Nick's Music

My neighbor, lets call him Nick, is an interesting man. He is in his sixties, single, as close as someone in this country comes to being retired, but above all I would say that he is a music lover. I have had the opportunity to attend a few social situations with Nick. He is quick to dance, bop his head along with the beat or talk about some old Mexican or Spanish band. All in all he is a loveable old man, except when he wants to share his love of music with me.

It’s not that he is constantly coming over to get me to listen to something. He has a more… I suppose we will call it efficient approach. Usually on a Sunday afternoon Nick will decide that he will want to share some old Spanish love ballads with me and the rest of our colonia. He does this by way of engaging his outdoor speakers on his front porch that point out towards the middle of the street.

I must say that I was really taken aback when I noticed that he had speakers on the outside of his house. This is something that does not compute culturally to the average Gringo. The backyard perhaps, but speakers blaring into the street is just strange. And we are not talking a low volume. Usually it sounds like we have a band of guitarristas in the house with us. What’s worse is that Nick is usually chilling inside (I imagine him dancing with an imaginary women) while his speakers are thumping on the outside.

As far as I can figure the speaker’s sole purpose is to project Nick’s music into the barrio. Okay, but why? Does Nick think that his Gringo neighbors need to expand their musical palate and this is the only way he can inject his tastes into our lives? Have other people on the block come to him to ask him to please lighten up their Sundays with sappy love songs or ear-piercing ranchero music? Something tells me no. The only thing I have come up with is that he likes to have a drink or several, dance with his imaginary Marias and Juanas and turn up the volume for the rest us.

Whatever his reasoning I have figured out a few things.
1. No one seems to care. Never have I seen someone go over to ask him to turn down/off his speakers. Which leads me to believe that it is culturally acceptable to “share” your music as loud as you like with your neighbors.
2. I have also realized that perhaps I would be seen as enojado if I were to ask him to keep his music to himself. Enojado translates to mad which is a very undesirable trait where we live. As annoying as it can be I realize that I can do little about it.

I would hate to wreck our morning greetings and exchanges of smiles and waves because of my cultural inability to appreciate other people’s loud music. That being said, I may have cursed out loud in English the last time I heard the band strike up in the living room. I guess next Sunday I should grab my wife and practice our dance moves. If you can’t beat em join em.