|
28 Jul 04 - 01:50 PM (#1235665) Subject: shopping used to be fun From: GUEST,leeneia yes, this is a music thread. yesterday I was at the Home Depot (DIY store) looking at the peel- and- stick tile. So there I stood, gazing at many colors, grades, and prices, and as I tried to think Some jerk with a throat full of sludge gurgled out a tuneless, canned ditty over the PA system, while another banged on a sheet of Masonite (it sounded like a sheet of Masonite) by way of percussion. Meanwhile, an employee on a fork truck backed down a nearby aisle,and the fork truck went BOOP! BOOP! BOOP! BOOP! and occasionally a woman broke into all this with pages and announcements. In time, I realized that my brain felt awful. Not that I had a headache, but that my braincase was full of surging fog. So I leaned against a crate for a while with my eyes closed, and then I reached a sort of decision on the tile. I would shop somewhere nicer, but there's no where else to go! I'm so sick of that ugly, irritating fake music that's blasted at me in every store. It's chosen by managers who couldn't carry a tune in a bucket and know nothing about music or about shoppers. Let's start a revolution. |
|
28 Jul 04 - 01:57 PM (#1235674) Subject: RE: shopping used to be fun From: saulgoldie I am with you, leenia. My favorite worst commercial PA "music" is Muzak takes of rock and roll. I have actually told store managers before how irritating I find it. They just say something about the decision made in the district offices, or some such shrug of responsibility. |
|
28 Jul 04 - 02:29 PM (#1235705) Subject: RE: shopping used to be fun From: harvey andrews Oh, you've pressed all my buttons with this one. It's everywhere and always they say it's head office's decision. I once found myself at the end of a tiring day shopping for shoes for my son, standing on a chair in a shoe shop beating a loudspeaker that was blaring out rap with my hat and yelling "shut up you moron, shut up". I gathered a decent crowd until my son led me gibbering away. The ultimate was in a charity shop recently where two elderly ladies behind the counter were discussing their various ailments (have you noticed how you can't go in to a charity shop without having to listen to some terrible tragic health story?) Behind them a radio blared out; "Iwant teen-age kicks all through the night." Bizarre. In Shrewsbury there is a shop that plays quiet strict tempo dance music from the fifties a la Victor Sylvester with a violin taking a sedate lead. I find I spend more time browsing their books than any other shop. In Canada the final dagger to the heart was muzak in bookstores!!!!! |
|
28 Jul 04 - 02:36 PM (#1235710) Subject: RE: shopping used to be fun From: jacqui.c Doesn't it just get irritating! It's the same in pubs and restaurants - how many are there that don't have music blaring out. It really makes it impossible to concentrate on what you want to buy or to hold a conversation and I now have a partner who goes ballistic at muzac so it gets even worse, 'cause I can see his point of view! Maybe we need to find out where 'Head Office' is and hold a singaround in their reception as a protest. |
|
28 Jul 04 - 02:46 PM (#1235716) Subject: RE: shopping used to be fun From: Sorcha One of the reasons I'm glad I'm half deaf and won't get hearing aids. And, my dentist pipes in Christian Broadcast Network....at least I can't hear it! |
|
28 Jul 04 - 02:49 PM (#1235718) Subject: RE: shopping used to be fun From: Maryrrf I completely agree. Enough is enough - we don't need music everywhere we go. Maybe if there wasn't so much "muzak" and other canned stuff bomarding us from all directions, people would be able to appreciate live music that doesn't rupture your eardrums. |
|
28 Jul 04 - 02:55 PM (#1235723) Subject: RE: shopping used to be fun From: TheBigPinkLad "The halls are alive ... with the sound of Musaz" |
|
28 Jul 04 - 03:00 PM (#1235725) Subject: RE: shopping used to be fun From: GUEST Waterstones plays music that I can live with. My local (Dundee) brance appears to only posess one CD which is a mix of classical and medievil music. I've heard Gaudetaein there a lot! |
|
28 Jul 04 - 03:25 PM (#1235731) Subject: RE: shopping used to be fun From: Clinton Hammond What a bunch of old whiners.... "oh... the outside world is different and scary to me now... The Past was so much better... I can't cope now, and I wish the world would go back to how it was..." Ain't gonna happen... People are inundated with 'media' now, and it's only gonna get 'worse' (From your perspective) We who grew up with it find your 'silence' deafening and a waste of space and time.... and the kids coming up behind us want even more media... Step up, or step aside |
|
