It also means I, a person lumped in the incorrect demographic, can rejoice in everything that is “The Boss.”

Loving Springsteen isn’t anything new – millions have been enjoying his music before I have, and a good chunk of them haven’t been middle aged. But it’s weird to look around at a group of fans and notice that, without a doubt, you’re in the lowest percentile in terms of age – a spring chicken among the roosters ready for slaughter.

But here I am.

I discovered the singability of Springsteen through karaoke, where I would attempt to put an ironic spin on “Born to Run;” you know, “Oh, jeez, look at how cool I am by singing this incredibly unhip song.”

How naïve I was. Springsteen may be old, but he’s not unhip. And then, it stuck. I started listening to it for what it is. I reached out and latched on to the deeper cuts – the hits that didn’t make the radio every day. I gained an appreciation through listening to Tony Kornheiser in his last days on ESPN radio, when he would completely skirt sports topics and focus solely on aging rocker music, Bruce Springsteen being one of his favorites.

The irony wore off and Bruce came alive. I saw his image blossom before me, his music deepened, his characters filled out and his stories became incredibly slices of life; people who lived and loved and all of that, in the flesh.

I don’t know if it’s the gruff, weathered farm hand voice or the simple poetics, but Springsteen sounds more like the voice of America than any person I’ve ever heard.
I mean, the guy’s from Jersey, and he sounds like he was pulled up from the dirt in the middle of Kansas, brushed off and sent off to study depression era pain and mid-50s heartbreak – he’s every time and every place in the United States.

He’s a Woody Guthrie disciple, a Steinbeck scholar and a modern day rock icon, all at once, mixing tough and pleasantly broken in lyrics with a sensibility that screams patriotism. That’s patriotism in a good way – the kind that means you love your country, not your government; you fight for what’s right, not what’s proper.

From Tom Joad to Rosalita, “Thunder Road” to “The River,” comic relief to a higher plane of understanding, Bruce Springsteen has formed a little niche in my musical rotation.

And to those of you who have already known his greatness – to those of you who spread the gospel of The Boss throughout the nation while us young’ns sat nursing on Green Day and Pearl Jam, thinking we had found the most accurate voice for our generation – you’ll be happy to know that we hear you. Loud and clear.

Three cheers for The Boss.

This is the music I grew up listening to. I was old enough to pay attention to music when Pearl Jam and Nirvana hit the major label scene. So this – especially the early to mid 90s stuff – was my lifeblood. I trailed off, admittedly, around 1996 (the personal discovery of punk, emo and true indie) but have begrudgingly returned to truly enjoy the old Nirvana, Pearl Jam and Alice in Chains stuff I used to rock out to.

Of course, R.E.M. and Radiohead always stuck around with me, but they’re tragically underrepresented. And Nirvana? Well, let’s just say that bands with Dave Grohl and Chris Cornell seem to dominate the channel.

With that, let’s listen.

1. “Steal My Sunshine” – Len

Really? I know this is from the summer of 1999 – I remember hearing it on the radio all the time when I worked at Software Etc. at The Empire Mall. But alternative? No. That’s not correct.

In fact, I’d go as far as to say this is the anti-alternative – a song written especially to anger and annoy every fan of so-called “alternative” music. I mean, sure – I’ll give them Blind Melon and Candlebox. But Len? Are you fucking kidding me?

Sorry. This was a bad way to start.

2. “Spin the Black Circle” – Pearl Jam

Ah, yes – the first single off of Vitalogy, a severely underrated Pearl Jam album and, effectively, the song that turned millions of Pearl Jam fans away.

Seriously – think about it. Was Pearl Jam ever as relevant after vs.? vs. was their heyday – their peak. Now, do you remember the din when this song came out? The radio-ready Pearl Jam fans slowly turned their back, hoping for the next ballad (they got it with “Better Man,” but by then was it too late?)

I still like it.

3. “Change” – Candlebox

Did I jinx myself earlier?

Okay, I’ll admit – I bought this tape when it came out. But, then again, I was at a crossing point in my musical tastes. It was pre-Bad Religion, post grunge. I didn’t know what I liked.

