[music]

Brian Lehrer: Brian Lehrer on WNYC, and for our last 15 minutes today, after last night's Grammy Awards, never mind the Oscar Awards, we just barely got through the Grammy Awards one night ago and I thought they were really good. I generally like the Grammys the best of all the awards show just because there's so much music. One of the reasons for me is that I get to see performances by a lot of artists who I may not be following if I'm not keeping up with all the current releases in every genre. I really like watching the Grammys, and I thought they did a very good job last night.

Here's the particular question we're going to ask, because there were so much intergenerational music. Maybe you're a SZA fan, or maybe you're a Stevie Wonder or a Joni Mitchell fan and you see all these different musicians from different generations. Here's the question for this call-in, have you ever turned your parents on to any kind of music, any particular artist, or any particular genre? Have you ever turned your parents? If you are in your 20s or 30s now, let's say, to talk about relatively contemporary music, if you are in your 20s or 30s, what music did you turn your parents on to recently? It could have been last week, or it could have been 15, 20 years ago.

If you're in your 20s or 30s, what music did you ever turn your parents on to recently or ever? Got it? 212-433-WNYC, 212-433-9692. Or if you are the parents and you currently have kids who are, let's say anywhere under 40, and they could be an 8-year-old who got into some kind of music and then turned you onto it, or anybody up to 40, if your children in anywhere up to 39, 40 years old have ever turned you onto music, what was it? Tell us your story of turning your parents onto something that maybe made you think, "Really? My dad is listening to that now, or he liked it? I can't believe it. He likes dad music. I didn't think he'd like that." Tell us your story. 212-433-WNYC, 212-433-9692.

At the Grammys, Tracy Chapman sang Fast Car, that wonderful old song with Luke Combs, whose cover of that song was a huge hit just last year. Joni Mitchell performed at age 80 with a band of young folks and was introduced by her mentee, Brandi Carlile. Stevie Wonder, baby boomer performed a tribute to the late Tony Bennett, though the so-called silent generation. That's a different one generation up. Then of course there were Taylor Swift, SZA, Billy Eilish, Olivia Rodrigo, and so on.

Who have you turned your parents on to? If you're anything under 40 or if you're the parent of somebody like that, what have they turned you on to? Always the parents are, "I want to bring my kids along with my music. Here's what I love." That's great, but what about when it's the kids turning the parents onto music? Tell us your stories. 212-433-WNYC, 212-433-9692, and we'll take your calls right after this.

Brian Lehrer on WNYC. It happened with me. My kid turned me on to EDM, electronic dance music, a few years ago. A little Skrillex bringing us in instead of The Brian Lehrer Show theme, just to make the point. How about you? After watching the so multi-generational Grammys last night got us thinking about this question, if you are the parent of anyone under 40, or if you are that person under 40, what have you as the parent been turned onto, or what have you turned your parents onto musically speaking?

Beth on the Lower East Side, you're on WNYC. Beth, you hear me?

Beth: I can hear you, Brian. Thank you. I was telling your screener, I'm the parent, my daughter who was in grade school when Lady Gaga hit the scene. I was so appalled because I thought she was such a bad example for my little girl. She was like, "Mom, you've got to watch this." Then we were actually watching the Grammys when Lady Gaga came out in that egg, and the egg opened up and she did this, she performed Born This Way and I was blown away. I couldn't believe we were watching it. I became a bigger fan than my daughter, Alice, and ended up seeing Lady Gaga in Square Garden without my daughter.

Brian Lehrer: Wow.

Beth: I'm a big Lady Gaga fan.

Brian Lehrer: Awesome.

Beth: I was aware that she was not on the scene last night, but anyway, that's my story.

Brian Lehrer: Oh, yes, that's interesting. She wasn't at the Grammys last night. I don't know what her latest record would've been from last year, or if she released anything last year to be nominated, but great story.

Here's Cal in Jackson Heights. You're on WNYC. Hi, Cal.

Cal: Oh my gosh, Brian, longtime listener, first-time caller. I think you are incredible. Thank you so much for taking my call.

Brian Lehrer: Oh, thank you.

Cal: I wanted to share a quick story. I'm 32, my little sister, Jack, is 28, and we've been Taylor Swift fans forever since her debut album. My grandmother is now 92, and she's come along for the ride with us. Whether it means she's releasing a new album and my sister and I go and sit in her tiny apartment and tell her about all the secret Easter eggs or what the lyrics might mean, or if nanny's cutting out clips from Newsday articles to share with my sister and I about Taylor Swift. My nanny is of inspiration. She's a wonderful grandmother. We have a great relationship, but Taylor Swift's music has been something else that we've been able to bond over just her life and her choices. Taylor is a feminist icon equally as powerful as my grandmother. That's what I wanted to share.

