Just one of my peeves that I jotted down while on the train the other day. To be fair, I’m known to yak too loudly every now and then, but, W tactfully quiets me. So from Wednesday…
It’s 3:30 p.m. and we’ve just stopped in Staunton, Virginia, a few hours southwest of D.C.—pronounced Stanton by southerners and some others. We’re moving slowly through Virginia farmland and it’s raining out there. And everything is green, really green. Very peaceful. But I’ve had to go under the cover of headphones, cranking up Jefferson Airplane, trying to drown out the constant chatter of the two in front of me. Boarding in Charlottesville, I suspect they’re UVA students. Wah-hoo-wah. Anyway, his voice is too loud and is distracting. I think he’s disturbing others around him, as well, as they’re staring at him, and it’s not interesting stuff.
The song, My Best Friend (an excellent song, I have to add…a little reminiscent of The Byrds), is over and the music has stopped, but my headphones are still on and I can still hear him…a sky that turns red scares him… his seat partner speaks more softly but she supplies audible heh-heh’s to almost everything he says. He says he has a fear of heights…she says she doesn’t. Oh no, now I can hear her. The music resumes…Blues From An Airplane.
I think Grace and Company can keep me sane until he falls asleep…that is, if he falls asleep.
Oh, and she’s a hummer.
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Jefferson Airplane–truly one of the all time underrated bands–featuring possibly the best lead-guitar/bass combinations ever in Jorma Kaukonen and Jack Casady (now known as Hot tuna) as well as a number of great vocalists (though I should mention that Grace Slick wasn’t in the band yet when they recorded Blues From an Airplane, though she does sing on My Best Friend–aren’t music nerds annoying?) and loads of amazing songs. Anyway, the photo brings me back to the month of May1992, all of which I spent walking through Virginia on the Appalachian Trail…and most of the time it looked bright green below and grey above, generally with pouring rain in between…seventeen years ago, I was soaking wet for just about the whole month…and oh, to be back there again….
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Holly – I loved the posting. As with YFC I am a huge Jefferson Airplane fan. . . Saw them twice in concert – 1972ish. And Hot Tuna / Jorma more than I can count. We Can Be Together and Volunteers are in frequent rotation on my ipod. Great photograph. . .
koe whitton-williams´s last blog post..manhattan in the driving rain
Oh! Yes, I detest having to stick my headphones on unless I want to, not because I have to. But all to often on public transport, I find I have to. The other night on my way home from somewhere I grabbed one of the few available seats on the tram. I didn’t notice straight away, but the two people seated on the seats facing mine were BOTH on their phones, loudly.
The guy had a smarmy “I’m so cool” edge to his voice and it was present in the way he spoke to the person on the other end, too. But worse, he had this pretentious way of laughing by pronouncing (not actually laughing) “ha ha ha ha ha” in rapid succession. So fake!
The girl was just having one of those gossipy girly conversations, but loudly so. They sat right next to each other, somehow not annoyed by each other. But they both annoyed me. So on with the headphones, can’t remember what I played tho…
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Twitter: craftybird
Oh, Svasti beat me to expressing a loathing for loud mobile phone conversations… and on public transport you get treated to a lot of that vaccuous crap. I don’t know what’s worse, the person who unselfconsciously yammers on as if they truly believe there is no-one else in the immediate area or the self obsessed arse who just can’t wait to tell us all about themselves. It’s like all the bores in the world now have an excuse to talk as loudly and as much as they want, even if everyone else in the room is cringing.
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Hey drjay,
I’m now hooked on Jefferson Airplane’s 2400 Fulton Street…can’t stop listening. And yes, I guess music nerds can be annoying, but they can also be very helpful. For example, I was countin’ on you to pick up on my Byrds remark and comment on why JA sang so many CS&N songs, some even better, such as “Let’s Get Together.” I was wondering if there was some connection there. Yeah, I know, Google is my friend…
Okay, spending all that time on the Trail…were you afraid of running into bears or wildcats? I mean we used to go to the Shennandoahs for a day or so but a whole month…I don’t know…
earthtoholly´s last blog post..SkyWatch Friday No. 44
Hi and thanks, Koe,
Funny that you mention a concert. Just before I left town I came across a 1974 (I think) Jefferson Airplane ticket stub from Maryland’s old Capital Centre. I just may have to post that after I assemble a JA playlist. As I told drjay, I’ve been listening to 2400 Fulton Street and just love it. Maybe they were on an east coast tour when we both saw them.
*correction* Koe, I checked my ticket stub…Jefferson Starship, 10/25/74, and only $5.50 admission!
earthtoholly´s last blog post..SkyWatch Friday No. 44
Hi Svasti,
That’s so funny…sounds like it would make a great post!
Yeah, seems as though most people don’t give it a second thought to whip out the phone and yak it up. I’m not a phone person myself, so I couldn’t care less to talk on it. I find it most useful when traveling and even then I’m not crazy about talking in places where the public can hear me. Argh.
earthtoholly´s last blog post..SkyWatch Friday No. 44
Hi there, Bird,
Heh-heh-heh… You are so funny! I can just imagine your face reddening and steam rising as you described the loathsome bunch.
The only saving grace was that the train yakkers were confined to their seats as they yammered on (I like your word there). I’ve found that people on cell phones who are roaming free are suddenly blind and become human pinballs, bouncing off you as they bobble about…and of course, with no apologies. Now I’m opening up a whole new can of worms… :o(
earthtoholly´s last blog post..SkyWatch Friday No. 44
Holly–I actually saw three bears in Shenandoah, out of a total of six on the whole A.T., and they all ran like hell to get away from me. So, scared…no….
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