Radio Reflections

[Guest Dabeagle]

I hate long car rides and the radio. And Sirius is too expensive, so don't go there. But the thing I find most annoying is the commercials. Yes, I know they pay for the radio, but it seems like they play more commercials than they do music. For instance, I had a four hour drive in each directions Thursday and each time an ad came on, I switched the preset. I began to suspect collusion when every one of them was running an ad at the same time. So I started hitting the arrow and got what I got until the next ad - unless it was church radio.

Another thing is when stations mute out a word from a chorus. I recall hearing this back in the nineties (I think) with Tom Petty's song 'You Don't Know(How it feels)'. The line in question was 'Let's roll another joint' and 'joint' would be muted.

So on Thursday a station was playing Kid Rock's rip off of Warren Zevon's 'Werewolves of London' mashed up with Lynerd Skynerd's 'Sweet Home Alabama', I think it's called 'All Summer Long'. So they get to the chorus in a song about teenagers at summer play:

And we were trying different things

We were smoking funny things

Making love out by the lake to our favorite songs

Sippin' whiskey out the bottle

Not thinking 'bout tomorrow

Now. They muted 'smoking' but left in the whole lines about underage sex and drinking.

Meat. Head. Dead from the neck up!

[Lugnutz]

Archie Bunker.

[Cole Parker]

Yes, I see the problem, but I do have a solution. All car radios these days have a slot for CDs. What you want to do is carry some discs with you. To help you out, here's a good playlist:

Brahms' Symphony #2

Sibelius Symphony #2

Rachmaninoff Symphony #2

Beethoven Symphony #6

Prokofiev Symphony #1

Faure Requiem

Dvorak - Cello Concerto

Mahler Symphony #1

Richard Struass - Ein Heldenleben

Edward Elgar - Enigma Variations

Aaron Copland - Rodeo

Bizet - Bizet L'Arliessienne Dances

Schubert - Rosamunde Overture

That should get you started. I have lots more when you're ready.

[Lugnutz]

If you have an aux or USB port in your hooptie, plug your music toy in and jam away.

[Guest Dabeagle]

Cole - I only use classical music when writing, lyrics are too distracting to me to focus. I did leave the Vermont Public Radio - Classical on for a bit but it's not my extended cup of tea. I usually take it in smaller doses, with certain exceptions.

I was listening to the radio because I forgot mt iPod, I like to bring it for long trips. Fortunately I had a nice phone chat from about Lake George all the way home.

[The Pecman]

Yes, I see the problem, but I do have a solution. All car radios these days have a slot for CDs. What you want to do is carry some discs with you. To help you out, here's a good playlist...

I have a better playlist:

Beatles and more Beatles

Beach Boys

McCartney

Lennon

ELO

That's enough to tide me over for at least 12 hours, without a single repetition. But: I admit to having one iPod that has nothing but Classical and Jazz on it, and sometimes that's the right thing I need. And I often write to just instrumental classical and jazz because that way, the lyrics aren't a distraction.

Having access to a large variety of music is of prime importance to me.