it takes a fast car to lead a double life
actually, i was expecting to hear that tune at some point, today. not just because it pretty accurately describes my fragmented life/transportation for the past couple of decades, or that i 'm an obsessed 80s music/Cars freak... but, because my iPod picks up on my mental cues, more often than not. in this part of the country, there are no guarantees of decent radio reception, or programming, for that matter... unless you like heavy rotation of retreads, or the Soil Report. therefore, you'd best resort to alternate means. i'm addicted to that little bastard.
i've alluded, in the past, that this little MP3 player, set on "shuffle", is The World's Best Radio Station. it should be. since each owner is responsible for the content, if it sucks, it's your own fault.
what were you thinking, anyway, adding each and every track from Deep Note: Music of 1970s Adult Cinema?
that's tailor-made for inappropriate random playback. and it has. usually, sitting in traffic, with the windows down.
not only that... but there are times when i think that wherever they're manufactured, there's some kind of bio-mechanical shenanigans going on inside that little hard shell. because, there are times when i think that little algorithmic brain of entertainment is sentient. more than once have i had a song in my head, only to have it pop out, unbidden. and, with 1300 selections crammed in there, what are the odds of that?
therefore, i decided to name it "Mystery Date"--like the cheesy board game of the 60s. once on shuffle, "will it be a dream... or a DUD!?"
but, again... "duds" are self-inflicted.
the more i think of it, the more it's like the high-tech equivalent of the Magic 8-Ball.
only, more detailed. and doesn't require shaking.
so, whether it reflects my stream-of-consciousness, or vice-versa, all too often the playlist fits the mood, uncannily.
for instance, in the midst of breakups, deaths, unemployment scares and assorted mayhem , in its infinite sarcasm, "Nervous Breakdown" by Eddie Cochran was a favorite with which to assail me. even so, not long after would come some frantic zydeco number--proving you cannot despair for long if an accordion is being played... or if there is any song with the word "chicken" in the lyrics (i can't recall the performer, right now, but someone sagely remarked: "How serious can a song be about chickens?").
so here we are: today. after three strikes of Volvo letdowns in the past couple of months, i chose to trust the gods that any warning lights would be absent, for once. the usual calamities ricocheting around in my head... well, that little box of rhythm still reads me like a book:
"You've Really Got A Hold On Me" The Beatles
"Catch My Breath" Jason "Hoss" Hicks
"I've Just Got to Tell You" Dr. Dog
"Turn It Up" Big Strides
""Groovin' Out On Life" Ken Parker
"Pop-A-Top" Andy Capp
"S.W.A.L.K. (Sealed With A Loving Kiss)" Mikey Dread
"Parting Of The Sensory" Modest Mouse
"Follow That Dream" Elvis Presley
"Stop Your Sobbing" the Pretenders
"Whole Wide World" Wreckless Eric
"Who's Gonna Help A Brother Get Over?" Lee Dorsey
"Soul Sister" Allen Toussaint
"Come On Home" Sugar Minott
"Maika'i NO Kaua'i" Led Ka'apana & Bob Brozman
"Walking With A Mountain" Mott the Hoople
"Forces Of Victory" Golgol Bordello
"Shine On" Jet
"Education" Modest Mouse
"Tell Me What's On Your MInd" Cyrille Neville
"Kath (You Always Made Me Laugh)" the Bluebells
"Once In A While" Harvey Milk
...and no breakdowns. nervous, or otherwise.