28 Jul 04 - 03:28 PM (#1235735) Subject: RE: shopping used to be fun From: Jeri Jacqui, another area where you agree with Kendall! It's doesn't usually bother me that much, but it usually bothers me. It has also forced me to develop skills of musical concentration. I find a good key for a song while on the way to the store, go in, and try to hang onto it through the obtrusive wallpaper music, I'm getting so I can do that. (The worst interference is when the song is one I like.) I'll keep my tune confined to my head unless the music's loud enough to interfere, then I sing, adjusting the volume to shut out the music. And I get the hell out of there as fast as I can. On the other hand, sometimes I sing along with songs I like. What's really cool about this is running into someone else another isle over who's doing the same, and you find you're singing together and hang around the same place just so you can finish the song. I'd say all this has also helped my Fear of Looking Stupid in Public, but I never had a big problem with that anyway. |
|
28 Jul 04 - 04:57 PM (#1235807) Subject: RE: shopping used to be fun From: M.Ted There are a few stores and restaurants around where the management go to pains to play music that is entertaining and amusing--when you hear something you like, make a special point of letting them know that you appreciate it--and ask what it is--I've heard a lot the music I love for the first time in a restaurants-- |
|
28 Jul 04 - 05:44 PM (#1235848) Subject: RE: shopping used to be fun From: Rasener In the small market town of Market Rasen, where we are considered to 50 years behind the time, we have what must be classed as a groundbreaking toilet. Our new public toilets play classical music whilst you have a pee or crap. Handels water music seems to be the most popular. A soap opera seems to be popular as well. Why classical music? Simple, It stops the vandals from wrecking the bog. They can't stand classical music. hmmmm very interesting. |
|
28 Jul 04 - 06:31 PM (#1235884) Subject: RE: shopping used to be fun From: harvey andrews Ah Clinton, may "Raindrops keep pouring on my head" torture you for the rest of your days. May "my boy Lollipop" lull you to restless sleep. May all the rappers from hell torture your....no...may peace and quiet be your eternal punishment! |
|
28 Jul 04 - 06:37 PM (#1235887) Subject: RE: shopping used to be fun From: Clinton Hammond In "peace And quiet" I make my own noise! and there's quite a lot of rap I really enjoy.... I've even had some real fun with Musak.... And if I'm not in the mood, I tune it out... it's an important skill... |
|
28 Jul 04 - 06:42 PM (#1235891) Subject: RE: shopping used to be fun From: Peace There is hope. A few years back I got put on hold by a secretary. Music began to play. It was Clapton's "Will I See You in Heaven?" How cool is that. When the sceretary came on to say the person with whom I wishe dto speak wasn't available, I asked her to put me back on hold so I could listen to the rest of the song. She laughed and did so. |
|
28 Jul 04 - 06:43 PM (#1235895) Subject: RE: shopping used to be fun From: Amos Clinton, you are your own noise, and your virtue will be its own damnation. :>) A |
|
28 Jul 04 - 06:55 PM (#1235900) Subject: RE: shopping used to be fun From: harvey andrews Agreed Clinton. In the modern world you need to know how to not hear. Unfortunately many on this group are musicians. For us music is a foreground activity, our brains generate our own music or play our own jukebox 24 hours a day. When your foreground is someone else's background it's not much fun.It's like having your brain scrambled. It is seriously affecting my social life in restaurants, pubs, airports, shops etc. And I'm not alone as this thread testifies. I don't want to be a recluse, but I know I'm becoming more of one by the month.I suppose it's all about control. As music is the focal point of my life, both work and pleasure, all I ask is the right to control when and what I hear.Otherwise why should it not be possible for me to select that a shop play Stan Rogers? Or a train carriage be filled with the sound of my favourite novel being read? If I'm at the dentist why should he decide what I hear when I'm paying him? It's a problem that's affecting more and more decent people and making their simple social pleasures more of a chore. Music is like sex, it should be enjoyed in private, and if private, then everyone can enjoy whatever turns them on and no one else can object! |
|
28 Jul 04 - 07:03 PM (#1235904) Subject: RE: shopping used to be fun From: Clinton Hammond See, I tink because I AM a musician, I'm much more able to block out what i want to, and concentrate on other stuff.. "all I ask is the right to control when and what I hear" Get a portable and headphones then.... Music like sex... to me music is more like air... |
|
28 Jul 04 - 07:05 PM (#1235906) Subject: RE: shopping used to be fun From: Deckman I can add a somewhat funny story to this thread. I say "somewhat" as while it might make you grin, it also has it's very sad and serious side: My late (and bestest friend ever) was a classical musician. He was a concert violinist, and orchestra conductor, and could literally play EVERY instrument in the orchestra, quite well. He also was born with perfect pitch, which was quite a burden. Over the years, we shared many an elevator, or cocktail lounge, or other public place where music was 'piped in' to benifit our souls. This drove him absolutly nutz!!!! Often the piece playing was a classical sonata, or string quartet, that he had just conducted recently. His trained ear would focus on the music and would dissappear into his 'music mode.' He would close his eyes, his right hand would lift the baton, and he would start to conduct the piece. This was not deliberate, it simply reflected years and years and years of study and training. He would be lost in the music, only to be snapped to reality by a brass voiced waitress asking what he wanted to order. True story and a very common one to classical musicians. CHEERS, Bob(deckman)Nelson |
