That's Hillary Clinton, talking not about her politics but her iPod.
You're not tired yet of news stories of what politicians have in their iPods, are you? I want to know if they load up their own iPods or have some staffer do it or if there even is an iPod -- because you know it could just be like what book would you want on a desert island. What would you have in your iPod if you had an iPod and took the trouble to fill it up? All I really want to know is whether, if you have/had an iPod, you are even capable of filling it up without thinking of how whatever you're putting in there will look in the newspaper article about what you've got in your iPod.
Hey, guess what? Hillary has Aretha Franklin's "Respect" in her iPod! Wow! And, of course, it's also an eclectic mix, and includes some (unnamed) classical stuff. I'd just like for once to hear a politician say they don't like classical music and they could go the whole rest of their life without hearing Aretha emote her way through "Respect" again. That would sock it to me.
May 22, 2006
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Posts
47 comments:
Or putting up with some woman getting in his face demanding respect either.
Is it bad that I'm enough of a fanboy to wonder what Our Hero has on his ipod?
I think you're right that people feel obligated to say they enjoy "classical music," because it has become a sort of indicator of how cultured a person is, and politicians like to look cultured. I often wonder when someone says generally "classical music", they are using a general term because they don't know enough to be more specific (i.e., because they don't really listen to any); I just find it unlikely that they intend to specifically identify the period sitting between and in distinction from the baroque and romantic eras, and I suspect that if you asked them to name their favorite classical composer, it would only be sheer luck that prevented them from embarrassing themselves.
Personally, I think country music is more of a hazing ritual than a musical genre, but that's just me.
Sonuva(bleep)... I'm of the MTV generation and a computer professional, and I don't have a damn iPod yet!. I really need to get with the times.
Cripes... my mom has one -- a Shuffle; I helped her buy the damn thing -- and I still don't have one.
I'm becoming so lame in my not-yet-old age...
Tibore offers a clue; maybe Chelsea bought her mom an iPod and filled it up with some tunes.
It's old news by now, but I lost my iPod. Haven't the extra bucks to replace it with the one I want yet, so I'm still gloomy about it. It's been since February and I'm really starting to miss specific music. Most I have on cd, but they were flooded back in the little event of August past. I think they can be cleaned but I haven't tried yet. Oh, what a sad sack. If I had my iPod, I'd put on some Vivaldi to cheer me up. Or the soundtrack to The Harder They Come. Or Satie to match my mood. Or hit Shuffle and see where it leads me.
Oh, and I'll bet there are string quartets at all them high falutin' White House events and W, good Connecticut boy that he is, enjoys it just fine.
It's not a matter of what they actually like, but what they say they like. They always say they like Aretha. I have a post from last week about Condi Rice's iPod, and she's got Aretha. She's got "Think," while Hillary's got "Respect." Interpret that (in your spare time).
Bush's iPod was in the news a while back. Some folks expressed surprise that he listened to music by artists that don't like him. (I posted about that.)
Tibore, don't feel too bad -- I just got an iPod for Mother's Day. (I asked for it, with a fair bit of guilt, since we don't usually do such high-ticket items for Hallmark holidays.)
Of my 400+ CDs, I've loaded up just over 50 now. I'm not doing them in any particular order other than, "I haven't listened to that in way too long." So far, I haven't loaded up any of my classical stuff, although the 3-disc Paul Crossley version of the DeBussy complete piano works is nearing the top of the stack.
I doubt Hillary loaded up her iPod herself; it just doesn't seem to be the kind of thing she would get into.
For the record: I have no Aretha on my iPod. I do have the soundtrack to The Commitments, though. I know, soundtracks are denigrated by music snobs, and it surprises me how many I have, but I like the music, so there ya go.
If they said they had Rock Steady, then I'd believe they really like Aretha. Or This is the House that Jack Built. Why is it always Respect or Think?
Elizabeth, the article notes the Bill bought the iPod for Hillary for her birthday.
If I had an iPod, The Devil went down to Georgia would be on it, along with Brush up your Shakespeare. The only Aretha would probably be Freeway of Love
#1 I can't see Hillary doing her own IPod thing or even spending more than a few minutes telling some staffer what to put on it.
#2 presuming its a accurate reflection of her taste and choices, the reason why I might like a particular song/artist may very likely be completely different from someone else's.
