| 512-Go!» | Austin City Limits Music Festival 2007 |
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Daddy A Go Go is John Boydston, who lives in Atlanta and is more or less an ordinary, stay-at-home dad. What, Dad, you haven’t released five children’s albums and roped a gig at ACL Fest? Better get on it – you’re not getting any younger. We talked to John about family, Sooners, and why he won’t take his kids to see the Smashing Pumpkins.
That Other Paper Tell us a little about what we (and our kids) can expect from Daddy A Go Go live this year.
John Boydston The new Daddy A Go Go band plays the kind of rock and roll you would not be surprised to hear walking past the typical Austin bar. And if we’re “on,” hopefully we’ll sound like one of those tight little bar bands that makes you stop and turn into the bar and listen for a while even though you’re supposed to meet someone and are already running late. But for kids.
We’ll be playing mainly songs from all five Daddy A Go Go CDs – as many songs as we can squeeze into a short set. I say “new” band because until this year Daddy A Go Go – i.e. me – never had a band to play live with. I play most everything myself on the CDs, but when the SXSW gig opened up earlier in the year, I put a band together consisting of my two sons, Max, 12, on lead guitar and Jake, 15, on bass, and a couple of their musically talented friends who are inclined to rock. It was a good decision. I rehearsed them pretty hard – I feel like a coach who actually gets to play with the team. What they lack in stage experience they more than make up for in enthusiasm and energy.
TOP Some of your lyrics seem to have clear messages or lessons in them, but others are more fun and silly. What do you hope for kids to ultimately take out of your music?
JB I don’t set out to write songs with clear messages – more often than not I start off on a silly vein. But I know sometimes they come out that way. I think unlike a lot of folks in this kids’ music biz, I tend to write from a first-hand parental perspective. And because I happen to be a stay-at-home dad, it’s from a hands-on dad perspective. For example, the song “Of Mice and Mensch” I wrote with my oldest son in mind. I’d written a lot of songs based on my youngest son Max, who is the scamp. But one day I thought, “How come nobody writes songs for the kids who don’t go around getting into trouble all the time?” My wife and I have a good time around our kids: We laugh a lot, we joke around, we watch shows together, go to movies together, and now we rock a lot together. What in the heck more could a guy ask for in life?
I’ve been a stay-at-home dad since 1993 when I left the TV news biz. I’ve been the primary parents for two boys ever since, so I have a lot of draw on for song subject matter. And as the family changes, the kids get older, the songs have changed too to reflect that. I never get too serious in subject matter, but I can get sentimental sometimes in songs. I usually try and hide that by making the song rock that much harder, or express it in humor. Usually both.
TOP Right. A lot of your songs have references that a kid wouldn’t get offhand, like Pink Floyd, The Ramones, Crosby and Nash, etc. Is that for your kids as they get older, or do you want parents to take something from the show, too?
JB Good question. When I started doing this, rock was just about dead. In 1998, boy bands, girl bands, and overproduced album pop ruled. When I started doing this, I said I was not going to make my songs sound like kids’ songs – they were gonna rock. And that’s still the case. Maybe I thought I was on a mission, I don’t know. If the first place a kid hears about any of those rock icons is in one of my songs, fantastic. And if the first place they hear a good guitar riff on a solid 4/4 beat, or hear a 12-string guitar, or hear a wah-wah peddle, like on my cover on Scooby Doo, then let the rock and roll education begin. And good catch by the way on Crosby and Nash – I assume you’re referring to “Come On and Let Me In, Irritation Man”? You’re the first to place that, I believe.
Also, some of those references sound good in the lyrics so they work in a song, and it’s a knowing nod for the parents, who can explain to their kids what reference was about… at least if the kids are a little older. Now obviously rock has made a comeback since 1998, but it was looking dark back then. Classic rock is huge now with kids under 10 even. I’ve got an aside/line on “Where in the World is Sasha Foo?” – “Where’s that confounded remote?” Some day a kid who heard that will hear it on the Zeppelin song it references. Not sure they’ll put it together, but I hope so. The Pink Floyd song idea came when I was on hold with a Salt Lake City DJ doing an interview – he said the big news there was a wayward flamingo hanging out at the lake that had been dubbed Pink Floyd by the locals. I made a mental note to turn that into a song.
TOP Since you’re a Sooner, how do you feel about playing a festival in the heart of Austin? Got any pranks up your sleeve for the UT crowd?
JB No pranks for the hometown crowd. I’m a proud Sooner for sure, and I love it when we beat Texas, but Austin is sacred ground in my book, and I’m just very happy to be playing there. It’s a unique musical and cultural mecca, and I love it. I won’t even wear my OU hat. I have to think about my kids’ safety to boot. And Georgia’s pretty much my home now anyway. Been here since I came here 22 years ago to work at CNN.
TOP Are there any acts you’re excited about seeing at ACL? Tell us a little about where you’ll be hanging out at the festival.
JB My kids had a blast at SXSW. I took them to hear Pete Townshend, Kings of Leon, and Iggy Pop, and they loved them. They took me to hear Moe and the Buzzcocks and Bowling for Soup. At ACL my kids want to catch all the big names: The White Stripes, Arctic Monkeys, Kaiser Chiefs, Paolo Nutini, The Killers, etc. I’ll be happy to hear Raul Malo, Steve Earle & the Sippy Cups. I’d love to hear Yo La Tengo, Wilco, and Ziggy Marley but we’re leaving Sunday afternoon. I try and reward my kids’ good taste. When they want to go hear the Kings of Leon or The Raconteurs or the Arctic Monkeys here in Atlanta, I take them. Smashing Pumpkins not so much.
TOP So why should we come see you at ACL?
JB I don’t do toddler music. Doesn’t mean toddlers won’t like it, but I honestly try and shoot for the kids (and their parents) who have moved past Barney and Raffi and are ready for something a bit more substantial, musically and lyrically, probably starting at age four and up. We rock. The songs are fun. Our songs are kid and family friendly and specific without a doubt, but we rock. Four of five of my CDs have made Amazon.com’s Top 10 Best Kids CDs of the year lists. I’ve won two Parents’ Choice Awards. But just know we rock. Hope to see you Friday afternoon in Austin.
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