Long Distance Dedication...

I have a friend who does an online radio program. Mainly he does it for friends and family and to relive his misspent youth as a DJ. (Okay, I added the misspent part, but it just flows better) It's basically because he really likes music, likes talking about music and enjoyed his time as a DJ getting to play music for other people and now that he's got a little free time he gets to do it for fun.

He takes requests for songs and so I get that little blast from the past of, "And this next one is by request..." and you get to hear what someone who you don't know is hankering to hear. And then decide if they have any taste or not. Kidding! I'm kidding... I have been told I have terrible taste in music from an objective standpoint so I would never judge someone else's terrible taste. Well maybe a little...

I enjoy the shows. It's about the right amount of time for my morning chores, kitchen cleaning, smoothie making, start on the longer list, stuff. Enough music that I am familiar with to keep me moving at a little faster pace, but a little wiggle in my walk, but also part of what I like about it is that there is a lot that I don't know. Part of that is just the age difference. I know more than Brent knows because our friend is the same age as my siblings so I listened to a lot of that music through them, but because he's a fan of music in a different way than they were it's also a lot of music where I know the band but have never heard the song.

Even though it's not new music, it's new to me music. And unless you are actively looking for those moments now you don't find them as often. I can spend weeks and months only listening to things I know and like. Either through music I own, or through curated choices on my Sirius dial, or suggested playlists on YouTube. And sometimes that's exactly what I want. I want to listen to Diamonds and Pearls for the 1000th time. I want to listen to the albums that I have listened to so many times when one song ends my mind automatically starts in on the next song. There is comfort in that for sure.

But today when one of the requests came through I remembered how thrilling it was to get your request on the air. Or maybe even not your request but just the song you had been dying to hear. Your GenX friends have all told you the stories of "in my day" mix tapes. How we'd hover over the record button trying to capture the beginning and the end of a song just exactly without the DJ talking over the intro or outro.

Now you don't have to do that at all.

You have multiple ways of hearing the song you really want. For me it depends on how I want to hear it on what I choose. Which set of speakers it will sound best on. Is this a listening to clear an earworm so it will be fine out of the Alexa speaker? Is this an I love this song so get out the headphones song? Is this going to be a longer listening session so run it through the Sonos or the stereo?

I think we've probably lost something because we have such easy access to everything. The whole Paradox of Choice thing. We think having all of this access and all of these choices will make us happier, but does it? Does having all of the music we already love at our fingertips really make us more content or are we trading that ease for the sheer joy of "your song" playing when you are out running errands? Not even the discovering new music part but just hearing something you love come through the radio. And the extra bonus of it being your request.

I can remember getting a three song playlist played when we were in Colorado Springs, it was their Halloween episode and you sent in your top three choices and they played a handful of them. The funny thing is I can't remember the three songs I chose. I know Dead Man's Party is what got the list on the air, the DJ couldn't believe I was the only one to request that one as it was one of his favorites and perfect for Halloween. I imagine Werewolves of London was one because it's a favorite and the third? Maybe Frankenstein or Godzilla? Maybe Monster Mash just to be cheeky. It doesn't matter. What I remember is sitting at my desk listening to the radio and hearing my name, the validation that I have perfectly fine taste in music and then Dead Man's Party start. I felt like Steve Martin with a phone book.

Now? I'd just pull out the CD or go to YouTube and play the video or tell Alexa to play the song. Easy. But not nearly as thrilling.

Even though we've gained a lot through instant access to whatever we want to hear, we've lost a little something as well. I'm not sure which way the trade off tilts.

Time for a long distance dedication...keep your feet on the ground and keep reaching for the stars...