The Terrible Night

[satkinsn]

Anybody else ever do this?

Once in a great while I hit a night like tonight. Was home, had extra time before L. gets home from her meeting and the house was quiet, so I started some music to accompany my reading.

'Harry James In HiFi.' All's good for three tracks and then, boom, the last thing I want to hear is Harry James. What am I, some kind of idiot listening to this junk?

So I pull Radiohead's 'Hail To The Thief.' This one makes less than the first track - it just sounds like noise.

Relax. Throw on the radio and let the music fade into the background. My last f.m. Duke Ellington station starts strong and then switches to awful, brassy faux swing. Off you go...

And onto the CTI collection. Drop in the straight ahead disc, flop out on the couch as the missus (having returned home) and I chat and...this s**t is awful, lame.

<sigh>

I got up, took all the recordings back to their shelves, shut down the stereo and turned on C.N.N. Piers Morgan interviewing Matt Damon made it to the next break. Click. Whatever ESPN had for the 8 pm game. Click.

Off with the tv, and off to bed.

s.

 

[poppachubby]

Somedays I just glare at all of my albums...and that's it.

 

[satkinsn]

Somedays I just glare at all of my albums...and that's it.

Exactly. That's what this feels like.

s.

 

[bhundu]

I sometimes go for days at at time just sitting in silence. If the mood's not on the mood is not on.

It makes the other times much better for it.

 

[Sandy G]

Every once in awhile, I have evil thoughts of draggin' ALL the Boatanchors & TVs down to the street for the garbagemen to pick up...Fortunately, I'm nearly 54, & it would take more gumption than I have anymore to do this...

 

[Art K.]

Unless I'm home sick (or nursing my back like this week) I only listen to music on the weekends. I work Monday thru Thursday and start the music after work on Thursday and shut it off for the work week at bedtime on Sunday evening. Other than one (and occasionally 2) movie per weekend, usually Saturday night, I listen to music all weekend. Music is always a treat for me because I do my best not to burn myself out with it. While I'm at work I have a classic rock station playing on the radio (only station we can get in the building). Thanks to that station I really appreciate the weekend and an opportunity to listen to more interesting music.

There are times that by Sunday I'm ready to turn it off for the week...but not often.

 

[blhagstrom]

rare

Every once in a while. Just cannot get the right music groove. But its rare.

Usually though, if I am home alone, I seriously enjoy it. Even with the music, its still more peaseful than when the missus is around. She has NO use for peace and quite. Brooklyn girl so maybe that's it.

 

[33&athird]

Somedays I just glare at all of my albums...and that's it.

Same here. I tend to go in a bit of a wave pattern, especially after getting a new album. I'll listen to the new stuff, some old stuff, mixed styles, pretty much anything I own. But then, well, i'll go for a couple of days or maybe even a week where I just don't feel like it. Usually it involves stress or the amount of work.

It's a really odd feeling, looking at all the albums you have and deciding you have nothing worth listening to. Thank goodness it goes away after a while:yes:

 

[Permanent Waves]

I listen to music practically every day (work out of home with my main stereo right in my office so it's easy), usually hours on end, and virtually never feel like not listening to something, unless I'm really tired or sick or something. I try to listen to at least a few albums/hours of music per day.

That said, I do a lot of "background" listening at a low mid or mid volume where I'm not really paying all that much attention to the music (as in just sitting in a chair and paying attention to it and nothing else). If I'm not working then I am reading or surfing the web with music on. I usually don't feel like just sitting there in silence; I at least can throw on some instrumental genres like classical if I really need to concentrate (for work, or, more often, when reading disciplines that sometimes require some intense study, like philosophy or science...and sometimes history). I also exercise for an hour or more 5 days a week, and though sometimes I like silence for this (especially when hiking/cycling in the woods), I also like to listen to tunes to motivate me (push me to cycle faster and harder for instance) or to reduce the boredom of the inside exercise (rowing machine or indoor cycle trainer mostly) I do when it is too hot (for hiking) or there is too much ice/snow on the ground (for cycling).

I do, very seldom, go through various albums (or, to be more exact, look at all my FLAC albums on my computer) trying to find something that pops out at me when I'm just in one of those "What should I listen to?" moods, when I can't really think of anything and everything I see I just don't really feel like. If all else fails I'll put on some Rush and quickly be glad I did.

 

[Mr. Lin]

Somedays I just glare at all of my albums...and that's it.

Exactly. That's what this feels like.

s.

I'm glad to see I'm not the only one this happens to. Some nights I cannot figure out what I want to listen to, and everything I try evokes no emotional reaction whatsoever. This is particularly disturbing for people like us who are music lovers, and have large music collections. How could there really be nothing I want to hear in all those lps and CDs?!

This is just an unfortunate fact of life, I think. Sometimes you have a bad day.

 

[spideyjack]

you need a beer and a stack of Porter Wagoner records!

 

[poppachubby]

I'm glad to see I'm not the only one this happens to. Some nights I cannot figure out what I want to listen to, and everything I try evokes no emotional reaction whatsoever. This is particularly disturbing for people like us who are music lovers, and have large music collections. How could there really be nothing I want to hear in all those lps and CDs?!

This is just an unfortunate fact of life, I think. Sometimes you have a bad day.

Actually I think that's the problem in a nut shell, too much music. It's like browsing in a record store. I will flip through my stuff, pulling some out to read the notes and realise an hour has gone by and I haven't listened to a thing.

Lately I am trying to pick a handful of albums to queue up for the day. I also find its helpful to pick an artist to focus on or a theme perhaps.

For me I may decide to listen to all of my Chet Baker albums, or maybe I will pick albums which were recorded in a certain year...just for something different.

I have a Squeezebox and find that the shuffle feature is a life saver when facing this type of mood.

 

[Cypry]

I work Monday through to Friday,quite often away from home,so when I get home on Fridays,the first thing I do is put on the hi-fi to warm up,make a brew,check my mail,make another brew and then settle down to listen to whatever takes my mood.To me it means I have finished work for the week and can now enjoy it,very rarely do I listen if I am at home during the week.the motivation is just not there.