Ch. 32 - The Blend

Today my car feels like my junior high bedroom. It's playing the Beatles, Eagles, Elton John, Bread, Carly Simon, Carole King, Steely Dan, Billy Joel, Neil Young and other great 70s artists. I am singing along and "harmonizing." I sound amazing to myself. What a great way to drive back and forth to West Palm.

Again, why did I never learn to play guitar? I'm thinking it it the learning part of it. But these are such great songs to play guitar to. I don't think I would ever be coordinated to play. Or at least play and sing at the same time. I wonder what the research shows on musical instrument playing and memory. I bet playing a musical instrument helps curb the onset of Alzheimer's and dementia. Is it too late to learn to play? We just gave our guitar away. Anyway, look at those old rock stars like McCartney, Jagger and Stewart. They all seem good and they did so many mind-altering drugs. Their brains should be fried but they don't seem to be. Music is good for the soul and the brain. Look at those studies where student musicians do so much better in school, especially mathematics. Hopefully, just listening to music will do the same and have the same effect.

I was sitting here thinking about how much I love music. Then I thought how much I would miss it if I couldn't hear anymore. But I suddenly found the answer to that big question: would you rather lose your hearing or your sight? I've always gone back and forth. But now I know. I would rather lose my hearing. Yes, as much as I love music, I'd be okay losing my hearing. Because I have realized that I have so much music in my head. A whole treasure trove of awesome songs and sounds. I think that 85% of my memory is taken up by lyrics to songs. I can remember the lyrics to a song but not what i did yesterday. I could recreate songs every minute of every day in my mind and never go dry. Music will never leave me. But I could not live without seeing my daughters' faces. Without seeing the ocean and colors. Yes, I have memories of all of these things, but visions seem to blur over time. Not music. It is always clear. So I pick hearing.

Sometimes I worry about losing my hearing just as my dad and his mother lost theirs. It could very well happen to me. But that's okay. Beethoven composed all of that incredible music while he was deaf. It never left his mind.

Strange that the music of The Blend made me think of all this. I love this station. As much as I love The Who, Stones and Zeppelin, I probably listened more to this kind of rock while growing up. This was the pop of the 70s, I guess. I just heard the tag for The Blend: "Legendary Lyrics Crossed with a Mellow Groove." Ok. I'll accept that.

I would absolutely listen to this fun station again and again.