Of course, later that summer, I discovered Green Day. My path was enlightened.

But Candlebox? They suck.

4. “Good” – Better than Ezra

Can I reiterate this fact any more? Oh boy, alternative in the late 90s sucked. Bad.

5. “On a Plain” – Nirvana

Thank you. I was starting to lose faith in music all together.

It’s funny to think how important Nirvana was to people. My friend Jim and I were talking about this the other day. Looking back, the music could have succeeded in any era – any group of disenchanted, adolescent kids could have latched onto these messages of alienation and self-hate. But here’s the thing – it’s really good. It’s not just inflated praise for the music that changed a generation from arena rock to small clubs – it’s true praise. It’s really good.

And this song is one of my favorites. So thanks, Lithium.

6. “Friends of P” – The Rentals

Former Weezer members and the woman who recorded The Who Sells Out without any instruments. Huh.

7. “Longview” – Green Day

See above for what I think about this album and this song. It changed my life from MTV Buzz Bin to punkroxxors LOL!

(And, it’s about masturbation. * giggle *)

8. “Jump, Jive and Wail” – Brian Setzer Orchestra

As someone who has formally taken a swing dance class (about three years after it was cool) and enjoys music that is upbeat and different from the norm, I will admit that I actually like this song.

Now, that doesn’t mean I like it enough to put on my iPod, or enough to actively seek it out, but it is pretty good. I really think it boils down to, “I could dance to this, if necessary, so I should enjoy it from a respect standpoint.”

I do. Give me these guys over the Cherry Poppin’ Daddies any day.

9. “Sex Type Thing” – Stone Temple Pilots

I really thought these guys were the second coming of Pearl Jam when they first broke onto the scene. Actually, they were – they tried as hard as they could to sound exactly like Pearl Jam, right down to the clenched teeth vocals and ascending guitar licks.

Then, they shed the grunge title (just in time) and soared on with cleaner, alternative songs, saving themselves from the grunge backlash that ate up Alice in Chains, Mudhoney and (nearly) Soundgarden and Pearl Jam.

10. “I Can’t Wait One Minute More” – CIV

Holy shit – here’s a song I haven’t heard since it was on MTV. CIV was a sanitized version of the hardcore movement – think Sick of it All and Snapcase, but with a shiny bald guy that used to be a big deal (he was the lead singer of Gorilla Biscuits.) It’s the equivalent of Gwen Stefani going solo and becoming a big deal and creating a new legion of fans that have no recollection of older projects. (No Doubt? Who? And why haven’t I heard any of THAT yet on Lithium?)

That being said, I liked this song a lot. And they played at the Pomp Room when I was in high school, which shows you how big they eventually got.

(Fun Fact – the guy from Sick of it All sings on this song, which makes it great.)

That’s all. Back to work.

It’s hard to explain. Instead, go to the site. Click on Never Heard Us? Then, go to the staff favorites page. Listen to some for free on your computer. It’s a great show.

Ira Glass, This American Life’s meek voiced, literarily inclined producer, hosts the show from Chicago. He threads a common line through a handful of voices throughout his hour on the air, and it has become one of the most loved programs on public radio – especially in our household.

But recently, it disappeared. Our satellite radio was empty when it came time to tune in. Nothing could be found. We wondered what we could do.

Soon we got our answer. When we got to the This American Life homepage, this is the message we found:

Unfortunately, our show is no longer available on Sirius. This was their choice, not ours. If you’d like to register your displeasure, please visit this page.

They didn’t just take the show off. They took the whole Public Radio International channel off. Completely. It’s gone, never to return. It’s all part of their new channel lineup. And it sucks.

This is strike two and a half with Sirius. First, they took away the folk channel, which was more of a blow for Kerrie than for me. Then, they took away Air America, which is more of a matter of principle for me (they did it to even out the left/right slanted radio stations, I believe) than anything. Now, they’ve gotten rid of the Outlaw Country channel and PRI. Outlaw Country was the only country channel I’d ever land on. PRI, well, that’s what I’m complaining about on this post.

