Memories, music and a bet lost

It's strange isn't it, what one remembers from childhood, and what one doesn't remember. For instance I can't remember my entire first year at school. Yet I remember getting stuck in the snow in Blackpool (the snow came over the top of my wellies!) and having to sleep in a police station, and that was the same year as my first year in school.

I also remember things that others don't. Such as a bet I had with my dad during my teenage years, I guess was about 13-14. We were on holiday and talking about music. I'd recently discovered "proper" music, such as Guns n Roses and Nirvana. Kurt Cobain with his stripey jumper was my hero, and it wasn't "proper" music unless it was guitar based. My dad was trying to convince me that I wouldn't always think that way and that there was plently of other good music out there. He was of course correct and I'm proud to say that I owe most of my taste in music to him. Sorry mum but Dolly Parton's music still ain't for me.

In this conversation my dad even brought up classical music. He bet me that by the time I was 30 I'd have been to a classical concert. I can't remember my exact response but I know it was along the lines of: Yeah right!, As if! and Whatever!

Well Dad you win. At the age of 29 and a few months I went to a classical concert. And it was bloody brilliant. With my housemates, I went to The Last Night of the Proms at Kenwood House, on Hampstead Heath (not to be confused with the BBC's).

I'm sure someone like Niles Crane would say that my introduction to this world was it was classical music's equivalent to Top of the Pops (there's got to be a blog post in the demise of that show hasn't there?). It certainly was like a Classical Music's Greatest Hits. As a piece of music you know you've made it to the masses when you're used in a car advert. And you know you've really made it when you're used in a film. Therefore more than once that evening, I asked, and was asked "What film is this from?"; or "What advert is this from?"; and on one occasion "What comedian did the beer song to this?" The answer to the last question is Weird Al Yankovic his beer song is at the bottom of this page.

There was wine; there was more food than would have been healthy for just 3 of us to eat; there were deck chairs; there were fireworks; and there was a conductor who had a stand up comedian inside of him just bursting to get out.

Conductors. I don't want to upset the hundreds of conductors who will no doubt be reading this, but how important are they in the whole ensemble? That isn't a rhetorical question. Really - how important are they? They must be important I guess, otherwise they wouldn't still be used. But I'm pretty certain that all the musicians in such an orchestra know what they're playing inside out, and would probably do alright without him, or her. I'm sure, in fact I know, that I must be wrong, but is there any element of truth in that?

So I owe my dad a beer I guess!

Beer song Trigun