We are promoting Biofiles —
the hereafter arranged in aisles;
we’ve classics, pop and hip-hop, too —
what kind of audio suits you?
For ev’ry piece of music in
the world, there is a matched person;
you’ve got a choice of capsule, or
perhaps you’d like the ringtone more;
once analog pills changed people
but now our system’s digital;
whatever type of mood organs
you try, they’ll boost your endorphins.
The old people, they got problems
at 78 RPMs;
they’re very frail, so be careful —
to break them’s pretty terrible;
most boomers live as 45s —
their B-sides often are their wives;
yet LPs are the best format —
the vinyl snobs will swear to that;
most Xers live in jewel cases
except cassettes which replaces
the generation of 8 tracks,
that storage form which got the axe;
and those we saved as DATs,
extending you apologies;
as to Millennials, we try
to get you all on Spotify.
So, half-life folks, turn back your clocks —
eternity’s now a jukebox;
go find the genre that’s your style
and cue up your own Biofile!
“‘He passed me a small glossy folded printed piece of paper; I saw Hammerstein stop-setting indications on it. ‘But the effect of the drug is much more intense; as you know, the amplitude of affect-shock produced by the Mood Organ is severely limited by law.’ I read the setting critically. By god, when translated into notes it was close to the opening of the Beethoven Sixteenth Quartet. What a vindication for enthusiasts of the Beethoven Third Period, I said to myself. Just looked at, the stop-setting numbers made me feel better. ‘I can almost hum this drug,’ I said.” — Philip K. Dick, We Can Build You.
Text, narration, editing & production © 2020 C. Kurtz.