Unfortunately, it seems as though they only have room for a certain number of channels on Sirius. This means that every time they want to add yet another Catholic channel or Canadian rock channel (of which we have two and three, respectively, and they all sound the same) they need to bump or combine channels. This is why Outlaw Country was combined with the usual country channel. This is why Folk Town was turned into “Coffee House,” a channel featuring more Lisa Loeb and Natalie Merchant than Joan Baez and Woody Guthrie.

This is why I begin to seethe a little bit more every time I get a new channel lineup. I’m waiting for the college radio (Left of Center) to be merged with the alternative channel. After all, they’re all the same, right? Who needs two public radio channels – we might as well just have one. After all, that’s all that XM has, right?

I started off being the biggest Sirius apologist in the world. They have always been the #2 company, but I’ve stood behind them, rallying them along and shouting their praises to anyone I could think of. They had a great variety. I might not listen to swing music, or old-school country, or left-wing liberal talk radio all the time, but it was nice knowing that I had that choice if I wanted. All of them are gone, now. And my choices are getting less and less varied. I could probably turn on terrestrial radio and find 85% of the stuff they’re playing on Sirius now.

It kind of takes away the exclusiveness of the whole thing.

I understand that Sirius is a business. They need to make money, and they need to move stations around to better serve their customers. If a station isn’t getting very much play – especially a station that doesn’t bring in any advertising dollars and probably costs more than it makes – they need to take a serious look at keeping it.

Public Radio International wasn’t the best channel on Sirius Radio. But it was a great alternative.

Currently, the two public radio stations that Sirius Radio features overlap programming more often than not. They stagger their schedule so that the more popular shows – Car Talk, Wait Wait Don’t Tell Me, A Prairie Home Companion – are played twice a day on Saturday and Sunday, which is nice for those of us who miss the first few broadcasts. But it means that both channels have, for the most part, the same programming throughout the week.

Apparently, it hasn’t been much of a concern for the Powers That Be. They’ve left This American Life off of the general NPR channels. It’s one of the most loved shows on radio. But to a nation of Sirius subscribers, it’s gone.

Don’t get me wrong – I still enjoy satellite radio. But believe me when I say that there are very few things that keep me hanging onto Sirius. Where are the differences between Sirius and XM? And if Sirius is just going to slowly move towards the same programming, why would I want to stick with them?

After all, we’re getting satellite radio for an alternative, aren’t we?

–

If you’re a fan of This American Life, or if you’re a Sirius subscriber who’s tired of all of the changes, go here and complain. Even if you don’t have Sirius, think of your fellow (former) PRI listeners. Make your voice heard.

Knowing this, you’ll have to excuse me if I sound a little biased towards Sirius satellite radio. It is, after all, the brand we chose after careful research – pouring over Consumer Reports magazines and scanning the Internet for comparisons with it’s competitor, XM Radio. Sure, there are stations that I don’t care for, but I just don’t listen to them. I don’t listen to them: what an odd concept.

I say it’s odd because of an article I read over at CNN.com today regarding Hyundai and its decision to choose XM Radio over Sirius for its standard equipped satellite radio. According to the article:

Hyundai recently surveyed 300 to 400 customers as it was deciding whether to choose XM or Sirius Satellite Radio in as an option for its vehicles. Hyundai ultimately decided to go with XM.
…
John Krafcik, Hyundai vice president of product development and strategic planning, told Inside Line that executives were stunned by the number of “unprompted write-ins” on the survey that said customers were “not comfortable with programming from (Howard) Stern.”

Please.

I don’t care who you are, or what brand you are loyal to, this is horrible logic. If those surveyed would have done a little research, they probably would have found that the sports and talk selections on Sirius where more varied and complete, while the music stations on XM were superior to those from the competitor. Those are valid reasons to choose one or the other.

But this? These people are guilty of basing an entire 180 channel spread on one four hour program that is on during “drive time.” It’s silly. It’s like not getting cable because you don’t like watching MTV’s Cribs, or not going to the mall because you don’t care for that Bath and Body Works store that just opened.