#3 Ok maybe she like "Hey Jude" for exactly the same reason I like it. Maybe she likes Oysters Rockefeller for the same reason I like them.
Now I get it.. follow this train of logic and I'll be convinced that she should be the next president.
Aretha is so traditional at this point as to be boring, though I think a few whites, nerdy blacks, or people seen as stiff (politicians), mention her as if it automatically endows them with soul and hipness.
Further, the fact that all these people know only of IPODS to begin with suggests a certain level of technological toddlerism and sheeplike behavior.
There are a bazillion other MP3 players that offer better cost value (with recorders and FM radio built in), and a host of softwares, including Edonkey and Emule, that let you avoid the $1 per song route (while possibly landing in jail to meet new beefy looking friends).
I think many people DO have classical without being experts or able to drop specific names, though mentioning it might be more of a way to signal sophistication.
If I were a politican and asked, as of this instant my player has:
1)Enya-Caribbean Blue
2)James Blunt- Your Beautiful, Wise men.
3)Lucky Kaplansky- Ten Year Night
4)Tool- Undertow
5)XTC-The Mayor of Simpleton
6)Imogen Heap- Oh Me, Oh My
7)Van Morrison- Ancient Highway
8)Wall Flowers- Sleepwalker
9)Corrs w/Bono- When the Stars Go Blue
10)Boys Air Choir- Miserere
(What? Like I was gonna be able to resist using this topic to make a list?)
The contents of Bush's iPod have already been leaked, for the same reason that Hillary is talking about hers.
http://news.scotsman.com/education.cfm?id=1129532002
I would get one, but I rarely have time to sit around listening much less loading the thing. If I had a staffer, I would have him/her do it, completely. Surprise me! That's what I liked about the radio (in the old days), effortless surprise.
Personally, I'd have tons of Aretha on an Ipod, though maybe not Respect or Think.
I'd also have a fair amount of country, classical (mostly vocal), punk and my beloved outsider music like Devora Clemons, Father Domenic or the Sepcialists.
verification word: enusmzyn, little known late medieval Bohemian alchemist known for turning lead into mud.
PatCA: What you need is a satellite radio.
No iPod, but I use my Dell Axim for that purpose -- although I have to deal with various memory cards that way.
How would my music list look in the newspaper? Well, it would be interesting to see what people make of Weird Al, Merle Haggard, ABBA, JS Bach, The Jackson 5, Adam Ant, Norah Jones, X, The Nylons, Frank Sinatra, Bob Marley, Prince, and Kool & The Gang.
Aretha is so traditional at this point as to be boring, though I think a few whites, nerdy blacks, or people seen as stiff (politicians), mention her as if it automatically endows them with soul and hipness.
Yes. And then they throw in some Beatles to say, "Please note I also like to rock out on occasion, but in a safe, sophisticated way."
Not sure what to make of the inclusion of the Eagles in this case, as it says unequivocally: "I have bad taste."
Mrs. Reagan said that President Reagan didn't like opera, or a heavy classical.
I agree, Tosca has always sounded, to me, like two cats screetching, squealing in battle!
Peace, Maxine
I dunno about your characterization of iPod users, Finn. Maybe the people specifically mentioned -- Bush, H. Clinton, etc. -- are technological toddlers (maybe... pfft: Must be!), but not everyone who chooses an iPod is. The staff I help manage here is composed of some exceptionally computer and electronics saavy college students (they have to be; it's their job, after all!), and after looking at the alternatives, they each individually decided on iPods as the best overall. I figured that the sheepherding towards the 'Pod itself was, well, sheeplike myself until I actually went out and looked at a bunch of them. True, the 'Pod's terrible expensive, but to me it's got the best interface, and somehow sounded the best out of all of them. Which surprised me; figured those earbuds would completely suck, and they ended up not sounding bad at all.
Anyhoo: Yeah, it does seem like a lemming-like run to that particular mp3 player -- and you're right, some folks probably think it's the only one out there -- but honestly, the 'Pod's a damn good product. And not everyone that chooses one is just following the crowd; these college staffers I mentioned really took a hard look at a bunch of them and still settled on it. Which, given their wages, is one heck of a statement.
