Johmbolaya This Is

As a kid, I did not get the Sony Walkman. Instead I got a very cheapy knockoff, although when the Walkman made itself known, every other company made their own version.  I know it was silver and blue, and bought at the Sears at Ala Moana Shopping Center.  I had been a Sony fan for a long time, since my dad used a Sony phonograph and cassette player component system.  For me, Sony was king but the Walkman was of my generation.  Instead I got a portable made by Sanyo, but it could have been Sonya. I don’t remember, but it was a knock-off of the original and I liked it nonetheless.  I don’t remember if it had a rewind button or if it had a microphone, it may have been simply a cassette “player”, not a “recorder”.  A tape deck like that which could also “record” was considered very advanced for its time, which also coincided of some of the first double-deck cassette players/recorders.

However, I was not aware until a few minutes ago that before the Walkman, there was the Stereobelt, invented by Andreas Pavel in 1972. This looks a bit more big and bulky, liked a slimmed-down portable 8-track player, but looks more durable. Until then, cassette players were either a part of a component system, or those big and bulky monaural portables that.  The Stereobelt looks a bit more advanced, and probably seemed like “the wave of the future”.  I’d love to find one.

Also, as for the Walkman, many of my friends in elementary and intermediate school had one.  Even my Uncle David had one.  I did not, so my first Sony -man was the Discman.  It was portable and cool, but still no Walkman.

BTW: when I hear people say Walkman as if it’s someone’s last name like “Walkmen”, I laugh.  I have always said it as “Walk Man”.  Sony had used a logo where it showed animated legs walking, to show its portability.