Still Listening

I've had a few years away from this blog, but no time at all away from story tapes. Looking back over my previous entries I realised some things have changed since I last wrote.

Cassettes are over
I know they were fairly damn over in 2011 as well, but the Yarra Libraries were kind enough to keep some on hand until 2012 when they finally chucked them all out (I managed to snaffle a few). Cassettes do have some advantages. When you press stop on a cassette it stays in exactly the same spot until you go back to it. You can't listen to a cassette on a device with a screen, so there's no chance of getting sucked into other screeny activities. And, although it's a heart wrenching moment, when a cassette ribbon gets chewed up by the machine, it is quite satisfying winding them back up with a pen.

Anyway, audio books will always be story tapes to me, even when I'm downloading them into my ear-chip implants. It's too late to change.

The line between an audio book and a podcast can be blurry
Many podcasts, including some of my favourites, consist of people sitting around having a chat, and laughing too hard at each other's jokes. But shows like This American Life often tell shorter, scripted stories. To me, it feels a lot like listening to an audio book.

However, I don't feel the need to create hard and fast definitions anyway. 'Listening to voices talking without pictures' is about as narrowly as I'd be prepared to define it.

There's no shame in it any more
For many years whenever I admitted (and it felt like an admission) to listening to story tapes I was met with either blank stares or snorts and condescending comments. I would end up feeling defensive and saying, 'I do read books as well.'

These days I'm having lots of supportive conversations with other audio book listeners from all kinds of backgrounds.

I first realised things had changed when I was in the green room (actually it was a school library, but it still felt glamorous) at a writer's festival last year. Someone said, 'Who actually listens to audio books?' I inwardly sighed and prepared myself to for a solo defence of the format, but before I could start three other people piped up, 'I do.'

I'm not sure why this change has happened. I suspect podcasts and the availability of services like audible have helped, but I'm no expert.

To be fair, it hasn't all been smooth sailing. In 2013 I was disappointed by Lawrence Mooney's audio book shaming comments on the ABC's Book Club, but things are definitely improving.

So, I'm looking forward to writing about what I've been hearing again.

Jeeves

I'm listening to Ring for Jeeves by P.G. Wodehouse. I thought I knew exactly what I was getting with this one but I didn't.

Firstly I assumed it would be read by Jonathan Cecil, who I believe is the ultimate Jeeves narrator. Instead it is read by Nigel Lambert. I was concerned, but without cause, Lambert does a great job.

Secondly, I assumed Bertie Wooster would be present. He is not. Jeeves is instead in the service of Bill (Lord) Rowcester. I miss Bertie. Bill is also dim and bumbling, but he doesn't have Bertie's turn of phrase.

Thirdly, the book is explicitly set in the 1950s. There's all kinds of references to the modern world, like television and the welfare state. Not sure I'm a fan of this because Wodehouse is all about escapism for me.

And finally, no-one is trying to get out of an engagement. There is still the classic breaking of the engagement and subsequent reunion plot, but I like this to be paralleled with a fellow trying to get out of  an engagement too.

So not 100% what I was expecting but still absolutely fine to cook dinner to.

Change

A friend of mine gave me The Accidental Billionaires: Sex, Money, Betrayal and Founding of Facebook by Ben Mezrich read by Mike Chamberlain. I've seen The Social Network and I thought it was very good.

I was surprised to find that there is only one disk! It's just MP3 files. What an innovation! No more changing disks/cassettes, just a'changing times. You can also borrow audio books online from the library - no disks/cassettes at all.

I know it is often said that "on the wings of the trampling hooves of change doth we fly forward on our journey hand in hand with technology and cherubs". And I agree with that statement. I am very happy to embrace new technology (I admit this might not be obvious given that I still refer to audio books as story tapes).

However, I would like to have one moment of nostalgia for the plummy voice on the Chivers audio books announcing, "That is the end of Side X. The story will continue on the next cassette".

Just thinking about it makes me a bit misty.

Decisions

Big decisions ahead. We are driving to Adelaide from Melbourne for Christmas. Obviously having a story tape to listen to is vital. Our car doesn't have a CD player, but there's NO NEED TO PANIC - the Richmond Library still has cassettes. Tomorrow I will be heading there to consider the options. I could be gone some time.

My partner makes things tricky as he sometimes acts like story tapes are annoying. He will have to suck it up though, because there's no way I'm driving for eight hours with no narrative.

In order to be sensitive to his feelings I will try to avoid anything with:
a) A narrator with an American accent (despite having lived in America he acts like he's being stabbed in the ear)
b) Stories about plucky young women making the best of being thrust into unfamiliar surroundings - most commonly a palace, cattle station or bonnet making factory.
c) Stories about English village life.

My partner's pickiness along with the fact that I have to get cassettes not CDs severely limits my options, but no-one said listening to story tapes would be easy. These are the challenges that make it great.

In other news, I'm still going with Cleaving. Julie is now travelling the world, visiting random places to sample their meat while she fantasises about being reunited with her skanky lover who has completely lost interest in her. Her husband is waiting for her at home, which is yet another burden for Julie, why is her life so hard?