Turntable Revolution

I can still remember the smell of the styrofoam/cardboard aroma that wafted out of the box as I tore into it, revealing my greatest purchase ever: a dual cassette deck with AUTO REVERSE.

I was 15 years old, in the middle of a successful hair-brush-mic-karaoke-in-my-bedroom-mirror career, and now, with this awesomely cool dual cassette ghetto blaster with bass boost, I was COOL.

(Well, coolER. My mom told me I'd ALWAYS been hip....obviously....)

This phenemonal advance in technology allowed the music-lovin' masses the opportunity to enjoy their favourite tapes without the hassle of flipping over to side B once the tuneage on side A ended. A stellar step up in the world of technology. How on earth could anything beat this? What on earth could they come up with next?

Little did I know, my "greatest purchase ever" was soon to become a primitive piece of audio enjoyment - could any 15yr old really prepare for the flood of fascinating toys that was about to inundate the industry?

In a flurry of evolutions and revolutions, from CDs (super audio and otherwise) to mp3s, discmans (discmen?) and iTunes, studio sound booths to some kid's mom's basement in front of the computer with a mic patched in, the development of the music scene, both production and distribution-wise, has had a more far-reaching effect than it once did just years before.

(Thanks, Internet!)

But, oddly enough, after I sadly recognized the short shelf life of my "greatest purchase ever", and after I'd caved and purchased successors to my beloved boom box (the CD player, the iPod), I couldn't help but find a hint of hilarity (or sense of pride perhaps?) in the sustainability of the cassette's predecessor, the popular LP. 

Yep, the good ol' record player. My first music-playing medium. (I had one just like this! Ahh, the memories...)

The hilarity stems from the fact that, after all the creative ways to produce and play music, vinyl - my earliest music-related memory - is making its comeback. Of course records have always been around, but their popularity waned in light of more recent innovations. And now, they're becoming the mainstream medium again. So what the heck? What about mp3s? And all my CDs that have been sitting around, unused for years (with the exception of Hootie & the Blowfish - that disc's propping up a dresser)...is this a case of history repeating itself? Have we just run out of ways to preserve and play tunes? Or has vinyl just been the constant, steadfast formidable force in audio playback, unmatched in quality?

I'm going with the latter.

After wading through a variety of mediums, I find myself back where I began, only putting a modern spin on my classic memory: slowly building up my collection of LPs and enjoying them on my new state-of-the-art turntable (purdy, ain't she?!). Only this time, I've got U2 and Beatles vinyl (a far cry from the Sesame Street and Disney "records" my parents used to buy me).

Of course, with this having come full-circle in my life, I've got complete faith cassette decks will be big again. (They've just GOT to be, right?!) C'mon, Auto Reverse was an amazing breakthrough, I really don't think it got the appreciation it deserved.

So, in the wake of the Turntable Revolution, let's start an Occupy the Ghetto movement to bring back the blaster!  

(I may or may not still have my El DeBarge cassette ready to rock when that day comes...)

SoundTracking: No Regrets (Tom Cochrane)

David Made Me Do It

With the influx of reality shows these days, it can be hard to discern which ones are worth watching and which ones are being used as low-grade fillers until something more substantial comes along.

I used to be a reality show junkie. And even then, junkie's a stretch by today's standards. I watch The Bachelor. (Really hate to admit that one.)

And Dog the Bounty Hunter. I loves me some bail-bond-hoppin' criminal take-downs.

And Celebrity Apprentice.

And Hoarders.

And Intervention.

(And I'm a little miffed that they pulled Steven Seagal: Lawman.)

Ok, so we've pretty much determined that I am a semi-junkie when it comes to reality TV. Only I tend to prefer watching circumstances play out that I wouldn't typically witness in everyday life. (Why I would watch Jersey Shore is beyond me - I could just check out my 'hood!) So clearly, I'm not in any position to judge shows of which I've decided my brain cells don't need to be burdened with unnecessary processing. But it would appear to moi, the reality TV quasi-junkie, that the quality of this breed of show seems to have plummeted (Flavor Flav? The Kardashian shenanigans? Really?).

However, in the barrage of this genre of programming, one has come along that has resonated with me.

