Thursday, 29 May 2008

The Condition of Muzak

Stepping into my local supermarket last night for a few necessities, I was startled to be greeted by an unmistakable Al Kooper organ riff and - wham - Like A Rolling Stone came pouring forth from the PA (or tannoy or whatever it is). Naturally I lingered in the aisles until it was over, enjoying a truly great song and ruminating on the passage of time. I can still remember the horripilating shock of hearing it (and the still more vitriolic Positively 4th Street) for the first time - and now here it was, pouring out as supermarket muzak, with nobody but me even noticing, let alone listening. Can any (pop/rock) music resist lapsing over the years into bland, background acceptability, achieving the condition of muzak? What will I hear when I next step into that supermarket?
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8 comments:

  1. Uncle Dick Madeley29 May 2008 at 19:02

    I believe that I've just wet myself. A blog that's all Nige? How can such a thing be? Doesn't particle physics predict that the combination of pop culture commentary and a miscellany of twitcher facts can't t exist in this universe?

    However, I'm glad that it does and you are now a link at Madeley Central.

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  2. malty29 May 2008 at 19:40

    Nige, I can stand any piped music in shops, I just think about my tinnitus, one exception, the Corrs. arghhhhhhhhhh.
    I see that the one legged blonde geordie nutter's mate's just commented.

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  3. Vince29 May 2008 at 20:17

    A hymn, from the Wien woods.

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  4. Richard Havers29 May 2008 at 22:38

    A month ago I was moved to blog about the great Al Kooper and this very song....

    http://haveringhavers.blogspot.com/2008/05/like-rolling-stone.html

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  5. Nige30 May 2008 at 11:01

    Great post, Richard - and welcome aboard to both the Richards.

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  6. Anonymous30 May 2008 at 11:13

    Oval tube station has nice music- mainly Bach in the morning. A board also displays the staff'd Thought for the Day- a bit of Nietzsche to set you up for day's rigours. This surprised me until I read Peter Zimonjic's marvellous Into the Darkness about his experiences surviving 7/7. He has a lot of interesting things to say about those who work on London Underground.....thought I'd share that with you Nige.

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  7. Nige30 May 2008 at 11:38

    Thanks Captain - intriguing...

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  8. Anonymous1 June 2008 at 19:45

    Hmmm..
    Thought muzak was overly sentimental instrumental only recordings of popular songs. Isn't what you heard just a great old classic over a bad speaker in a public setting?

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