Recently I was on a long car ride. I did not have satellite radio with me at the time, I forgot my iPod at home, and thus was forced to sit and listen to good ol' fashioned FM Radio. (Yes, they still make that.)
After flipping through I kept coming back to the same classic rock station. They were playing whole album sides, on vinyl, with the crackling and far-away feel coming through my car stereo as I sat in traffic. The DJ's described their own experiences with certain albums and artists, and the whole experience left me nostalgic for the days when one would actually sit and do nothing else but listen to great music. Remember when the listening experience was about driving to the record store on a Tuesday to get that album you'd been waiting for, and the excitement of ripping through the packaging, and sitting back and just...listening? I'd sit there forever just listening and reading the liner notes as if the meaning of life itself were buried within. Do they even make liner notes anymore??
Now, I am allll for the ease of finding and listening to music now, but I admit, I don't take the time to just sit and listen like I did on this day. But being stuck in my car for 6 hours on a California freeway was a good way to remind me how nice it is. A lot of it had to do with the fact that my nose wasn't buried in Angry Birds or half-talking to someone else while half- listening. It was me, in my car, and that was it. Also, I discovered some old new music. I had no idea I even liked Dire Straights till they played an album side. Maybe its something about the vinyl. Who knows.
I don't recommend sitting in California gridlock in order to remember what it's like to TRULY LISTEN- I do recommend taking some time to do so. If you want to check out the station I was listening to, it's 100.3 The Sound in LA. Unfortunately, their Album Sides days aren't available for streaming online (gotta listen to old fashioned airwaves for those days!), but you can stream the station online most other times on their website HERE.
What was the last time you just sat back and listened?
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