« Dixie Chicks on NPR | Joy Wants Eternity »
A Jukebox That Pushes Your Buttons
So apparently these new digital jukeboxes that contain massive amounts of music—much of it obscure and difficult—are starting to appear in public spaces. Writer Wendy McClure described one of them thus in the New York Times Magazine:
The jukebox was new, and with its cheerful, glowing computer screen, it looked like a particularly glitzy A.T.M. The music didn’t come from CD’s or records inside the actual jukebox but from an immense database somewhere on the Internet or maybe even outer space.
She then goes on to recount a night in a joint called Rossi’s where someone had selected Brian Eno’s Thursday Afternoon, which consists of minimalist, Satie-like piano and vaporous synth drones, with infinitesimal variation over its 61-minute duration. The patrons’ outraged, exasperated reactions to this ambient classic are hilarious, including one miserable college dude’s whine, “It’s like yoga music or something.”
And I thought I was ruffling feathers by playing “Revolution 9” in bars…
Comments
There's one of these at (of all places) the Fatburger in Bellevue. While waiting in line, it randomly queued up and played the entire first side of ELP's "Tarkus." Worlds collide!
Do the digi ones break as easily as the ones in places like, say, the Redwood? Cause nothing's worse than losing a dollar...
this reminds me of this: http://www.makezine.com/blog/archive/2006/06/diy_mp3_art_frames_and_posters.html
which is pretty brilliant.
Redwood needs to upgrade its jukebox—and to pump up the volume. For real.
If all it takes is a little Brian Eno to get rid of the "college dudes," I'm going to get a boom box and "Apollo."
both madison pub and that wretched purple gay bar on olive both have these and they're brilliant!
it's so much fun to go into a gay bar and play slayer!!! har har har. they just freak!
Comments Closed
In order to combat spam, we are no longer accepting comments on this post (or any post more than 45 days old).
When I was in New York all the muso/critic types were flocking to the cheesiest bars 'cause they had one of those. It would take everyone like 15 minutes just to pick a song.
I think Steve Reich's "Music for 18 Musicians" would make great drinking music.