Music on the way to a campout

[wyomingi]

What music can you and the scouts in your vehicle agree on when on your way to a campout? On a recent trip I let the boys pick CDs on the way to the campout and I picked them on the way back. I discovered that I hate Weird Al. I dont care for Nirvana or AC/DC. Greenday is not too bad. The boys thought Stevie Ray Vaughn, Pink Floyd, The Who and the Grateful Dead were all right.

 

Any ideas? What about lyrics that are not appropriate? How do you know with out previewing the CD what is there? How can you understand what is there?

 

[MaScout]

We try to find a middle ground. I like most anything, so I suppose that makes it easier. We always caution them to select "Scout appropriate" music. They know what is & is not appropriate. On the rare occaision they slip something in, (& this is usually because they forgot the lyrics were there), at the first bad word, the CD comes out & is banned. We really don't have a problem with poor selections. And when they get really noisy or obnoxious, I slip in one of my Celtic CD's or an orchestra, which I turn on really loud until they settle down!

 

 

[ScoutNut]

The boys usually listen to their own music. Most of them bring headphones for the ride there & back.

 

 

[OldGreyEagle]

Back from a campout I had three of the rowdier scouts with me and they were being obnoxious as always, not terribly bad, but limit testing. I rumaged around and found my tape of Jethro Tull's Greatest Hits. I slipped it in and "Livin in the Past" was the first song it played. The kids listened to it for a few seconds and wanted to know if it was country. After I regained control of the car, as I almost went into the ditch with the thought of Jethro Tull as Country, I just waited. As I knew the next song that was comming. At the end of "Livin in the past" there was the break, I turned the volume full up and the initial riff of "Aqualung" reverberated through the car, then silence and the kids went WOW and then the rest of the song. They knew it wasnt country and quietly listened to a piece of classic music.

[Mike F]

My rule is I'll play anything they want, but if it's trash (as defined by foul language on inappropriate lyrics), it goes in the first trash available.

 

The first time I used this rule was on 2-day drive to ski trip. After listening to their "stuff" for about 5 hours, I declared it time to introduce them to an ancient heavy metal cassette of mine that I hadn't listened to in 20 years. To my extreme embarrassment, out pops the definition of foul language and out comes the cassette. At the next gas stop, I made sure they saw me toss it in the trash. Nobody said a word, but their eyes were wide and they knew I was serious. As the trip progressed, the guys made sure to tell me when it was time to stop one of their tapes/CDs before the next song was played. No problem - what are we listening to next?

[CA_Scouter]

All excellent management techniques!

 

Wy-- right on with Weird Al - my son knows that ones off limites.

 

Ya, Greenday is ok... but just ok..

 

I have a 'no screamies' rule.. any of that and my son gets the TTSO look. ( I'll leave it to you to figure out what those letters represent ).

 

OGE - I was listening to the radio the other day, and hit Aqualung and blasted it... now I've got to go get the CD to add to my classics collection. I'll add it to my 'country' collection. :-)

 

Most of my scouts are pretty good about music, we compromise mostly, some of their music, some of mine ( Clapton, McCartney, Metallica, Neil Young, Beatles and some newer stuff ). Everyone seems to be happy...

 

[DugNevius]

well, just inform them that Jethro Tull was the very first grammy winner for Heavy Metal. Sad but true. Nothing says metal like a flute.

 

comming back from one trip i was shocked that the guys didnt know Metallica. It made me feel old.

 

Luckily im not so old that i cant handle some of their music. That said, My Humps is just down right stupid.(This message has been edited by DugNevius)

[evmori]

I love Jethro Tull! Ian Anderson plays a mean flute!

 

My Explorer - my music.

 

Ed Mori

Troop 1

1 Peter 4:10

[GernBlansten]

"Sitting on a park bench. Eyeing little girls with bad intent."

 

I guess it could be scout appropriate.

 

Oh, just kidding. I love Tull.

Put some Floyd Wall in and turn it up real loud. That'll settle them down and most of the heroin references are over their heads anyway.

 

"We don't need no, education!"

"We don't need no, thought control!"

"Hey, teacher, leave those scouts alone!"

[BrentAllen]

I forgot I even had Jethro Tull Original Masters! Just dug it out and popped it in - what a classic!

 

"The flute is a heavy metal instrument." What a great quote, as well!

 

If you are interested in something different, bridging Native American traditional with contemporary, check out Sacred Spirit: Chants and Dances of the Native Americans. You can read a full reviews (77 reviews, 5 stars) and listen to samples on Amazon, but just be warned most of the songs have a 30 second or so prelude, and that is all you are hearing - you never actually get to the song. Track #7 doesn't, so check it out to see what the music is really like.

 

I have a lot fun introducing the boys to Bob Marley, especially Legend. Just be prepared for plenty of Jamaican accents afterwards - they have fun imitating the language.

[GernBlansten]

To mix things up on the real long drives, I wait for the boys to nod off the I slip my Don Edwards CD in. The look on their faces when he gets yodeling is priceless.

[SR540Beaver]

My vehicle is my little dictatorship, no democracy allowed. The last thing a 48 year old guy driving 3 or 4 hyperactive kids 150 miles needs is to listen to their "music" the whole way. The Beav picks the country music on the radio and plays it at a normal volume. They are welcome to visit, play their Gameboys or listen to their iPods with their headphones. Believe it or not, I have actually had to ask them to turn down their iPods because they were turned up so loud that the headphones couldn't contain the sound.

 

Note concerning Tull being confused with country. That is to be expected with some of the garbage that wannabe closet rockers pass of as country music these days. That isn't a slam on Tull, just today's "country" singers who don't know what a real country song is.

[BrentAllen]

If you want near silence in your car, get an audio copy of "Hatchet" or "The River" or anything else by Gary Paulsen. Also try "A Week In The Woods" by Andrew Clements. It is amazing how the time flies by when listening to a good audio book, and equally amazing how quiet the kids can be - they really get locked into the story. Adults enjoy them just as much, if not more, than the kids do.

[OldGreyEagle]

Gee Brent, when I first saw your post, the word "Hatchet" in quotes stood out and I thought you were going to mention my second favorite group of all time, and the perfect scout drving song

 

Im travelin down the road,

Im flirtin with disaster.

Ive got the pedal to the floor,

My life is running faster.

Im out of money, Im out of hope,

It looks like self destruction.

Well how much more can we take,

With all of this corruption. (with a bow to jhkny)

 

Been flirtin with disaster,

Yall know what I mean.

And the way we run our lives,

It makes no sense to me.

I dont know about yourself or,

What you want to be - yeah.

When we gamble with our time,

We choose our destiny.

 

Chorus:

Im travelin down that lonesome road.

Feel like Im dragging a heavy load. (I knew it was a mistake to tow the troop trailer)

Yeah! Ive tried to turn my head away,

Feels about the same most every day.

Speeding down the fast lane,

Playin from town to town.

The boys and I have been burnin it up,

Cant seem to slow it down.

Ive got the pedal to the floor,

Our lives are runnin faster,

Got our sights set straight ahead,

But aint sure what were after.

 

Flirtin with disaster,

Yall know what I mean.

You know the way we run our lives,

It makes no sense to me.

I dont know about yourself or,

What you plan to be - yea!!

When we gamble with our time,

We choose our destiny.

 

 

[eagle90]

SR540Beaver - We are kindred spirits. My car = My music! And my choice is also country. Nothing beats driving to Alabama, Garth, Reba, Toby, etc. They can use their ipods and headphones if they don't to listen. I've even converted a few of them, to country fans!