Music to my ears… and Bon Jovi

Over the last 7 days I’ve started digitising all 500 or so of my CDs. Mrs H has bought me a big MP3 player and I’ve been sat at the laptop feeding it my entire CD collection one by one. Playback is brilliant – just plug it into the stereo and all of my CDs are at my fingertips. This has, however, caused a bit of a schism in the Headlander household as Mrs H wanted her Dolly Parton, Bon Jovi and Robbie Williams CDs put on there so that she could listen to them as well. Hmmm… I wasn’t so keen on this…

… I’m prepared to put up with a few Robbie tracks (but PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE not bloody Angels... aaahhhh!) and I’m even pretty keen on having my ears caressed by a couple of helpings of Dolly Parton, but Bon Jovi??… Bon Jovi!! Over my dead body!!! You’ll have to prise my MP3 player from my cold, dead hands.

As well as wanting this 1980’s bouffant haired girlie beat combo on my MP3 she has the nerve to take the mickey out of my sensational taste in music – what’s wrong with old Yes and Jethro Tull albums anyway? Bon Jovi aren’t fit to lick their platform soled sparkly boots!

Another of Mrs H’s favourite recording artists is Kenny Rogers and earlier in the week she “informed” me that he will be performing in Newcastle towards the end of October along with Don Williams and Rita Coolidge. In my household, “Informed” means that she wants to go and that I have to go along as well… and pay for the tickets at a cost of £37.50!... I’ll say it again slowly… thirty… seven… pounds… fifty… EACH! Flaming Nora!! That’s without the cost of travel there and back as well. In addition, as the last train back is at half past 8 in the evening it no doubt also means a hefty hotel bill and an expensive dinner.

It turns out that after doing some maths that concert going seems a bit too expensive these days… here’s an estimated breakdown of the cost of seeing good ole millionaire Kenny Rogers and his chums:

Tickets x 2 = £75

Travel x 2 = £25

Hotel Room in centre of Newcastle = £53

Dinner = £50

Drinks = £50

Total = £253

For that kind of money I could buy a weekend in Prague on the lash with the lads from the Pint & Fight or have a sizeable chunk of a deposit for a house in Easington! When I casually (and gingerly) mentioned this fact to she-who-must-be-obeyed, the reception was, shall we say, a little frosty. The ten seconds of thin lipped silence followed by the statement “fine… fine… if that’s what you want then that’s what we’ll do” that followed could only mean one thing for me… the spare room was going to be my home for some time and all nookie privileges were about to be revoked.

Two nights later I have relented… Kofi Annan has brokered an agreement and the UN peacekeepers are packing up to go back to Belgium once and for all. I’m back where I belong in the King Size bed and all nookie privileges have been restored. What happened? Well…After all the wrangling we’ve finally cut a deal… I have ordered the Kenny Rogers tickets and will pay for the whole evening of the concert… as long as my MP3 player remains free of Bon Jovi.

Ha ha!!!! My cunning plan worked… definitely worth the price I think!

Cheers!

Headlander