Music hijinks at work

[bean]

Like a lot of large retail establishments, we have music piped in via satellite. In our case, I believe it's done by DMX Systems.

In the communications closet (houses the phone system, PA system, satellite receiver, and some of our networking stuff), we used to have a list of stations from DMX, with a handful marked as "approved" to be played during business hours. It's whatever we want after hours. Normally, it stays on the 80s station, or classic rock station (80s being what it sounds like, classic ranging from 60s-early 80s), we'll toss it on the Metal/Thrash station during inventory or resets.

Well today it was hard 90s rock/grunge all day. And it was LOUD! I was having high school flashbacks all day. I know for a fact the 90s station was never on the "approved" list. That list seems to have disappeared, I wandered into that closet today looking for something else. There is no list whatsoever in there now. I'm sure I could pull one off of DMX's website, but I'll leave that up to management to handle. Store management is all in their mid 20s-early 40s anyway, so I know they enjoyed the music.

We have employees from 16 to 75, including a butcher who's been working for us for nearly 25 years and he's in his late 60s now. The other day one of the store managers said "Yeah, I think he came with the building" (my store location has been open for 16 years). My boss is 27 or 28 and has been with the company for 10 years.

There's nothing like some Nirvana - Smells Like Teen Spirit at high volume to drive all the 50+ year old customers out of the store. Or Alice in Chains. Or (newer) Jane's Addiction. Or Pearl Jam. The Offspring. Rage Against The Machine. Pretty much every 30-40 year old customer that came through my line today commented on the music, how they never hear it in my store and how much they were enjoying it.

... then one of our younger baggers saw me rocking out to The Offspring and said "Damn, you really get into this classic rock huh?". Cue me feeling really old all of a sudden. I'm only 31, damnit...

Granted, the kid just turned 17, but c'mon kid, it's not classic rock unless it came out way way before you were born.... uhm.... right guys? right?

Surprised we didn't get any customer complaints about the music today.

[mattm04]

Lucky. I wish we could get 80's music. It is mostly top 40, from the late 90's to 2005 or so. Occasionally they sneak a U2 song in along with Owl City Fireflies and a couple other similar recent songs.

I believe the Instore Broadcasting Network does the muzak in my store. I think it is also stored locally on a PC and updated at Corp. whim.

[Rantsylvania 6-5000]

Rock of the 90s! Yes! The best music EVER to play at work...and everywhere else too!

[Darkforge]

... then one of our younger baggers saw me rocking out to The Offspring and said "Damn, you really get into this classic rock huh?". Cue me feeling really old all of a sudden. I'm only 31, damnit...

Granted, the kid just turned 17, but c'mon kid, it's not classic rock unless it came out way way before you were born.... uhm.... right guys? right?

ugh, it scares me too that the music i listened to is now considered by some people to be "Old School", and its even more scary when bands do covers of music you remember buying when it first came out. (oh and i'm 27 for reference)

[Treasure]

ok, i'm only 26, and i HATED the music that came out in the 90's - listened to the stuff from the 70's and 80's still do, though I am loving the stuff that is coming out now - Nickleback (don't judge me!) Shinedown (lust!)Saving Able, Theory of a Deadman etc..

and as far as i know- music only has to be 10 yrs old to be considered for the "classic" stations.... i don't make the rules, just aware of them b/c i was sad the 1st time i heard Joan Jett's "I hate myself (for loving you)" on the classic rock station in the early 90's...

[quote :then one of our younger baggers saw me rocking out to The Offspring and said "Damn, you really get into this classic rock huh?". Cue me feeling really old all of a sudden. I'm only 31, damnit.. quote]

oh i have one better - happened to my dad....
dad was in his early - mid 20's in a RECORD store, all the way down at the far end of the alphabet - (Yes, ZZ Top, the Who, etc) and aaalllll the way up a the beginning of the alphabet were these 2 tweeny-bopper girls ( 15-16 at best) and one of them squeeeeels out " Oh My GOD BUFFY (or some other appropriately inane rich-girl type name) Did you know Paul McCartney was in a band before Wings!?!??!"
Dad says he was ready for the rocking chair and lap blanket then and there

[Racket_Man]

Gods all of the stuff I like and still listen to must be considered oldie moldy dusty and creaky and rockin chair. 30's and 40's big band, a lot from the 50's the second half of the 60's most of the stuff from the 70's a little from the 80's, a very few from the 90's and 00'

[Squeaksmyalias]

The Offspring is not classic rock...its not! not. classic. We aren't that old.....hey you kid get off my lawn! I'm ok now..*grumbles about not being old*

I want to shop at your store.

