MP3 Player as Personal Narrative

Stephen Levy, of Newsweek, writes:

“Surfing someone’s iPod is not merely a revelation of character but a means to a rich personal narrative, navigated by click wheel.” (Newsweek, October 23, 2006) — an excerpt from Levy’s book called The Perfect Thing.

I don’t have an iPod (I have a thing against Digital Rights Management locks) but I do have an MP3 player that has made long flights bearable and walks around the neighborhood enjoyable. So, what is playing in my mind? I click on my player and here are the first 20 or so songs that come up in shuffle mode:

  • James Hunter “Until Your Fool Comes Home”
  • The Subdudes “Save Me”
  • Dave Mathews “Ants Marching”
  • Jason Mraz “Mr. Curiosity”
  • John Mellencamp “Worn Out Nervous Condition”
  • Matthew Sweet “You Don’t Love Me”
  • Shelby Lynne “I’m Alive”
  • Brian Setzer “Red Cadillac and a Black Moustache”
  • Tiny Town “Little Child”
  • The Cure “Boys Don’t Cry”
  • Rolling Stones “Happy”
  • Bruce Springsteen “Into the Fire”
  • Indigo Girls “Virginia Woolf”
  • Ben Harper “Where Could I Go”
  • GooGoo Dolls “Strange Love”
  • BoDeans “Say about Love”
  • Ryan Adams “Political Scientist”
  • Average White Band “Pick up the Pieces”
  • Marc Cohn “Walk on Water”
  • Beastie Boys “Ask for Janice”
  • Steve Earle “Copperhead Road”
  • Joan Osborne “One of Us”

One thing I notice: not too many female artists on that list and I realize that I don’t have too many on my player, although I have quite a few rocking women groups and solo artists in my collection.

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