Completely Out of the Loop

As I have mentioned before on this blog I am the only child of older parents. While my contemporary’s parents were having children in their twenties, my father was pushing forty at the time of my birth. Because of this I have always seemed to have a slightly more mature or adult view of the world around me. My parents did not cater to my youth, not in their manner of speaking to me, teaching me, or maintaining the household. If you were to have visited my parents during the years of my childhood it would have been unlikely that, barring my wandering through your line of sight, you would have even been aware that they had a child. Once I had outgrown infancy and no longer need constant monitoring all my possessions were relocated permanently to my bedroom, the only exception to this rule was that my book bag and school books were allowed to be placed neatly on a chair in an unused corner of the living room during the school year.

My former roommate, the H.O.P.S.F., commented that she always found it amusing that I wear headphones while listening to my stereo. The reason for this is simple to explain. Once I was allowed to have a radio in my bedroom (at age 16) my music selections were not to disturb the rest of the household. I could listen to what ever music I chose (a freedom not granted to me until I reached the age of 16) provided that no one else in the house was able to hear it because that would have been intolerably rude. Thus, the headphones. I maintain this practice in an effort to be both courteous and polite to those who live around me. After all, my taste in music might not echo theirs.

Now, I’m not faulting my parents in any way for the way in which I was raised. I consider myself a very well rounded individual who is both honest and open minded. When compared to my immediate contemporaries (i.e. the other kids who grew up with me in the neighborhood) it appears that my parents did a damn fine job. However, there were draw backs.

Now, I explained all of that in order to tell you this.

The New Kids on the Block are reuniting.

I have few memories from my days as an elementary school student about this particular boy band, due in large part to the fact that my parents did not allow me to listen to ‘contemporary’ music while I was a child. The music I listened to while growing up depended upon which parent I was riding with – Dad was all oldies, and Mom was all country. The only time I heard groups like the New Kids were on those rare occasions that I was invited to a sleepover at a friend’s house. They would pop a tape (yes, a tape) into their stereo and gather around the speakers (all while wearing their New Kids night gowns, clutching New Kids fashion dolls, and swinging pillows with New Kids pillowcases on them at each other) and squeal and sing and jump up and down. I (who was sans band paraphernalia) would stand in the back corner of the room and observe. I didn’t know who they were squealing about. I couldn’t sing along to songs I had never heard before and I certain wouldn’t be jumping up and down for no good reason. It was, in fact, a phenomenon which baffled and confused me.

Perhaps this is the reason that an individual’s total devotion to one particular band is still something that I simply cannot fully understand. Robert is quite the Eric Clapton fan (he’s waxed eloquent about it on his blog), my friend Amanda is a devout U2 fan and has even traveled outside of the country to see them perform. They both own every album released by their favorite artist and can expound at length upon how their music is not only valuable, but also life changing and (in the case of U2) will single handedly save the world! What is it that sparks such devotion? Is there something that I’m lacking genetically which makes me unable to cling so religiously to a single artist or group? Is this phenomenon a product of nature or nurture? Would it have helped if my parents possessed this trait? I just don’t get it!

What I do know is that The New Kids on the Block (and really, since the youngest member is now 35 can they still even be considered ‘kids’?) have an almost cult-like following which has been waiting for this reunion to take place for years. There is a crew member of the morning radio show I listen to who is such a ‘super fan’ that her co-workers arranged for her to fly out to California last night so that she could meet the members of the group this morning at their rehearsal studio and to say that she was beside herself with excitement would be putting it mildly.

A news website I frequent had an article written by a fan that was ecstatic that the long dormant NKOTB website (see link above) has not only been reactivated but has also been updated to include new pictures and information about the impending tour. Apparently the ‘boys’ will need to brace themselves for a tidal wave of reawakened teen longing in their legions of former ‘future Mrs. (insert the name of your favorite member here)’ fans. And I’m 100% certain that at least a few of those girls I grew up with (especially the ones who were devoted until the group broke up) will be doing whatever they can to get tickets for a reunion performance…and probably paying through the nose for them too.

And I just don’t get it.