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Itunes Killed the Radio Star

I try not to do the whole “when I was your age” thing on my kids. Because it doesn’t really have any effect on them. And? It makes me feel old. And that? Is not cool.

But today, while driving down the street, pumping music the way only a mom with 3 kids in a minivan can….which is fairly lame…Peyton had a revelation.

The radio sucks.

This epiphany came when I had to tell her that I couldn’t restart a song because it was playing on the radio and not on CD or the IPod.

What?!! My musical needs cannot be met RIGHT.THIS.INSTANT? This will not do.  Heads will roll!

Peyton thinks all music actually COMES from Itunes! She thinks that Itunes is a band.  THE band. And me?  I am the roadie that makes it all possible. One $.99 download at a time.
I’m listening to her pitch a hissy, thinking back to my own music listening childhood.

Let me know if this sounds familiar. Then, I’ll know how old YOU are.

Sitting in front of a radio. With another radio in your hands, but THIS one has a tape cassette recorder.  Waiting to hear the beginning strains of your favorite song come on under the dj’s voice…you SNAP into action, hitting the PLAY and RECORD button at the same time so that you can finallllly have a copy of this song!  Only to discover that you only had enough tape to get through the middle of the first chorus of “Total Eclipse of the Heart”.  Tears. Flip tape over. Wait another 2 hours.

25 Comments on “Itunes Killed the Radio Star”

  1. #1 Shelley
    on Aug 22nd, 2008 at 9:18 pm

    OMG!! I so did the same thing! We would call the radio stations to request songs just to have the DJ talk over the music until the lyrics started. Oh, and remember when MTV actually played music videos?? We waited for hours to watch the Thriller video. Geez, I am old, but those were good times.

  2. #2 karen
    on Aug 22nd, 2008 at 9:29 pm

    this made a great laugh between me and Mat tonight- ha! You are funny- anissa!
    KG

  3. #3 Marie
    on Aug 22nd, 2008 at 11:00 pm

    Omigod omigod omigod!!!! I just totally had a vivid flashback!!!! YES!! I did that tooooo!! I was always waiting for Roxette’s new single, I’d sit there with my finger on the button…the music would start…and yes just like Shelley said the DJ would talk over it….and then when you got it you played it, rewound it, played it….oh the good old days!!!

    Now we have Itunes (or Limewire if you’re like me and don’t want to pay…BAD!) Recently I was listening to the radio and they said “Coming up next, ‘I kissed a girl’ by Katy Perry.” That song is so funny, I wanted to hear it again. But there was the usual ads and talking, and then another song because it’s NEVER the song they said was up next. I said “HAHA! Forget you radio!! We have the internet now! No more waiting for YOU to decide when I hear ‘I kissed a girl’. I’m going to download it right now!!!!! Take THAT radio!!” Ahh, today’s kids will never suffer the pain of waiting to hear a new song like we did.

  4. #4 Jennifer
    on Aug 23rd, 2008 at 12:21 am

    OH. MY. GOSH!!! I just said to Fred the other day…

    “Remember when we were kids and we taped songs off the radio?”

    “Huh?”

    “Didn’t you do that? Tape songs off the radio?”

    “Uhhh, no.”

    “Well how did you listen to the songs you liked?”

    “I’d BUY them on tape.”

    “Really? I’d sit in my room all day long on a Saturday with my radio playing and my tape recorder set up. I’d wait all day for that one special song that I wanted on tape and when it would finally play, I’d record it so I could play it again later.”

    “You’re such a dork!”

    Yeah, well I may be a dork but I am apparently not in dorkville all by myself!!!

    Jennifers last blog post..FFF; Favorite Stuffed Friends

  5. #5 Karalyn
    on Aug 23rd, 2008 at 12:22 am

    Ha ha ha ha!!!!! I AM that old.

  6. #6 always home and uncool
    on Aug 23rd, 2008 at 7:21 am

    Familar … except for the “Total Eclipse of the Heart” thing. Mine was “Shake Your Booty.”

    always home and uncools last blog post..When Nature Calls

  7. #7 Queen of the Mayhem
    on Aug 23rd, 2008 at 8:24 am

    I constantly have the SAME conversation with my kids!

    I must admit….I am spoiled on the Ipod too…I can hardly listen to the radio anymore!

    I can COMPLETELY remember doing that with the cassette tapes! My cousin would actually tape the songs off the TV!

    YEP….old here too! 🙂

    Queen of the Mayhems last blog post..Hanging In There…….Sort Of!

  8. #8 Ami Czorapinski
    on Aug 23rd, 2008 at 9:56 am

    But you forgot about having to be super quiet so that you didn’t get any background noise on tape. Boy have times changed.

  9. #9 Patti
    on Aug 23rd, 2008 at 11:31 am

    Hilarious….my son is all about the TIVO. We “only” have the DVR on one of our TVs so if he is in the playroom and misses something on one of his shows he yells “Mom, the remote won’t do instant replay”\And I have caught him cancelling a show I have set to record so he can continue watching his shows!!!

