Conversations from the Carpool

I mentioned last week that Calypso is now attending a charter school which doesn't provide transportation, thus necessitating carpools with several other students. We seem to have found a schedule that works reasonably well, ungodly hours notwithstanding. It is interesting to note the differences between the morning and afternoon runs as well as the personalities involved.

In our little group we have* Calypso, 3 other girls, and a boy. There is Barbie, who is chatty, cute, and generally upbeat. There is Eva, who has a pierced lip and has had 3 different hair colors just since the start of school, but who is also generally easy going. There is Pris, who seems to find little in life meets her exacting standard. Finally we have Davey, who is the youngest of the group, the only boy, and who cracks me up every single day with his comments.

The first time Davey cracked me up was when Pris complained loudly about breaking her nail on the uncooperative seat belt buckle. After she disembarked to meet her mother, Davey sniffed, "Well, she expects to be a professional dancer, but dancers aren't supposed to have long nails, and CERTAINLY not acrylics like THOSE!" Davey and I have also had a rather extensive discussion about our opinions of local pizza places. The kid has earned my respect in this regard. He's the only other person I've ever found who agrees with me about the relative inedibility of the pizza from a particularly revered local establishment (Seriously, how can anyone with any taste at all rave over soggy crust and a scant amount of thin, flavorless sauce?).

It's a long drive, particularly in the afternoon when traffic begins to get heavy and aggressive. I plug my iPod into the car's stereo to make the drive more endurable. Calypso often rides shotgun but one day Eva jumped in the front seat. I beamed, "Congratulations! You win control of the iPod!" She was quite delighted and Gracie the Bondo Queen Minivan throbbed to Evanescence for the 40 minute drive. Pris complained. Next time I reminded the kids that shotgun controls the iPod and told her she could have her chance. She looked at me with thinly veiled disgust. Surely no middle aged carpool driving mother could possibly have anything she enjoyed (Yeah, ok I only have in excess of 1600 tunes on my iPod covering virtually every major musical genre there is as well as spanning the last half of the 20th century and into the current one, even further back if you want to add the classical composers.). Davey, however, was chomping at the bit for his turn and eagerly took the passenger side.

Eva took us through Evanescence, MercyMe, and Pink.

Calypso had us listen to Elvis, Christina Aguilera, Bryan Adams, Charlotte Sometimes, Coldplay, Fleetwood Mac, Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova, Kansas, and Nickelback. When she complained about how many Prince tunes I have Barbie chimed in and defended such selections stating her love of Prince.

Davey cued up Howie Day, Jack Johnson, Jason Mraz, Mika, Natasha Bedingfield, The Ting Tings, and Vitamin C. He also managed to get the entire carpool, except Pris, chair dancing to (ok, this is where I wait for the rest of you to pelt me with rotten fruit) the Monkees. Eva, in particular seemed to enjoy that. Pris was more and more annoyed by the iPod antics of her fellow passengers and driver until....Davey stopped on Lisa Loeb. Pris' indifference and ennui melted away when she sighed, "Oh! I love this song!"

I just smiled.

Ok, so obviously their choices are highlighting my selections of more recent music but I do have a bunch of other stuff. Whaddya have?

Adie Gray
Alanis Morissette
Alfredo Coca
Alien Fashion Show
Allen Sherman
AMOCO Renegades
Amos Lee
Andy Toomey
Anna Nalick
Annie Lennox
Antonio Perez
The APM Orchestra
The Arrogant Worms
B-52s
Baha Men
Barenaked Ladies
Ben Harper
Beth Orton
Betsey in the Gene Pool
Bill Morrissey
Billy Joel
Black Eyed Peas
Blood, Sweat, and Tears
Blue Man Group
The Brian Setzer Orchestra
Bryan Adams
Caedmon's Call
Cake
Carlos Montoya
Charlie Daniels
Charlotte Sometimes
Chill Pill Dancers
Christina Aguilera
Clannad
The Click five
Code of Ethics
Coldplay
Dan Fogelberg
David Gray
David Rudder
dc Talk
Dire Straits
Dork Side of the Tune
Dr. Demento
Duffy
The Eagles
Echobelly
Elvis Presley
Eric Clapton
Evanescence
Fernando Torrico
A Fine Frenzy
The Firm
The Five Satins
Fleetwood Mac
Frank Zappa
The Frantics
Geggy Tah
Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova
Gloria Estefan
Grammatrain
Gretchen Wilson
Griffin House
Hank, Stu, Dave & Hank
Harry Connick, Jr.
Howie Day
Huey Lewis
Indigo Swing
Ingrid Michaelson
Interference
Jack Johnson
James
Jason Mraz
John Mayer
Jorge Laura
Josh Turner
Kansas
Keith Urban
Kingston Trio
Ladysmith Black Mambazo
Larry Norman
Lee Presson and the Nails
Leona Lewis
Lisa Loeb
Liz Phair
Lou Nathanson
Louis Prima
Lynyrd Skynyrd
Madverb
the Mamas & the Papas
Marc Anthony
Maroon 5
Michael Buble
Michale Card
Mighty Blue Kings
The Mighty Mighty Bosstones
Mika
The Monkees
Monte Montgomery
Monty Python
Moonpetals and Caterpillars
Napoleon XIV
Natasha Bedingfield
New Order
Nick Drake
Norah Jones
Ogden Edsl
Ottmar Liebert
OutKast
Pink
Paul Simon
Pearl Jam
Peter, Paul & Mary
Phase Two Pan Groove
The Police
Porno for Pyros
Prince
Queen
Randy Stonehill
Ray Charles
Red Meat
The Rentals
Rich Mullins
Royal Crown Revue
Sade
Santana
Seal
Serene & Pearl
The Shady Grove Band
Shel silverstein
Sheryl Crow
Simon & Garfunkel
Simply Weasels
Sixpence None the Richer
Solo Harmonites
Sondre Lerche
Speak Easy SPies
Steppenwolf
Steven Curtis Chapman
The Stranglers
Success Allstars
The Sundays
The Surfaris
The Swing Tips
TCL SKifflebunch
Third Day
Tim McGraw
The Ting Tings
Tom Lehrer
Tori Amos
Trace Adkins
Tracy Chapman
Van Halen
The Vestibules
Vitamin C
Warren Zevon
Weatherheads
Weezer
Weird Al Yankovic
Will Smith
Wire
ZZ Top


There's more on CD that I haven't gotten around to putting on the iPod and there's a TON more I want to buy, both old and new, but it seems to me you ought to find something there to catch your fancy. Feel free to make some suggestions to me as well.

*Names changed to protect the adolescents.