row2k Features
The Worst Erg Music
Whatever Gets You Through the Piece
February 19, 2003
the readers of row2k

To Get Things Started... from Chief Read:
Red Hot Chili Peppers absolutely suck and actually tack on seconds to your 6k and 2k; believe me, I know!
"You forgot to mention high school kids on the worst music poll" (we added them after receiving this note) - anonymous
Now, I realize that as I get older, I probably become more out of touch with popular culture, but I realize my handicap and try to be tolerant. I like most of the music I hear at the boathouse. I get disgruntled, however, when I hear a song, even a good one, for the 5 millionth time. It alarms me that I now know the lyrics to Eminem's "Lose Yourself" without ever trying to conciously listen to them. Even worse are the songs that contain a lot of repetition within, and are then played repeatedly, resulting in my singing them on my way to work ..."She (bleep)ing hates me...lalalala...... what the?" It's like the angry young man's musical version of the "It's a small world after all" ride at Disneyland, it just keeps going, but your stuck on the erg and you can't leave.

If you want to post this, please do so anonymously, otherwise the Senior Boys might stone me. Thank you, have a great day.

"Ok, we have a great variety here at riverside", Sean Wolf
John Douglas US men's lightweight eight - Loves Poison (has the best of hits), nothing better at 6:00 am in the winter

We have Antonio one of our masters rowers, won't let anyone touch the stereo when he puts in his Cuban Meringue

The Godfrey Twins - Pat and Tim as well as the rest of the heavy men are stuck in the eighties and we cant get them out (help us please)

Coach Kevin McDonnell is not allowed near the stereo anymore due to the fact he was let near it once and proceeded to play Canadian rock music , was deemed a step above Celine Dion (barely)

Our rigger Evans Liolin, US JR men's national team coach 02 - Loves his classic rock hits

The girls from UMASS and the lightweight women love techno- it has been deemed the worst in the boat club by myself and the lightweight men

Of course Tom and Sean (light men) prefer what's on TRL for the day ;) Go Britney Spears and N'SYNC

Another vote for Coach McDonnell - Kerry Swift
Worst music - the top hits of the 80's of Canada...presented by our coach one very early morning.
In a trance at Newell - Evan Day
My biggest complaint has to be with the obnoxious house/trance music in Newell. Not so much the music itself as the incessant repetitive inane lyrics: "tell me why, oh tell me why, do we build castles in the sky? oh tell me why, oh, castles way up high?" repeat 60 times. STOP ASKING ME WHY WE BUILD CASTLES IN THE SKY! I'M TRYING TO ERG!
A bad, bad man - Sean Wlodarczyk
One of our lightweight men has a mixed cd with about 15 minutes of decent rock music followed with "My Heart Will Go On" by Celine Dion. He sneaks it into the cd player when the freshman are doing 6k erg tests. Dirty! Dirty! Dirty!
Liftus Interruptus - John Bartucz
The worst music I ever heard was played by “Big Dan” when the open women’s team was doing thirty 30-second pieces. He played the SAME 30 SECONDS of some song for all thirty pieces while we were trying to lift! Sheesh.
Not Funny - Gijs de Boer
The worst is when you're in the middle of a long test piece, and the local radio station that normally plays classic rock decides to throw in their "comedy" hour. This is clearly a no-win situation, because on of two things can happen:

a) Things go as normal, and the comedian is no where near funny...Therefore those sitting close to the speaker have to endure seemingly endless bad jokes
b) The comedian does happen to be somewhat funny, causing you to laugh in the middle of your test.

Coxswains make great remotes, by the way...

Now it's time to sing along... - Chris Kamper
A long time ago, when I used to do hour of power pieces, I was about 35 minutes into a piece listening to the radio. They started to play the REM song, everybody hurts. The most mournful, depressing, whiny song ever written. The thing was, I felt so miserable myself that I felt strangely attuned to the lyrics and music. Strangest of all, my split improved signficantly while the song was playing.

Don't know what that means.

