Avoiding the Radio

I cannot stand the radio anymore.  I've tried to listen to it.  The music, I don't like.  The commercials, they're horrible and go on and on.  The DJs, I can't stand.  Admittedly, this is going to be a 'first world problems' type of a post.  The biggest problem I have is that the commercials go on for what seems like forever.  And all the radio stations play their commercials at the same time seemingly.  

Last week, I broke the auxiliary cable I use in the jeep.  It was a traumatic experience (okay, maybe not that traumatic).  This cable, for those who don't know, is connected into a media player or phone into a receiver to play what is on the player or phone.  This allows you to avoid listening to the radio.  For those who do not enjoy listening to the radio, this is the greatest invention since forever.  It allows you to listen to whatever you want, as long as you own it.  It's like having Sirius/ XM Radio without the subscription.  Whether it is music or podcasts, you get to control what is played.  As cars start to be more modern, you are seeing the ability to sync your phone/media player to the car so the auxiliary cord is all but useless if you have a newer car.  But for those of us who have an older car (mine is a 2001), you do what you need to do to get by.

With the majority of the music I own being on the computer, it makes it easy to change what I can listen to as my mood changes.  Remember back in the late 90s and early 2000s when you had to lug out the huge book of CDs to the car to make the perfect selection of music?  Now, it can all be put on one device in a manner of minutes and can have all those options without worrying about scratching a CD.

Having the auxiliary cord break meant I had to suffer with the radio for two days.  That doesn't sound that bad, and in actuality it wasn't.  However, when you have been avoiding listening to the radio as much as possible over the last six years, it makes for a tough transition.  I took the hit and purchased a new cord the other day on the way to work.  So do not fret, my long crisis is over.  We can all sleep better at night knowing that when I go to work, I can listen to my own music or podcasts.  

31/120

That's what I get

I got stuck listening to the radio at work this morning because it was on the overhead speakers. It was one of those annoying morning talk shows where you wonder how those people got their jobs. There were a few things that I noticed that drove me nuts. Absolutely bonkers.

1.) They didn't know the song 'Fat Bottomed Girls' was done by Queen. Really? You are on the radio. The only reason you have a job is because music made the radio necessary! Learn your music history. I don't expect everyone to know B-sides to every single every band put out, but come on. It's fucking Queen! One of them thought it was CCR...not. even. close. The bands don't sound anything alike. EVER!

2.) They discussed whether or not Facebook had changed their lives in any way. How can it affect you in such a way that you would deem it 'life altering' or 'life changing'. I feel that it is important for different reasons (such as keeping in contact with family, finding old friends, online anonymous stalking). And of course they take callers. And they had a girl on the phone that found out her boyfriend was cheating on her and blah blah blah. I would consider that not life changing, but affirmation that some people are douche bags and they don't deserve to be in a relationship. Anyway, this girl claimed that Facebook changed her life in a good way because it made her not trust guys or something like that, and I don't know if that is what Facebook is really for. To completely not trust the opposite sex because of one guy? Me thinks that is wrong. But who knows, I may be way off on that thought.

I stopped really paying attention after that whole scenario of Facebook being life changing. I wept a little this morning because of it.

Beauty of music

At the bar last night with some co-workers, we talked a little about music. As it was piped through the speakers, most of the songs I did not know, or barely recognized. And even when I did recognize the song, I didn't always know who sang it. Many people know about my hatred for the music of today and the radio stations that play them. In fact, one of the best pieces (I believe) that I have written was about music.

We talked about my lack of current music education. I am proud of the fact that I have no idea who sings Tick Tock (the first song that came to mind that was playing last night) or who has a new album out, or what 'band' has the most VMA nominations. Granted, there are some very talented musicians out there that can write and sing and play their own instruments (Taylor Swift. Yeah, I said it.) My hatred has opened doors. It has driven me to look elsewhere and to different genres I would not have normally listened to. It has also driven me back in years to find music and bands that I have never really heard of. I just recently, and by recently I mean a couple of hours ago, downloaded Doolittle by The Pixies. And everyone who is older than me is going to think 'you are just now listening to them?'. Yes. I grew up in a smaller town that had two pop stations, a couple of oldies stations, country stations, talk radio, and the college station. I was too young to really listen to and appreciate the college station. Hell, I was too young to really get grunge music. Other than the fact that it was loud, fast, and angry, I didn't really understand.

