The Nano Knows

Apparently I am depressed and have been for the past few days. Depressed and angry. I don’t know why I am depressed or what I am angry about. In fact, up until a few hours ago I didn’t even really know I was depressed or angry.

Let me explain.

I drive a white 1998 Volkswagen Jetta. The main component of my car stereo is arguably the most ill-conceived and masochistic piece of consumer electronics equipment known to man: the trunk mounted compact disc changer.

Honestly, who thought this even remotely acceptable? Why would I want to be forced to stop my car, open my trunk, unload a poorly designed cartridge, reload a poorly designed cartridge, get back into my car, and finally wait for the stereo to cycle through all six discs to be sure I didn’t break something? Why is there not an “inefficiency task force” guarding against such design? I can only imagine the discussion that took place in hell to allow a product such as this:

Demonic Engineer: I’ve created a device that allows the driver the power of musical choice while driving!
Satan: Perhaps I should remind you what we do here…
Demonic Engineer: It’s a machine that holds six of your hundreds of CDs in your trunk and you can select which to listen to from inside your car.
Satan: Again…
Demonic Engineer: Did I mention it sits in the driver’s trunk?
Satan: So if you wanted to listen to music from a seventh CD…
Demonic Engineer: You would have to stop the car, open the trunk, and switch out all the CDs.
Satan: I’m beginning to like this. What else can you do?
Demonic Engineer: Well, I could require flimsy cartridges that cost $50 from a dealership to make the product work.
Satan: Quick, call marketing!
Demonic Engineer: Sir, we're already in hell.
Satan: Oh, right.

Back to my anger and depression. In the car I use a first generation 4GB iPod Nano and a cassette adapter to escape the demonic product that sits in my trunk. I throw it on shuffle and away I drive. It contains an eclectic array of music (all full albums) from artists such as: Arctic Monkeys, Dire Straits, Foo Fighters, Incubus, James Taylor, Jay-Z, Kanye West, Michael Franti & Spearhead, Mae, Muse, My Morning Jacket, New Pornographers, Wilco, Wu-Tang Clan, etc. All of it gets played at one time or another.

But only when I’m in the mood.

Lately I’ve been cycling through the shuffled songs until I reach something by Billy Talent, or Wu-Tang Clan, or certain Mars Volta tracks. Every Billy Talent cut sounds beautiful (they’re not) while my favorite Wilco selections are like fingernails on a chalkboard. I hear the sweet melodies and quickly reach for my nano to mash the "next" button. There’s no other explanation other than depression and anger.

Now I just need to find why.