On the bus yesterday afternoon, I sat next to a woman listening to her iPod. As per usual, I tried to sneak the occasional look at her screen to see what she was listening to. I wasn't surprised based on her Lincoln Park Trixie look when I saw she listened to the Black Eyed Peas, The Bangles and the theme from Friends.
I got to thinking: what does my playlist tell people who are glancing at my playlist on the bus? Obscure stuff is safe. I have nothing to fear from the classics. But now and then, a song comes up that makes me blush and immediately stuff my iPod into my pocket. The embarrassing songs aren't such because they're cheesy (you have a problem with A-Ha, you have a problem with me, buddy) but because they're offensive. I'm thinking about a particular Wu-Tang Clan song off of their first album with a title that starts "Shame on a..." I'm also thinking about a Bad Brains song starting with the word "Pay." I worry about the Dead Kennedys' "California Uber Alles." Sure, it's anti-fascism, but you wouldn't get that from the title.
I've considered deleting all the above songs from my iPod.
Luckily, I don't listen to that much rap and I don't get my kicks from some of the more shocking artists out there, but the few really raunchy songs I do have on my playlist send me into a public transport shame spiral. Now I block my iPod's screen with my hand just in case one of the offending tracks comes up in the shuffle before I can flip past it. Plus, I feel like a huge poseur listening to Nas's "Life's a Bitch" while looking out at the Zoo.
Dear readers, a question: What do you think when you catch a clean-cut mid-20s white guy listening to hardcore rap on the bus? Do you draw inferences from the occasional misogynistic or racially troubling track? Do you peek at iPod screens at all?
yes, i do peek. but i have the opposite reaction. i'm releived when someone surprizes me. it reminds me that people aren't as dull and predictable as i sometimes think.
I really thought I was the only one neurotic enough to think everyone was judging me based on the music on my ipod, so it's quite comforting to hear that someone else worries about this. Because I've been known to listen to lots of really embarrassing music, I tend to stick to pre-made playlists only on the bus or subway.
Anyway, to answer your question, I think seeing what you described would make just me smile to myself, especially if I caught you fumbling to change the track before anyone else noticed. I don't think I draw any negative inferences based on it.