Music has always been important to me. One cash birthday gift was used to buy a small, console AM/FM mono radio. For another birthday I received a bright red Panasonic “Funkyset” portable cassette player, chosen for no other reason than a girl I was smitten with also had one. Discovered shortwave with a Realistic Patrolman SW-60. A Montgomery Ward boombox (thankfully sans 8-track) from my dad for Christmas.
Similar to her television-watching limits, I had listening limits, though casually enforced when done in moderation or with other productive activities (e.g., doing homework, reading books, cleaning room).
My first headphones were Koss HV/1A headphones that fit over the ears, cushioned by some phone. They allowed me to listen to my music and (somewhat) eliminate the rest of the chaos happening in the house. True to form, Mom defined a daily listening limit, this time strictly enforced to 1) minimize hearing damage from too much volume and 2) make sure I didn’t completely disappear for hours at a time.
One particular weekend, I reached the defined limit during a favorite song and Mom insisted I take off the headphones NOW. In a teen-age, hormonal rage, I took the headphones off and slammed them repeatedly against the basement cement floor. Completely destroyed, unrepairable.
Perhaps surprised at my outburst, she nevertheless held her ground and very likely took away my radios and cassette decks (I don’t remember for sure), perhaps even pleased as her concerns about hearing damage were instantly eliminated. Very likely other ramifications that I don’t remember. And I don’t believe I had headphones again until I bought my first Sony Walkman in college.
