We all know Apple has more cash than the US reserves. Their products ( of which I have a few) do not come cheap and that’s why I’m always happy to find a new use for my gadgets.
While I’m always very careful and aware of any given situation when on a trip, I welcome the opportunity to chat with people, whether they are local or a fellow traveler like myself. Music is a great icebreaker and the technology we use to listen to it has given us a very powerful tool. I’ve written about it before, but a recent encounter has underscored the iDevice/smartphone as social networking aid.
During this last trip, I found myself at the lovely poolside bar at the Park Hyatt Istanbul. The only available seat in the shade was next to an Aussie whom I shall call Dom. I took a seat, ordered my drink and settled in to work on email via my iPhone. Dom, who apparently is not a fan of people working when there is drinking to be done, convinced me to put it down for a bit.
Starting up the conversation with Dom was a little strained in the beginning. Perhaps partly due to the fact that he was several rounds in by the time I got there.
I told him I was a big fan of Australia, and when he told me he was from Perth. I admitted I had not yet been there. (Awkward pause.) He changed the topic to his fave Aussie things — starting with Aussie rules football, a game I have tried (and failed repeatedly at) understanding. I asked if he liked the other kind of football– futbol, and he said “Nope.” (Another awkward pause.) Having failed at the sports opener I fell back on that standard of polite conversation. I asked him what he thought of Istanbul and he said ” It reminds me a lot of Melbourne.” Melbourne!
ACDC Lane in Melbourne
Now this I could work with. Melbourne is one of my favorite cities and one of the few places outside the U.S. that I could actually picture myself living in. So I wracked my brain to find something that would convince me to agree with that comparison but I came up with zilch. (There is a well represented Turkish-Australian community in Melbourne, but otherwise I still don’t see the similarities)
Now, I like to think of myself as being able to have a conversation with anyone, but at this point the prognosis was looking pretty grim. My rescue came in the form of a phone call. More specifically my ringtone, which is “Under the Bridge” by Red Hot Chili Peppers.
RHCP at the Snoop Dog’s Pop Warner fundraiser
Dom heard it and all of a sudden we were pals. Turns out that he is a pretty big RHCP fan himself. He treated me to another round of drinks and we talked albums, concerts — including their first show in Hong Kong that I have tickets to– the whole deal. When his friend/co-worker, Chris, joined us a little later with his iPod in his hand, I immediately asked if I could see his music library and spotted this:
Tiny Dancer by Elton John
Which immediately brings to mind this:
As an aside, I celebrate almost all of Elton John’s catalog, with the exception of Crocodile Rock (which French audiences, by the way, can’t seem to get enough of).
Elton John performs Tiny Dancer at a Marriage Equality Fundraiser at Ron Berkle’s Estate
After Chris, a couple more people came over and soon we were having an impromptu playlist comparing/listening party. There was even talk of meeting up in Perth for Elton John’s next concert there. It was a truly memorable experience in Istanbul that would not have happened if the writer/photographer from Los Angeles had put away her iPhone like the scrap metal salesman from Perth had asked her to. #justsayin.
And as a way to bring it on home…look!
P.S. Anyone remember these Social Anxiety Medication ads? Maybe we can try the iPod before the meds this time. Zoloft is not for everyone, but the iPod is.