|
28 Jul 04 - 07:14 PM (#1235910) Subject: RE: shopping used to be fun From: harvey andrews Music like sex... to me music is more like air... Well, whatever it is you need to keep life going Clinton! I'm glad you don't have the problem others of us seem to have. It's one I'd love to be able to dump. My wife can deal with it, but no matter how I try i can't. So she has to deal with me instead of it. I wish it were otherwise. |
|
28 Jul 04 - 07:32 PM (#1235917) Subject: RE: shopping used to be fun From: Richard Bridge CH - step up or step aside??? You step aside. |
|
28 Jul 04 - 09:01 PM (#1235979) Subject: RE: shopping used to be fun From: Clinton Hammond "He also was born with perfect pitch" Poor poor bugger! |
|
28 Jul 04 - 09:37 PM (#1235997) Subject: RE: shopping used to be fun From: The Fooles Troupe The real reason is a sinister conspiracy. If our brains are swamped by media decided by 'head office', just where is this 'head office'? This is Big Brother come to life. If we are unable to think for ourselves because our heads are filled with mindless 'pseudo-music', then we will be unlikely to realise that our politicians are not working for us, but for those who fund their campaigns, and we will never vote them out! They don't fool me! |
|
29 Jul 04 - 04:37 AM (#1236160) Subject: RE: shopping used to be fun From: Ellenpoly Oh harvey! I'm in complete agreement with you on this! I feel I'm being assaulted from all sides. The few times I've heard music I like are measured against all the times I wanted to scream SHUT THAT CRAP OFF! In the end, I almost never leave the house without my earphones and cassette/radio. At least this way, I can choose my own music. It's an isolating choice, but my own recourse to too much noise of all sorts. ..xx..e |
|
29 Jul 04 - 05:09 AM (#1236171) Subject: RE: shopping used to be fun From: harvey andrews And, of course, the constant use of music everywhere devalues it greatly and relegates it to the audio equivalent of wallpaper. There was a nice interview on TV this morning with a young female singer who's been nominated for some award. She said she left the charts behind at 15 when she discoverd Ella and Billie Holliday then found Dylan and Joanie Mitchell. She actually praised musicality and lyrics!! There appears to be a sort of jazz based revival of youth interest in songs and music, maybe it will grow into something like the Folk revival was for us. Wouldn't that be nice! |
|
29 Jul 04 - 05:27 AM (#1236176) Subject: RE: shopping used to be fun From: fat B****rd Good Morning, Mr. Andrews. You mean Amy Winehouse I believe. Her CD is definitely worth a listen. But beware she has a sharp tongue and also likes RAP !! and...... HIP HOP !!!. |
|
29 Jul 04 - 06:11 AM (#1236197) Subject: RE: shopping used to be fun From: jacqui.c Of course, there is a reason for the music in stores particularly. The idea is that it 'relaxes' shoppers and makes them more amenable to spending more money. Now there's a thought - with UK personal debt/credit spending due to hit the trillion mark today, maybe if muzac in stores was banned the figures would take a tumble. |
|
29 Jul 04 - 07:01 AM (#1236210) Subject: RE: shopping used to be fun From: Mooh In my former workplace, they played a local radio station which repeated the playlist much too often, and there's little more annoying than hearing the same tripe in repetition, except for maybe the absolutely inane malinformed chatter of the DJs. My co-workers would know my mood for the day when I bellowed, "Turn that fucking thing off!". Luckily they weren't always able to pipe in the radio and I enjoyed many hours of fine music of my choice on my discman. However, there was no way of hearing the discman when the pa was blaring. To me it was akin to secondhand smoke. Unfortunately, I live in a genuine radio wasteland and the limited available choices have formed the tastes of much of the public. Hearing it at Canadian Tire or the shoe store doesn't surprise me, but at a church office, doctor's office, even the library, I find pretty irritating. The only music at my present job is that of the music lessons...try tolerating that! Peace (and quiet), Mooh. |
|
29 Jul 04 - 07:09 AM (#1236214) Subject: RE: shopping used to be fun From: Mooh ...mind you, if they always piped in CBC's roots music (thanks George) it wouldn't be half bad! Mooh. |
|
29 Jul 04 - 07:34 AM (#1236231) Subject: RE: shopping used to be fun From: DonMeixner Shopping has never been fun. It is time lost forever to no good purpose. Don |
|