Well, Hillary's choices make me feel really old! I'm younger than she is by at least 10, if not 15 years (soo revealing)....and I've got things like, Paul Anka, Frank, Billie & Ella, Jerry Vale, Julie London (Emergency!), Peggy Lee, Bobby Darin, Buddy Greco, Sammy, and Dino etc....Sarah, Carmen McCrea etc..
Diane Schuur....Hey, Diana Krall and Harry Connick?????
I've got nothin in common with anyone.
How comes nobody likes what I like?
Peace, Maxine
Knoxgirl: The Eagles inclusion is the one that you end up thinking she actually likes.
And when you’re looking for your freedom
And you can’t find the door
When there’s nothing to believe in
Still you’re coming back,
You’re running back
You’re coming back for more
Hey, it's about Bill!
I wonder if the Rolling Stones songs she has includes "Time Is On My Side," which it looks like The Eagles lifted a few lines from.
And just as something amusing to me: Mom's got Tony Bennett and Streisand loaded onto hers.
:)
Maxine: Tosca? Serious? That's one of the few opera's by one of the few composers -- Puccini -- that I can stand. Granted, you and I will have different tastes, but does that opera really bug you that much?
Again, not trying to change your mind, just trying to see what it is that bugs you about that piece. Everyone's gonna have a different opinion, after all, and that's cool. I *still* insist on going out of my way to dis Penderecki's "Devils of Loudon" (Gawd, what a ghastly piece, IMO). To me, that one sounds like cats yowling, literally (it takes atonal to heights I never would've imagined before). No way in hell I'd let it near any iPod or any other playback device I own.
Is Jeff really a pastor? That's pretty good taste for a clery person. (I grew up around pastors who said secular music was of the devil, which led to hightened levels of Satan worship in my brain).
And...knoxgirl..The Eagles are not bad taste. They are one of the greatest American bands ever! (Albeit most of the greatest bands, from Beatles to Who to Dire Straits to Zeppelin to U2 to Coldplay tend to be UK).
GBW likes that Black opera singer, the one who wears a lot of makeup....whatshername??? She performed at the 9-11 service at the Washington Cathedral?
I don't know a thing about Opera.
I heard that "Wagner" is really violent.
I would like to explore "The Magic Flute".....but to read it, as opposed to be forced to listen to it.
Tedious. IMHO
Tripe. IMHO
Cat's screaming in the night = Tosca
IMHO
Peace, Maxine
"It's not a matter of what they actually like, but what they say they like."---Ann
You know that's so true. I can just see clueless Hillary going to one of her advisors/handlers/PR/architects etc....and asking them what are the hip tunes she needs to publicly say she likes.
I doubt she has a single opinion, taste, hobby, etc that hasn't been filtered and throroughly vetted before being served up to the public.
For all we know, her tastes could run more towards Kate Smith, Tennessee Earnie Ford, Zasu Pitts (Zasu Pitts cut an album in the 20s--it's true!)....and yet we'd never know.
Hillary's choices are strictly PR picks.
Peace, Maxine
"I think you're right that people feel obligated to say they enjoy "classical music," because it has become a sort of indicator of how cultured a person is, and politicians like to look cultured."----Simon
Not the Reagans.
In Mrs. Reagan's autobiography (and you know I've read that cover-to-cover several times over) she specifically states he didn't care for "heavy" classical.
I take that to mean....they tolerated some Vivaldi.....(Vivaldi is more "Parlor" music than the heavy waltz-type maudlin stuff).
The Reagans had basically jazz on pop standards (Sinatra was on their A-list)....going at their State dinners.
Peace, Maxine
I owned two other brands of mp3 players before getting an iPod. No comparison--the interface kicks all competitors to the curb.
Having Eagles, Beatles, and Aretha doesn't say "bad taste," it says "I have a 60 gb hard drive in my iPod." I have 3 Aretha albums, ones I really, really like. I finally narrowed my Beatles down to just a few albums, same with Led Zeppelin.
The nice part about 60 gbs is that eclecticism is inevitable.
I even have some black opera singers, probably even the one W likes.
I think they should provide a list of everything that is on their Ipod and let us deconstruct it in total.
In the spirit of fairness and against my better judgement, here is a list of everything currently on my iPod. The formatting is perhaps a little wonky because I used a little program to export the list to an html file.
Palladian, pass that idea onto McCain and Feingold! But be prepared for 1st amendment objections, and possible Homeland Security issues. Wasn't some poor schmuck detained at airport security for listening to the Clash?