Long Island Medium entered its second season in March of this year, and unlike other mediums on the tele, charismatic clairvoyant Theresa Caputo invites the audience into her home, giving us a chance to acknowledge this fascinating phenomenon isn't some Morticia-esque el-creepo; rather, she is just your typical (hot) wife and mom. Only her job is a tad unconventional.

She channels the dead and shares their messages with loved ones they left behind.

And her hutzpah adds life to an otherwise grave topic.

And I love it.  Everything about the show is magnetic.

(Also, I may or may not have developed a teensy little crush on her motorcycle-lovin' hubby Larry. Eye candy never hurt anyone, right?!)

So, aside from the fact that this show is a refreshing change from the insanity we've been assaulted with as a viewing audience, I especially appreciate it, seeing as how I encountered a similar experience.

Years ago, a girlfriend and I decided, on a whim, to visit a local medium. Neither of us had been before, it was just something fun and different to try.

We booked the appointment with the psychic medium (who admitted she worked under an alias), and showed up at her small, candle-lit dwelling a couple of days later (the street address was 666).

I wasn't going into the session a skeptic per se; I just wasn't expecting much.

No - scratch that - I didn't know what to expect.

The medium (her name - either alias or legal escapes me) was sure not to allow me my usual small talk pleasantries. In fact, she would shut us down when one of us tried to make conversation with her as she prepared the room and explained the intricacies of what she does.

She told us that we were lucky to have come in a pair, that typically a session is so involved, the person being read would be so caught up in it, they wouldn't be able to retain all the info once they left. This way, having arrived as a duo, I could take notes for my friend when she was being read, and she would do the same for me.

Good suggestion, coming as a twosome. This experience was, by far, the most surreal moment of my life. I absolutely required back-up.

It wasn't a Theresa Caputo-style reading, in that none of my dearly departed stepped forward. Nor did anyone from the other side come through for my friend. Instead, the medium said she had a spirit friend, David, who actually did the readings and subsequently conveyed the messages to his medium connection. (David has a story, but I can't recall details - I just remember being more freaked out with the possibility of him following me home. The medium said he might do that if he found someone he liked. Now THERE'S a good way to ensure I didn't get a good night's sleep for the next month or two.)

I'm not going to go into detail about what was said, obviously. But I will say this: she knew things about me and my family that my good friend taking notes for me never knew.

For an hour and a half, she would throw out names, phrases, pleasant and modest visions of my future, and all these little tidbits were scrawled feverishly by my girlfriend on the looseleaf that was provided.

To this day, those 2 full, double-sided papers, written in my friend's handwriting, have been as much a staple in my ever-changing wallet fashions as my credit cards and drivers licence. 

I'll admit that there are still a few of those phrases that haven't melded with me (yet) ....(she did mention she saw me on a catamaran, so I'm still holding out hope that THAT'll come true). But I like to, every now and then, pull out those decade-old pages and reflect, reminisce, and attempt to connect the dots that she mysteriously laid out.

I haven't visited a medium since. That's not to say I wouldn't, I just...haven't.

And ever since Long Island Medium made it's debut, I've been hooked. I can relate to both sides - the skeptics and the believers, because, well, I guess I was almost kinda there. I did sorta play both roles.

That's why I am so enamoured with this particular brand of reality TV. For all intents and purposes, skeptic or not, the emotions are real. It's not something you'd typically see everyday. It's a beautiful concept of bridging the gap and healing wounds, and, deep down, guaranteed, everyone wishes they could just happen to shop at the same store as Theresa Caputo and encounter one of her random "cold calls".

(Unlike many other reality shows, where no one wishes they were the target of attention of the show's star - who wishes they would be tackled by Dog?....I mean anyone else besides me?)

(And did I mention Theresa's silver fox husband Larry? Yeowza!)

And I don't think David followed me home from my reading so many years ago, but if he did, he's probably the one who made me find Theresa Caputo's show in the first place. (Y'know, he probably likes that sorta programming. In fact, I'll bet David's responsible for me watching The Bachelor, too. Yeah. That's it.)

Long Island Medium: 2 very enthusiastic well-manicured, 4" nail'd thumbs up, and an accompanying jaw-dropping Oh my God!


SoundTracking: Undun (The Guess Who)