Same for this one - Chris Mesigian
"Oops Brittany did it again." But never again in my erg room.
Dude, These Are Your CDS - Pat Rufo
I hate to say it, as a Heavyweight man I should be sticking up for myself. But in 1999 our team had to do an Hour of Power, and post our distances. We were always trying to psych ourselves up someway to deal with the long piece. My roommates and I went down after class to do the hour, but when we got there, a couple of my boat mates from the Heavyweight eight had just start erging to their "American Mix." It started out great, with a little "Born in the USA" by Bruce, but then it went into the live version of "Free Bird"--the extra long version.

Needless to say, we decided to wait an hour and do the piece to something a little more up beat.... anything.

Same year, a little later. "Sketchy" Joe, one of our younger oarsmen-- one of those kids that really wants to make a boat, but you just know he won't, but he tries so hard-- decided that he would impress the team and do a 50,000 meter piece. I guess he started it around noon or one o'clock, complete with hamburger break in between. Around 6pm the team decided to go down to the erg room and root him on. We were welcomed with John Lennon's "Imagine", Eric Clapton's "If I could Change the world", and the BackStreet Boys "As long as you love me" blasting through the basement halls of Totman Gym. Throughout the din, we decided to help him finish, but I couldn't think of a more cheesy, and nauseating experience. Though it was inspiring that he actually finished the piece-- 7 hours later-- I think of it as torture. How is that for mental training on the erg...

Flash forward to 2002, at the Vesper Halloween Party. I hadn't been to this party in awhile, but I was looking forward to a lot of beer and crazy costumes. I was psyched to find out that the party was at a Penn AC. But when we got there, the only music that we had to play was the HEavyweight men's erg cd's. Apparently they forgot music was important at a party. If you were there, you know what I am talking about....so I did my best to salvage the situation, but none of the Cd's were marked, and the party was really going down hill. All of a sudden people thought I was the DJ, and came up requesting songs. Trying to explain to a bunch of drunk rowers that these weren't my CD's was harder than trying to pass myself off as a National Team Rower.The highlight of the night had to be when some of the Penn AC guys came up to me, complete in their Oompa Loompa costumes and started requesting songs.... I was like, "Dude, these are YOUR CD's!!"

Moral of the story-- Heavyweight men can pull damn hard, but they have no rhythm...

Second Moral-- I can dance, therefore I am not on the National Team

The Bad Place - Andrew Persson
The Bad Place = The last ten minutes of the hour of power and the women's mix kicks in with Abba and Bonnie Tyler.
Techno-theft - Alex Rothmeier
Any type of techno music works wonders on your 6k. No joke. My friend stole this "extended erg mix" from the Harvard boathouse during the camp this summer (seriously, it wasn't me) and we've been playing it during the 6k testing, sets a great rhythm. Highly recommended!
We'll take your word for it, steve - steve vanknotsenburg
Barney and Friends Sing-a-long......nothing builds endurance and team comraderie like singing during an ergo piece!!
Speak, Memory - Mark Schoenenberger
Silence is golden. I can't say that enough. If the the music is bad, it just makes a painful workout more so. If the music is good, then I find myself making some bizarre Pavlovian connection with my favorite songs and the last 500m of a 2k piece. I have several playlists which I can't listen to anymore because I am immediately transported back to the erg room when I hear those songs.

Besides, you don't get a stereo in a boat. Being mindful on the erg helps one recognize what he/she is feeling during a race. Ergs are good for mental conditioning along with physical, but not if you are escaping with music.

I Wonder If Molly Agrees - A HRRC Rower
Old Dominion University's "Flogging Molly" must be the worst!
The Hammer - Karri
There is something about Tool that makes me pull a little harder...
We got fun and games - Kevin Umbreit
Guns 'N Roses is a favorite of mine when I erg alone. I always listened to "Welcome to the Jungle" before ice hockey games in high school, and it still helps me before 2k tests or races! Our Coach doesn't like us listening to music at practice. I don't mind it, though. You should be thinking about what you're doing.
"Death by Crappy Music" - Poz
I'm usually pretty indifferent to music, except when it comes to what our Varsity Heavies play (which, of course, us being the "lowly women" cannot change) It is not your usual rock like AC/DC or Rage Against the Machine, which are both totally okay. It is stuff like Alice Cooper's "Feed my Frankenstein" and that German song that seems it would be more apropos at a Hitler nazi gathering. Then to top the morning erg off, the boys add Techno to the mix! I feel like i need glow sticks in my hand while trying to do my 3 by 5Ks or steady-state. ANd of course, due to all our whining, the music gets turned up by the coxswains for the especially "good" ones.

