A Dozen Questions with Dad – Pierce Freelon
Pierce Freelon is a musician, artist, writer, teacher, community leader, and dad of two kids in Durham, North Carolina. And today, Pierce is the next dad up in the A Dozen Question with Dad series!
Today (July 31, 2020) Pierce Freelon has released a brand new children’s album, D.a.D. featuring a series of songs and voice memos that he’s calling a “family journal chronicling the life and times of a Black millennial father living in the South.”
The album blends hip-hop, jazz, soul, and parenting in a collection that’s fun and accessible to dads, moms, and kids together, and we hope that Pierce and his collaborators are proud of the work they’ve done, because they should be.
Mr. Freelon has two kids, a middle school-aged boy and an elementary school-aged girl who you’ll see in the video for Daddy Daughter Day below, and will hear on the album. Hit play to check that one out now.
Thank you to Pierce for taking the time to share his music and to answer these questions. This man is accomplished and inspiring. And you can check out more of his work as the co-founder of Beat Making Lab (Emmy winning PBS web series), his band The Beast, and most recently, The History of White People in America (PBS).
Pierce Freelon is a man out here doing good, and that’s an example I’m happy to take in and share with you all. Now, check out his answers to A Dozen Questions with Dad.
A Dozen Questions with Dad – Pierce Freelon
Q1. What is your favourite curse word alternative to use around the kids?
I don’t use curse word alternatives around my kids. They hear it all! I learned from watching my dear friend, queer Black feminist poet and parent Staceyann Chin, that kids can hear curse words and still be taught not to use them. I treat curse words like I treat wine. Kids can observe grown-ups using them even though they’re not allowed to participate. But don’t worry: my children’s music album D.a.D is 100% profanity free!
Q2. What is your favourite thing to watch with your kids? (TV, movies, YouTube, etc.)
Avatar: The Last Airbender
Q3. Which kids program from your childhood do you wish was in HD and still relevant now for your kids?
X-Men the Animated Series. X-Men explored a lot of social issues including racism, discrimination, enslavement and bigotry. It wasn’t your typical super-hero show, there was depth to it!
Q4. Which fictional dad (TV, movies, books, comics, etc.) do you like to think you most resemble or would you want to resemble as a dad?
Morpheus from The Matrix — he’s not a biological Dad, but he was certainly a father figure to Neo, and helped him see the reality of the world. He was a freedom fighter, a kung-fu master, and had great style too! Ironically, my second and third choices are also Lawrence Fishburne: Dr. Larabee from Akeelah and the Bee, or Pops from Blaskish.
Q5. What is the one toy your kids love that you wish would go missing? (past or present)
Nerf guns. I’m tired of finding Nerf bullets in every nook and cranny of our house!
Q6. Which of your hobbies/interests have you or do you hope to pass on to your kids?
I hope the kids take up tennis, so I can have somebody to play with as I age!
Q7. Do you have a go-to meal for daddy cooks or solo daddy dinner night?
Fried shrimp. I actually learned to fry shrimp really well during quarantine and now the kids ask for it all the time.
Q8. Do you feel like you were sufficiently warned about how many times you’d get hit in the nuts as a dad?
Ha! Luckily I haven’t suffered much in this department. The most annoying and consistent injury I’ve suffered while parenting is having my hair pulled. I have long locs, and kids love to yank them. That’s why I play Solange: “Don’t Touch My Hair” all the time.
Q9. On a scale of 1 to 10, how close is your experience as a dad to what you thought it would be before you were a dad?
My experience as a dad is exactly what I thought it would be. I’m not sure how the scale works: would that make me a 10 or a 1? I’ve wanted to be a Dad for a long time. I was excited to make the babies, and even more excited to care for them after they were born.
Q10. What is the most challenging thing about being a dad for you? (ie. discipline, organization, leaving to go to work, helping with school work, explaining the world. etc.)
Sometimes it’s annoying trying to get the kids to resolve conflicts amongst themselves. They don’t always have the words to describe how they’re feeling, so it can be hard, at times, to get them on the same page, speaking the same language. But if they’re not hearing each other, we just separate them until they cool off.
Q11. Can you share a proud dad moment or memory with us?
Here’s two: 1. When my son got so good at Mario Kart that I could no longer beat him. That was huge. 2. This week, my children’s music album D.a.D was reviewed in a really great publication called The INDY, and the critic basically said my daughter stole the show and was the most entertaining part of the album. She’s really great and deserves all of that credit and more. Here’s the review: https://indyweek.com/music/reviews/pierce-freelon-dad/
Q12. What significant yet simple piece of advice would you give to other dads or dads-to-be?
Make sure you choose your parenting partner wisely. Parenting is a team sport, and I wouldn’t be nearly as good at being a Dad if my wonderful wife wasn’t there to keep me in check, bounce ideas off of, or support me when I’m tired — and vice versa. It takes a village so your parenting team could include a partner, family member, a friend or teacher but you can’t do it alone and you’re going to need help! I know some folks who are at odds with their children’s other parent and it really impairs their ability to show up for the kids in the ways that are necessary for healthy growth. So if you don’t have the best relationship with your kids other parent, try as hard as you can to put the beef to the side, and center the best interest of the kid.
Thanks again to Pierce! Check out the D.a.D tracklist and hit play on the video for My Body and the full album stream now!
Pierce Freelon, D.a.D. Tracklist
1. Tuck Me In
2. Daddy Daughter Day (feat. J Gunn)
3. My Body (feat. Rissi Palmer)
4. Bubble
5. Voice Memo — Oatmeal
6. Tooth Bruh
7. Swirly Cup
8. Make New Friends (feat. Carlitta Durand)
9. Voice Memo — Gather Your Clothes
10. Gather Your Clothes (feat. KronoZ Time)
11. Movies and Popcorn and Video Games
12. Voice Memo — Get Well Soon
13. Space Jam
14. Voice Memo — Phil Freelon
15. Ascend (feat. Ami Kim)
