A World Class Listening Problem

Submitted for your approval. A quick story from my record store job earlier today.

I was listening to Don Caballero's World Class Listening Problem album at work today. Perhaps a little out there for our usual crowd but I'm part-time and it was a Saturday. Add those particulars together and my heart's not going to break too much or do anything about it if someone doesn't like it.

About halfway through the album a withered, leathery, frankly creepy, but nice enough older lady brought her selections to the front desk. She asked what we were listening to. I wasn't expecting her to declare her undying love for Don Caballero or anything like that, but maybe a this is fun or an I've never heard anything like this before. I like to be pleasantly surprised by people from time to time. Hope was swapped out for slight disappointment when she said its just the same thing over and over again. Whatever, I thought. Once you get to a certain point in your life new things are either scary to or just can't be appreciated.

Then she hands me her selections. She handed me 4 Bon Jovi CDs. And not the stuff like Slippery When Wet or 7800° Fahrenheit. I'm talking Bounce, Have a Nice Day and Lost Highway. The albums the band put out after they got into that adult contemporary easy-listening rock rut. Former hair metal became that watered-down nonsense that middle-aged people can justify being cool if they listen to. The stuff the band put out once they discovered where their bread was buttered and decided to never ever move from that spot if they never wanted to play a state fair in this or any other life.

And by doing this, Bon Jovi decided to do the same thing over and over again.

Yeaaaaaaaaah...