We're in The Wars

Most of the men I’ve known in my life have had An Interest. You know, one thing that they’re, um, passionate about. Okay, obsessive about. For some it’s rugby, for others it’s family history (Hi Dad), for some it’s music (in that High Fidelity, list-making kind of way).

And then there are the Star Wars geeks.

Everybody knows at least one Star Wars aficionado/nerd/obsessive/insert description of choice. When I was growing up, my cousin had a huge collection of figurines, in boxes. A friend of mine is married to a man who goes to swap meets and conventions and other places where men who think that a woman with a bagel hairdo is a goddess tend to congregate.

That was as close as I ever got to those who worship at the altar of The Force.

Until now.

Now I have a fully fledged, light-saber wielding Fan in the house. Mr 6 is known for his heartfelt passions for the things that interest him. We have thus far lived through The Wiggles era, where he insisted on wearing a yellow shirt every day and being addressed as Sam, and the Ben 10 moment, where he would suddenly belt himself on the wrist, thrash about and then insist he had morphed into a three-metre alien named Humungosaur. But both of these pale into insignificance beside his heartfelt love for Star Wars.

I wouldn’t bring this up, beyond the fact that I have found myself in the position of uttering words that I never thought would exit my mouth - “Don’t swing your light-saber in the house!”, for example. But we need to talk about the soundtrack.

I can’t comment on the new movies – the prequels – as they are MA rated, and so not allowed in the Fibro. But the old movies – the ones you might remember watching the first time around (although you’ll never remember enough to satisfy the thirst for knowledge of the New Geek, who looks at you in incomprehension when you explain that it’s been 30 years since you watched Star Wars and you’re weren’t that impressed in the first place) – they all seem to have the same soundtrack.

And it’s a very hummable soundtrack. Or so Mr 6 seems to think so. And a very catchy soundtrack, contagious one might even say – or so Mr 3 would agree.

I can safely say that the summer of 09/10 will forever be associated with not only the opening tune – you know, daa daa, da-da-da-DAH-da, da-da-da-DAAH-da, da, da, da-dah, but the background music that seems to play throughout all three films.

I suppose I should be thrilled that my children are discovering music. But all I want to do is shout ‘STOP! You’re driving me crazy’ as they hum the themes over and over and over and over, without seeming to even realise they’re doing it.

But I won’t shout and I try not to get too cranky. For I have listened to Master Yoda, and he had this to say:

“Beware. Anger, fear, aggression. The dark side are they. Once you start down the dark path, forever will it dominate your destiny.”

You saw what happened to Darth Vader.