My Daddy Dances

My dad's birthday was yesterday, and I've been meaning to write this post for a couple years now, but just haven't gotten around to it. I wrote a post for my mom a few years back, and knew I wanted to write one to my dad as well, but I really struggled in trying to find the best way to capture the feelings I have toward my father and the most appropriate homage to him.

I was introduced to this music video not shortly after that time, and I immediately knew the format I wanted to take.

This music video brings me to tears every time I watch it. Seriously. There is something represented here that resonates with a very particular piece of my heart. Initially, I don't think I saw anything here other than the unique dancing, but in looking up the translation of the lyrics, I've found multiple sources that delve into the meaning behind the song. It's been said that the lyrics and depiction behind the music video are representative of Stromae's loss of his father in the Rwandan Genocide, but it's also mentioned that his father also left his family to start a second family elsewhere, making his physical loss less of a tragedy than the initial abandonment.

I don't pretend to know all the nuances behind the art of this song and music video, but its depiction is soulful and moving for me because of how it makes me think of the development of my relationship with my father, and what it has evolved into.

Anyone who knows both me and my dad can say that we are completely different people. I take a passion in music and arts, and have a particular talent for both. Sports are definitely not my forté (as evidenced by my using a musical term to describe how bad I am at them), and I tend to be more hesitant to leave my comfort zone, but rather love to engage in deep conversations with those I love. By contrast, my dad's not really a talker, loves sports, and is always reaching out to learn new things. Even in conversations we have with each other, we joke that I got all my mom's genes except for the ones that make me look like him. Even now, I can almost guarantee that when my dad watches this music video, he will wonder (maybe even aloud), "What on earth am I watching right now?"

Growing up, my dad and I didn't really get along. That's not to say we fought - we didn't. I'm not a fighter. But I think he was somewhat disappointed in the oldest son he got, and I felt misunderstood and disconnected sometimes. That's not to say he didn't love me (because he absolutely did and does), we were just so different he didn't quite know how to connect when his passions and interests were next to nothing for me. If you'd asked me then, I would probably have told you I felt exactly like the child in this video.

I won't go into all the details, since they're personal and unnecessary to this narrative, but in the last five to six years or so, there's been a distinct change in my relationship with my dad. That's not to say that suddenly we're much more similar than we were - but there's a bridge where there used to be a wall.

I watch this video, and firstly I see the child I was, frustrated I had a father that was there and provided the instruction to grow, but didn't connect with me on my level. However, I cry because of what I see now. I see a dad that asks me about my interests, and takes a genuine interest in what I'm passionate about even if he's not. I see a dad that listens to showtunes because they remind him of me. I see a dad that will talk with me for hours, even if that's not something he does with anyone else. I see a dad who will sometimes just listen. And because he's still my dad, I see a dad who still makes cheesy jokes that make me groan. I see a dad who sends me books like every other month about something that has helped him grow or something that he believes will help me grow with things that affect me specifically. Sometimes they help. Sometimes they don't. But they show he cares.

I would be proud to grow up to be the kind of man my dad is. Because even though he does it different than I do, my daddy dances. And he dances with me.

Memories of March Madness

As many of you know, participated in March Madness for the first time this year. Results below.

All the sportsing!

So it's apparent that my March Madness chart doesn't look quite like yours. Why? (Because mine is better, obviously). Starting this year, because I don't actually care about March Madness at all, but wanted to get in on the fun, and because I decided I wanted to expand my music tastes, I figured there wasn't a better way to do it that make it a competition, with an actual prize - an album of the winner's choice! And scheduling it out over the month of March, if I listened to an album a day, eliminating one at the end of each two day period, I could fit in 16 albums. Small price to pay for sixteen albums I hadn't ever heard before (as that was one of the requirements).

By popular request of competitors and viewers alike, I have included the complete list of teams, players, and team managers below. After that, I've compiled my own list of honorable mentions during the month, which you really ought to look at if you want an idea of what some of these albums contain. Plus also it helps me convince myself that I'm actually as witty and clever as I pretend I am. Finally, I've put in some thoughts for how to improve next year, since this was crazy fun and I'm SO doing it next year. If you have any additional thoughts for improvement, comment below!

Teams:

"Kintsugi" - Death Cab for Cutie: JD Borg

"Smoke and Mirrors" - Imagine Dragons: Jessica Brower

"Illumination" - Jennifer Thomas: Nathan Merrill

"Carrie and Lowell" - Sufjan Stevens: Steven Asay

"Black Sands" - Bonobo: Richard Hale

"Charleston Butterfly" - Parov Stelar: Julia Dressman

"Live at the Quick" - Bela Flek and the Flektones: Jack Barton

"Aberdeen" - Phil Henry: Laura Higgins

"Dear Wormwood" - The Oh Hellos: Mandy Jepsen

"Twin Forks" - Twin Forks: Logan Jones

"Multiply" - Ed Sheeran: Greg Dressman

"We Are the Strike" - The Str!ke: Thomas Williams

"The Answers" - Blue October: Kaden Peacock

"No Name Face" - Lifehouse: Amber Simmons

"Fallen" - Evanescence: Daniel Heninger

"Ummagumma" - Pink Floyd: David Dressman

Honorable Mentions:

"Most Creative Genre Description I Made Up Myself" - Charleston Butterfly: Parov Stelar ("Dirty 20's Big Band")

"Most Musically Educational Album" - Live at the Quick: Bela Fleck and the Flecktones (like seriously, I'm pretty sure I heard instruments and musical techniques I didn't even know existed)

"Most Culturally Sensitive Album" - Black Sands: Bonobo

"Props for Choosing an Album Spotify had Already Recommended to Me" - Twin Forks: Twin Forks

"Cover I got Most Excited For" - Aberdeen: Phil Henry (Cover: Birdhouse in Your Soul)

"Best Song Name" - Ummagumma: Pink Floyd ("Several Species of Small Furry Animals Gathered Together in a Cave and Grooving with a Pict" - surprisingly, I actually think this was my favorite in the album)

"Only Album I Cried In" - The Answers: Blue October

Finally, in looking back, there were a couple of things I'd like to change next year:

1. The way teams were entered into the tournament.

2. The way teams were paired up.

3. The way teams were judged.

The most obvious one is the fact that almost everything here was totally subjective based on only my opinions. I mean, I tried to look at things like versatility, depth and meaning of lyrics, "relatable-ness", creativity, etc., but that's all based just on my own perception. I've thought of including more of a panel in future years so it's not just me, but that's still subjective - just a wider range of subjective. Any thoughts? Or is there really a way to have it be judged that's not subjective and still enjoyable?

I paired up teams mostly by using the "related artists" feature on Spotify (or if no artists matched, I paired similar genres together), but I wish I had divided the four branches more into categories, so the second and third rounds matched just as well as the first rounds.

Finally, I've thought about creating a Google form of some kind next year, so that submissions can be anonymous until the end. As much as I didn't listen to the albums based on the people that chose them, it was impossible not to have that somewhere in the back of my mind. Any additional suggestions for how to submit teams? How to get the word out to a wider range of people? Any additional suggestions for how to make next year's March Madness better?

Bottom line is, though - I feel like it was a huge success. I had so much fun with it, and I hope you did, too. Also that's it. The end.