I don’t actually remember when it happened. It just happened one day. I found myself listening to the all news channel. It was boring & repetitive. Every 20 mins, the same old chit.
Instead of hearing great music on my radio, I was listening to some butt hole telling me the stock market crashed, or the country was at war with so & so…again.
I used to listen to rock-n-roll day & night. All the bands I grew up with, music that shaped my life and made me the person I am today.
Music that could change a bad day into a decent day.
Music that could change my mood from bad to good. Music was my escape. It passed the time, it made the day go a little faster.
Working in a slave labor, soul crushing job was not my idea of fun.
Being worked like a rented mule was absolutely unbearable at times. Music offered an escape and made the drudgery go by a little faster.
My little portable radio was my lifeline to the outside world.
By Wednesday, the radio stations were offering concert tickets for the weekend. Be caller 19 when you hear the guitar riff and you could win.
I never won. I was never near a phone & they didn’t have cell phones back then. So, I would always hear after the commercial break that some Joe Schmoe from Idaho won the tickets.
Even if my favorite band came to town & I somehow had enough money to buy tickets, I didn’t have a car & I had to rely on other people for rides. I wasn’t about to buy somebody & their girlfriend an expensive concert ticket just so I could catch a ride to the show. So, I ended up always being left out.
All my friends went to shows, but I had to stay home. That’s ok, I still had my stereo to keep me company. My friendly DJ & I spent many a Saturday night together listening to great rock-n-roll.
Sometimes, I could tape an entire live concert on my tape deck.
Music is a powerful force. I can listen to a song & recall where I was, and who I was with when I first heard that song. Music has seen me thru some really tough times. I don’t think I would have made it on some occasions if it wasn’t for music.
And then one day, it all changed. I found myself listening to traffic & weather on the 5’s.
I kept hearing the same news stories over & over, all damn day long. Where was my music?
When did it change? When did my life become so predictable & boring?
Sure, hearing the traffic report has its benefits, unless you enjoy wasting time, money, and gas sitting in a parking lot when you could be driving. Or when you need to make it to yet another doctor’s appointment on time. But does the weather report change every 10 mins?
But where was my riding partner, rock-n-roll? Stuck in the lost shuffle of numerous station presets? Off the dial? Remember when radios had dials? Now it’s just a bunch of flashing numbers telling you what station you’re listening to.
I get it. I mean, I understand that time passes and things change. Change happens all the time.
But when did I forget to listen to the music? How did my life change so much that I no longer had time to listen to music anymore?
I don’t know how or when it happened. My memory is a little fuzzy on that subject.
So, the other day when the power flickered and my radio went off & came back on, it had somehow changed stations. What was that strange noise I heard?
Wasn’t static, wasn’t some butt hole yakking about traffic or weather or the stock market.
It was a recognizable noise, I knew I heard it before. But I couldn’t quite put my finger on it. I was in another room when it happened, so I went in the room where my radio is. I heard something eerily familiar. It was like something I heard when I was a small child, a long time ago.
I heard a beat, then I heard a guitar and drums too. Was that…music? I believe it was. Let me get a little closer, so I can hear it better. Yep, it was music. I didn’t remember the song at first, but I knew I had heard it before. Then it was a little clearer and I tuned my ears into it.
Yep, that’s definitely music. The song ended & another one started up.
That is, without a doubt, music. Rock-n-roll music to be exact. Now how did rock-n-roll music end up playing on my radio?
I knew I was listening to the all news channel before the power flickered. It was a little garbled so I tuned it in properly. Now I could understand it better & I knew it was my old friend. I don’t remember what song was playing, but it doesn’t really matter.
So, was it just a fluke or divine intervention come calling? Does someone or something want me to listen to music again? I don’t know. But I have been listening to it for a few days now. I had forgotten how much I liked my old pal rock-n-roll. These days, I don’t listen to it as loud as I used to because it hurts my ears. You have to go slowly with it when you first get back into it.
If your ears aren’t accustomed to it, loud music can really give you a headache.
Now, I know people have different preferences in music. Music is a highly personal thing. I happen to like rock-n-roll myself. I also enjoy smooth jazz. It depends mostly on what mood I’m in as to which style of music I choose to listen to. The point of all this is to remind you to take time and listen to the music.