29 Jul 04 - 09:09 AM (#1236281) Subject: RE: shopping used to be fun From: Sandra in Sydney Some time back I was browsing in an inexpensive/cheap dress shop obviously intended for women much younger than me. I think I was the oldest person there! Certainly I was the only one ready to ask the assistant if her radio was just off the station as it sounded distorted to me. On second thoughts I left before I could be told that was how the music was meant to be. And the clothing was not meant for me, either, being far too small & short & skimpy & ... Another, better time I was in a junk shop (bargain shop) where the music was so intriguing & enjoyable that I eventually asked the assistant what it was. It was Sarah Brightman's Eden which I'll get one day soon. My introduction to Loreena McKennet also came in a shop - this one was the kind that sold candles, books on meditation & spiritual growth & other peaceful things. I was listening to the music when a strolling band of South American buskers came wandering past & stopped outside. I still managed to listen to enough of her to decide I liked it. sandra |
|
29 Jul 04 - 09:12 AM (#1236283) Subject: RE: shopping used to be fun From: saulgoldie Of course, there was the time when...I was in the bank, being "Muzaked" and I realized that it was not "the normal" flavor. It was..."Life is Large" by The Kennedys! The rest of the experience sucked, as all Muzak experiences do. But wasn't that a time! Well, that "head office" dodge is increasingly common in not just the soundscape matter, but in many other matters, too, as they try ever more successfully to insulate themselves from public input, which is necessarily "inconvenient" and "messy." I think it'll take either hordes of shoppers in unison telling them whatfor, or some sort of legislation, after which there will be hues and cries about "excessive regulation of private enterprise." |
|
29 Jul 04 - 10:37 AM (#1236334) Subject: RE: shopping used to be fun From: GUEST,leeneia As the person who started this thread, I am pleased to see that so many other people care about the topic. Here are some thoughts I've had since, in no particular order. 1. I have keen hearing. Not to a bizarre degree, but it's noticeably better than most people's. Why should I suffer when other people don't? 2. The store where I work is going to play "great hits of the 80's and 90's." The main reason is that they can play a local radio station for free. Its cheapness is the main reason. Evidently, having their customers bombarded by other people's commercials doesn't bother them. Probably they haven't noticed that it occurs. 3. I read a book on sex differences in the human brain recently. Too bad I can't remember the name of it. Anyhow, CAT scans, etc, show that in general, women notice more things than men do. Men tend to focus on one thing, while women will be processing 3-4 things at once. Obviously, having a bunch of men make decisions about the environment for women customers (and employees) does not make a lot of sense. 4. Muzak is a brand name, and companies have to pay for Muzak. I haven't heard it for a while, but I'm pretty sure I would find Muzak much less irritating than commercial pop radio. 5. My basic response to all this is not to shop. It's been 9 years since I put down the last kitchen floor, and this time I hope for a longer stretch to pass before I have to hit Home Depot again. 6. I help garden down at my church. I love the garden, but it does have the drawback that bums and drifters hang out there. Most of the male vocalists I hear over the PA sound like they've been living behind the grotto, too. I refer to hoarse, cigarette-ravaged throats, the inability to carry a tune, and the themes of self-pity and anger. Why do merchants work so hard to provide a clean store and polite salespeople, then fill the airwaves with dirty, depressing images? |
|
29 Jul 04 - 11:04 AM (#1236351) Subject: RE: shopping used to be fun From: GUEST,Art Thieme Good people, It is simply a matter of corporate control of just about everything that can be worthwhile --- in the name of making more $$$$$. Yes, the more things change, the more they get different! But this is why we respect alternative music/sounds where it's not "them" that chooses what we hear. And to the extent that we pick and choose our own sounds impinging on our brains, we, personally and individually, are still in control of the great cacaphony. We ARE, then, harkening back to a moment on the time line when NATURAL SELECTION was the determining factor. It is the ORAL TRADITION that we miss. Nature vs. corporate dictatorship of, not the proletariate, but of the rich and powerful who run the many and various music businesses and everything else. Art Thieme |
|
29 Jul 04 - 11:32 AM (#1236371) Subject: RE: shopping used to be fun From: Les from Hull Yes I have trouble shutting music out as well, even the kind of crap music you hear in shops. And remember - it's not Christmas yet. I'm not looking forward to hearing those same old Christmas songs again. Perhaps it's yet another reason for shopping in smaller neighbourhood shops and avoiding supermarkets. It's not so easy for me, as I live in the City Centre, but at least it keeps me away from those edge of town supermarkets. But from another point of view, when Maggie occasionally works at an aromatherapy shop, she takes in a couple of nice CDs to listen to (really more for her benefit than to help sell aromatherapy products). But she is often complimented on the music, or asked who is playing, with customers sometimes staying to hear the end of the track. |