Elizabeth, not to mention the RIAA! Let me state, for the record, that all of the music currently on my iPod was purchased legally by me in either digital or disc format and copied to my computer and iPod once for my own personal use. Try getting Buxtehude on filesharing networks!
The scary thing is that some in the music industry want to make what I did in the above statement illegal as well.
Palladian, as an Apple user and Apple fan, I have no problem criticizing their DRM policy. When I buy music on iTunes the first thing I do is rip it to a CD and re-import it to iTunes in mp3 format. I bought it! I should be able to listen to it in any format I want, from any machine.
Whoa! Palladian, that's quite a list.. lots of classical. Now I know who to go to when I need recommendations on classical music. Thanks for sharing that.
No intelligent politician will EVER admit to not liking any music. They know it's much easier to lose votes by ticking off a few people than to gain them (I mean, who is going to vote FOR a politician just because (s)he likes something, but it is easy to imagine fans of a particular genre voting against a politician for bashing their music.
You really want to see something funny? Invite a politician to an international cuisine fair.
Remember that this is something like reason #143 why Al Gore lost a really close election-- he was married to Tipper Gore and was running on a ticket with Joe Lieberman, both of whom had taken to task a number of recording artists for lyrics not to their liking. And not surprisingly, it cost him the votes of fans of those artists, while not gaining votes from people who probably didn't like those artists, but considered stuff like the economy, education and the situation in the former Yugoslavia to be more important in determining how they cast their votes.
Palladian, you're killing me on here lately. "Brain Salad Surgery" and "The Six Wives of Henry VIII" No Lou Reed?
"In the spirit of fairness and against my better judgement, here is a list of everything currently on my iPod."
Lots of prog, no punk. I approve. :p
Slocum, I won't bore you with details, only that my laptop's HD is half the size of the iPod's, and half of that is the system and apps. So my digital music is on a couple of different backup drives, none of which are easily accessed. And I miss my iPod in my car, and just walking around.
I have used the line-in jack on my car stereo to hook up my laptop, and play from iTunes, though. It's practically an iPod!
Oh, Slocum--just saw the subdudes on your list. I miss them! They started out in New Orleans.
Sippican, sounds like a party. I'll bring beer.
This is a CD I listen to all the time.
Live from the Music Hall
So maybe I am sort of a radio person...
question: has anyone established that mrs. clinton actualy owns/uses an iPod[-like appliance]?
Finn,
To answer your earlier question (12:07): Yes, indeed.
I got inspired by the music discussion, went up to the church balcony, fired up the sound system, and jammed out in the sanctuary to "Call Me the Breeze," "Flashlight" and "Rock and Roll Band" from one of my favorite 70s mixes.
There's nothing like a few hundred watts of funky bass to cure your blues.
Sippican - Name the time and the place!
"Boston" - greatest debut rock album ever? Discuss.
"Sippican, sounds like a party. I'll bring beer."
And I'll bring the hippocras and wafers.
"I can see Dubya liking Aretha.
It's the type of mainstream, safe music which he would relate to, even if he doesn't relate to the life of the singer."
I'll bet that Dubya relates to Aretha (and she to him) a lot more than Kerry would!
Far be it from me to criticize the authors of the great "Desperado"
Denyce Graves----that's who GWB likes. I think I'm spelling that right. She was that pretty black opera gal---great hair and makeup---I'll never forget that, who sang opera at the Washington Cathedral for 9/11 service. Bill Clinton was checking her out to....as she was going into her aria...or whatever.
I understand Bill Maher was on her tail, also.
It's amazing how quickly some of the most macho guys take to opera!
Peace, Maxine
We have to find out what Hillary really likes. I hope she leaves her purse on the counter of the Capitol powder room. And then, someone can ransack it, and go through, find her iPod, and get the real list.
Maybe it comes out that she really likes Frankie Goes To Hollywood, or Janis Joplin's acid trips. Led Zepplin Stairway to Heaven, and such.
Hey all: A question: Can an Ipod play Stairway To Heaven backward to get the legendary "satanic" lyrics, like you used to be able to do on a turntable. --Loved all that Led Zepplin satanic stuff, but is that only on vinyl????
Someone needs to figure out a way!
Peace, Maxine
Post a Comment