Before you know it, it’s easy to let it slip out of your life.
Instead of hearing great music on my radio, I was listening to some butt hole telling me the stock market crashed, or the country was at war with so & so…again.
I used to listen to rock-n-roll day & night. All the bands I grew up with, music that shaped my life and made me the person I am today.
Music that could change a bad day into a decent day.
Music that could change my mood from bad to good. Music was my escape. It passed the time, it made the day go a little faster.
Working in a slave labor, soul crushing job was not my idea of fun.
Being worked like a rented mule was absolutely unbearable at times. Music offered an escape and made the drudgery go by a little faster.
My little portable radio was my lifeline to the outside world.
By Wednesday, the radio stations were offering concert tickets for the weekend. Be caller 19 when you hear the guitar riff and you could win.
I never won. I was never near a phone & they didn’t have cell phones back then. So, I would always hear after the commercial break that some Joe Schmoe from Idaho won the tickets.
Even if my favorite band came to town & I somehow had enough money to buy tickets, I didn’t have a car & I had to rely on other people for rides. I wasn’t about to buy somebody & their girlfriend an expensive concert ticket just so I could catch a ride to the show. So, I ended up always being left out.
All my friends went to shows, but I had to stay home. That’s ok, I still had my stereo to keep me company. My friendly DJ & I spent many a Saturday night together listening to great rock-n-roll.
Sometimes, I could tape an entire live concert on my tape deck.
Music is a powerful force. I can listen to a song & recall where I was, and who I was with when I first heard that song. Music has seen me thru some really tough times. I don’t think I would have made it on some occasions if it wasn’t for music.
And then one day, it all changed. I found myself listening to traffic & weather on the 5’s.
I kept hearing the same news stories over & over, all damn day long. Where was my music?
When did it change? When did my life become so predictable & boring?
Sure, hearing the traffic report has its benefits, unless you enjoy wasting time, money, and gas sitting in a parking lot when you could be driving. Or when you need to make it to yet another doctor’s appointment on time. But does the weather report change every 10 mins?
But where was my riding partner, rock-n-roll? Stuck in the lost shuffle of numerous station presets? Off the dial? Remember when radios had dials? Now it’s just a bunch of flashing numbers telling you what station you’re listening to.
I get it. I mean, I understand that time passes and things change. Change happens all the time.
But when did I forget to listen to the music? How did my life change so much that I no longer had time to listen to music anymore?
I don’t know how or when it happened. My memory is a little fuzzy on that subject.
So, the other day when the power flickered and my radio went off & came back on, it had somehow changed stations. What was that strange noise I heard?
Wasn’t static, wasn’t some butt hole yakking about traffic or weather or the stock market.
It was a recognizable noise, I knew I heard it before. But I couldn’t quite put my finger on it. I was in another room when it happened, so I went in the room where my radio is. I heard something eerily familiar. It was like something I heard when I was a small child, a long time ago.
I heard a beat, then I heard a guitar and drums too. Was that…music? I believe it was. Let me get a little closer, so I can hear it better. Yep, it was music. I didn’t remember the song at first, but I knew I had heard it before. Then it was a little clearer and I tuned my ears into it.
Yep, that’s definitely music. The song ended & another one started up.
That is, without a doubt, music. Rock-n-roll music to be exact. Now how did rock-n-roll music end up playing on my radio?
I knew I was listening to the all news channel before the power flickered. It was a little garbled so I tuned it in properly. Now I could understand it better & I knew it was my old friend. I don’t remember what song was playing, but it doesn’t really matter.
So, was it just a fluke or divine intervention come calling? Does someone or something want me to listen to music again? I don’t know. But I have been listening to it for a few days now. I had forgotten how much I liked my old pal rock-n-roll. These days, I don’t listen to it as loud as I used to because it hurts my ears. You have to go slowly with it when you first get back into it.
If your ears aren’t accustomed to it, loud music can really give you a headache.
Now, I know people have different preferences in music. Music is a highly personal thing. I happen to like rock-n-roll myself. I also enjoy smooth jazz. It depends mostly on what mood I’m in as to which style of music I choose to listen to. The point of all this is to remind you to take time and listen to the music.
Before you know it, it’s easy to let it slip out of your life.