|
29 Jul 04 - 12:05 PM (#1236398) Subject: RE: shopping used to be fun From: GUEST,leeneia Well, I'm off, back to Home Depot to buy the tiles - this time with my hearing protection in my pocket. It should be quick in and out. No doubt the management would like me to linger, browse, and make additional purchases, but they've outsmarted themselves. |
|
29 Jul 04 - 12:08 PM (#1236401) Subject: RE: shopping used to be fun From: saulgoldie BTW, Home Depot donates heavily to the Republican party, if you care about these things. |
|
29 Jul 04 - 12:13 PM (#1236405) Subject: RE: shopping used to be fun From: Joe Offer You know, you used to hear sanitized or "strings" versions of well-known pop vocals in stores - at least those were songs that had words that were often pretty good. Now, commercial establishments have gone to "soft jazz," and there are even radio stations that carry nothing but soft jazz. I think some of that stuff comes from random tune generators. I hate the stuff. -Joe Offer- |
|
29 Jul 04 - 07:32 PM (#1236717) Subject: RE: shopping used to be fun From: kendall I am unable to shut out that crap. To me, it is not music, it is an unnecessary annoying pain in the ass, and I am not shy about telling them so. In one store, I asked the man to turn it down and he said some people like it, they even sing along. I told him that it had the opposite effect on me; that it makes me want to break things and hurt someone. He turned it off. I'll be damned if I will pay to be annoyed! And these empty headed musical cretins who like that crap, and force their poor taste in music on me will continue to get feedback from me. I have walked out of many a place rather than allow them to invade my head with that rubbish, and in the final analysis, they need me more than I need them. Too many people lack the balls to speak up |
|
29 Jul 04 - 07:49 PM (#1236721) Subject: RE: shopping used to be fun From: Clinton Hammond " I have walked out of many a place rather than allow them to invade my head" Keep walkin'.... "they need me more than I need them" I'll wager they don't NEED you at all... |
|
30 Jul 04 - 07:18 PM (#1237474) Subject: RE: shopping used to be fun From: kendall And I will keep walking, because as I said they need me more than I need them. Was that too subtle for you? |
|
30 Jul 04 - 08:31 PM (#1237526) Subject: RE: shopping used to be fun From: Clinton Hammond Yer one person... they need YOU specifically not in the least... |
|
30 Jul 04 - 09:38 PM (#1237561) Subject: RE: shopping used to be fun From: Q (Frank Staplin) Odd. Our Home Depot lacks the imitation music. Store personnel and customers can actually talk to one another. The last time we wanted a good meal without the noise, we went to the old-fashioned dining room of a 4-star hotel here. No music. They were doing a good business, and on a Tuesday at that. |
|
30 Jul 04 - 09:56 PM (#1237567) Subject: RE: shopping used to be fun From: GUEST Strange that folkies can't or won't avoid shopping at the chain stores which are eating our society alive. |
|
31 Jul 04 - 03:28 AM (#1237696) Subject: RE: shopping used to be fun From: Richard Bridge You may have missed this CH, but shops need customers. If we vote with our wallets, we may have effect. |
|
31 Jul 04 - 03:37 AM (#1237697) Subject: RE: shopping used to be fun From: semi-submersible My mother clenched her teeth and endured the jabbering radio for the first few minutes of her taxi ride. The thought of listening to it all the way to the airport was appalling. "I'm paying for this ride," she decided, at last. "I don't have to put up with this." She tapped the driver on the shoulder. "Please turn the radio off." "What?" he hollered. He couldn't hear her over the radio. Raising her voice to a shout, she slowly and clearly repeated her request. Surprised, he asked, "Turn it down?" "No, off." "Right off?" He was astonished. She nodded. Hesitantly, he reached for the dial, and relative quiet descended on the cab. She took a deep breath, and began to relax. All the way to the airport, he shot her glances of bafflement. She heard his radio start to blare again before he drove away. Years later she described to me that cabman's amazement at someone preferring silence. But it's not a new issue, nor restricted to musicians. ("Go placidly amid the noise and haste, and remember what peace there may be in silence." 