My daughter, 11, and I went to get pedicures the other day. It’s a little luxury that I splurge on in the summer when people actually see my feet.
The nail salon we go to is very nice–nothing scary or dirty, and the nail “stylists” are professional. (Is that what they are? What is their job title?! Technician? That sounds like someone who fixes TVs, not my cuticles.)
Anyway, the salon has several large TVs and was playing a classic VH1 channel from YouTube. When I think of classic VH1, I think of the Go Gos or Flock of Seagulls. Something very early 80s during the heyday of music videos.
But this “classic” station was firmly stuck in the late 80s to early 90s. I mean, they played Michael Bolton and then this Michael McDonald/Patti LaBelle video that I forget even existed (“On my own“). Don’t watch it. There are mullets and shoulder pads galore.
But then they played a Whitney Houston video.
“Do you know who that is?” I asked my daughter.
She nodded no.
“It’s Whitney Houston.”
“She’s dead,” the nail stylist chimed in.
Next up, was Prince.
“Do you know who that is?” I asked my daughter again.
“Michael Jackson?” she replied.
“Good guess. It’s Prince.”
“He’s dead,” the nail stylist chimed in.
The next video to play was George Michael.
And you know where this is going.
“He’s dead,” the nail stylist chimed in.
And to round out the quartet of dead artists from the classic VH1 era, we watched a Michael Jackson video.
“He’s dead,” the nail stylist, me and my daughter chimed in together.
So it was an educational and fun outing to the nail salon. But I hope they play something else next time.
And then the nail stylist and I agreed that while we may not have become famous and rich musicians in the 80s, at least we weren’t dead.
Perhaps they’ll play selections of Elvis … oops … Aretha Franklin … oh dear … Glen Campbell … dang. Most unfortunate. At our salon they plan CNN. At another they play Rom Coms. I like the latter. However, they don’t tend to scrub as hard on my heels at the Rom Com place. Maybe they need real news to get them all fired up.
You’ve reminded me of the first time I took my daughter for a pedi. The stylist/technician chopped at her calf when she needed her to put her foot back in the water. No verbal cues whatsoever. No music or movies either. We never went back.
I would not go back there either! Geesh. It’s amazing your daughter got over it and hopefully still gets her toes done?
I enjoy a good Rom Com channel. That would be nice. Earlier this summer it was the Carrie Underwood channel and while I don’t personally have anything against her music, her genre isn’t my preferred genre.
Katy recently posted…Of Pedicures, the 80s, and Midlife
I would have LOVED this channel!!!!!!! sounds like you watched (and listened to) all of my faves!!!!!!
Tanya recently posted…Keep The Fire Burning: Four effective steps to encourage kids to read (Guest Post)
I do love the 80s too! And some 90s! Bryan Adams is my absolute fave. Thankfully, he’s still alive and singing. š
My daughter recently asked me “I can’t remember, were you born in 1982 or 1892?” But hey, at least I’m not dead.
And being not dead is way better than being old in the eyes of a child. š
All dead. Not just the 90’s stars I think. Maybe they should play some 60’s or 70’s music next time, because I bet some of those artists have passed as well.
The time before they were playing 90’s country–Reba, Faith Hill, etc. Fingers crossed for those stars!
My son doesn’t know Prince and I’ve cringed anytime that question “Who’s that?” came up regarding Prince. At least he knows Michael Jackson but I’m pretty sure he couldn’t name Whitney Houston either. š I so wanted my child to love my music and much as I loved my daddy’s music but there is a bigger age gap between me and son than me and my dad. Oh well.
Kenya G. Johnson recently posted…Budgeting for Popcorn
LOL. I love that the nail stylist responded each time.
Each one of those artists was brilliant in their day. Such a shame, really.
That stylist was funny! And he gave an amazing foot massage. š
Katy recently posted…Of Pedicures, the 80s, and Midlife
That was hilarious! We used to frequent a Vietnamese pho shop that always had music videos playing from the early 80ās by mostly dead artists. I guess longevity is not typical of the 70s or 80s pop icon. I need to get my own 11-year old in for a pedicure sometime….it sounds like a great way to spend the afternoon!
The greats are all passing and I’m not ready for that. When I see a person’s name trending I clutch my imaginary pearls before I read why. I guess this is one of those symptoms of getting…. older. ::le sigh::
Dead. Dead. Dead one. Goner. too funny.
I love the music of the 80’s something my kids enjoy also, due to growing up with my choice of radio channels, it makes me laugh when I sing along to modern stuff that’s a remix of songs i used to hear my parent splay