A lot of people I know who come down to the "party capital of the United States" are always shocked when they turn on the car radio and can't find the "dance station". South Florida's clubs (the all-encompassing term for any establishment with alcohol and poor lighting) are well known for their dance songs.
Well, here's the story:
Back in the early to mid-1990's Power96 was much more varied than it is now (it is strictly rap + hip hop). Before online music, iPods, and Youtube, you had to go to a dance club to hear any dance, techno, or trance songs or know a cool person that had the CDs mixes. (Or if you were computer savvy, have access to the forbidden fruit: newsgroups).
Power96 would have all the new tunes, remixes, and were transmitting live from some clubs on Friday and Saturday night. Y-100 was live sometimes, too. Pretty good gig, since they didn't have to pay royalties to any of the original DJ's.
Power96 eventually made some changes, lost the ratings war to 99 Jam, and fired the entertaining on-air personalities.
Napster- the first mainstream and popular filesharing song service- allowed millions of people to download dance and techno mixes. (Newsgroups always have had dance songs to download- you just needed a newsgroup reader.)
Eventually South Florida (Broward/Dade/Palm Beach Counties) lost their classical music radio station- 93.1 (or was it 93.3?) , and it became a dance station. It may have lasted a year or so. The songs were great, although they were clearly MP3's and there was no real DJ- it seemed kinda automated and repeated a lot. But it did expose me and my friends to some fantastic tunes. By then (around 2000-2001) filesharing was in full swing, as were the countless message boards discussing the top mixes and songs. Then it was pretty much canceled out of the blue.
No radio station ever made another attempt to the best of my knowledge.
Fast forward to 2008. The car radio plays a very small aspect in our lives now. Original content is found on the news radio stations, where political talking heads tell us their manifestos.
With iPod hookups, custom-made CD burning from the MP3s downloaded from the Internet, and satellite radio, there is simply no demand for radio station variation.
Of course, at home or the office there are hundreds of free streaming radio stations from around the world, not to mention the video websites, or if you want to be illegal- LimeWire and BitTorrent.
So yes, it's ironic that the dance capital of the U.S. doesn't have a dance radio station, but it's a sign of the times. Also the dance, trance, techno music industry is different than other types of music (not mainstream, remix city, copyright issues, few mainstream personalities, etc.)
A bit of my own history- electronic music has always interested me, more so than the other music genres (although I like them, too). I know that critics hate it, and most civilians think it's soulless and repetitive, but to me, I always liked music themes and notes more than the actual lyrics. If I wanted a deep song, I can read a poem. I was always addicted to video game music as a kid, and dance music was just an extension of that for me. As a teenager, I was able to create any emotion or scene in my mind while listening.
When I was a kid living in New York, July used to mean so much to me.
#1 NO SCHOOL #2 DAY CAMP #3 Can go to sleep whatever time I wanted #4 Went to Yankees Stadium and Shea Stadium #5 No winter coats, mittens (!), scarfs, ski caps, or goulashes (!) #6 No runny noses
As an adult living in South Florida? July is just another month. I'm serious. I don't have any kids, and don't go to school, so the whole "July = vacation" thing just doesn't mean anything to me anymore. I keep reminding myself that school's out when I'm driving and see kids/teens walking around during school hours.
At my day job, I just meet production deadlines. I have a white board with red markers indicating job codes and due dates. I rush to gets projects out to meet each month's billing cycle. So July 31 has the same meaning as October 31.
In terms of weather, in Florida it's always hot, sunny, and rainy. (Yet in July, the rain can get pretty bad at times.) In New York, July = beach. In Florida, one is hard pressed to see the season changes.
In many ways, I always associated July and summertime with youthful innocence, excitement, and not having responsibilty. But once one becomes an adult, it's just another month.
In high school, I started to see how July began to lose its luster: some of my classmates who were around 15+ began to get summer jobs or went to summer school to get more credits. I finally gave into the nerd peer pressure to be productive during summer vacations, and that was the beginning of the end for July.
July 4th? Fireworks? ONE DAY OFF? Big deal.
I wouldn't even have known it was July if not for work due dates.
I was walking my dog after I got home from work and saw that a bunch of bees made a hive on my Columbian neighbors' lawn chair. My first instinct was to protect my dog from the bee stings, so I walked the other way. I was staring at the bees for so long, like a car wreck.
After my dog did her business, I went home and got my wife to take a look, and to take these copyrighted photos.
I saw the parking lot, both of my neighbors cars were not there, just their motorcyle was parked. No one was outside, so I don't know if anyone was home or not.
My wife suggested that we knock or leave a note, but we didn't.
I even joked that it would be funny if one of them sat on the lawn chair tonight.