1682) Science fiction short story writers have had fun with this. Arthur C. Clarke gleefully thumbed his nose at the laws of physics with "Silence Please" (in his playful collection, Tales from the White Hart, found in any good library). The newly-invented Fenton Silencer becomes the ruin of a conniving exploiter. Alan Nelson with "Silenzia" (collected in two anthologies) postulates a mysterious bottle with a "sound wick." It becomes addictive - until overstrained... In someone else's wicked little piece, advertisers' freedom-of-speech lobby has made earplugs illegal. Every five minutes, your phone speaks up to remind you to check the phone book before dialing directory assistance. Try commuting on a subway where every ad talks and sings at once! Re Mr. Hammond's view: We who grew up with it find your 'silence' deafening and a waste of space and time.... and the kids coming up behind us want even more media... And if I'm not in the mood, I tune it out... it's an important skill... I've heard that elementary school teachers can spot children who watch little TV in the home. Without skill in unconsciously "tuning out" the teacher as soon as their attention starts to wander, the kids without TV are much better at concentrating on the teacher's words long enough to find their meaning. I suspect that awareness will remain a more adaptive skill in the long run. But then, I do choose not to live in cities, because of the stress levels. |
|
31 Jul 04 - 05:45 AM (#1237724) Subject: RE: shopping used to be fun From: Jeanie I'm very interested in your comment about children in schools, Semi-Sub, because it is something I have noticed to be growing problem. A senior school I taught at actually started a campaign against what it called "low level classroom disruption" (i.e. kids chatting non-stop in class !) The pupils saw nothing wrong in carrying on their conversations while the teachers were explaining things, and were shocked that the school was making an issue out of it. Growing up in a world of constant and simultaneous radio/TV/music/several conversations/text messages/ringtones/MSN instant messages etc. etc. certainly means that these children and teens are able to "multi-task" - but, I feel, at the cost of concentrating and enjoying anything in depth. I teach drama to juniors (under 11s) and of necessity have to spend a lot of time training them to be good listeners, to concentrate and observe closely, to take turns in a conversation and to "be a good audience". Whatever one may think of the National Curriculum, "Speaking and Listening Skills" feature on it - and quite rightly so ! I can understand how people with ultra-sensitity to music find the constant muzak bombardment unbearable. My own particular bugbear is the spoken word. I am not talking about regional accents here (nothing wrong with them !) but radio-DJ-ese, the drawn and distorted vowels and nasality which are being perfected to a fine art all along the FM waveband. I used to listen to BBC Essex in the mornings, for news and local travel information, but have had to stop because of the travel presenter's pronunciation of the "o" vowel as "ay": "SAY far, the M25 is looking good" and the "oo" sound as "ee": e.g. "Don't forget to call us on ay one tee four five three six tee" (01245 362) I can't stand it ! It was sending me insane ! (Likewise their news presenter - being paid for a clear speaking voice, remember - who reports on "Watching wawing Iwaki webels".) - jeanie (a.k.a. Professor Higgins !) |
|
31 Jul 04 - 05:55 AM (#1237726) Subject: RE: shopping used to be fun From: harvey andrews Jeannie, I've noticed the vowel distortion too. "hallauwy, hauy mai ai help yew?" comes down my phone regularly. I think it may be to do with a generation raised on Aussie soaps, it appears to be a mixture of Estuary and Oz. I've also heard that some schools now actually pipe music into the classroom for reading hour as the children find the silence frightening and distracting. It could be we're being evolved out of society! |
|
31 Jul 04 - 06:11 AM (#1237731) Subject: RE: shopping used to be fun From: Georgiansilver So I walked around town, going only into the shops I needed to. Bought what I needed and decided to go for coffee. During that time...approx one hour..I was subjected to all kinds of music..with the exception of anything I actually like to hear. Perhaps I am too fussy.......However. The coffee was at a new cafe in town or should I say slightly out of the centre of town, by the riverside. When I walked in...Cat Stevens was on the CD player...other 60's and 70's music ensued. I wondered why a beautiful young manageress(in her 20's) would have such music on so I asked. "My Mum and Dad are still into this and I just enjoy their taste in music" ...How refreshing...Being of advancing years and single again...I shall venture into that cafe regularly to enjoy great coffee, great music and to look at a beautiful young lass who will keep some good music alive for another generation. No-one in that cafe so far has complained about the music there. Best wishes. |
|
31 Jul 04 - 06:56 AM (#1237748) Subject: RE: shopping used to be fun From: kendall I repeat. They need me more than I need them. If they don't need me at all, I need them even less. Is that clear enough? |
|
