Crumbs In The Butter #1 - Boombox Blues

After a long day in school/ work etc., the train/ bus ride should be an enjoyable one- one where you can finally relax some and clear your head whilst looking at the lack of scenery. And it is- until the Ugg wearing/ Mohawk sporting/ scruffy school kid (take your pick) strides on and sits down. You watch with baited breath as they reach into their pockets (please God let them be checking the time, their make-up, anything but that!) and then you see it. Like an Ace being pulled out the hand of your opponent as you gloat about your impending victory, the rectangular devil reflects your despairing reflection in its inviting chrome body paint. As you hope the thing has suddenly died or forgot how to work the first beat ripples through the carriage. Game over. This dreaded object is, of course, the iPod.

Before I continue, I'd like to say something- I have an iPod. Ironic. But before you dismiss this rant, let me continue. iPods are wonderful, brilliant, revolutionary inventions and I cherish mine like a child. However... there are two types of iPod owners- the respectable type, which I like to class myself as; and the annoying, loud mouthed and seemingly deaf type- which public transport is crawling with. Many a time I have slipped my iPod on and listened to great artists such as Bryan Adams, Queen, Foreigner, Whitesnake, The Beatles and The Eagles- with my headphones on and the volume respectable, i.e. enough for myself to enjoy a decent sound yet not loud enough for anyone else to hear it. It's a personal thing music and I like to keep it that way.

So why, may I ask you, my Ugg wearing/ Mohawk sporting/ scruffy school kid friend can I hear yours when you're sitting at the front of the bus? Why have earphones when all they do is make the songs sound like a muffled boombox because the volume is so high? If you're going to play that shit that loud, take the earphones out- at least then your utterly depressing tunes will be in clarity and I may stay sane for that fraction of a second longer. If it were The Beatles or Michael Jackson or another acclaimed artist cutting through my soul then I may loosen up, but it never is. It's always some rapper with a name like Professor Bizzle or the latest suped-up club anthem sung by Alvin and the Chipmunks or worse still Slipknot. Not only does it annoy me, and probably everyone else, it's disrespectful. All I ask is keep your tunes to yourself before I go grey please.

Rant over.