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March 17, 2005
I've Got a Song For This!
I used to laugh at people wearing headphones in their car. I sort of looked down on them because -- well -- because I was there once myself. My first car didn't have a radio. My mom bought the car stripped of everything but the bare essentials. It was basically a couple seats bolted onto an engine. With one side mirror.
It had to have been more expensive to get a car with only one side mirror, but she felt it was cheaper. The same with a radio. Radios cost money, right? So, if I get a car without a radio it should be cheaper. That was the thought anyway, but I am still convinced the dealership had to pay someone to go in and take out the radio.
Still, I was happy to take the car when she gave it to me. I didn't have a car up until then and I needed one to get back and forth from work. My first drive in it alone - my first drive in my own car - I was so excited I was in the mood to dance. Or at least bob my head.
Luckily, despite having no radio, there was a constant rhythm filling my head. It was from the squeeking passenger seat. Something in back. The emergency brake. Everything.
Everything in the car was squeeking. It was far from quiet. I needed a radio to drown out the noise of the silent car.So I dug through my things and found an old cassette player (not actually headphones). I taped it down in between the two front seats and I was ready to go.
From the point I abandoned that exhaust system-less car with my little sister -- I actually traded it for a six pack. I looked people in the cars I was passing in my radio-equipped car and laughed.
Until about a week ago.
I got an iPod and I've constantly got the headphones stuck in my ears. I listen to it in the car even though I've got a radio with a cd player. I've got it only about half filled with music, but it claims to be able to entertain me for something like 7 and a half days without repeating the same song twice.
I've come to find that headphones have been sent from above. I now have a constant soundtrack. I opened the door to rite-aid to a bonham drum fill. I flicked someone off in traffic in time to a howl from David Yow. The other day I ran a couple miles the the beat of !!!.
And just before I got to my stoop on of the kids in the neighborhood challenged me to a race.
"Alright. to the corner?"
"Yeah."
"Let's start here."
We were off and running pretty close for the first second or two.
"Wait, wait. Let's start up here." We had to restar because garbage covered the street and sidewalk. The telltale sing of a baltimore eviction blocked our way. We took turns going around the garbage. "Ok. Go!"
We raced down to the corner, and I, of course, smoked him.
"Ok, back now."
He beat me on the way back because I had to follow behind him around the garbage.
I stopped to catch my breathe and his friend asked me, "What you listening to? Country or Rap?"
He asked like those were the only two kinds of music.
"Neither, really."
"What you listening to then?"
I think I turned the negihborhood on to DJ Shadow.
The other night tutoring at the Hampden Family Center I tried to turn my tutee on to the Oxes. He's in 7th grade (I think) and sometimes comes in with a misfits shirt and black make-up smeared below his eyes. That day he was listening to Billy Idol as he did his homework. So I thought it was worth a shot.
"Where are the words? Do they ever sing? I like music with singing."
"Ok. What about this."
He says he really like Pretty Girls Make Pretty Graves.
Yesterday I had to tutor a second grader and a third grader. They both needed help with math. I've got the song for this!
I pulled out my iPod and got them excited about math by playing Adding up Numbers by Kompressor.
Posted by calculatoronfire at March 17, 2005 12:32 PM
Comments
I think you are in the same situation I'm in. My life would be complete if I could plug my mp3 player into the stereo in my truck.
Posted by: chris at March 17, 2005 1:14 PM
As I read this I am listening to music on my ipod, I can't go anywhere without plugs in my ears. I wish they let me take my college exams with the music on, I would do a hell of a lot better.
Posted by: nick at March 17, 2005 3:25 PM
I can't plug my mp3 player into my truck. I have to drive around with the headphones on. I feel like I'm now the kind of guy that would laugh at himself -- in a not good way.
Nick - Why are you not drunk yet? oh. And Happy Birthday. If I was there I'd not spit in your beer on this special occassion. But since I'm not I'll have to think of something else to not do for you.
Posted by: brian at March 17, 2005 6:24 PM
most excellent meeting you last night.
and so what would have been the song of last evening?
Posted by: sweetney at March 17, 2005 9:38 PM
If I had to sum it up in one song it would be:
Everyone is My Friend
by Owls.
Posted by: brian at March 17, 2005 10:11 PM
At least they made the small headphones you can plug into your ears. Imagine driving around wearing huge old school headphones.
Posted by: chris at March 17, 2005 10:56 PM