31 Jul 04 - 09:19 AM (#1237788) Subject: RE: shopping used to be fun From: saulgoldie Kendall, many of these entities are so big that one or two of you and me staying away will not noticable affect their bottom line. It has to be wave after wave of "us" and they have to KNOW that it is and WHY. I am with you, of course, in that I adjust my shopping habits according to how they treat me, and that is more than just the aural annoyance. And some of the smaller establishments often just treat me like a crank. Apparently, their sense of how things should be because of either their understanding of their customer base or their own personal taste (and mine be damned) is not the way I would have it. In the case of the leather & spikes punk coffee house, I didn't go there because of the feel and the music. Apparently, there was not enough of a critical mass of like-minded people in this case, because the joint closed in less than a year. But in the case of a place where I like to go to read, write and have a pint, I constantly have to ask them to turn the music down so that my ears don't hurt, nevermind the format of the music (which I don't like but can tolerate in lower volume). And there, they do tend to view me with some annoyance. And my one or two beers is not the difference between their success and failure. And most of the other patrons do not seem to be bothered by the conversation-drowning volume, and sometimes even ask for it to be louder. So I don't go there as much as I might. Unfortunately, it is the only brewpub within 25 miles. But I have adjusted my shopping and I continue to do so. |
|
31 Jul 04 - 12:04 PM (#1237858) Subject: RE: shopping used to be fun From: kendall I've lived long enough so that those empty headed cretin's opinion of me don't matter. I will not pay to be annoyed. full stop. |
|
31 Jul 04 - 12:06 PM (#1237859) Subject: RE: shopping used to be fun From: kendall Sometimes I take my Walkman. That way I get listen to music instead of the twanging and caterwalling. |
|
31 Jul 04 - 01:23 PM (#1237903) Subject: RE: shopping used to be fun From: open mike My dentist office supplies walkman / radio / tape / c.d player to drown out the sound of drilling, etc. I used to schedule appointments for cleaning (teeth scraping) during the local celtic music show and be assured of a pleasant "session" . Yes, often the piped in music is offensive, but i did find myself singing along yesterday night in the grocery. A few days previous i was at a gas station that had a (way too) loud peaker blasting some commercial radio station into the out doors, and while i was there a booming rap car pulled, in, you know the ones which rattle the windows when they are at idle, and on the other side of me another such car whose speakers were blown and blaring out a distorted sort of fuzzy sound....I tried to imagine going up to either of the drivers and say soemthing...anything.....i am sure i wouldd have had to shout...and what would i say? "Please" did not even seem to be a word they would understand. "What the f**k makes you think that any one else wants to listen to that sh*t" was more likely what would have come out...and i feared some sort of road rage might have occurred....so the fear of reprisal caused me to not approach at all. sad oh yes the song i was singing along with at the grocery was " This song's for You" perhaps an elton john number? "..I sat on the roof and i kicked at the moss...." "..i hope you don't mind that i wrote down the words..." i was surprised that i remembered the words..it has been decades since i heard that one...funny how some songs successfullly plant them selves in your head.... some in a positive way...if i knew the magic answer as to why or how that happens i could be a songwriter....i would like to know how to craft that song and tune that "stick"... |
|
31 Jul 04 - 01:28 PM (#1237909) Subject: RE: shopping used to be fun From: saulgoldie "Your Song" by Elton John. And if it was the original, I coulda dug it, too. |
|
31 Jul 04 - 07:03 PM (#1238088) Subject: RE: shopping used to be fun From: SINSULL I can usually tune out most of the "music" but RAP or really loud noise sends me running. If they can do without my dollars, so much the better. My worst Muzak experience was at a jobsite in the early 70s. The owner had been sold a bill of goods. Every day we were motivated in the AM by "Hi Ho Hi Ho, It's Off To Work We Go" and after lunch by the Can CAn from Orpheus In The Underworld. Drove me nuts! |
|
01 Aug 04 - 12:20 AM (#1238102) Subject: RE: shopping used to be fun From: JennieG My husband listens to ABC Radio when in the car - he's a sales rep so spends a lot of time on the road driving around Sydney. Recently the topic was marketing and how shops present themselves to their particular market. One woman rang and said she shops in the chicky-babe shops because she likes the clothes, but doesn't like the pounding music so she complained to the manager. She was told that the loudness and choice of music is to keep out older shoppers as "it doesn't fit the shop's image to have older women browsing among the racks". So I don't go to chicky-babe shops....... Cheers JennieG who was a chicky-babe once |
|
01 Aug 04 - 06:00 AM (#1238208) Subject: RE: shopping used to be fun From: kendall Sounds like age discrimination to me, and that's illegal here. |
|
01 Aug 04 - 06:15 AM (#1238213) Subject: RE: shopping used to be fun From: Hrothgar Ooooh, Jen! |