Brian Lehrer: I didn't even think to say who you turned your grandparents onto musically as opposed to parents. That is such an awesome story, and I bet there's actually a lot of stories out there because I think there's probably, maybe than any other single artist right now, more people where the younger folks are turning their parents on to Taylor Swift in particular, probably than any other artist last few years.

Cal: Yes, and then she's a culture and I'm a big fan. Thank you so much, Brian, for taking my call.

Brian Lehrer: Thank you, Cal, for making it. Savannah in Flatbush. You're on WNYC. Hello, Savannah.

Savannah: Hi. Longtime listener. I love the show. Thank you so much, Brian, for taking my call. I just wanted to share that in high school, it would've been Sufjan Stevens that I turned my parents onto because I was a big Sufjan Stevens fan, and Feist. Then more recently, my parents, especially my dad, he's really into SZA, and Childish Gambino, and Chance The Rapper. It's been really cool to reverse the situation because my parents introduced me to James Taylor, and Stevie Wonder, and Michael Jackson, and Joni Mitchell as a young person. Now on the flip side of it, being able to share with them some music I'm really passionate about now as well has been just really special.

Brian Lehrer: That is so cool.

Savannah: That's all I got.

Brian Lehrer: Did you happen to watch the Grammys last night?

Savannah: I did. I didn't watch the whole thing, but I was able to catch the later half of it. It was really amazing to see Joni Mitchell in particular. I was able to see her this summer at the Gorge in Washington state, but just being able to witness her again and see how everyone in the audience was able to experience her too was just beyond special. She's such a gift.

Brian Lehrer: If you didn't see the beginning, go back if you can find it online and watch SZA's performance, which I thought was one of the highlights with the fire and the swords and the whole thing.

Savannah: Oh my gosh, I've got to watch it right now. Thank you.

Brian Lehrer: Thank you, Savannah.

Carol in Westfield, you're on WNYC. Hi, Carol.

Carol: Hi, Brian. Longtime listener. Love your show.

Brian Lehrer: Thank you.

Carol: My kids have turned me onto the band, Lawrence. They just opened for the Jonas Brothers recently and they're going out on tour by themselves, and they are fabulous. The lead singer has a voice like you've never heard.

Brian Lehrer: Very good, and I am completely unfamiliar. Lawrence.

Carol: Take a listen.

Brian Lehrer: I will take a listen after the show.

Yvette in Stanford, you're on WNYC. Hi, Yvette.

Yvette: Hi. Thank you for having me.

Brian Lehrer: Sure. You have a 19-year-old, I see, who turned you on something.

Yvette: Yes, a bunch of bands, Backseat Lovers, AJR, Peach Pit, Billie Eilish, and although Eminem is probably from in between his time and my time, Eminem as well.

Brian Lehrer: Any particular song you would single out from any one of those artists?

Yvette: Yes, I really like Pool House from Back Seat Lovers' album, Maple Syrup.

Brian Lehrer: There you go. Yvette, thank you very much.

David in Park Slope, I think has a story gone generationally both ways. Is that right? Hi, David, you're on WNYC.

David: Yes. Hi. Thank you, Brian. I was watching last night with my 17-year-old daughter and I'm in my 70s. When Joni Mitchell came on, she didn't know who Joni Mitchell was. We talked about it a little bit, and we played her both sides now from the original when her voice was young and high and everything. Later on, I looked up Hissing of Summer Lawns, one of arguably her greatest album. It pointed out, it's so much like Billie Eilish. Listen to that, and listen to Billie Eilish sing. Everything old is new. When I was growing up in the '60s and '70s, I never wore T-shirts of Benny Goodman.

Brian Lehrer: [chuckles] [unintelligible 00:11:05]

David: The kids wear Beatles and Stones and Doors and all that, and it's great. My daughter has also turned me on. I listen to some Taylor Swift. She loves Maude Latour. If you don't know Maude Latour, she's a fabulous young singer.

Brian Lehrer: Thank you very much, David.

David: Great premise. Thanks.

Brian Lehrer: Thank you very much. Oh God, so many good text messages coming in. I'm just going to read one. "My name is Aja. I was named after the Steely Dan album of the same title. My parents are separated but still both love music, and it's been a way for me to connect to both of them in different ways over the years. I've turned them on to so, so much, and they've exposed me to all kinds of music crossing many genres. Recently, I got my dad into Brandi Carlile." That's where it's going to end.

Thank you for your wonderful calls. That's The Brain Lehrer Show for today produced by Mary Croke, Lisa Allison, Amina Srna, Carl Boisrond, and Esperanza Rosenbaum. Zach Gottehrer-Cohen produces our daily politics podcast. We had Milton Ruiz and Juliana Fonda at the audio controls. Stay tuned for Alison.

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