I have also listened to a little more Clash. Something other than the London Calling album. I am convinced that after listening to that album repeatedly that the song London Calling is a bit overrated in comparison to some of their other songs. I haven't ventured much past the Clash as far as punk music goes. I tried listening to bands like the Sex Pistols and the Ramones, but their style of music just doesn't suit me. But how can that be when I claim to enjoy listening to the Clash? The Clash expanded their music past fast songs and thumping bass. Their music has substance in the lyrics and instrumental variations as they progressed through the years.

There are current bands that I enjoy, but not as many. People throw out suggestions for bands and songs to me, but when I go and listen to them, I don't feel it. It. The unknown factor when it comes to stuff like movies, books, and music. Something either has IT or it doesn't. I give these suggested bands a try, I listen to snippets of their popular songs on itunes. I know it is difficult to judge a song by the thirty seconds you get to listen to it, but you can gauge how the rest of the song will sound, generally speaking.

So depressing....

I heard one of the most depressing things on the radio today. The backroom at work has a small radio that they turn on every once in a while to make the day go by quickly. Anyway, they had it on a random station that was playing a top twenty show. Apparently one of the songs was Miley Cyrus and I walked by at the end of the songs and the dj came on the radio and said the following...

"That was Miley Cyrus. And oh, she is just so so so hot."

I hate the radio.

u.s. of 'a'?

I have to weep, not for the future, but for the present.  Why?  Because I heard this on the radio today:

'Did you know that California is the only state in the U.S. that ends with the letter 'a'?'   

Yeah, this is from a professional radio show, granted, they are a bunch of douchers, but still they get paid for this show.  In case you are missing any of them, the states are:

• Alaska
• California
• North Carolina
• South Carolina
• South Dakota
• North Dakota
• Montana
• Virginia
• West Virginia
• Alabama
• Arizona
• Oklahoma
• Indiana
• Iowa
• Louisiana
• Minnesota
• Florida
  
• Nevada
• Nebraska
• Georgia
  
• Pennsylvania

That is just over twenty states, two out of every five states.  Four states away from being half of the country.  How do people not at least think of some of these state?  

Were they educated in Kansas?

Building my case to take down the radio

Old school punk in the form of The Clash singing London Calling is playing...I want to wear safety pins in my clothes and not shower for a week now.

As A and I were driving home last night I wanted to throw my radio out the window. The main reason why I really can't stand listening to the radio is all the commercials. I understand having them, just like I understand having commercials on the television. But they just go on and on. As one ad comes on, you turn the station only to find the next station on a commercial break, and the next one, and the next station is playing country music (so it gets turned quickly. I do enjoy some country music, but I have to be in the right mood for it, which isn't too often these days). It just irritates me. I did have Evil Empire in the cd player, but A wasn't in the mood to rage...whatever. There is never a time when you shouldn't be in the mood to rage (against the machine).

So there is the first point as to why the radio sucks. Point two: Early morning talk shows. I'm not talking about NPR or the right wing lunatics (who are AWESOME!). I'm talking about the Bob and Tom type shows. I don't see the appeal. I just want to slap them through the airwaves. There is a local show like that and I walk into work every morning and it is on the overhead system while the overnight team listens to it. I just can't see why anyone would want to listen to it. Its as if to frat boys and a few friends somehow got a radio show and the masses thought it was a good time. Wake up people. There are better things on the radio. Find npr and learn what is wrong with the world or the economy. Boring? Yes. But educational. And calming, so you won't want to run someone off the highway just because they cut you off.

So as we were pulling on to the highway last night, I asked her to put abbey road into the cd player. It made it better.