Pickles by Brian Crane for March 27, 2014

Yup it might as well be backwards; O by the way Nelson is on to you.

I predict Earl getting a talking-to with Opal about his pranks on Nelson… and I’m not even wearing a magnifier mask thing.

Sometimes Earl acts like his brain is on backwards.

Recently, my upstairs neighbor said he had some music he wanted me to hear, then showed up with some cassettes. He was shocked when I told him I didn’t own a cassette player. “Not even in your car?”, he asked. I just laughed.

Flip the batteries around, Earl.

Ah, 20/20 hindsight.

My 2004 CRV has a tape player and I still have a tape deck. :-)

Side story/bit of emjaycee history, meaning put yer feet up and listen in, ya youngsters: I was working in a mall-based record store (late 80s: CDs were just showing up on the US market, mostly $30 – $45 for a Japanese release of Beatle albums [song names in Japanese as well – had to compare the original record or cassette tape to the CD to get the song titles!]). Around Christmas time, an employee from another store stopped in and asked where our 8-track cassettes were: her boss sent her to us for some Christmas music and the store only had an 8-track player. It was difficult not to laugh, but 8-tracks had been discontinued back in the 70s, and the store owner did not want to update their sound system since then – the employees had been stuck listening to Reader’s Digest collections of songs from the 50s and 60s, as well as Johnny Cash and other CW stars, the same 8-track cassettes my parents received as a bonus when they bought the Reader’s Digest console stereo (6’ long mahogany-veneer, record and 8-track player with two-side album storage and built in speakers. Oh, and this one had AM AND FM stations). Again from the 70s, but state of the art back then. Our store was also one of the first to sell DAT (Digital Audio Tapes) which required a special player ($750 in 70s money) but were supposed to have better quality than =regular cassette tapes. (Note: they failed for the price and when CDs came out in better quality). Anyway kids, enjoy your SiriusXM radios and MP3 or whatever I have to buy next, and remember those of us who had to drive around the block a few times to hear our favorite songs on the car stereo 8-track player. Carry on.

I have a “Walkman” that plays tapes. Our Dodge Caravan had both CD and tape players, but my new car had a CD player that died. You don’t want to know what they wanted to replace it. I’ll find a decent station on the radio, thank you.

Still have a suitcase of cassettes, Dire Straits, GBH, Talking Heads,“classic” Metallica, Suicidal Tendencies, BB King, John Coltrane, Tom Petty,….both cars still have cassette players that work! Roadtrip!!

I still have a stereo that plays and records 8 tracks (as well as cassettes, records including 78 rpm).

I thought Nelson was a 5 year old. They’ve been gone since long before his time. How could he know cassete tapes aren’t from the future?

Don’t look back… Look forward!xxx

I just got word that my xp pc becomes obsolete on April 8, 2014. The new windows 8 will not read my cad program, so mush for progress. Someone file a class action lawsuit.

I can burn 8-tracks from my mp3 player but, for some reason, it seems perverse….

I really miss the “hummmm”, “hiss”, and loud “click” of my old eight track player……NOT !