A long time ago I met a music journalist who was interviewing rockstars with their kids.
But it wasn’t the typical, ‘what’s it like to have a superstar as a parent’ stuff, it was ‘what’s cringe about having a superstar parent’.
And it was brilliant.
I particularly liked hearing the kids of Heavy Metal superstars talk about how seeing their Dad on stage was ridiculous.
But what made it better was the reaction of the parents.
Because rather than distain or disgust, the overwhelming emotion was pride.
Pride for their kid speaking their mind.
Pride for their kid keeping them grounded.
Pride for their kid seeing them as a parent – not a Rock Star.
Pride for their kid, being their kid.
It was absolutely heartwarming … which is why I love this clip of Pink Floyd guitarist/singer, Dave Gilmour, turning up unannounced at his daughter’s – Romany – gig in a pub in Brighton.
And while you could think he is stealing the spotlight from her – especially when she sees him and says, “So you’ve decided to come and upstage me?” – you realise that’s not the case at all and Romany knows that too.
It’s a Dad, proud of his daughter.
It’s a Dad, supporting his daughter.
It’s a Dad, appreciating his fame may shine a slightly brighter light on his daughters talent.
But most of all, it’s a Dad wanting to experience the joy of playing a song with his daughter.
And it’s all kinds of wonderful.
Wonderful because you see the utterly typical family dynamic that flows naturally and seamlessly between them from the moment he enters the pub.
Wonderful because the pub in question is a ‘ramshackle boozer’, which both reflects Romany’s desire to earn her music chops rather than expect it because of her Dad as well as her Dad’s attitude that he doesn’t care where she’s playing because he’s insanely proud of who she is and what she does.
Wonderful because of the loving glances they share through the song … a song, you presume, they have played in private over many years. A piece of indelible glue that connects them in ways only they will ever understand.
Wonderful because of the hug and kiss they share at the end … not caring for one moment they’re in front of a room of strangers and that parent/child displays of affection aren’t very rock and roll.
But what I love most is David only played one song that night before buying the entire pub a drink and then leaving his daughter to shine on her own. To play her music to an audience even more enamored with her talent and leaving them with a performance they will remember forever, regardless of the time or other performances they witness.
At a time where there is so much performative displays of toxic strength, confidence and arrogance in the World … the real badasses are the ones who show the love they have for the people who matter most without limits, boundaries of ‘corporate filters’.
In one ways its a moment of utter mundanity.
In others, it’s an act of human wonderfulness.
Which serves as a reminder that while fame can impress others, the people who really matter only see – and value – who you really are.