There are three arguments to this, all of which are uninformed and stupid. You’re correct, I did just call them stupid – I’m not usually that fair to uninformed and illogical opinions.

The first is this: “I don’t like what Howard Stern stands for or the content of his show.” Fine. Don’t listen to it. Program it out of your radio. It’s that easy. Instead, listen to three different channels of Public Radio. Wait, you’d probably rather listen to Fox News. Well, that’s there too.

The second is: “I don’t want my children listening to Howard Stern.” Don’t let them. Either program it out (as I said before) or simply use the parental lock to block the station from all but the most mature ears. If you’re still not willing to do that, maybe you can rest assured that XM has parental block too – you can use it to tune out XM channel 66 (Raw, the uncensored rap channel) or 150 (XM Comedy, “the world’s first uncensored radio station.”)

The third is that “I don’t want to support the company that supports Howard Stern.” That’s fine. Instead you’d rather support the company that supports the Playboy Channel, XM channel 205, where according to the XM website you can ” take a trip to the wild side — call-in to Night Calls host Tiffany, immerse yourself in the erotic world of Sexy Stories, and get playful advice from the Playboy Advisor.”

Don’t get me wrong. I’m not saying this because I’m a Howard Stern apologist. I don’t even think Stern is entertaining. Not at all. I do, however, respect that he is a human with protection against censorship and that others should have the opportunity to listen to him if they so choose. You have the choice to do it or not. Choice. Another weird concept.

Yes, I know that it was a survey. Yes, I understand that Hyundai has the final say on what radio will go into their cars as they roll out of the factory. Still, I don’t think the best way to get what we want is to avoid conflict, to hide from something offensive rather than just turn it off. Society as a whole wants to blame someone for everything instead of just taking control of their fears and doing something about it. Like simply turning the damned channel.

I guess all that I’m hoping for is that people begin realizing that choices aren’t forced, and that shunning one thing over another for the simple fact that one small completely avoidable part of it may be offensive for 13 percent of the day is pretty ridiculous.

In fact (with tongue pressed firmly in cheek) I’d call it pretty un-American.

And just like that, we have resolution.

Well, in a matter of speaking, we have a resolution that only Radio Shack could be truly happy with. Scott, the District Manager who sent me a letter just a few days ago, gave me a call hours after I had sent my email. This was a surprise – I had figured, in my pessimistic way, that he would sit on my number until Monday, when he would have a decent amount of time to come up with excuses.

“I don’t want to make any excuses,” he said – almost right off the bat. “I wanted to call and apologize in person.” Scott, in his effort to win me over, told me everything I wanted to hear; they handled my concerns in a most untimely matter, they should have done more in getting a docking station for me, and that Derrick and the store really dropped the ball in communicating with me and keeping me updated on what was happening in their search. He explained how, over Thanksgiving, the demand for the Orbiter was more than they had imagined and they had sold 40% of their holiday stock during that post-Thanksgiving rush.

“As a company, we really messed this one up.”

I’d agree.

Scott also explained that he understood where I was coming from. I said that the one thing that really burned me up was that we were never given any options at all on what to do to find one, aside from checking on ebay, where they were going for 80 dollars (and still are, I might add). I told him that I had to call Sirius themselves to get any information on it, and documented my quest to find a docking station. He then mentioned to me that, truth be told, he had never even realized that Flying J was selling the exact same item under the Streamer name. I then commented on my Streamer power cord.

I appreciated the call. I would be lying if I said I didn’t. Scott did everything he could to win me back, and, in all honesty, it’s just a grudge now. I say that I won’t shop there, but I’m sure that somewhere, years down the line, I’ll need an RCA adapter and I’ll end up darkening their doorstep again. It certainly won’t be by my choice, but it’ll happen.

