Goodbye, Winamp. Goodbye.

Unexpectedly, it leaves it's spouse, Napster, of California, it's two siblings, Windows Media Player of Redmond, WA, and, iTunes of Cupertino, CA, and a host of children, Winamp skins, Winamp plugins, and Winamp visualizations, scattered throughout the world.

On December 20th, 2013, Winamp passed (became unsupported) from this world.

Whether on macintosh, windows, or metal-forbid, linux, you were the free(est) download of all time. Wild was the wind in your digital auditory sails. Though your dalliances with side-piece Mp3 will never be forgotten.

As a human, Winamp would have been a tragedy cut down too soon. As a dog, it would have lived a long and fulfilling life. But, as a tangential, minor (major!) application, it achieved the rare feat of dorm room deification.

Winamp spent it's early years DJ’ing college parties across America, fueling late night study sessions, and making sure that you were properly pre-gamed for any and all campus events.

Bitchin' playlist? Your party raged.

Romantic playlist? Maybe you sparked a relationship.

Coldplay and U2? On repeat? You probably got your booze stolen.

I can begin to explain just how much hair metal I listened to on Winamp. Just oodles and oodles of Trixter, Danger Danger, and Skid Row. Listening to Stagefright, Photograph, and the rest of Pyromania on repeat. Dissecting the amazing insanity of Winger's lyrics on Seventeen, or teaching myself the majestic intro to Tesla's Love Song, learning it note by note on acoustic guitar.

Unfortunately, even in it's early days, Winamp suffered from an Auditory Processing Disorder usually set off by an inebriated female who wanted to hear Shaggy’s "It Wasn’t Me" or Soul Decision’s "Faded" again, or a drunken super bro who professed knowing all of the lyrics to Da Chronic 2001.

I will never forget the times you scrobbled my favorite tunes. I will never remember how to properly structure folders and song titles so that Napster, and it's siblings, Kazaa and Limewire, didn’t disseminate improper information. And I will forever be amazed at how you and Napster grew Dispatch to independent superstardom, leading them to host over 100k+ people at the Hatch Shell on the Esplanade in 2004.

Wow ... you really did whip the llama's ass!

To that, Winamp, you will be missed. You will remain forever in my (our) heart.

From New Jersey to Tokyo, and despondently yours,

Fizz

Originally written on 11/21/13