colin in charge

I love it when Colin is in charge of what we're listening to. Early in the morning, as we rush out the door for the school run, he remembers to grab the ipod. For the duration of the journey to school, we are treated to Colin's mix.

Some days, though, the whole thing can be quite jarring. Colin, who has recently become a huge fan of Bob Marley, will flip back and forth between Mr Marley and Blindside. Talk about culture shock! I go from the complete mellowness, (my blood all warm and tropical and my mind all dreamy,) of the Marley tunes to the gritty, urban cement of Blindside. Now I don't actually mind Blindside, but not when my head is in Jamaica.

But recently, Colin has chosen more co-ordinated mixes. And more and more, an old friend is getting play time. The Larry Norman tapes we own are now about 25 years old. We played them in Byron's room in the boarding house in San Francisco where we studied during our engagement. We played them in our tiny first apartment and in that dreadful faded orange Subaru we drove in those days. We played them as we bounced over the rough non-roads of East Africa with three little boys packed into our truck with us. And now Colin is playing them again.

The other day, as Larry crooned his (often ornary and frequently funny) lyrics to us while we cruised the streets of Lisbon, Colin piped up.

"Man! When I was little, this guy was my favorite artist. Now that I listen to him again, I know why. This guy is awesome!"

Larry Norman! I adored the album my sister brought home from a Norman concert in London in the early seventies and now, 32 years later, my kids are loving it too. A man for all seasons... What a guy!