Thoroughly deafened,
L.P.

I'm no jazz fan - Kenneth Plumb
For reasons that defy logic, the women in our club listen to good music. I can just imagine the horror of walking into an erg session with the dreadful saccharine coated howling of Celine Dion, Mariah, Aliyah. Or listening to soul-less aspartame tainted crap from KISS-FM.

And thank god nobody listens to country.

The college rowers and juniors in our club generally play decent music. Another "praise the lord" that Rap and Hip Hop are losing favor with the youth of today.

For long steady work, you have to go classical, Carmina Burana, Anything by Mozart, Shubert or Vivaldi work really well.

Other good music for long steady state is Classic Concept (stoner) Rock. That endorphin trip is a buzz, man. Try Pink Floyd, King Crimson. Robert Frip, Brian Eno. the Who's Quadrophenia is one of the best. I'm no jazz fan, but Dave Brubeck also works well for steady state.

But nothing beats 70s and 80s punk (or modern punk based on classic punk) for intensity. The Circle Jerks Wild in the Streets is one of the all time best work out Albums. I am also a big fan of the Ramones, Buzzcocks, Iggy Pop and Early Clash.

Uncle Whaaa?!? a full mix list - anonymous
Anything with a really strong drum beat works well for power pieces also techno right before races. Longer pieces need things like Eye of the Tiger, yeah, I know everyone ergs to that, but it has a good rythm for longer stuff. My most recent mp3 mix for erging included:
Billy Joel - Only the Good Die Young
Blondie - One Way or Another (I'm Gonna Getcha)
Bob Seager - Old Time Rock and Roll
Cheap Trick - I Want You to Want Me
Chumbawumba - I Get Knocked Down
EMF - Unbelievable
Flaw - Only the Strong Survive
George Thorogood - Bad to the Bone
Guns n' Roses - Paradise City
Jock Jams - Cotton Eyed Joe (have to like it otherwise it'll suck)
Meredith Brooks - Bitch
Pat Benetar - Hit Me With Your Best Shot
Southpark - Uncle Fucker
TMBG - Istanbul
TMBG - Why Does Our Sun Shine
Kenny Loggins - Danger Zone (Top Gun Theme)

Please don't post my name if you use what I've put. Thank You.

I can't believe no one mentioned Iron Butterfly. - anonymous
I can't believe no one mentioned Iron Butterfly. The eighteen minute version of In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida is great for long erg workouts.

In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida, honey,
don't you know that I love you?
In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida, baby,
don't you know that I'll always be true?

Oh, won't you come with me
and take my hand?

Oh, won't you come with me
and walk this land?

Please take my hand!

-Repeat-

~solos~

-Repeat-

SUPPORT ROW2K
If you enjoy and rely on row2k, we need your help to be able to keep doing all this. Though row2k sometimes looks like a big, outside-funded operation, it mainly runs on enthusiasm and grit. Help us keep it coming, thank you! Learn more.



Rowing Features
Rowing Headlines
ADVERTISEMENT
row2k media is not responsible for external ad content
Get our Newsletter!

Support row2k!

Tremendous thanks to our
row2k supporters!

Get Social with row2k!
Like row2k on Facebook Follow row2k on Twitter Follow row2k on Instagram Follow row2k on Youtube Connect with row2k on LinkedIn

Get the row2k app!

row2k rowing store!

Get our Newsletter!
Enter your email address to receive our weekly newsletter.

Support row2k!


Advertiser Index
Advertise on row2k