My new car came with a three month trial subscription for XM. I never wanted satellite radio. Why pay for something you can get for nothing. So what if you have to listen to a few commercials in between the good stuff. Besides I have a six CD changer and a jack for my iPod. Who needs it? But this wasn't costing me anything and I had a three hour drive to the beach in front of me so I tried it.
I went to channel 86 first. Gregory Issacs was singing "Night Nurse." Wow. I was impressed. When "Caribbean Rhythms" on WRTI went off the air I was heartbroken. It got me through umpteen Saturday mornings of OT at work.
I went through the other music stations - rock, the decades, country, show tunes, jazz, alternative, blues, world music, classical and on and on. Then I went back to 86. Yep. It was no fluke. Yellowman was singing "Disco Reggae." I could have three hours of classic reggae if I wanted. This was all good but I like a little talk radio once in a while. News, Sports, Right America, Left America, Middle America, Oprah, Book Radio...
What? Book Radio? I listened to a story about pirates for a few minutes. This was sounding better and better.
I moved on to Radio Classics. A familiar drawl caught my ear. Westerns are not my thing but this guy was playing a darn convincing cowboy. I listened to the whole thing. Turns out it was Jimmy Stewart playing Britt Ponset in "The Six Shooter." The episode "Cora Plummer Quincy," originally aired in 1953. The gist of it was - Cora Plummer remarried soon after her husband died and her son was convinced the man was after the family ranch and money. He tries to get rid of him, but Britt steps in and saves the day.
It reminded me of the days I'd come home from school and listen to stuff like this on the radio. My drive went by in a flash. Am I a convert? You bet. Could I get all this on CD or iPod? Maybe. Would I have bought "Six Shooter." No. So there it is - the magic of discovery. The fun of hearing something different, something I wouldn't have thought to buy. If only I had a convertible, I'd sit in my car and listen for awhile.
I went to channel 86 first. Gregory Issacs was singing "Night Nurse." Wow. I was impressed. When "Caribbean Rhythms" on WRTI went off the air I was heartbroken. It got me through umpteen Saturday mornings of OT at work.
I went through the other music stations - rock, the decades, country, show tunes, jazz, alternative, blues, world music, classical and on and on. Then I went back to 86. Yep. It was no fluke. Yellowman was singing "Disco Reggae." I could have three hours of classic reggae if I wanted. This was all good but I like a little talk radio once in a while. News, Sports, Right America, Left America, Middle America, Oprah, Book Radio...
What? Book Radio? I listened to a story about pirates for a few minutes. This was sounding better and better.
I moved on to Radio Classics. A familiar drawl caught my ear. Westerns are not my thing but this guy was playing a darn convincing cowboy. I listened to the whole thing. Turns out it was Jimmy Stewart playing Britt Ponset in "The Six Shooter." The episode "Cora Plummer Quincy," originally aired in 1953. The gist of it was - Cora Plummer remarried soon after her husband died and her son was convinced the man was after the family ranch and money. He tries to get rid of him, but Britt steps in and saves the day.
It reminded me of the days I'd come home from school and listen to stuff like this on the radio. My drive went by in a flash. Am I a convert? You bet. Could I get all this on CD or iPod? Maybe. Would I have bought "Six Shooter." No. So there it is - the magic of discovery. The fun of hearing something different, something I wouldn't have thought to buy. If only I had a convertible, I'd sit in my car and listen for awhile.
2 comments:
Wow, you didn't forget anything???
ah...I remember the good old days of 8-track tapes...
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