The white stations had so much power, came in so loud. You could listen across the room with a tiny radio. The black stations were so weak, you needed a boom box to pick up the feed. You had to have a powerful system to filter out the scratchy background noise. The DJ hoisted the box on his shoulders just to hear it. White folks as usual thought it was a new style we were promoting. It didn't get loud until we recorded the music on tape, then boom! It was weird, kids boppin down the street, all spread out, blocking traffic, like a moving block party. Then the tape ended and the DJ turned on the radio. Immediately they all huddled together to hear it better. That's how gangs got started. They were just boppin in mass trying to hear the radio. The only way to disperse the crowd was to bust the boom box or shoot the DJ. In the city there was a rash of lawn ornament disfigurements. The jockey statues that all previously held boom boxes were replaced with ones holding lanterns (their noses were broke off too!). A law was passed to where no more than 5 blacks could listen to an open radio at a time. Individual listening with ear buds is now the custom. Stations are required to diverse the music so as to not induce a party in any segment of society.
Don't look at me like I'm nuts! Do you know what your neighbor listens to these days? We are all out of sync.
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