Forget the lyrics

When Mouse and I are in the vehicle we listen to "rock and roll" as she puts it.  I have paid little attention to lyrics in songs before because she was not at the point of understanding them.  Well that is changing, she is now asking what songs mean and works at singing along with some of them.  That is starting to cause an issue.  Some songs have great music, instrumentation, but not great lyrics for a youngster.  Example is the band Foster the People with the song Pumped Up Kicks  In the song it talks about outrunning a gun, running faster then my bullet.  Great, the beat of the song is fun and easy to move to, imagine me bopping my head up an down, fun right.  Well the lyrics are not what I want Mouse listening to.  So now what? Change the station when a song I like comes on with lyrics that may not be appropriate or hope Mouse is like me when listening to songs.  Just enjoy the song and don't think to deep about the meaning of the song.
We do luck out with Mouse and her music tastes.  She would prefer to listen to Frank Sinatra over Justin Bieb...oh I can't even right his name! 

~Steve

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Dial 2

A few weeks ago we were walking around garage sales in a local town when I came across a find I have been looking for for a few years. A vintage record player. I had a stand alone record player that I inherited from Cassi's uncle but it ended up breaking down. Since then I have looked for either another stand alone or the combo radio, cassette, record player.
I lucked out in finding a Fisher MC-725. The Internet tells me it is from 1983.
It is simple compared to components these days. Only plug ins for the speakers in the back. No CD player option. Just old school record and cassette. I am happy to add this player to a small collection. We have an old cabinet record player/radio that we inherited from Cassi's Grandma. It came with a free mouse nest that had babies in it. The cat loved that, free treats. I have a few vintage looking radio's that Cassi has bought me. Right now they are scattered around the house but someday they will have a home in a finished basement.

One of the joys of the new record player is putting on a record for Mouse to hear. I started with The Bangles, Walk Like and Egyptian then Manic Monday. We listened to old Beach Boys, Johnny Cash, Bon Jovi the song Cassi grew up with, Itsy Bitsy Teeny Weeny Yellow Polk-A-Dot Bikini from the Monster Mash album. It was fun to turn up the stereo and listen to these songs with my family.

Both cassette players work too so now I will be able to dust off the old radio days tapes and give them a listen.
~Steve

The Dial

I received my first cassette as a pre-teen. Whitesnake from 1987. Never heard of the band but put it in the player and was hooked on music and radio. It is amazing how listening habits can change, yet remain the same.

Example 1

As a youngster I remember seeing the big cloth tapestry of Led Zeppelin. I made up my mind that they were the worst band ever because of the ugly tapestry. Then years later I bought a Led Zeppelin CD, then another and another - best band ever. In my late teens, in need of money, like every teenager, I sold all my Zeppelin discs. I missed them. Few years ago I found a greatest hits collection and whew, my small collection is back.

Example 2
I went through a country phase in the late 90s. It helps when you work at the number one country station in town. Do I listen to country now? No is the quick answer. Rock is where I live. Classic, alternative, americano.

Example 3

Talk Radio. My dad listened to it all the time and on Saturday mornings there was (is) this show on AM radio called Saturday Morning Sportstalk. Hated it, these guys were boring with their old stories and seeming laziness to the local sports scene. These days I try to listen to Saturday Morning Sportstalk as much as I can. Why, because the guys are not boring, they are old sports writers, old drunks, old storytellers. Stories that make a person laugh and in site to sports that ESPN can't give.

Work in radio???

After high school everyone needs to figure out "what I am going to do" Back in the late 90s for some unknown reason I called up the local broadcasting school and signed up. 18 months later I was looking for a job as a radio news reporter. Why not spin music -because it was easier to get a job doing news. Interviewed in Iowa, chased bunnies (story for a different day) and interviewed for my first real job.

"Do you play golf?" "no" "thanks for the time"

No job in Iowa but that was fine because Southern Minnesota was my next stop. Got the job with one interview -must have been my 20 year old pipes! Worked at an AM station doing the news, chasing the news, and making roughly $3.24 and hour. I figured it out one day and decided to move on from radio.

It is amazing when I mention that I worked in radio, people perk up and start asking questions. I got a job in computer support in part because I once worked in radio. My manager thought that was cool.

Radio and music still are a big part of my day. Long drive to work gets time with local morning shows and afternoon is filled with sports talk.

I have many old tapes from my radio days. Me reading news, obits, community events. Some day I will put them in a player for Mouse and Cassi to listen to. Do we have a cassette player in the house????