I have the widest musical tastes of anyone I know (not the best, just really, really, broad.) I'll be listening to Opera one day, classical, jazz, classic rock, ska, "alternative" (whatever the F that means anymore)harcore or punk, depending on the day.

When I listen to some of it (Ride of the Valkeries, or Dropkick Murphys come to mind), I tend to listen kind of loud. Not stupidly ear splittingly loud, but pretty loud. If my windows are down and we are at a stop light, I tend to turn it down...as I don't care so much if you can hear it, but it shouldn't be overwhelming to another person. A lot like the way I am when I smoke a cigar. Yeah, you'll be able to smell it...you live in a city...you do not have the right to a smell free zone...BUT..., if I note it is blowing right in your face, I'll do everything I can to be more polite and respectful about it (imagine that!)

Anyway, last night onthe way home (I drive through a decidedly urban neighborhood when I take this route), I was lsitening to the new Dropkick Murphys CD. A song I like was on, there was very little traffic on the road, the sun was out, the windows and sunroof were open, and the volume was up. A tinted out Ninteen Eighty-Rust toyota pulled up behind me at a light, and their bass drowned out my music. I had my volume up tot he point where I would have turned it down out of politeness had a car pulled up next to me, or pedestrians been on the street around me, and I could CLEARLY hear/feel his music to the point where mine was muddled. Really? Why? You think your loud stereo in a car worth less than my shirt is somehow impressive? Put the cost of an amp into a Maaco paint job, your bass will still be loud enough to crach the earth's crust, and perhpas you won't look like QUITE as big a jackass.

An RPG would have come in handy.