Cavities Not Included

Today, I was in an elevator that was playing actual elevator music. I was both frightened and intrigued. Either I had never noticed elevator music before, or today was the day I became un-oblivious-ified to the world around me. It kinda sounded like Pink Floyd, which I am okay with.

As I was cruising (slash waiting in traffic) down the four oh five to get to my dentist appointment, I used my car as my secret sanctuary of music, as I often do. The wonderful thing about driving in your car with the windows rolled up is the ability to play whatever you want, as loud as you want, or more specifically, the ability to blast the "sell-out shit" you secretly love, but you would never admit to your friends that you own. Even in New York, you becomes extremely wary of your iPod screen as you ride on the subway. You hold the player in your hand, your burgeoning paranoia causing your heart to race and your brow to pour sweat, and you think Dear Christ, please don't let that incredibly-cute-indie-hipster see that I'm listening to A*teens. Even if you secretly love it, you will deny that you have even heard of it until your dying day if it makes you seem at all uncool. And finally, your delicious-syrupy-sweet pop secret has become forbidden fruit in this world of mainstream indie ass-hats.

However, I have learned the valuable lesson: Judge not lest thee be judged. Or, put into simpler terms, I listen to Aly & AJ in my car. These may not seem at all embarrassing to you if you've never heard of them, but if there is any musical obsession that I ought to be ashamed of, it's this one. I mean, seriously, they're on the Ice Princess soundtrack, and they did a track for a Disney Mania CD. As a self-described music snob, I should run into oncoming traffic.

But I don't. And I won't. If it's good, it's good. If I love it, I love it.

(And it helps that they had a huge spread in Blender magazine two issues ago.)

I sat in my car with the rolled up windows and my broken air conditioning with my stereo cranked to capacity. I was enjoying myself, but I was afraid to roll down my windows. I mean, I was driving through Westwood Village, looking for parking. I was surrounded by trendy UCLA students dressed as hobos and billion-dollar-bag ladies. I wasn't going to sacrifice my credibility for comfort! But then I caved.

As I rolled down my windows, Aly & AJ streaming through my speakers and out into the air on Wilshire, I heard an old familiar song blasting to my right.

In the car next to me, a black hair, black eye-lined, black clothed girl was blasting A*teens.

I looked over and I waved. She rolled up her windows.

Huh. Maybe she doesn't like Aly & AJ.