Finally, just so I don’t get a lot of “why didn’t you buy the docking station and sell it on ebay” comments, my decision to leave it there was three fold: first, regardless of what I made on the item, I would still be giving Radio Shack $50; second, I would end up screwing possibly two people – both someone in town who needed a docking station and someone on the internet who was too stupid to go to Flying J; and third, selling things on ebay is too much trouble.

Anyway, I’m glad to say that Radio Shack and I have parted ways, amicably, and we’ll quite possibly never cross paths again.

Though, now where will I get my remote control cars?

For those who need more of the back story, here it is: Radio Shack Sucks.

I wrote a mean letter to Radio Shack in retaliation for their complete dishonesty and unsportsmanlike conduct in dealing with me and my Sirius Orbiter satellite radio. To sum it up, we bought the radio on New Years Eve, and by the end of February, it was out of stock, out of production, and impossible to find parts for.

I did call Sirius (the company itself) and they said that the Orbiter could very well be out of production, but gave me another company that has car docking stations (which is the real reason this tizzy ever started.) They were sold at Flying J truck stops, and they were compatible with the Orbiter. I looked it up and found, surprisingly, that the Orbiter and the Flying J brand (the Streamer) appeared to be the exact same radio!

So I bought a car docking station… a Streamer car docking station. The guy I talked to at Sirius told me that, technically, this could void my warranty, but then, in an act of true customer service, assured me that if I never told anybody that I had a Streamer car docking station, no one would ever know and the warranty would be safe. Brilliant.

The Streamer accessory works wonders – and fits perfectly. I also, then, purchased what I thought was an off-market home antenna (so I wouldn’t have to take our original antenna down when we used the boom box out of doors.) When it arrived, I found it to be the exact same thing as the Orbiter antenna, the only difference being a different sticker on the bottom.

I breathed a sigh of relief as I realized the various Sirius radio brands were more compatible than I had first thought.

Anyway, just this past Tuesday I received a letter back from Radio Shack in response to my correspondence:

4-1-05
To: Corey Vilhauer

Re: Sirius Radio

Corey,

Thanks for bringing your concern regarding the Sirius Radio equipment to our attention. As a leading consumer electronic company we take customer care very seriously and I personally want to apologize for not meeting your expectations.

I have acquired a docking station for you and have sent it to the store on Western Ave. for you. Please take this letter with you and ask for Derrick the Manager and he will assist you.

I would like to talk with you about this a bit further bit I have been unable to locate your number. My office number is 605-886-2159 and my email address is Scott.McInroy@radioshack.com. Please give me a call or email me with your number and I will call you.

Sincerely,

Scott McInroy
District Manager 0359
101 E. Kemp Ave. Ste. D
Watertown, SD 57201

Originally, I had sent my letter to the Regional Manager in Minnesota, thinking that was the proper contact. I see now that I sent my letter to Scott’s boss, and Scott received it later on. A few things jump out at me in this letter:

1. Why is Mr. McInroy just now finding a docking station for me, now that he’s had a letter sent to his boss, when Derrick reportedly asked him to look around for one in early February?

2. Why is Mr. McInroy unable to locate my number, when it is reportedly on file at two different Radio Shack stores – given to them in the off chance that an Orbiter docking station comes in?

These questions didn’t ease my mind at all about this whole debacle. I thought about calling him, but it was long distance. And even though we have free long distance on our cell phone, I thought it would be more spiteful if I just emailed Scott and let him take the long distance charge. Incredibly petty, I know. The email looked like this:

Scott,

This is Corey Vilhauer — I have recently been contacted by you regarding my concerns with Radio Shack’s Sirius Radio practices. Derrick, manager of the Western Ave. store, should have my number on file. If not, it is (605) xxx-xxxx.

Regarding the docking station, I am no longer in need of this product. I purchased a Streamer docking station from Flying J and it’s the exact same thing, just with a different name. Please contact whoever is next on your list of people who need a docking station.

Thanks,
Corey V.

So now I’m just waiting for a response. I’m not really sure what I’m going to say when he calls, but I’m confident that, no matter what, I’ve spent my last at Radio Shack.