    Pattis last blog post..The Dangerous Days of Daniel X

  10. #10 TentCamper
    on Aug 23rd, 2008 at 12:04 pm

    I TOTALLY did that! That was soo funny. I used to use the…”when I was your age” thing, but now the kids finnish the statement for me with stuff like, “I know…you went to school in a covered wagon. ” or “they had just discovered fire.” littles smart asses.

    Love your blog

    TentCampers last blog post..I am homophobic

  11. #11 Mary
    on Aug 23rd, 2008 at 1:09 pm

    Been lurking for a while, found your site thru Faithful Froggers….
    YES! YES! YES! I remember those days. The kids do not understand, now they don’t have to wait. TV is getting the same way with Tivo. My BIL used to work for Tivo, so every room in their house has one, my nephew and nieces come over and can’t understand why they can’t just turn on what they want.

  12. #12 Beverly
    on Aug 23rd, 2008 at 2:44 pm

    Oh I remember those days…but I think I’m a bit older than you because our song was “I Will Survive”!

    Now I feel very old!

    Beverlys last blog post..First Day of School

  13. #13 PAPA
    on Aug 23rd, 2008 at 4:35 pm

    …Or the announcer would start talking over the song, or someone would yell Time for Dinner! or the dog would bark or the washing machine would come one. My Mom always wondered why I was in the Tornado room in the basement.

    PAPAs last blog post..Pablo doesn’t come round here no more

  14. #14 Liza
    on Aug 23rd, 2008 at 5:42 pm

    I actually miss those days. I still get excited about the littlest things. I wonder what are kids will be telling their kids?

    Lizas last blog post..Navy Life…Anchors Away

  15. #15 alayna
    on Aug 23rd, 2008 at 11:05 pm

    I hear ya, girl. Been there. Done that. Our kids have NO idea what a cush life they lead!

  16. #16 sandia
    on Aug 24th, 2008 at 4:02 am

    WOW, you just recovered a lost memory for me!! LOL!!!! Thank you so much – you just made me night!! Hilarious.

    sandias last blog post..visceral emotions

  17. #17 Lori
    on Aug 24th, 2008 at 8:25 pm

    Okay, Anissa–you’re making me feel VERRRY old, lol! I did that too! But, like a few others the songs were a TINY BIT older–haha! Like these: Dancing Queen, Hot Rod Hearts, Crocodile Rock (Was that song written in Florida? *Wink), Man Eater, Funky Town. Oh wow, the list goes on and on! Thanks for the memories. Hey wait, isn’t that another song title? Hugs, Lori

  18. #18 Evon Mease
    on Aug 24th, 2008 at 10:15 pm

    Think you’re old? I know how to change a needle on a record player! LoL Although I guess some DJ’s can do that now too…so maybe I am not so special after all :/

  19. #19 Rocks In My Dryer
    on Aug 24th, 2008 at 11:09 pm

    “Itunes is a band.” RFLOL. They just don’t get it, do they?

    Rocks In My Dryers last blog post..Kleenex Should Make Me Their Spokeswoman

  20. #20 Fool
    on Aug 25th, 2008 at 11:15 am

    Of course I did the same, only my tape recorder had a pause button!! Yeah I had play and record down with the pause button down so I only had to hit one button to record the song I was waiting all day to record.. course the second I hit the pause button would be when my sister came tearing into the room yelling and messed the whole thing up! Argh!… hmm and here I thought I had forgiven her all those years ago.

  21. #21 Stationery Guy
    on Aug 27th, 2008 at 11:47 am

    Little late on this bandwagon but I have to admit that I too used a tape recorder to capture my favorite songs. I think I sometimes sat for hours waiting for certain favorites only to miss them accidentally.

    I think the fun was in the chase because the recordings were so poor, I have far more vivid memories doing the recording than actually listening to my efforts.

  22. #22 AllMediocre » Blog Archive » Shout Outs & Announcements
    on Sep 7th, 2008 at 8:07 pm

    […] has had some interesting conversations with her kids this […]

  23. #23 Connie
    on Sep 7th, 2008 at 8:48 pm

    I was lucky enough to inherit my parents stereo with the tape deck built into it. And I would spend Saturday nights calling my local radio station to dedicate love songs to my ‘crush of the week’ and then record them.

    I was a total dork!

    Connies last blog post..Super Yummy Donuts!

  24. #24 dysfunctional mom
    on Sep 7th, 2008 at 9:25 pm

    I did that! Too funny.

    dysfunctional moms last blog post..Advice from the DysFUNctional Family

  25. #25 Mama Kalila
    on Sep 8th, 2008 at 10:43 pm

    LOL I remember doing that too…

    And now that song is stuck in my head….

    Mama Kalilas last blog post..And Zebra’s Have Spots