Today's Shuffle: But if I'm faced with being replaced

My poor 6th generation iPod Classic is on its last legs. I have to charge it daily, it immediately expires and displays a frightening symbol on its screen if I skip too many songs or dare to play Solitaire on it. I've given it some palliative care, a couple of restores and charging only the the computer. But it's slowly slipping this vale of tears--and this barrel of laughs. Don't think my iPod is solely a conductor of woe and wistfulness. Much joy, much of it documented here where no one traveler goes, emerged from this flat, silver pocket bird.

Since I bought the iPod in 2009 after leaving my first 6th gen in a condo in Lido Key, Sarasota, Florida, it's crossed the continent to California multiple times, jogged along the Pacific and Atlantic, shot down to the Carolinas in a small jet and to Hawaii on a great, big one, joggled at my waistband on Kentucky subdivision roads and pockmarked Wicker Park/Ukie V/Bucktown streets, in half-marathons along the Lake and Tampa Bay, brought peace and comfort on planes, in the middle of a sleepless night, and each and every day trodding the same route on the Chicago grid and L. And, much of that time, Shuffling into undiscovered country.

But the Shuffle function has--well, it's not stopped functioning entirely, but it shuffles only the same small group of songs. It's true, I click up Shuffle only on train rides, during reading, having lately turned to podcasts for long treks and commutes.

This song has, oddly, turned up in that malfunction-created set, itself a stand-alone, random kind of track.

The kind of chunkily layered 80s track (1983, to be exact) that I still love beyond taste or reason. I mean, look at its chart peers. And I won't lie, I dig H&O.

Kind of perfect.



In September, I chased down and bought a brand new Classic upon the news that Apple was discontinuing its venerable and voluble and original iPod. It's sat in its sealed box since then, waiting to take over the job of distracting from and connecting me to the world and into daylight and nighttime dreams. I'm glad I made the purchase when I did.

Will I have a little ceremony for my old friend? Most likely, no. But I will keep it, and let it sleep, with its tired OS and frozen-in-time Shuffle set, and by sleep, I don't mean end.

Your Guilty Pleasure: Full stock of thoughts and dreams that scatter

You CANnot deny this groove.

It's from this album, the predecessor to the monster Private Eyes. I dig this track and the album's other hit, because they're really in the same family as the early croony, funky blockbusters, and they precede the movement (descent?) into total synth and mechanized drumland, aka the mid-80s.

Today's Shuffle: You can't discrima-hatecause you done read a book or two

Guess it's time I tell you that I love Hall & Oates. 1975-83 only!

Wait --  through 1984. I kind of liked some stuff on Big Bam Boom. Because you know I like pretty much anything from 1984.

But that's a different post.

"I Can't Go For That" isn't my favorite track, though it does make me giggle thinking back to how my friend Eva and I assigned every track on her copy of Private Eyes to each of our Barbies to perform in what I guess was a Barbies Present Hall & Oates variety show in her living room. A precursor to reality singing competitions!

We should be rich.

Billy Bragg, From a Vauxhall Velox Back to Basics
Juliana Hatfield, Untitled How to Walk Away
David Bowie, Sweet Thing (Reprise) Diamond Dogs
Annie Lennox, Oh God (Prayer) Bare
Daryl Hall & John Oates, I Can't Go For That (No Can Do) Greatest Hits
Outkast Feat. Erykah Badu, Humble Mumble Stankonia
The Band, King Harvest The Band
The Beatles, What Goes On Rubber Soul
Arrested Development, Washed Away 3 Years, 3 Months in the Life Of...
Crowded House, Pour Le Monde Time On Earth
Field Music, Ce Soir Plumb