Wednesday, January 14 - Music, then and now
As most of you know, we recently purchased a new vehicle, a 2008 Honda Odyssey. Sweet ride! One of the better options this vehicle came with is the satellite radio, and the FREE 3-month subscription to XM Radio (which is now owned by Sirius). I remember when satellite TV was available from several carriers, such as USSB, DirecTV, Dish, etc. Back in 1999 I purchased a new motor home, which came with a satellite antenna (now, they all have them). I purchased a satellite receiver, which came with a FREE 3-month subscription to USSB Satellite TV, so I was able to get a sampling of what satellite TV was like. Now, keep in mind that in those days, one had to manually direct the antenna toward the satellite in order to receive a signal. Easier said than done!
But, I digress. This is about satellite RADIO!
If you have never had the opportunity to try satellite radio, you are missing out on something very different from commercial radio. For example, you don't have to listen to commercials, and you can listen to ONE station no matter where in the country you are. We recently made the trip from Boston to Port St. Lucie, FL, and we tuned into satellite radio for the entire trip. There is quite a variety of programming available, from music to talk to sports to weather to traffic for specific metropolitan areas (a feature we made use of around Baltimore and Washington, DC).
Anyway, today we were on a shopping trip (Kathy and AJ, not me), and I was the "DD" (designated driver, for the uneducated). I tuned the satellite radio to Channel 5, which happens to be Music from the 50's! As we traveled along, listening to these oldies but goodies (which we all remembered, word-for-word), I came to the conclusion that we spoke a far different language back then, which has NEVER been duplicated! As we drove along, listening to songs like "Who put the BOP in the BOP-SHOO-BOP-SHOO-BOP", "The Witch Doctor", "I Only Have Eyes For You", etc., I was reminded of all the marvelous, make-no-sense expressions we all sang back when we were teenagers. We listened to songs with expressions like: "RAMA LAMA DING DONG", "OOH EEE OOH AAH AAH TING TANG WALLA WALLA BING BANG", "DOO WOP CHI BOP", "SHA NA NA NA SHA NA NA NA NA NA", "SHH BOOM SHH BOOM", "DIP DIP DIP DIP DIP DIP BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM GET A JOB!", "GOOBA GOOBA GOOBA GOOBA UH HUH UH HUN AY AYO UH HUH UH HUH". I mean, you just don't hear such profound lyrics these days. If you had trouble reading those lyrics, then you have no idea of the meaningful music we listened to back in the 50's and 60's! We had our own language, and NONE of it was "off color"! I can't imagine why our parents were against our listening to "Rock and Roll". That was MUSIC!!
I am tempted to subscribe to XM/Sirius satellite radio after my FREE trial subscription runs out next month, just to be able to continue to listen to "our songs". If anyone reading this has satellite radio, and you were born AFTER 1970, please tune in to Channel 5 and give it a listen. You may just find that I am right, that this was REAL MUSIC. If you do tune in, please let me know, and give me your opinion.
Thanks!
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4 comments:
Hey Uncle Chuck...I too have XM radio and can't live without it. I can't tell you the last time I listened to FM...
Thanks for picking Wendi up last night. Have fun with the girls!
Jeff
I think it's imperative that you subscribe...what is it, $13/mo.? Go for it. You clearly see the value of having the options that XM/Sirius offers and personally, I don't know what I would have done without it on my trip across the country. Aside from the music and news options (traffic reports live from any city, virtually), you can listen to pretty much any game from any sport, any time. ANY TIME. That alone is worth the nominal charge.
I've had Sirius for a few years and love it. Keep in mind, too, that once the merger is complete you will be able to listen to any NFL, MLB or NBA game anywhere in the country. I've listened to the Celtics games (oh, yeah! You can listen online with the subscription, too!) while in another city.
And what's with the Honda Odyssey? I thought retired men are supposed to buy Camaros or Corvettes or something equally as sporty and cramped. You certainly shouldn't be buying a minivan to cruise into the sunset.
Thanks Jeff, French and BB, for your comments on satellite radio. I do enjoy the fact that I can listen to anything I want (almost), no matter where I am. However, the only time I listen is in the car, since I do not have a satellite radio in the motor home, or in the house. If I did, would I need more than one subscription to XM/Sirius?
As for the Odyssey van, BB, yeah, I guess I would have liked to get a rag-top to cruise around Florida, but since I am such a practical guy, the van seemed to be the way to go. We make lots of trips between Massachusetts and Florida, so comfort and space had to be part of the decision. Besides, I'm not ready, just yet, to cruise off into the sunset!!
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