Songs in the Key of Life’

Dr. Dre, ‘The Chronic’

The Beatles, ‘Abbey Road’

Nirvana, ‘Nevermind’

Michael Jackson, ‘Thriller’

The Rolling Stones, ‘Exile on Main Street’

Radiohead, ‘OK Computer’

Bob Marley and the Wailers, ‘Legend’

The Notorious B.I.G., ‘Ready to Die’

Jimi Hendrix, ‘Are You Experienced’

Me: What is your favorite music from a movie?

Dad: Like I said above, I particularly like the Star Wars & Indiana Jones scores.  The Lord of the Rings had beautiful scores as well. Mainstream music from a movie would be “The Bodyguard,” “Forrest Gump,” & “Guardians of the Galaxy.”

Me: Is there a special song that helped you get through a rough time?

Dad: It would have to be Dave Matthews Band, ‘Grey Street’ . It makes me tear up every time I hear it as it always reminds me of my beautiful & loving cousin who committed suicide because she was dealing with mental illnesses and depression.  This song talks about a particular female who’s dealing with depression & despair in her life and don’t know how to break free. 

Here are the lyrics from "Grey Street":

Oh, look at how she listens

She says nothing of what she thinks

She just goes stumbling through her memories

Staring out on to Grey Street

She thinks, "Hey, how did I come to this?

I dream myself a thousand times around the world

But I can't get out of this place"

There's an emptiness inside her

And she'd do anything to fill it in

But all the colors mix together

To grey

And it breaks her heart

How she wishes it was different

She prays to God most every night

And though she swears He doesn't listen

There's still a hope in her He might

She says, "I pray

Oh, but they fall on deaf ears

Am I supposed to take it on myself

To get out of this place?"

Oh, there's an loneliness inside her

And she'd do anything to fill it in

And though it's red blood bleeding from her now

It feels like cold blue ice in her heart

When all the colors mix together

To grey

And it breaks her heart

There's a stranger, speaks outside her door

Says, "Take what you can from your dreams

Make them as real as anything

Oh, it'll take the work out of the courage"

But she says

"Please, there's a crazy man that's creeping outside my door

I live on the corner of Grey Street

And the end of the world"

Oh, there's an emptiness inside her

And she'd do anything to fill it in

And though it's red blood bleeding from her now

It's more like cold blue ice in her heart

She feels like kicking out all the windows

And setting fire to this life

She could change everything about her

Using colors bold and bright

But all the colors mix together

To grey

And it breaks her heart

To grey

Me: Is there a song that brings back a specific memory?

Dad: The Doobie Brothers, ‘Black Water’ brings back the memory of me taking baths as a small child and my dad singing the parts: 

I'd like to hear some funky Dixieland

Pretty mama, come and take me by the hand

(By the hand) hand (take me by the hand) pretty mama

Gonna dance with your daddy all night long

I'd like to hear some funky Dixieland

Pretty mama, come and take me by the hand

By the hand, take me by the hand, pretty mama (I wanna honky-tonk, honky-tonk)

Gonna dance with your daddy night long (honky-tonk with you all long)

Me: Do you and Mom have a special song?

Dad: I guess it would be Tim McGraw & Faith Hill’s, ‘It’s Your Love’ as that was the first dance with your mom at our wedding over 21 years ago.

Me: What do you think about the music kids listen to today?

Dad: It’s all sh*t! All of it!

Me: And Phish isn’t? Okay so... what do you think of my music?

Dad: I think you’re pretty well rounded.  Some stuff you listen to isn’t my cup of tea but it isn’t the sh*t these other kids are listening to.

Me: 🥰

Me: Finally, if you could make the world listen to one song, what would it be?

Dad: Sam Cooke, ‘A Change Is Gonna Come’

         John Lennon, ‘Imagine’

         Phish, ‘Gotta Jibboo’ LOL!!!!!!!

Me: ‘Gotta Jibboo’ sucks!!!