Piss-poor Peoples

Now I've lost all sense of humor about this unresolved technical problem with my Rhapsody Library/account. I've gotten absolutely zero response from the committed folks in Tier >2 Escalation Department, so I've basically just started posting notes to myself every few days on my issue support tracking thread:

"Hi, I've still gotten absolutely no update on this, and the problem still exists. I cannot use the Rhapsody software to log in to Rhapsody, and have not been able to sync my mp3 player in well over a month.

This morning I manually reset my password and can log in to Rhapsody Online (but it appears the problem with multiple multiple copies of all My Playlists persists).

This has gotten pretty freaking far beyond ridiculous."

Addendum: Ah Hell, now that I've had my Friday morning aural Thorazine, I guess my sense of humor hasn't been completely stripped away. So here's a couple songs for the Rhapsody Technical Support special teams, at home and abroad:

Rhapsody Technical Support Love Playlist

Flushed From The Bathroom Of Your Heart - Johnny Cash
This Is Good - Black Flag

Somewhere Apart

I am still in Rhapsody Limbo. Here is my latest communique from the ever-effective Tier 2 Escalation Department: "I apologize that we have been unable to resolve the issue. Therefore, I have forwarded this issue to our next level of experts. They will contact you with an update as soon as possible."

That was last Thursday. I think somebody's doing something, though, because some time Friday my password stopped working. Now I can't even listen with Rhapsody Online, but I think it means someone was actually rummaging around the damaged data in my account/Library.

So there'll be no pithy Rhapsody Online song link today. Instead I'll recommend this pretty stupendous Robyn Hitchcock show from March 2005 at the Great American Music Hall. Above and beyond the always-enjoyable staples, it's a birthday show, and includes a segment where he moves over to piano for several songs to very fine effect, especially Chapter 24 and Somewhere Apart.

Of course, if your Rhapsody account hasn't been fragged, you're probably enjoying Goodnight Oslo.

The Service Elevator Is Out

This morning I was reading about Muzak filing for bankruptcy. And of course my mental soundtrack for that article was DEVO's E-Z Listening Muzak Disc.

And thank you Internets, specifically the very fine blog I'm Learning To Share, for providing mp3's of volumes 1 and 2 of the original cassettes. A link to the full zip is mid-way down the post, and volume 2 is the slightly more lively set, particularly Jerkin' Back and Forth, the elegiac Gates Of Steel, and the well-twangified That's Good.

A Very Happy Love Weekend to one and all (unless you work for Muzak, I suppose).

Enduring Decrepitude

A quick update here: three weeks later I'm still unable to successfully log in using the Rhapsody application. Yesterday I got an update from the "Tier 2 Escalation Department" that "We have checked our records and found that this case has been already forwarded to the appropriate department for further research. I am sure that the issue will be fixed at the earliest and will let you know regarding the updates."

Tell that to my useless, unsynced Sansa, "Jack".

Well, at least the Rhapsody Online Flash player's brief reign of terror ended today.

Here's one song for the general situation:

Lone Rose Holding Now - Melvins

In much more auspicious news, the President wasn't the only one to arrive in Fort Myers yesterday: