I woke up this morning too excited to sleep. And while catching up with my reading, came across this delightful interview of David Marchese in conversation with Billy Joel. Billy Joel is probably on the play list of my readers’ moms’. But for me, it brought back memories of a time when there was music in my life. Whenever I sit back and reminisce about the days gone by, memories of Uptown Girl, Stayin’ Alive ( BeeGees) and numerous hits of the 70’s, 80’s and 90’s come to mind.
Perhaps my last musical update was of the early 2000’s when I heard the music of Michael Learns to Rock ( MLTR) and Gypsy Kings that my daughters discovered in their last years of school. After that they moved on to Trance which I didn’t like . The only Hip Hop that I could listen to was Eminem largely because of the fascination with the name that conjured up images of jewel coloured chocolate bits.
So what happened to make my life quiet and without song ?
Partly the empty nest and partly technology.
While I am a great lover of gizmos, and love updating the gadgets in my house, I still have to find the perfect music player.
In the beginning we had radio. Then we had the record player or turn table with vinyl discs. The 70’s were the days when our lives were entangled in thin tapes played on the cassette player. In the 80’s we shifted to Boom Boxes and the Walkman. I never could manage the iPod but I did take to the Bose Wave system.
It all started when my Bose Wave went bust. I thought Bose was unbeatable in both value and quality but it seemed that I was the one to get the rotten egg. Within a year or two of its purchase, it developed a problem with its lens . So replacing that cost me Rs.5000 or so. Two more years later, it developed the same problem and this time I didn’t want to repair it because the cost of repair went up and it would mean that my Wave would cost me Rs. 10,000 more than what I paid for it. Within a few years, the cost of repairs would equal the cost of the initial outlay. In my twisted logic, it made better sense not to repair it.
And, therein lies the problem – the lack of equipment to play the music I love.
Gradually I find that even my CDs are getting frayed around the edges. Cassettes, old fashioned tapes and vinyl records are all in the past. And the good old fashioned transistor radio ? What is that ask the salesmen when you ask for one.
So how do people listen to music?
Apparently they stream it. Through their iPhones or Smartphones or computers or whatever. Which means playing music is not for me anymore.
How do you listen to your favourite music? And do you keep up to date with the latest trends? Do let me know in the comments below.
In the meanwhile, do listen in to Uptown Girl, my favourite number from Billy Joel
Cheerio then,
Twenty- five Seven 