Thumpin' at the Pump

So, earlier today I stopped at a local gas station to fill up the tank. As I'm pumping my gas, I notice a guy, a short distance away, vacuuming his car. Of course, the sound of the vacuum cleaner was no match for the blaring rap music coming from the car's subwoofer. Everyone at the gas station was greeted by a barrage of f-bombs as the car's owner bobbed and weaved to the heavy bass line.

It's not like this is the first time this type has happened. So, why do people do this?? Is it really necessary to blare your music at a place where the majority of the people don't want to hear your music? Do they really think every else wants to listen to this crap?

Several months ago, I was filling up at another gas station. A large, black SUV pulls up to the other side of the pump. This thing is all tricked-out with tinted windows, custom rims, low-profile tires, etc. When the guy opens the door, a blast of hip-hop music hits me like a Ray Rice upper-cut. I'm not kidding you, the pounding bass slapped me so hard that I'm pretty sure that my heart began to fibrillate. The whole time the "singer" was belting out the inspirational lyrics:

Yo, mutha-f*cka!
Yo, mutha-fu*ka!
Yo!!

Eventually making eye contact with the guy, I felt compelled to say something. Half-talking/half-shouting, like you might do in a noisy bar, I said, "I'll bet I can name that tune in two notes!"

Of  course, this only brought a blank stare and absolutely no response from the guy. I guess he wasn't familiar with "Name That Tune". He finished filling up and then casually got back into his mobile nightclub. Once he closed the door, the "music" was condensed to a rhythmic series of muffled thumps. The thumps were immediately followed by subtle rattles which I assumed were car parts vibrating loose.

I'm thinking about installing a 10,000 mega-watt stereo system in my car. And then, when someone feels the need to "share" their music with me, I can simply return the favor in the form of a skull-crushing blast of Led Zeppelin! Let 'em chew on that thumping bass line for a while.....

kw