Sunday, July 16, 2006

Update: Barry Manilow Overkill

About a month ago, I posted this story about a community in Australia that drove off street racers using Barry Manilow music. It appears now that Barry Manilow has become a Weapon of Mass Disturbance.

SYDNEY, Australia (AP) -- It could be magic for some, but the use of loud Barry Manilow music to drive away late-night revelers from a suburban Sydney park is getting on the nerves of nearby residents. In a move reminiscent of U.S. efforts to drive former Panama strongman Manuel Noriega from the Vatican Embassy where he took refuge in 1989, the local council in Rockdale, in Sydney's southern suburbs, started a six-month trial of high-volume hits by Manilow and Doris Day to chase away car enthusiasts who were gathering on weekend nights at Cook Park Reserve. "Barry's our secret weapon," Rockdale Deputy Mayor Bill Saravinovski told The Daily Telegraph newspaper, four weeks after the start of the effort. "It seems to be working." But some people living near the park are less than enthralled. They say the barrage of "Copacabana," "Could It Be Magic" and "Que Sera Sera," blasting from 9 p.m. to midnight every Friday, Saturday and Sunday is driving them crazy. "I don't know how I will cope," said Moya Dunn, describing how the songs have invaded her house. "I just can't sleep when it's on, and to think there's going to be another six months of this."

Officials have given in a little, agreeing to turn down the volume a bit after residents complained. "The initial reaction was that they found it irritating," Saravinovski said. "I'm not disputing what the residents are saying. I can't swallow some of the tracks like `Mandy.' "We have tried to reduce the sound and we are reviewing the songs. I don't mind Marry Manilow, but I'm more of an ABBA and Celine Dion fan."

4 comments:

Tonto said...

Reminds me of what my friend said when she went to see BM at a New Year's Eve concert here in L.A. a few years ago...he sings s few tunes comes on to the mic and says..."now where did you REALLY tell your friends you were going tonight?"

How is it we are all irritated by the guy but we all know the words to his songs...at least one? I know a few.

Trader Rick said...

Why is it that the most moronic retards in human society gravitate towrd becoming government "officials"?

Tonto said...

Because TR they are the ones that irritate us the least as opposed to the smart angry ones...those can't get a majority.

Lone Ranger said...

It's the most secure job in the world. As we saw with Clinton, you just about have to be a serial killer to get fired. And the bureaucracy is so huge, nobody notices if you're not pulling your weight.