Confessions of a Rock ’n’ Roll Dad 🎸
When my daughter, Sarah, was in middle school she asked for a pair of red Converse shoes. I got excited and said, “Eddie Van Halen wears those, too!” *
She asked, “Who’s Eddie Van Halen?”
I realized right then that I had failed her.
Bad parenting #1.
I’ve been a Van Halen fan since junior high school. That’s when their album, 1984, came out. Their next record featured a switch in lead singers (from David Lee Roth to Sammy Hagar), and I became an even bigger fan.
Sammy is my favorite artist, which is why I named the Flip-Flop Detective, Samuel Roy Strait. While Sammy was with Van Halen, they were my favorite band.
My dad was instrumental in my love of music. When I was younger, he always had the radio on to an oldies station. I learned about The Beatles, Herman’s Hermits, and Jim Croce. The oldies station was how I was introduced to amazing bands he didn’t care for like Led Zeppelin, The Rolling Stones, and Cream. The DJ always announced who we were listing to, which is how I learned what I liked.
Sarah didn’t get any of that. She heard music while we were in the car, but it was from a CD. There was no way for her to know who sang what and I was too busy singing along to the songs to fill her in.
Bad parenting #2.
Back to Sarah’s question, “Who’s Eddie Van Halen?”
I made her a deal right then. I’d get her those red Converse if she learned who the band members were and the instruments they played. She also had to learn who the lead singers were with their nicknames.
Before eagle-eyed fans of VH correct me, I know there were three lead singers. Gary Cherone took over the singing duties for a single album. However, Sarah and I ignored him and his contribution to Van Halen as did most of America.
I gave her Van Halen’s “Best of Volume 1” CD and told her to listen to it, then tell me which was her favorite song.
Sarah shook on it like she’d just closed a major transaction with a real sucker. Then she hurried to her room to do some research and listen to an amazing collection.
Fast forward a couple of weeks. Sarah passed her Van Halen test with flying colors.
“Let’s go the mall,” I said.
At the time, John was the manager of Spokane Valley Mall. John’s a bit older than me so his musical tastes lean toward bands like Grand Funk Railroad, Bachman-Turner Overdrive, etc. He’d heard of Van Halen, of course, since they burst on the scene in 1978.
Sarah and I went to John’s office to show what she learned.
“Who are the members of Van Halen,” I asked proudly, “and what instruments do they play?”
She rattled off the bandmates. “Eddie Van Halen plays the guitar, Alex Van Halen plays the drums, Michael Anthony plays the bass, and David Lee Roth is the singer.”
“What’s David’s nickname?”
Sarah pointed at John and proudly said, “Diamond Dave.”
Her confidence was amazing and incredibly cute.
“Who also sang with the band?” I asked.
“Sammy Hagar. He’s the Red Rocker.” She hammed it up by wiggling her hips. I don’t remember Sammy shaking that way, but it was clear that Sarah felt those new Converse were only moments away.
“What’s your favorite song?” I asked.
“‘Jump’” she said. “I love it!”
John laughed and was super impressed by her enthusiasm. He even clapped.
“Let’s get you those Converse,” I said and we took off for the shoe store.
Sarah picked out a pair of red Converse and was so darn happy. She wore those bad boys around proudly for a couple of months until she realized there was a problem. She was growing as little girls do and her toes were soon hitting the end of one shoe but not the other.
We checked her shoes and discovered they were a half-size different.
Bad parenting #3.
* Full disclosure. I’ve never actually found a picture of Eddie in red Converse shoes. Maybe he did. Maybe he wore them. I swear I thought Eddie rocked them. Still a great memory, though. 😊
This post originally appeared as a VIP Newsletter.
If you’d like to read another bad parenting moment related to my love of 80s rock, check out my blog post: Songs You Can No Longer Sing.