RE: Occupational Hazards by Johnny Aorta

[Roger Kirk <rkirk@videoserver.com>]

Bill O'neill e-scribed:

>Something happened to my brain's music memory chip working at an AC   
>station (50s, 60s, 70s, some 80s) - I started to remember songs by   
'>artist', length of song, talk-up, ending f/c!  (If you play them   
enough, >occupational hazard??)  This seemed to outweigh where I was when   
I >first *heard* the song as a kid, etc.  For instance, I would be   
someplace >and on a radio would come 'The Letter' by the Boxtops and I;d   
have this >urge to blurt out "A minute fifty seven with a fade.. "   (One   
way to get >people to give you lots of space on the train platform.  So,   
of course, I >had no friends, but seriously folks.....)  Am I the only   
one with this type of >condition condition?

No, you're not the only one one.  As a mobile DJ, my "first time" for   
many songs has been obliterated.  As a matter of fact, most of the   
memories that go along with the normal chart-life of those songs are   
"gone", too.  Yes, I'd call it an occupational hazard.

It can also happen to people who are "not in the business".  Certain   
songs "played to death" on an unnamed Oldies station have lost their   
"precious memory" status for me.  Now they're just "songs" - nothing   
special.  I sincerely regret losing special memories that go along with   
the songs of yesteryear.  NB: I didn't say "youth".

This morning, I listened to KOOL 96.5 in Manchester.  Only one song out   
of the pack (Remember Then by The Earls) sounded really "good" to me.  It   
actually gave me goosebumps and that's "Nostalgia."  Obviously, I don't   
hear thrice every 168 hours.

Roger Kirk a.k.a. The Wizard Of Music
rkirk@videoserver.com

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