I spotted this article in VICE, today, and I completely agree with it. While music will always be my greatest pleasure, it is simply not required at the beach, in my opinion, least of all at the expense of others withing hearing distance trying to enjoy nature’s own ambient soundtrack.
But the piece reminded me of an anecdote.
Summer of 1990, I venture to Orchard Beach in da Bronx with my great comrade Brent. It being a hot July day, the beach is teeming with activity. The furthest third of it, however, is declared a "quiet zone" by way of a billboard boldly asserting in block capital letters "NO RADIO PLAYING!" (an activity that is happening with great zeal on the other two thirds of the beach). We settle into the (ostensibly) quiet zone and commence sojourning. A few minutes later, a gaggle of local youths wander in with a heroically oversized boombox (remember those?) cranking the insistent strains of "It Takes Two" by Rob Base & DJ EZ Rock at a volume traditionally reserved for jet engines. A member of the beach constabulary scrambles over to them, admonishing them while pointing emphatically at the afore-cited billboard. One of the youths silences the music and stares incredulously at his accuser.
His retort: "Yo, man, ... it's a tape!"
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