For the first time in my life, i’m actually enjoying muzac. It hit me as soon as we got to Ho Chi Minh City – in our room, piped saxophone renditions of some of the greatest songs of all time (you fill in the blanks). The further we have got into this crazy trip, the better it gets. In the beachside cafes at Nha Trang, it simply oozes from the speakers. The sensation is indescribable – a kind of eye of the storm calm. It seems everyone here takes muzac for granted, indeed, expects muzac to be pumped from every available device. I find it’s enabling me to think rationally, in a way I never expected. Even the touts on the beach are getting into it – one guy who’s been selling his art approaches tourists by saying “hello – is it me you’re looking for?” a sure fire way to win over the hearts of jaded backpackers. He tried it on me but I sent him packing. But there’s more. When we got on the train at HCMC station, and clambered up to our top level sleeping berths, what else confronted us but the soaring melody of the theme from The Godfather. Some might find it off-putting (horse’s heads and all) but for me, well, it made me feel safe, at home, satisfied. How can you complain, on a glorious morning, when the waiter cranks up “What a Wonderful World”? It *is* a wonderful world.
Update: listening to an Enigma-style remix of “Wherever you go, whatever you do i will be right here waiting for you …” Geez I’m getting a little bit sick of the muzac now … but I heard some Midnight Oil the other day … magnificent …