[Pagan]

Store management is all in their mid 20s-early 40s anyway, so I know they enjoyed the music.

Not everybody in that age range likes that music. I'm at the very top of that, but I prefer 80's. And not just the 1980s.

... then one of our younger baggers saw me rocking out to The Offspring and said "Damn, you really get into this classic rock huh?". Cue me feeling really old all of a sudden. I'm only 31, damnit...

Heh, brought my iPod and dock to work one night. You have never seen such blank looks when I was telling them some of the music on there.

Never heard of Billy Idol, Blondie, Robert Palmer, or even Prince!

[Treasure]

Never heard of Billy Idol, Blondie, Robert Palmer, or even Prince!

oh i think i just died a little inside!

Billy idol - White Wedding? Mony Mony? Rebel Yell?
Blondie - Heart of Glass?
Robert Palmer - Addicted to Love?

Prince - can't even begin to list

how old are these children, and what rock have they been living under?


Ok, don't get me wrong, I am horrible about not being able to match up artists to their music, unless I'm really into them...my mom even made me cry a little @ the renfair - she didn't know the song Kashmir by Led Zepplin and said "I'm not a Led-head"


*grabs ipod and turns on Ozzy*

[Andara Bledin]

I hate to say it (mostly because it makes me feel old), but The Offspring have been around for 25 years, now. That puts their music firmly in "classic" territory, unfortunately. >.<

^-.-^

[Pagan]

Billy idol - White Wedding? Mony Mony? Rebel Yell?
Blondie - Heart of Glass?
Robert Palmer - Addicted to Love?

Prince - can't even begin to list

And it's not like most of them haven't been heard from lately.

Billy Idol - "Devil's Playground" is only 5 years old
Blondie - "The Curse of Blondie" came out in 2003 and "Panic of Girls" is due to be released in June
Robert Palmer - Well, unfortunately, he's dead.
Prince - is Prince and it's always a surprise when he releases anything

how old are these children, and what rock have they been living under?

Most of them are in their mid 20's, however one of them is only about 5 years younger than me!

Hell, I even got blank looks for Duran Duran!

[BlaqueKatt]

Robert Palmer - Well, unfortunately, he's dead.

I did not know that!

one of my co-workers-she's 24, I'm 34 we listen to one of the "we play everything" stations-ever time she hears a song she likes she runs to me and asks "who sings this?" I tell her and I get the response "OMG you are so cool you know EVERYTHING!"

It's nice, but I feel old-though I did introduce the girl to Don Henley, and Oingo Boingo...as well as some more obscure modern music.....

[bean]

We had a TON of complaints about the music today!

Apparently the opening manager found a station that seems to be dedicated to depressing songs - it was like a Jewel CD on repeat (no it really was, they kept playing Foolish Games over and over and over and a lot of other songs from that same CD). He didn't see fit to turn the volume down either. I can't get that damned song out of my head, and I want to eat a bullet because of it. (almost)

So he tossed it back on the usual 80s station. More complaints. All of them being "IT'S TOO DAMN LOUD!". And for once, I actually agreed. I'm a big proponent of "If it's too loud, you're too old" for current music. Notice I said current music. I like some 80s music, but hearing The Buggles - Video Killed The Radio Star (which is TECHNICALLY 70s music, released in 1979) 3 times during my shift so loud I had to yell to be heard by customers and vice versa.... it was REALLY loud.

I love loud music, if it's good stuff and not as old as me. And even then, I'm still cranking the living crap out of Iron Maiden and AC/DC when I hear them on the radio. Maybe I'm burned out on the 30-40 song playlist that the 80s station keeps....

Ironically, a 21 year old coworker knows 80s and early 90s stuff far better than just about anyone else in the store. She even knows a lot of 90s pop - my 90s knowledge is limited to metal, punk, and alternative/grunge (and a few country songs... shhhhhh). I loaded my 30gb Zune up with a ton of 90s stuff, I'm going to have to see just how obscure her knowledge is.

[Pagan]

I did not know that!

Yeah, he died in 2003.

What shocked me is when I found out that Falco was dead! He had songs other than "Rock Me Amadeus" that were really good....even though I really love that song.

[werewolffan98]

Of course where i am the classic rock station played The Scorpions "No one like you". And most people were wondering why i was rocking out to a classic rock song.