Video; un: rtozier

[summertimeblues]

[The feed begins with a man in his late thirties, one hand welded to his forehead in consternation. Adjacent is a swanky looking turntable, and stacks of records can be seen on a table behind the sofa. The titles are indiscernible but it looks to be a ballpark of about fifty albums.

He stares into the camera, desolate.]

All right kids, I'll concede: my folks would have cracked my radio if they heard how much I let The Doors holler out of it. I know it's a pattern and every generation thinks the one after it is a tasteless pack of miscreants. And I've been keeping an open mind. I can't afford not to. Music was my job, and for the most part the stuff hitting the airwaves had been pretty solid. Whoever's been picking out tunes for me up above has been doing pretty damn swell so far, too. Soundgarden was great, Lauren Hill, the Alabama Shakes — there's a lot of good shit I've missed out on because my apocalypse hit so early.

[He takes a deep breath.]

But today, I need an explanation.

[He takes a record out of a sleeve. Sets it on the player and closes his eyes in bitter resignation as the thing gets rolling.

His jaw clenches tight as the music starts.

"Hiya Barbie!"
"Hi Ken!"
"Do you wanna go for a ride?"
"Sure Ken!"
"Jump in!"
"I'M A BARBIE GIRL! IN A BARBIE WO-O-ORLD! LIFE IN PLASTIC, IT'S FANTASTIC!!"

A comely but irate redheaded woman stomps into the background.]

If you don’t shut that off, there’s going to be cats clawing at our window to check out who’s dying!

[Richie rips the record off, vein pulsing in his forehead.]

Music is dying, Bev! It's over! We've lost the war!

[She scoffs, disappearing once more. Richie looks to the camera.

He snaps the record in two with a malicious crack and tosses the pieces behind him.]

I don't know who allowed this to happen, but you ought to be ashamed of yourselves.

[The video cuts out. Please deposit your apologies and condolences below.]

Comments

Surely they have radio with music on it in space but man am I bad at headcanoning.

[quintessent]

And did you ever play any songs about... Barb-y Girls?

[She thinks that's what she picked up from the snippet of the song before Richie broke it in half.]

[summertimeblues]

[Allow him the space to cringe.]

Not even once.

[quintessent]

[She laughs.]

I would be interested in hearing something from your world. I'm afraid my only exposure to human music is Lance's singing and now that.

[summertimeblues]

Can do, what are you in the mood for? Something upbeat, something sweet, something hard around the edges? I can't say I've got a great selection but it's all leaps and bounds ahead of that Barbie crap.

[quintessent]

Oh uh… [And there’s a silence, broken with periodic hums of consideration as she thinks about this way too deeply for someone requesting a song over the radio.

Finally,] Maybe something slow?

[She didn’t care for that hectic, high pitched Barbie crap as Richie put it.]

[summertimeblues]

Hmmm...All right, one of those newer ones had a tight ballad, be right back.

[Please hold.

And here he comes, flipping out the disc with a deftness that only comes with eons of practice. He sets it down and takes a triple check of the track titles, only just getting familiar with where the stops and starts live on this foreign jam. The wait isn't long however, and Allura gets her wish. Maybe a mite bit slower than expected, even, but the layout is too pretty for Richie not to bask in the melancholy medleys even when he's not in the mood to feel sorry for himself.

"On and on, your Hemingway jawline looks just like his...]

[quintessent]

[She's quiet for the whole thing (except once that she misinterpreted that the song was ending, but she only makes a sound before quieting down again.) When the first drums kick in, she's not sure how she would like it, it was much more abrupt than the dreamy soundscapes of Altean music, but then the vocals kicked in and they're soft and sad and she can't help but get sucked into the mood of it.

When it finishes,] That was beautiful.

Your radio played things like this all of the time?

[summertimeblues]

Not quite — like I said, this one was from after my own time. But yes, that was the gist. People could put it on wherever they were and unwind. Rock out. You know, let loose or just keep a good soundtrack going while they pushed their pencils.

But I am glad you liked it, kiddo. There's more good than bad in these old records, I promise you that.

[quintessent]

Maybe the orbiters have some samples of Altean music somewhere. [She doubts this, since her culture died long before the storm but stranger things have happened.] If I find any, I will give it to you so you can... rock out.

[Did she use that correctly? :D?]

[summertimeblues]

[she tried, that's what matters. He laughs lightly.]

Sure I will. Give me a ring when you've got the goods, sister.