On this latest trip, I saw six states, two countries, and one U.S. district, but I only took a total of 3 flights from start to finish. As you can probably imagine, there was a good amount of driving involved. And one of the interesting things that happen when you spend that much time in a car is that music quickly comes to play a role in the trip. I mean, you can be the best of friends, but it is very, very hard to keep a conversation going for that long. So, inevitably, someone turns on a radio or music player, and suddenly you're discovering all of these little quirks.
For example, you might discover that your travel companion likes country music more than you do. I generally don't dislike any genre of music outright, but I wouldn't call myself a fan of country music by any means. There are a few songs here and there that make an appearance on my iPod, but that's about it. Also, there was plenty of music that I just flat out didn't recognize. I'm hardly a connoisseur, so this wasn't surprising. However, this did eventually prompt a good hour or so of, "how about this one? Do you recognize this one?" In the process, I discovered that a youth spent listening to an oldies radio station did give me a modicum of music chops, but it wasn't nearly enough for me to feel well-rounded. Basically, my friend spent quite a bit of time chuckling and laughing at me during said process.
The part I found really interesting, actually, was how the radio stations themselves handled music.Remember, I'm used to dealing with radio stations that only seem to play versions of songs that I don't like. Heck, there's one local station that bills itself as playing "music that you can understand." The implication that my beloved rap is specifically excluded is not lost on me. Basically, I wish that there were a couple of radio stations that tailored themselves a little bit more to my tastes.
On this trip? Not a problem. Maybe you've heard of the Bad Meets Evil song called "Lighters." I like the song, and I think Eminem shows some real skill on that track. However, if you live anywhere near where I do, I'm guessing you've heard the abridged version. It's always bummed me out when they cut some of it out. In contrast, the radio stations in Detroit played the full version, which is actually about 5 minutes long. Given that my usual music alternatives include some very questionable options, this was a delightful surprise. They were playing music I liked, and playing it in its full glory. Sure, it was probably just the city playing up one of its own (he hails from Detroit), but I was a very happy camper.
However, when we were driving around our nation's capital, I heard that song come up on the radio again. And once again, they played the full version of the song. I had resigned myself to the abridged version as soon I had left Detroit, so imagine my surprise when I heard all five minutes. I was once again a happy camper. We actually didn't spend much time listening to the radio, but knowing that I could easily resort to it was an added benefit.
All in all, I think this means I need to travel more often. They seem to have better radio stations in other parts of the country, and I'm all for going there to listen to them.
For example, you might discover that your travel companion likes country music more than you do. I generally don't dislike any genre of music outright, but I wouldn't call myself a fan of country music by any means. There are a few songs here and there that make an appearance on my iPod, but that's about it. Also, there was plenty of music that I just flat out didn't recognize. I'm hardly a connoisseur, so this wasn't surprising. However, this did eventually prompt a good hour or so of, "how about this one? Do you recognize this one?" In the process, I discovered that a youth spent listening to an oldies radio station did give me a modicum of music chops, but it wasn't nearly enough for me to feel well-rounded. Basically, my friend spent quite a bit of time chuckling and laughing at me during said process.
The part I found really interesting, actually, was how the radio stations themselves handled music.Remember, I'm used to dealing with radio stations that only seem to play versions of songs that I don't like. Heck, there's one local station that bills itself as playing "music that you can understand." The implication that my beloved rap is specifically excluded is not lost on me. Basically, I wish that there were a couple of radio stations that tailored themselves a little bit more to my tastes.
On this trip? Not a problem. Maybe you've heard of the Bad Meets Evil song called "Lighters." I like the song, and I think Eminem shows some real skill on that track. However, if you live anywhere near where I do, I'm guessing you've heard the abridged version. It's always bummed me out when they cut some of it out. In contrast, the radio stations in Detroit played the full version, which is actually about 5 minutes long. Given that my usual music alternatives include some very questionable options, this was a delightful surprise. They were playing music I liked, and playing it in its full glory. Sure, it was probably just the city playing up one of its own (he hails from Detroit), but I was a very happy camper.
However, when we were driving around our nation's capital, I heard that song come up on the radio again. And once again, they played the full version of the song. I had resigned myself to the abridged version as soon I had left Detroit, so imagine my surprise when I heard all five minutes. I was once again a happy camper. We actually didn't spend much time listening to the radio, but knowing that I could easily resort to it was an added benefit.
All in all, I think this means I need to travel more often. They seem to have better radio stations in other parts of the country, and I'm all for going there to listen to them.
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