Every time my friends and I go on a road trip, the same person DJs and plays the exact same playlist.
By @ashish · Friends
It's a 3-hour playlist that has not been updated in at least four years. We have a long drive coming up and I'm already dreading hearing the same 50 songs in the same order again.
The full story
I know this is a small problem, but it's driving me quietly insane. My friend group has a designated 'car guy' who always drives on our trips. He's a good friend, and we appreciate him driving, but it comes with a condition: he controls the music. And he only plays one specific playlist. It wasn't bad at first. It's mostly agreeable indie pop from the late 2010s. But after maybe the fifth trip hearing the exact same transitions, it's started to feel like the soundtrack to a psychological thriller. I can predict the next song with 100% accuracy. I know exactly when the mellow part starts and when the upbeat part kicks in. I've tried gentle suggestions. 'Hey, have you heard this new album?' or 'We should try a collaborative playlist next time.' He usually just says something like, 'Nah, this is the official road trip mix!' and everyone else just kind of smiles and nods. I think they've just accepted it, or maybe they zone it out. I can't. I'm an anxious person and small repetitive things get to me. We have an 8-hour drive to a wedding next month, and the thought of hearing that playlist almost three times through is making me consider buying a train ticket. Saying something more direct feels like I'd be a huge jerk. He's doing the driving, so a 'your car, your rules' policy seems to apply. Is there a way to handle this without being the bad guy, or do I just need to buy better noise-canceling headphones and suffer in silence? It feels so petty, but it's genuinely starting to affect how I feel about these trips.
How people voted
- OP Is Right — 34% (67 votes)
- Both Messy — 37% (73 votes)
- OP Is Wrong — 29% (56 votes)
Readers are split: “Both Messy” leads with 37% — 196 votes and 7 comments so far.
What people are saying
@jaredtbh — Next time he gets out of the car for gas, I'd switch his playlist to Kidz Bop and then pretend the bluetooth is broken.
@reeseyk — Whoever is driving gets to pick the music, that's just how it works.
@brynnlol — i'd make a competing 'official road trip mix part 2' and demand equal airtime.
@remywelp — the official road trip mix sounds like a threat.
@yaralately — my college roommate did this on a drive to the beach. i now physically get ill when I hear that one specific vampire weekend song.
@brynnhm — Am I supposed to feel bad for you? The dude is driving 8 hours for YOUR friend's wedding.
@theo — The phrase 'official road trip mix' is a cry for help.
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