A lot of people have responded to this by saying, "wow, you had a cool dad!"
No, I did not. I had something better.
No, I did not. I had something better.
My dad was unquestionably not cool.
He was a farmer's kid who grew up in Wichita and had a wife and two kids by the age of 22. He was an accountant. He referred to pretty much any song with an electric guitar as "narcotic music."
He was a farmer's kid who grew up in Wichita and had a wife and two kids by the age of 22. He was an accountant. He referred to pretty much any song with an electric guitar as "narcotic music."
But you know what? That's what you want in a parent.
As @pattonoswalt taught us, cool parents are the *worst* and you want a boring, uncool parent.
That was my dad.
As @pattonoswalt taught us, cool parents are the *worst* and you want a boring, uncool parent.
That was my dad.
@pattonoswalt My dad was a great dad precisely because he wasn't cool, or trying to be.
Look, my siblings and I are all a bit different -- sort of the Breakfast Club, but no Judd Nelson and Ally Sheedy, and an Emilio Estevez of each gender.
Pictured below: me.
Look, my siblings and I are all a bit different -- sort of the Breakfast Club, but no Judd Nelson and Ally Sheedy, and an Emilio Estevez of each gender.
Pictured below: me.
@pattonoswalt My dad was great at meeting each of his four very different kids where they were, following their interests, and trying to do what he could.
Often, this would fail. (Usually on music. Finding out I was into R.E.M., he asked if they used to be called R.E.M. Speedwagon.)
Often, this would fail. (Usually on music. Finding out I was into R.E.M., he asked if they used to be called R.E.M. Speedwagon.)
@pattonoswalt But he kept trying to meet us where we were, and to encourage our interests.
And as I said, I really loved SNL in the mid-80s, and comedy in general too.
So he took me to see Cosby, and then he took me (with some regrets later) to see Eddie Murphy on the "Raw" tour.
And as I said, I really loved SNL in the mid-80s, and comedy in general too.
So he took me to see Cosby, and then he took me (with some regrets later) to see Eddie Murphy on the "Raw" tour.
@pattonoswalt Now, if you've seen the HBO special that resulted from the "Raw" tour, you know it's ... raw.
A lot of that hasn't aged well, but a lot of it was pretty shocking at the time.
Especially for the accountant who'd taken his fourteen-year-old Eddie-Murphy-fan son there.
A lot of that hasn't aged well, but a lot of it was pretty shocking at the time.
Especially for the accountant who'd taken his fourteen-year-old Eddie-Murphy-fan son there.
@pattonoswalt But my dad wasn't there for Eddie Murphy.
He was there for me.
And that's a truly cool dad.
He was there for me.
And that's a truly cool dad.
