No. 891 – Zenland

Performer: Alien Love Child

Songwriter: Eric Johnson

Original Release: Live and Beyond

Year: 2000

Definitive Version: None

After Scott added iTunes to my new computer, he regularly would send a disc of stuff that he found during the dying days of Napster. One of the things he found was Alien Love Child. I was happy to have new music by Eric Johnson, even though most of it was so-so. However, one person who was less than happy was my next-door neighbor.

After Debbie and I broke up, I moved into a six-unit rowhouse similar to the place in German Village. Because it also was brick, I never heard anything from any of my neighbors on either side of me, so I figured it was pretty solidly built.

At night, after I’d get home from work about midnight, I’d be upstairs working on an article for BBT. I had my second stereo setup in my bedroom, and now, because of iTunes, I could plug my computer into the stereo and hear the music over the speakers. But at night, I wouldn’t do that, because that would be too loud. I used the computer speakers themselves. Even at full volume, which I never set the volume at, the tiny speakers on the laptop wouldn’t be enough to bother anyone through a brick wall.

Well, apparently the craftsmanship in Clintonville didn’t equal that of German Village, because one night, while I had this on, there came a knock on my door. It was my neighbor who shared a common wall with my bedroom, in his bathrobe, and needless to say, he wasn’t there to compliment me on my taste in music.

Yes, he could hear my music; it was too loud. I apologized of course and the next day to show there were no hard feelings, I took him a bottle of wine.

And I got the headphones out on subsequent evenings. Things were bad enough as is; I didn’t need any trouble from neighbors threatening to call the cops for creating a disturbance. (I kid you not.)