Jun 24, 2009

Radio Fail

I'll get to part IV of my regional beer profile series tomorrow. Those things take a little while to do and I am sipping on a beer, watching the Yankee game right now. Not feeling like doing a damn thing. Which is nice.

But I have to quickly mention that I was listening to the radio in the car the other day. Regular FM radio. Weird because we usually listen to XM radio, but I hadn't done it in a while and I wanted to see what was out there.

The answer is nothing.

I couldn't find a single station worth listening to. So I started to play with the dial. I came across one station that was playing a song just beginning. It sounded really familiar so I hovered there for a moment. Turned out to be "Eye of the Tiger" by Survivor. Disgusted, I moved on.

Then I thought about it for a moment. Whoe the fuck are they playing "Eye of the Tiger" for in June of 2009? I mean, what exactly is that demographic*? I wanna know. What kind of retard is still groovin' to "Eye of the Tiger" in this day and age? Seriously!

*UPDATE: Apparently, just about everyone else but me, according to my comments. Sigh! - Earl

And I'm not just busting on the era. The next station I landed on I stuck with for awhile. The first song that was playing was Prince's "Raspberry Beret" and the next was Bon Jovi's "Wanted: Dead or Alive". And while those two tunes would never find their way onto my iPod, I had a decent enough time singing along to them by myself in the car. And I understand the chasm that exists talent-wise between Prince (and Bon Jovi, I guess) and Survivor. My point is that there are good songs and good artists from that era.

But "Eye of the Tiger" isn't that fucking song, and Survivor isn't that fucking artist! It was a horrendous song by a mediocre band only made popular by an overrated, popular film. Period.

I ask you, dear readers, what would anyone possibly want to listen to this crap today? Is there really someone out there that still digs this? I don't get it.



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Note: Remember to play the Bug-Eyed Trivia Challenge every day. Survivor. On the radio. In 2009!!!

24 comments:

Water Logged Canine said...

I just want to know...did you type this post wearing boxing gloves? Cos these are fighting words my darling!

Here I am Earl the Pearl. I'm out here, and I must have a shovel....BECAUSE I DIG IT!

Mrs. Hall said...

ooohhh

BLOGGER FIGHT! BLOGGER FIGHT!!!

I got twenty on the soggy doggy!!

(sorry earl-always bet on the moms-moms are tougher than tyson ever was)

but, um, radio was the inspiration for my very babe a liscious post today.

for reals!

OK SHAKE HANDS AND KEEP IT CLEAN!

Faiqa said...

Oh. I totally dig this song. You don't even KNOW how much I dig this song. A LOT. That's how much.

badgerdaddy said...

I love that song. It's one of my absolute favourite songs to run to - the rhythm is perfect for running, it's quite incredible.

I also have the theme from Rocky, Gonna Fly Now, on my iPod for those tricky runs.

Oooh, and Lose Yourself by Eminem, which I bring up because I heard a Canadian journalist declare after we'd been to this big launch party in Detroit that Lose Yourself is "the Eye of the Tiger for our generation".

He must have been a bit younger than me, I guess.

Paticus said...

I certainly don't LOVE "Eye of The Tiger" but there is something...well enjoyable might not be the right word, but there is something about it(kinda like "Maneater" by Hall & Oates), and I definitely like it better than "Wanted Dead or Alive"(or anything by Bon Jovi, for that matter). I definitely have a weakness for early '80's pop.

Avitable said...

I love the song, too. I think because it was around when I was a kid. And overrated movie??

Verdant Earl said...

WLC - I KNOW that the only way you dig this song is to make fun of it. So stop pretending.

Holly - WLC is a dude, just so you know. A real sarcastic one.

Faiqa - C'mon...what the hell is going on here?

badger - OK...I guess because of the rhythm, I could see it as a workout tune. But to just randomly play it on the radio? No way!

Paticus - I, apparently, am in the minority here.

Avitable - Yeah. Overrated. It wasn't half the movie that Rocky II was, which (of course) wasn't half the movie Rocky was. Have you tried watching it lately?

Avitable said...

Ok, I'll admit, I haven't seen any except I and IV in recent years.

2abes said...

crappy song...most fm radio is crappy, i'd rather listen to an am all news station with the same news stories being repeated every 22 minutes...all right maybe not but you get the point. I miss the days of o & a and stern on fm. however, my kids love the really crappy top forty dance radio stations.....they really suck!

Slyde said...

do you have ANY idea how many fucking times i listened to eye of the tiger in high school right before i knew i was getting into a fight, just to fire me up?

that song probably saved my life 10 times over, buddy!

Verdant Earl said...

Avitable - I watched Rocky III a few months ago. Still enjoyable, but nowhere near what I thought it was when it came out.

2abes - I listen to AM radio (NPR, FAN, etc...) more than FM nowadays.

Slyde - In all the time I've known you, I have never seen you get into a fight. And it is going on twenty years. Sure, there was that time in the car once and that poor nerd you picked on at the comic-book conventions. ;)

Jennifer and Sandi said...

Hahahaha it's hard to believe they're still getting royalties from that song. I never knew it even HAD a video because I think the VIDEO SUCKS!

You have to admit, I believe we all liked that song when we were in high school. Come on...admit it!

Have you tried listening to Sean Hannity? or NPR?

Verdant Earl said...

Jenn - I can't listen to Sean Hannity. I hate him with a passion. He lives in my town, by the way. Or real close by. He is always around. But I do listen to NPR. Much more to my liberal leanings.

Mrs. Hall said...

So what you are telling me is that

water logged canine is NOT the blogger known as soggy doggy bloggy?

http://soggy-doggy-bloggy.blogspot.com/

YEAH my bad!

ok good to know because knowing is growing! hee hee

sybil law said...

What the hell are you listening to on XM?! I agree that radio sucks, but the sheer cheese of 80's music is what makes it so popular! I love that song - but mostly for the cheese factor. Back in the 80's, though - I just thought it rocked. :)

Verdant Earl said...

Holly - he isn't even a blogger, but he aspires to be one soon.

Verdant Earl said...

Sybil - On XM, I generally listen to a lot of talk radio (Opie & Anthony, Ron & Fez, sports stuff, etc...), but music-wise, I listen to just about anything from XM 40 - XM 59 which is a wide range of alternative, mainstream, and heavy rock and roll. XM 59 is Little Steven's Underground Garage and they play a real eclectic mix of stuff.

rien magazine said...

Good on ya. Eye of the Tiger sucks.

Verdant Earl said...

K&E - one voice of reason here. Or two, I mean. Huh?

Michelle said...

I, unlike everybody else, does not dig this song at all. In fact, if it was playing on the radio in my car I would pull over and exit the care right!!

Kevin McKeever said...

Obviously, your leg is being pulled.

Verdant Earl said...

Michelle - wow...rough morning? ;)

Uncool - by those saying they like it? I dunno...some of them sound earnest.

Callie said...

Yeah - I can still listen to this song. It's one of those that if it came on the radio, I'd probably roll up the windows and turn up the volume, and sing really badly to it. The video, on the other hand . . . it's just really really bad.

Anonymous said...

Well they did have some talent in the band as the keyboard player was Jim Peterik from The Idea Of March. They did have 5 top 10 hits. Mostly girl stuff, LOL.

Of course you know that the former lead singer, Dave Bickler, is the voice of the long running Bud Light, "Real Men Of Genius" campaign. I thought the ads were much better back when they were, "Real American Heroes", but AB changed it to "Real Men Of Genius" after 9/11 when the whole hero thing was being tossed around a little liberally.

Wil Harrison.com