I was living in New York City when Richard Branson was in his heyday making Virgin Superstores here in the states. So within a week of its grand opening, I went to the new store in Times Square. Ooh shiny!
As I wended my way through the brightly colored aisles, I happened into a very helpful individual who issued me a challenge. And as I sit doing overtime work this morning to the sound of a giant collection of Mozart, I am brought to mind of that challenge. You see I was looking for a particular classical song and I couldn't remember it. Well actually I wasn't but at the spur of the moment I thought I'd buy one, and so I was stuck with a mind splinter as he told me that he could name any classical song I could think of. Just hum the tune, he said, and I'll tell you what it is.
These days, I hear that there's something of an App for that, called Shazam. And this smiling dude kept following me around waiting to engage his wonder twin powers. I was annoyed because I couldn't think, for the life of me, what classical song I might want to buy from this solicitous geek. I couldn't help myself and I couldn't help him. It was a lose, lose situation. A challenge issued that couldnt' be met.
So lately I think of him as a homo. Someone with a genuine interest in doing me a favor that I can't think of a reason to want.
Last week, my son, my wonderful son who uses YouTube videos to help him play ragtime music on the piano, asked me about Sonata #11. Except of course he was humming it and I knew it, but I couldn't tell you then it was Mozart or Sonata #11 aka K331 aka the Turkish March. You know it too. Everybody knows it, but doesn't know that they know it.
I should have done something to meet the Virgin dude halfway, because I was genuinely pleased to have been put on my heels by the request. He was bored as he could be in his shiny hell. As you can guess, the center of gravity was somewhere Kris Kross and Sir Mix-a-Lot. We obviously had that boredom in common, and now there are no more Virgin Superstores. It was an idea that came and went like a tornado sweeping up the goods from those who live in cultural trailer parks. But for whatever enriching value classical music has, there was that. Shazamming oneself at home doesn't compare favorably.
Now we're all in the circle of Mozart love, but how can anyone forget Baby Got Back?
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