Day 6 - 187 -- Music from the Air

Technology changes how we access information and entertainment and how we communicate. Today I thought about the radio. This was part of each day as I grew up. The old black bakelite radio sat on the counter in the kitchen. We listened to weather and local news at breakfast, farm reports and market prices at noon, and more weather and news at supper. Music was part of each mealtime, too. I recall getting my very own transistor radio, which represented a type of freedom. I could sit in my room and listen to music from local or distant stations, while the rest of the family was watching television.  By the time I was in high school, we would call in for quizzes and to request songs sometimes dedicated to a friend. As I left high school, I received a component stereo system to take to my residence room at university. Needless to say, car radios played a huge role in music access through teen years and it still does today -- though I do plug in an iPod to hear 'my' chosen music at times -- recognizing that even this format is used much less often and now replaced by blue tooth. Satellite radio packages seem to be part of most new vehicle purchases, thus allowing us to pay for what could still be pulled from the air for free -- much like television programming now. <sigh>  Regardless of the instrument or technology, we still rely on these for the same reasons as in decades past.

Newer technologies may often shrink selections available with the narrow-casting instead of the former broadcasting formats. Streaming or specific satellite channels serve to play only our favourites, thus we don't encounter newer or different music or programming genres. That makes me a bit sad. Granted, I listened to stations that played the type of music I wanted, but had to tune in at particular times in the evening to get what I wanted. At other times, a wide range of music styles would be available. Listening to those programs or stations let me hear different artists and even if not my favourites, I could hear bits that would allow me to converse with peers with some sense of what the 'other' was all about. Knowing what else is out there helps us to understand different perspectives. And yes, I still love radio.

A couple of songs came to mind to go with the pondering of the day. It didn't take long to settle on one with lyrics that describe the usefulness of music distribution technology. The band and lead singer brought us different music styles and major audience participation. Now, while I've chosen one song, I'm going to share two versions <smile>. The first is the LP version and the second is a live version that demonstrates the audience role in the show.  Enjoy!

Radio GaGa -- Queen (from the album The Works 1984)

Radio GaGa -- Queen (LiveAid performance) NOTE: you may want to search foe the version from the movie Bohemian Rhapsody to see how well the choreography was reproduced.