The music conversation with my daughter that broke my heart a little
I recently had the strangest conversation with my 14-year-old. We had just finished watching 10 Things I Hate About You, as part of a private campaign I have launched to help steer the two of us through the choppy waters of being a 14-year-old girl.
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Yes, in an act of supreme selflessness, I've been pulling up all kinds of old movies for us to watch together, and, notwithstanding the above-mentioned selflessness, I haven't minded it one bit. The '90s, after all, are my time - my coming of age, my era of selfhood.
This relic, 10 Things I Hate About You, was made right at the end of the 90s and starred a very young - and just about to become huge - Heath Ledger. A modern interpretation of Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew, it's a fun, middling, predictable and thoroughly enjoyable romp that quickly had my teenager searching frantically online for baggy cargo pants, camouflage-print tank tops and platform thongs. I egged her on, delighted that she found my era so engaging, at least on screen.
Then she started searching our online music streaming account for the movie's soundtrack, and we found ourselves having the aforementioned conversation. Kat, the film's main character played by Julia Stiles, loves music, and Patrick (Heath Ledger) rifles through her CD collection behind her back as a way to her heart. There's also a scene in a club where Kat is vibing to her favourite band, who are playing live. She's right up the front, and there's a crowd, and everyone is cheering.
My daughter wanted to know more about this - this idea of standing in front of people playing live music. She has never........