|
02 Aug 04 - 02:28 AM (#1238721) Subject: RE: shopping used to be fun From: JennieG Kendall, I reckon it's subversive age discrimination. And because it's subversive I don't reckon anyone could really complain. Most shopping malls here have music piped through the entire mall, then many individual shops have their own choice of music as well. Perhaps we could come up with some appropriate music suggestions here on Mudcat for shops to play? Hrothgar - shall we trip the light fantastic at Maitland? Cheers JennieG |
|
02 Aug 04 - 04:09 AM (#1238752) Subject: RE: shopping used to be fun From: dunkel_esel I speak for the young generation. Why do old people always complain? Is it just a fact of life? Will I complain when the day comes that I have less of a hold on society? And are we really doing such a bad job? Second point - muzac is amazing! It is as much in our culture as.... other cultural things and I am sure it is here to stay, no matter how much people complain. |
|
02 Aug 04 - 05:07 AM (#1238764) Subject: RE: shopping used to be fun From: DMcG Why do old people always complain? Is it just a fact of life? Will I complain when the day comes that I have less of a hold on society? And are we really doing such a bad job? Sounds like complaining to me, dunkel! :-> Just a few points you might like to consider. No need to answer them, just mull them over. Or answer them if you prefer, its your choice! *) What sort of hold on society do you actually have? To what extent does society have a hold on you (and me)? Which is greater? *) Musak is not something you choose, it something forced upon you. How do you feel about other things forced upon you? Don't you think you have the right to say? You can choose what music you play on your CD or radio, or you can turn it off if you wish. You don't have this right for musak. Try a thought experiment. Would you defend it as part of our culture if it was constant right-wing/left-wing party political broadcasts? *) Is being all-pervasive the same thing as being part of our culture? Even if it is part of our culture and all-pervasive, does that make it A Good Thing? Compare and contrast with slavery, racism, ... If you are American, consider that being run from the UK was once part of your culture. *) Maybe there are parts of musak you don't like. It could be, for example, you find the Christmas carols from October onwards disruptive of the musak you prefer. Or you may find that there are shops and resturants that play stuff that you find 'too old'. How strongly do you defend their right to do that? |
|
02 Aug 04 - 05:16 AM (#1238765) Subject: RE: shopping used to be fun From: DMcG I should perhaps point out that I don't mean to imply that muzak and racism are in any way comparable; merely that the argument that common=acceptable is more than a little suspect. |
|
02 Aug 04 - 05:17 AM (#1238771) Subject: RE: shopping used to be fun From: Billy Weeks Dunkel; Do the young generation know you are speaking for them? |
|
02 Aug 04 - 07:13 AM (#1238815) Subject: RE: shopping used to be fun From: kendall Someone once described America as simply "The freedom to choose." Well, when it comes to Muzak, we have NO freedom. We old timers were raised in an era where the music we heard was real music, not just loud pounding twanging and screeching on key. To me, it's almost as bad as having an unwanted visitor invade my space. Some years ago there was a drive -in quick food place in Canada where gangs of young people hung out getting on the nerves of customers. After many complaints, the manager started playing classical music on the sound system and they all left. I would seek out such a place! |
|
02 Aug 04 - 10:25 AM (#1238898) Subject: RE: shopping used to be fun From: GUEST,leeneia I'm back. Been busy laying the new kitchen floor! I bought the tiles at a different Home Depot (my only local source) from the one I complained about. I wore my hearing protectors. I like the soft, waxy ones by Mack which mold to the shape of your ear canal. The music in the second Home Depot was noticeably quieter, but I still used the hearing protectors because of it and because of the noticeable rumbling of the air conditioning. It made for a nicer visit. The huge store had only one check-out clerk working. I gave up on the possibility of getting any help finding the tools I would need, so I bought the tile and went to my corner hardware store (also a chain) for everything else. I am convinced that there is no kind of music which will please (or fail to irritate) all the possible customers to a store, so the best kind is no music. PS Those soft hearing protectors are Great for airline travel as well. I put them in and put headphones right over them, listening to music I like. |
|
02 Aug 04 - 11:04 AM (#1238929) Subject: RE: shopping used to be fun From: kendall There are ear protectors that shut out ALL sound. We use them on the firing range because the magnum hand guns make a terrible noise that can ruin your hearing. |
|
02 Aug 04 - 11:31 AM (#1238949) Subject: RE: shopping used to be fun From: The Fooles Troupe Eh? What was that? |