I do listen to (aka read) the news, as grotesque as it is these days, but I will say I prefer listening to people talk on the subway, like the pair of older women I sat next to the other night. They must have just come from a reading; one said “I’ve never understood singing–I mean, I understand why YOU would want to hear yourself sing, but why would *I* want to hear you sing?” The other shook her head and muttered, “Everyone just writes about orgasms these days. I’m tired of hearing about orgasms. They’re great–done. Write about something else.”
As we neared my stop and I stood to depart the train, I heard a snippet of conversation that ended with “So there he was, lying prostate on the floor…”
