Yesterday, I listened to Earl Klugh's "Nightsongs" album on cassette. (Yes, people still do that.) I'd set up the tape deck so that when it got to the end of a side, it would automatically reverse course and play the other side. After I'd listened to every track, I heard the initial level-setting sound burst on the tape start playing. I immediately sprinted across the room and shut the tape deck off as if it were a hot potato.
Then, I wondered, "Why did I do that? Just because I'd listened to the whole tape and wasn't going to play it straight through a second time, why did I react that way? I'm not on the air. It doesn't affect anything if the opening notes of 'Ain't Misbehavin' start playing again; in fact, it would be welcome, as Klugh plays it with just the right touch on the guitar."
After all these years, I'm still in radio mode. In my mind, songs are supposed to start and end precisely when they should, even when I'm the only one around to hear them.
Now, I'm going to check the front door three times--no more, no less--to make sure it's locked.
