Debriefing

Aaron Friedman, The Alarmist

Aaron Friedman has put off his composing in order to push legislation in New York City that would ban the audible alarms, which shriek at 125 decibels

By Scott Berinato

June 01, 2004 — CSO — Aaron Friedman is a twentysomething classical music composer in New York who used to describe himself as "apolitical." Then, one night last year, one of those hyperstrident car alarms jerked him out of a dead sleep in his Washington Heights apartment. In a Wagnerian fit, he went online that very night and discovered, to his bleary dismay, that as a security measure, blaring alarms have proven utterly ineffective and worthless. He's been an accidental activist ever since. "Even the insurance industry has said they've studied it, and they can't find any evidence the alarms prevent theft," he says. Friedman has put off his composing in order to push legislation in New York City that would ban the audible alarms, which shriek at 125 decibels, the same amount of noise you'd hear standing 100 yards from a jet engine revving for takeoff. Debriefing spoke with Friedman at a more civilized volume.Debriefing: First, let's play word association. What's the first word that comes to mind when we yell: RRNNT RRNNT! WHOOOOO-OOOOOP WHOOOOO-OOOOOP! REWREW REWREW! BLUE-DOO BLUE-DOO!Aaron Friedman: [Laughs]What is the status of the legislation in New York City?There were two car alarm bills reintroduced in City Council this year. The Council speaker has put off the issue a number of times, but now the mayor is planning to revamp the city's noise code for first time in 30 years. To be honest, I'm a bit confused by all of it right now. I do know that in Vancouver, Canada, the City Council is doing something similar, and it's expected to take off.As a self-described apolitical person, are you frustrated by the politics of all this?I didn't intend to make my hatred of car alarms into a political fight. I thought maybe I'd be able to explain to car owners what they were doing and they'd listen, and then I could go back to my regular life.Ha!Yeah. There were just too many individuals I would have had to talk to. It's funny because there are many issues that people automatically consider political, like health-care costs. They expect elected officials to do something about it. According to the census, noise pollution is the number-one complaint people have about where they live. More than crime or the quality of schools. But, for some reason, people don't make it political.Have you ever had car alarm rage, we mean, besides the night you rampaged over to your

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