“Pusherman” by Curtis Mayfield
I could list a multitude of great songs that remind me of my dad, but this one stands out the most. It’s so good! As a child growing up in northern Minnesota, this was the funkiest thing I had ever heard, and it stands the test of time. Even though I was little, I knew not to sing along to the entire song, some lyrics are not for little white girls to repeat!
5songpjct: You introduced me to a lot of music and there are songs that remind me of you like most of the songs on the 3 Feet High and Rising album and Depeche Mode’s Violator. Who was/were your music sherpas growing up?
Christine: Oh, such great albums! My brother was 4 years older than me, and in high school, he was a DJ. He exposed me to so much music, almost always before other people had heard them. I am totally forgetting his name, but the guy who owned the CD shop in the mall in Grand Rapids-he was also great. My friend Kris was also an influence, she exposed me to the world of Siouxsie and the Banshees and other bands that blew my mind. My dad also had limited, but great taste in music, which exposed me to more classic greats like the Rolling Stones, James Brown and Aretha Franklin. It was such a different time in the 80’s and early 90’s, especially growing up in a small town. We had extremely limited access to music, yet were so hungry for it. We searched out people and music to fill this need. I think it’s easy for people to think this was somehow sad, but this isolation from the “bigger world” is one of the reasons I became friends with interesting people like you!
NEXT UP...my brain hurts