Oh! I nearly forgot. I took the boom box outside the other day, and noticed something different about it’s power cord. I looked closer, and discovered that my Orbiter boom box came equipped – from the factory – with a Streamer power cord!

Another piece of ammunition, I guess, in my fight against the Shack.

———

Edit: The thrilling conclusion? Right here.

Anyway, I’ll let my letter to the Regional Manager do the talking.

03.04.05

Dear (Regional Manager):

I am writing to voice my disappointment in the company, and in particular, of the S. Western Ave. store in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, regarding the purchase and further inquiries of the Sirius Orbiter receiver and boom box.

On December 31st, 2004, my wife and I, who were shopping for Sirius satellite radios, stopped into Radio Shack, looking for some information and, quite possibly, to purchase some product. We were helped by the night staff, and had what we thought was a pretty pleasant experience. The clerk told us that we would be very happy with the Sirius Orbiter, and that the one they had on the shelf was the last one in stock. We were looking to take advantage of a rebate that was effective until December 31st, and we liked the idea of having the boom box attachment for camping and home use. We asked about the car docking station as well, and were assured that we would be able to get one in a few weeks.

The next day we went into the store to ask some questions about setting up our antenna. The first thing we noticed is that there was another Orbiter receiver on the shelf – meaning, of course, that the one we had purchased was not really the last one in stock.

Two weeks later, we entered another Radio Shack (E 12th St) and inquired about the availability of the Orbiter docking station. Boy, were we surprised when the clerk told us that, in fact, they were out of stock and quite possibly out of production! A few days later, I went back to the S. Western Ave. store and asked about the car docking kit. The clerk told me that they were not in, and when I asked about whether or not they were even going to be in stock ever again, he said that it was quite possible, and that they were switching to another model. I gave him my name and told him to give me a call when the docking station came in.

Around the beginning of February, after not hearing from any Radio Shack store (we had our name in at both of the stores mentioned,) I decided to call the store where we had purchased our receiver. I spoke with Derek, the store manager, explained how we had purchased the Orbiter under the belief that we would be able to get a car docking station. He explained that they were very difficult to get, and were, in fact, not being made anymore. I was offered the chance to return my Orbiter and boom box and instead get the newest Radio Shack model (with home and car docks), which unfortunately didn’t work because we not only wanted the boom box (the main reason we purchased the Orbiter in the first place) but also we would also be charged a $50.00 per Sirius to transfer our subscription to a new receiver. I asked what Derek could do to get me a car docking station, and he said he would look around to other stores.

After a week of no response, I called again, and was told that he would be speaking with you, his District Manager, and would explain my situation. Over three weeks later, I still had heard no response, and when I called again on March 4th, I was told that he was still not able to get any in stock, and instead offered me a refurbished car docking station – but was given no time line as to when it would be available, if it would be available at all.

I feel that Radio Shack has really pulled the wool over the eyes of a lot of loyal customers. I’ve been shopping with the company for 10 years, and to find that, among other things, the clerks misled, and at times lied, to us about what was available for the Orbiter, the management seemed in no hurry to help resolve any of my problems, and that the company as a whole was actively promoting a product that was nearly obsolete (which is evident by advertisements and signs hailing the affectability of the Orbiter at the end of January, when it was already known that it was no longer going to be produced) all comes to me as a big shock.

Even more troubling is that the satellite radio package we purchased only two months ago is now unable to be replaced, and to find compatible Orbiter products, such as any docking stations or replacement antennas, is downright impossible.

I am incredibly disappointed in the staff at the S. Western Ave. Radio Shack, in the management, and in the company itself for not letting us, as customers, know the true status of the investment we were considering. You have lost loyal customers in me, my wife, and everyone else who hears of our experience.

Sincerely,
Corey Vilhauer

———-

Edit – I’ve had lots of comments on this post over the past two years, and now realize that most people who search “Radio Shack Sucks” come here and think this was the end of it. It wasn’t – the situation was resolved respectfully and both sides came away feeling better.

See Radio Shack’s response to my response to their response here: Radio Shack, the thrilling conclusion.