Bob

Batz

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February 25, 2008

AC/DC, Hip-Hop or Gospel, I Crank My Car Radio

My wife Sally and I have this ongoing feud that may sound silly to other married couples.

The point of contention in our long-running battle is the car radio.

When I get into a car – any car – the first thing I do is strap on my seatbelt. The second thing I do is turn on the radio.

Sally has never cared for that particular order of things. She’d prefer I get in the car, buckle her seatbelt, back out of the garage, drive to, say, Los Angeles, drive back, put the car away, take off her seatbelt and walk into the house.

I’ve loved listening to the radio since I was a little kid and incredible shows like “The Lone Ranger”, “Gangbusters” and “Captain Marvel” were on the air and mesmerizing children of all ages.

Another reason I’m into the radio is when I was in high school in Flint, Michigan, I dreamed of someday being a radio DJ.

Our high school had its own radio station and back then rock ’n roll was all the rage.

To make a long story considerably shorter, I never became a DJ and eventually went into the newspaper business instead.

Some of my earliest newspaper assignments for the Flint Journal involved covering live music concerts that were held at the IMA Auditorium.

Just down the road in Detroit there was a new recording company called Motown, and it was sending its acts to Flint so they could get some experience performing on the road.

The newspaper at that time had an older staff and none of those reporters wanted to cover the music scene.

When my editor asked me if I’d like to do it, he told me I’d get two free tickets to every show and I saw it as an opportunity to get some writing experience, so I said I’d cover the concerts.

Looking back, it was a terribly exciting time for me. In a period of two years or so, acts sent north by Motown officials included The Supremes, Martha and the Vandellas, Jackie Wilson and the Four Tops.

Then there was that show by a then-seven-year-old blind singer/pianist who went by the name of Little Stevie Wonder.

On the evening of his first show – he sang a song titled “Fingertips” – there were several critics in the audience and we all predicted the youngster was destined to leave his mark on the music profession.

My music tastes these days are eclectic, and that makes me a dial-twirler when I’m listening to the car radio.

My idea of listening to the radio consists of catching a few country tunes, then switching to maybe 10 minutes of classical music before turning to a rock station, a gospel station or a hip-hop station.

Sally’s idea of the ideal car ride, however, is one wrapped in total silence. Even if she lets me turn on the radio when we’re traveling, I need to keep it low.

My favorite bands are 1950s and 1960s rock groups, but if an AC/DC hit happens to be playing, I prefer to crank it up really loud and maybe even sing along with the recording. 

Sally’s favorite musicians – not necessarily in this order – are Elton John, Elton John and Elton John.

© 2008 North Star Writers Group. May not be republished without permission.

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