Boys That Sing - Viola Beach
The best moment of my pregnancy - other than finding out I’m having a son - happened two days ago while I was sitting on the couch. I had Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band’s cover of INXS’s Don’t Change stuck in my head and tumbled down a YouTube rabbit hole, devouring live Bruce performances.
Will started kicking like crazy and my face broke into the biggest grin.
My son loves Springsteen….because of course he does.
Then, I came across Springsteen and the E Street Band covering AC/DC’s Highway to Hell with Eddie Vedder and Tom Morello and my kid went nuts.
I have never felt him kick so much.
So, I pulled up some live Pearl Jam and the beat went on.
Kid’s not even born yet and he’s got great taste in music.
I know my kid will never be Springsteen - that’s just insane.
But if Will is a man like Eddie Vedder - a man who writes, who plays guitar, who sings, who stands up for what’s right, who loves dogs and surfs and is the funniest fucking part of Singles and loves the Cubbies - I’ll be pretty goddamn proud.
Hey Will. It’s Mom.
Daddy has been checking the Juno Beach webcam every day and early this morning, the ocean looked like glass.
So, we grabbed Indiana and headed to Juno where we floated alongside minnows and salty dogs and realized that the sounds of the ocean must sound a lot like what you’re hearing in utero right now.
We’ve been going to the beach a lot this year. It’s sparsely populated early in the morning, we can bring the dog, it’s peaceful and it feels like coming home.
Your dad’s side of the family are from the US Virgin Islands and feel perfectly at home amidst the salt and sand and waves.
I promise one day, we will take you to St. Thomas where you’ll feed dog biscuits to fish on Coki Beach and drink virgin banana daiquiris (until you’re 18 and after that, you and your cousin Quincy can follow in the footsteps of your fathers - just don’t get hurt and don’t get arrested)
Mommy’s side of the family might come from a coastal port town in India but we’re much more comfortable failing to use indoor voices around a dining table than we are in the ocean. Look, Mommy was raised on the outskirts of London. The closest she ever came to salt water was gargling it when she had a sore throat.
Luckily for you - we will ensure that there is plenty of both in your life.
I promise you sun-splashed days at the beach and feasts redolent with spices, both surrounded by people who love you so damn much.
I promise you salty wet dogs, the smell of coconut sunscreen and icy cold lemonade.
I promise you acoustic Zeppelin, Pearl Jam and Bruce songs to lull you to sleep on the car ride home.
I promise you a good life filled with hope as boundless as the sea.
See you soon.
We love you xx
