Steve...how good to hear from a fellow sufferer.Background music has crippled my public life completely. My wife and I rarely if ever go to restaurants or pubs. If we have to, I have to go in and check for background music and if it's there I have to move on and check somewhere else. My barber knows to turn his radio off if I come in. I walk in to a shop and then straight out again. It does seem to be a peculiarly English problem as I don't find it anywhere near as bad in Germany and not quite as bad in Canada, although Rick Fielding who I have had the immense pleasure of staying with will tell you how bad the problem is for me. It's the inappropriateness of what's played that gets me.If there's a regular drum beat I'm off and if it's some guy yelling at me (I think it's called "Rap"!!) I have been known to yell back.Once, when shopping for shoes for my son,a stressful occupation as he was size 13 at 13, I was seen in the fifth shoe shop standing on a chair beating a loudspeaker with my hat and yelling "Shut up, you moron!" to the amusement and bafflement of a small crowd. It seems to me a bigger problem for musicians and people to whom music is important. I can't shut it out at all. If it's there I have to listen to it, and it's never what I would choose to listen to. It renders coherent speech impossible and just winds me up to the point where I have to flee. Largely I think this is because I don't want "drop my E and dance myself stupid" music when I'm after a quiet meal and chat with my wife or friends. Gentle, low classical music is bearable in certain situations, but once a voice comes in..I flee. I have been told that a well known Symphony orchestra actually provides new members with a list of non-music playing pubs and restaurants when they join,showing this problem is a common one for musicians. The need for background music has taken over society to such an extent that many children can't work without it and I've now read of schools that are experimenting with having it in the classroom!!! The late, great Spike Milligan was a founder member of the anti-muzak society.I can't think of its real name but it does exist and issues cards you can hand to proprietors either thanking them for a quiet place or explaining why you won't be using their facilities and spending your money with them. The final abomination coming in now is background music in bookshops. God help all sufferers.I now carry earplugs wherver I go and do wear them sometimes when forced to eat out. Ask Rick! (On another tack, I'm the founder member of the "Static singers" society, pledged to promote the bizarre idea of singing whilst standing still and maybe even playing an instrument at the same time.)