iPod Tales

I've just returned from an overnight trip to Wembley. More of that in the next post, but I wanted to pass on two tales that happened on the journey down there that both involved my iPod Shuffle.

I recently changed the headphones on my little MP3 player. At first I thought I was going deaf - everytime I played a song I had to turn the volume up to maximum and even then I could hardly hear the music over the sound of passing traffic. I then tried changing the headphones and almost perforated my eardrum. Not sure if that's relevant, but you know I like to be thorough.

The first leg of my journey to London was a ride to Waterloo. I was half asleep after coming off the back of late shifts followed by a 6am start so as the train pulled out of the station I rested my head against the window pane and closed my eyes. The tunes in my ears were coming at me in random order - moving from 60's pop ditties to heavy rock via 70's psycadelica. Quite an eclectic mix. After about 20 minutes 'In the Army Now' by Status Quo came on. (Click below if you don't know the tune and want to hear what I was listening to)

In the Army Now

Pure 80's cheesiness from the kings of the 'we only know two chords' rockers. About halfway through there is a line 'The sargeant calls: STAND UP AND FIGHT!' with the second part of the lyric being shouted by a sargeant major type figure. With me so far?

I was half asleep on the train, listening to this tune, slightly aware that someone had sat next to me, and also slightly aware I was singing along to the music under my breath. As that lyric came along the person next to me - in perfect timing - said STAND UP AND FIGHT!. Ok, they didn't shout it, but it was certainly loud enough to jerk me awake and turn to them smiling. They were smiling back, almost laughing. I apologised to them in case my music had been too loud, but they explained they couldn't hear the music, only me singing along to it, and decided to join in. A lovely ice-breaker...

...shame it was a bloke really!

Ok story two takes place at Waterloo station itself. I'm sure you've all been to a major railway station at one time or another. Waterloo is one of the busiest in the world. About 20 mainline platforms and three seperate Tube lines coming together under one roof. At any one time there are over 5000 people in and around the station, all rushing to get where they need to get to. I was standing on the concourse, looking for a map of The Tube, trying to decide if I need the Jubilee or Northern Line when 'Adagio for Strings' came on my iPod (no need for a link this time. There is a version of it in the jukebox thing at the bottom of the blog and a video version in the old post entry about my funeral arrangements)

I turned the volume up to maximum, and with the new headphones (see, I knew it was important to mention them) all ouside noises were completely drowned away. Waterloo station suddenly became the most tranquil place on earth.

I was living in a scene from a movie. Everything seemed to move in slow-motion. The hoards of commuters began to walk in unison. The newpaper vendor seemed to be staring directly at me and waving the Evening Standard like a flag. As the middle section of the composition kicked in, the trains seemed to pull out of the station at the same time. The ride on the first escalator into The Underground seemed to go on for hours, taking me into a different realm. People were no longer faceless drones, they had personalities. Then the music faded out and it all went back to normal. Loud Tannoy anouncements about keeping hold of your luggage and minding the gap. Kids screaming, tourists chatting openly in incoherent foreign languages.

...so I skipped back to the start of the track again.