So..why am I anti-social? Why did I not tell the neighbors about the bees right behind their house? Is it because they are immigrants that have 7 people, 2 dogs, and 2 babies living in one house? Is it because I'm shy? Is it because the bees aren't in my backyard? Is it because I don't want the bees to be disturbed because they may fly inside my home? Is it because they shouldn't have left their lawn chair out? After all I live in a townhouse community; none of us own the land and we shouldn't leave junk on it. Is it because their little dogs bark at my dog? Is it because I want to hear them scream when they sit on that chair tonight? Is it because I don't want them to spray water on the bees and kill them? Or is it because because they ALMOST KILLED MY DOG AND I BY LEAVING THAT STUPID CHAIR OUTSIDE, which is now a FREAKIN' BEE HIVE? My dog and I would have gotten STUNG TO DEATH if I wasn't so observant. SO...SCREW THEM. I HOPE THEY HAVE A BARBECUE TONIGHT.
CCB3 is a regular poster and contributor. He has made numerous videos that I have not gotten a chance to upload yet from his last visit. His first was his now infamous Taco Bell skit.
DailySkew: Are you thinking about your 2008 return to Coral Springs?
CCB3: when i return to south florida to visit,i have unfinished business.
Dailyskew: Like what?
CCB3: first,i need to redeem myself with a low,slow song on american idol.then you can tape me on my "cops" impression while driving around-preferably in the day in a bad neighborhood.you camera work will be key,as you tape me talking and driving,you can alternate to shots of people in the street.as i comment.we'll try to make it as realistic as possible.
Dailyskew: Sounds great!
CCB3: and lastly,the batting cages,i have improved my stance-i'm still horrible-but a little more improved.and i want to see you in the cage.
Dailyskew: Let it be written, let it be done! Thanks!
Former Yankees World Champion Jim Leyritz (backup catcher) killed Fredia Ann Veitch, who was an ordinary citizen like you and I, working night shift. He was DUI, and he drove his car fast and blew threw a red light down here in Broward County (she was driving home from Fort Lauderdale to Plantation.)
I've followed Leyritz's career since he came up in 1990. I thought he was a great hitting catcher, pinch-hitter, and part-time designated hitter for the Yanks. But according to many baseball history books and autobiograpies I have read, he dubbed himself "King" and wanted to be a full-time player. Eventually, managers Buck Showalter and later Joe Torre grew to dislike Jim.
Jim is highly charismatic, cocky, arrogant, and a joker. Quite honestyly, if he was an African-American player, he would have been labeled a "clubhouse cancer" in 1990. Instead, the MEDIA always referred to him as "clutch", a "New York Icon", and "scrappy". Nice double-standard. The MEDIA and announcers never told us the bad things about "The King", so fans such as myself and my family couldn't help but like him, and awe at his sheer "determination". After Jim finally retired after making a few failed comebacks (and bouncing from team to team) he got an announcing gig for MLB.com, and still continued to give quotes to radio shows and newspapers to run is mouth off. See, Jim was bitter and was opinionated about a lot of things. He'd like to say things against his former teammates and managers.
He also said he admitting taking HGH or steroids during his great 1995/1996 clutch pinch-hitting campaigns, in which he saved the Yankees' post-season dreams. He also admitted being drunk a lot while playing. Unfortunately, his wild baseball antics spilled over into real life. Frieda Ann Veitch was a mother of two, just trying to make ends meat, by working in a steakhouse in Broward County. Her friends told her to switch her shift or to get another job; she was all set to switch- starting in the new year. So here is Frieda, driving home after a rough week, having never achieved the fame and fortune as Jimmy "The King" Leyritz. She goes through the green light, like you're supposed to, but here comes Jim blasting through the red light.
It's a shame that there are questions about if Jim will serve any prison time. I guess because he is a millionaire he can afford an attorney-at-law who will somehow get his client off with probation or timed served, even though he is guilty as sin.
For those of you who do not know about Broward County, Florida- it is one of the worst places to drive in the world. People like Jim Leyritz have taken over the roads and highways. That's why I'm at home bloggin', folks.
I heard the rest of the United States is cold and freezing, but you wouldn't know it down here in Florida. This weekend, my wife and friend visited Miami for the first time together, and had an excellent and unforgettable experience.
The first thing we did was check out the Miami Seaquarium. The killer whales, seal lions, and dolphins put on many shows. They are the true stars and are treated like royalty there. Lolita the whale is highly entertaining. We saw other animals such as crocodiles, birds, sea turtles, manatees, and devil rays.
We saw more exotic animals at Jungle Island: giant Australian birds, poisonous snakes, talking parrots and cockatoos, chimpanzees, and a white albino alligator. Jungle Island is also fun for the kids, especially with the water new slide they have there- The Hippo.
My wife wanted to also check out Millionaire's Row and Miami Beach to see some of the most expensive real estate in the world. Well, the best way to do that was to take the Biscayne Bay Sightseeing Cruise. You can see Miami's breathtaking skylines from these comfortable yachts.
Trusted Tours and Attractions offers discounted tickets to these tours and other American cities as well. I recommend going through them if you want to check out Miami's great tourist attractions. In fact, anyone who signs up before December 31 to receive the Trusted Travel eNewsletter is automatically entered into a drawing to win an iPod Nano.
