Of all the 20th-century
media out there (newspapers,
television, magazines),
radio is the one I
would miss the most if it
completely disappeared.
With the proliferation of
iPods and other MP3 players,
radio stations are
struggling to keep listeners.
Why take a chance on
the radio when you can
plug in all your favorite
music or listen to a podcast
or book?
Don’t even get me started
on in-car DVD players
that make it possible to
spend a full day on the road
with your children without
ever having to actually
have a conversation with
them.
Not me. I love the radio.
I love the pure, random
magic of it. I love that I’m
not in control of it.
One minute I am back in
10th grade, earnestly singing
along with Simple
Minds, imploring the universal
``You’’ not to forget
about me.
The next minute, I am
listening to The Pointer
Sisters’ ``Slow Hand,’’ and
envisioning a compilation
CD entitled ``Mid-1980s Divorcee
Rock.’’ My mind
wanders to the possibilities
of the playlist.
The Pointer Sisters’
``Slow Hand,’’ Juice Newton’s
``Queen of Hearts,’’
anything at all from the
Barbra Streisand/Barry
Gibb collaboration known
asá ``Guilty,’’ which included
such unforgettable divorcee
classics as ``A Woman
in Love,’’ ``What Kind of
Fool’’ and the title track,
``Guilty.’’
To quote: ``And we got
nothing to be guilty of
Our love will climb any
mountain near or far, we
are
And we never let it
end...’’
If you were a child of a
1980s divorce (or a participant
in one), that song
might just be stuck in your
head all day. Sorry about
that.
Radio doesn’t even have
to be good to be satisfying.
I love the fact that, although
I would never in a
million years seek out the
song `Easy Lover,’’ by Phil
Collins and Philip Bailey, I
can almost certainly count
on hearing it on some central
New York radio station
or another if I spend any
time in the car.
Such is the radio time
warp that seems to have
cast a spell over radio stations
in our region. If it isn’t
``Easy Lover’’ it will be ``Sussudio’’
or something half
unbearable by Chicago or
Peter Cetera.
Did I mention that I am
a stoplight singer?
You know those people
you make fun of because,
when you stop next to them
at a stoplight (this would be
in a town with more than
one stoplight), you catch
them singing along with
the radio in some embarrassing
fashion? That’s me.
But I don’t just sing — I
perform. Singing is what
you do in the studio when
only your band mates and
producers are watching.
Performing is what you do
on stage or in your World
Premiere Music Video. And
this isn’t some reserved and
dignified Susan Boyle-style
performance. It’s the kind
of thing that would make
even Coldplay’s Chris Martin
cringe in embarrassment
for me.
In short, I work it.
And I am old enough
now that I no longer care
whether a carload of teenagers
is in the next lane
witnessing my seatbelt bound
interpretation of
``Careless Whispers.’’ I am
confident like that.
So go ahead. Create your
cross-town playlists. Download
your podcasts. Program
every moment of your
daily audio audio experience.
I prefer to be surprised.
Elizabeth Trever Buchinger
is working for the
weekend. You can connect
with her at www.moremindfulfamily.
wordpress.
com.
Columns
This Wonderful Life: I heart the radio. A lot.
- Columns
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A while back we got a telephone call from a reader of this column wanting to know why we had not written a column in support of Otsego Manor continuing to be owned and operated by Otsego County. And even though we have followed the debate over this issue in the newspaper, we readily admitted we did not feel we knew enough about the situation to take a stand.
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Time, if not traffic, moves on ...
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Continued ... -
Canadian capital captured
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Continued ... -
Movie depicting legendary Jackie Robinson does not disappoint
Going to the movies is not something I do often. I can count the number of times I have gone on my fingers, unless you include trips to the drive-in. And even so, it took me years before I made it to one of those -- going for the first time two summers ago.
Continued ... -
'Dubious' about weather, Hawkeyes 'suitable' nickname
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'Who's on Worst?' reveals the ugly in baseball
The Baseball Hall of Fame celebrates the greatest players, managers and owners from our national pastime. Any of us who have watched Major League baseball have inevitably seen some of these immortals practicing their craft. But we have also likely witnessed a sample of their opposite brethren, players who shouldn't have been in the Major Leagues. Has there ever been a definitive source that "celebrates" the non-accomplishments of the worst that Major League baseball has to offer?
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Swallow talk and bluebird vigilance
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Local Voices From Around the Globe: Life in Hungry has taken a turn for the better
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Continued ... -
The importance of speaking up ...
Over the years we have come to understand that, in writing a weekly column, it is not possible to always please everyone. And such was the case with our column that ran at the end of March in which we wrote about our experience as in inpatient following a total hip replacement.
Continued ... -
Public schools created
The Common School Act of 1812 marked the start of New York's public school system. Much of the credit for this was due to the radical Otsego County politician Jedediah Peck (1747-1821). To quote the NY Education Department:
Continued ... -
Book takes readers on path for equal rights
One of the most troubling aspects of our history is race relations. It takes a long time to achieve true equality in a society when the heritage of one ethnic group is slavery and Jim Crow laws. Even today African Americans are more likely to be stereotyped as athletes than doctors, lawyers or entrepreneurs. The path to a "color-blind" nation is still a work in progress.
Continued ... -
Local Voices From Around the Globe: Experiencing India at every new turn
Come, sit down. Hold this and, wait ... ah, there you go. Obeying these commands, I found myself seated on the pavement, wearing a turban and attempting to make sounds out of a recorder-like instrument for the black cobras in the baskets not two feet away from me.
Continued ... -
Local Voices From Around the Globe: Will I be American or will I be Thai today?
When would someone have the ability to present themselves as a native of a country of their own choosing? When they’ve lived eight months as an exchange student, of course!
Continued ... - Second host family makes Hungary feel like home
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Local Voices From Around the Globe: Mother's visit was a benchmark for this year
