Tag Archives: radio

Metallica vs. Led Zeppelin

I was driving to work this morning, listening to 98.5 FM radio. In the Central Valley, where I live, that station plays mostly metal. This morning they were playing some Metallica.

As I got near the top of the Altamont Pass the Bay Area’s 98.5 FM radio station started to interfere with the signal. They play mostly classic rock. This morning they were playing Led Zeppelin.

So there I was, driving up and over the Altamont Pass, with Metallica and Led Zeppelin fighting each other. The signal cutting back and forth. Each band trading riffs. I like both bands so I didn’t mind.

I thought about my own life, and about the old and the older, about the two different areas of California, how these two are constantly fighting each other, pushing and pulling each other in different directions.

Much like my own life. Constantly being pushed and pulled in different directions.

Old Time-y fun

So I have this little radio that I bought at Amazon Prime.

It’s a cheap little radio, a TRANSISTOR radio I suppose. It only has AM/FM. It has a telescoping antenna. It fits in the palm of your hand. To change stations you have to manual tune with a dial.

As I play with the little radio, that Yum has affectionately dubbed ‘Buddy’, a wave of memories washes over me.

I’m reminded of my youth (which is loooooooooong gone now) as I had a little transistor radio like this new one. I used to stay up late at night and tune in to KFOG, giggling to the Dr Demento show under my sheets. I remember laying in my sleeping bag at night up in Yosemite, fascinated that I could tune in to AM stations as far away as Seattle or San Diego. I remember placing my little radio next to my tape recorder, using the cassette deck’s built in mic to record my favorite songs. I remember the cheap, half broken, held together with duct tape radio I had when I lived in Long Beach. At the time, it was my only source of entertainment. I used to place the radio in my window sill and listen to jazz.

Yum plays with the new radio and remembers the good ol’ days, before the world went and got itself in a big ol’ hurry.

I love this new little radio. I’m looking forward to bringing it to Yosemite later this month.

I should have bought two.