Classic Rock Radio Programming

On a long drive home after a raucous gig
I called The NightRocker to make a request
The man on the other end seemed genuinely disappointed
which helped, a little
"Aw man, we don't have any Big Star in the library"
I should have said something snarky, like
"You should check it out, I'll mail you some"
instead I froze and stammered out a request for Toys In the Attic
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my go to station has recently changed their playist by adding
Soundgarden 101, Basic Pearl Jam, and Too Much Guns & Roses
this time My Michelle, the laziest of their originals
better than their lazy covers
if only an iPod were in the budget
if only my CD player weren't broken
during the self-loathing the harmonies of Sweet Emotion had begun
and I got even more frustrated
had I not requested the specific song, not the hit from that album?
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my Dad had taught me to play Name That Tune on this station
naming the band got you bonus points, the album even more so
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Back in the Saddle.
by the time Dude Looks Like A Lady comes on
I leave it on, as penance for even trying
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if I drive in silence I hear phantom pains from my car
and freak out!
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I believe in a kamikaze spin around the radio dial
there have times that aural gold has been struck in this fashion
I will spare you the deepest thoughts that followed
about planets and molecules
and fast forward to when Toys In The Attic came on
when everything clicked and buzzed in tandem
and the music drove me home