The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Earphones in public are music to no-one’s ears
Personal listening while out and about is anti-social and standoffish and should be condemned by all governments and leading statesmen – yet we’ve all been guilty of displaying rude behaviour
Like many ratepayers, I am opposed to inappropriate behaviour in public. In particular, I deplore those people who appear to be talking loudly to themselves but are actually speaking into a microphone linked to a mobile phone. I’m also ambivalent, to say the least, about people listening to music on earphones in the streets.
If it’s someone you know, they must remove the phones to say hello, making you feel guilty at interrupting.
But this news just in – if you’re out in public, you must act publicly.
Listening to music on earphones in public is anti-social and stand-offish, and should be condemned by all governments and leading statesmen.
That said, I shall now consider the case in its favour. Arguably, it can provide a meaningful experience.
To explain, I’ll recount an experience of my very own when I had a portable CD player with earphones.
Yes, it’s true. Do not condemn me. I was younger and, though not carefree, was at least slightly less miserable.
At the time, I lived in a beautiful, old, characterful, settled suburb by the sea.
It had a lovely central park, with tennis courts, a bowling green and colourful flower beds.
Many of the stone-built mansions had towers from which, in earlier times, retired ship’s captains watched maritime proceedings through telescopes.
I’d probably still be living there now had the idyll not been shattered by the usual, standard-issue noisy neighbours.
The area was already a personal favourite and, being then rather well known among the discerning and other viewers of Crimewatch, a neighbour revealed that the whole place had been in a ferment about my arrival.
I think they were worried it might drive down property prices.
I was as fond then as now of evening walks round the ’burbs and, at the time, had two favourite pieces of music.
One was Ravel’s String quartet in F major. I ken little about classical music, but I do know individual pieces differ according to the performers, and the version by the Withan Quartet, of Prague, is still for me the best.
About Odair and Sérgio Assad, I also know little, other than that they are brothers and allegedly Brazilian.
The twin acoustic guitars on their Natsu No Niwa Suite are just so relaxing.
In fact, both albums have what I call an afternoon feeling. The morning rush is over, the day is settled. Time for cakes and tea. Time to breathe out a little.
Today, when I listen to these discs, my mind drifts back to the walks round that suburb and I always recall, with guilty pleasure, that I wore earphones.
I should point out I never encountered another soul on these rambles – most people locking themselves indoors when they heard I was coming – so there was no question of my being anti-social. All the same, I would not do it now. A man in my position has to set an example and, today, you’ll find me tutting and wagging a finger at anyone listening to earphones in public, as I once did quite happily.