Birthday Playlist of Random Songs Heard January 15, 2015

Birthday dinner with oyster shooters & our BYO OLD BAY

Like my post last year, I started a list of songs heard during my birthday that seemed chosen especially for me. So here's another playlist of music that appeared throughout the day as I tuned into fave radio stations KEXP, KCRW and WFUV's The Alternate Side online or otherwise in the kitchen, at my desk or in the car. I also enjoyed John In the Morning's pick of "Spiritual High Part III" by Moodswings, sampling the famous words of Martin Luther King with whom I share my birthday. (I'll post it below, always inspirational but especially appropriate as we head into the long MLK holiday weekend.) There was also a live session with Panda Bear on KCRW -- listen to it in the archives here -- that I enjoyed midday as if I was in the room.  And on my way home from a yoga class later I heard that Field Report song, "Home (Leave the Lights On)" that I wrote about during an emotional time last fall. During this listen however I turned the corner and saw my own cozy house lit up in welcome, simply because I had thought to turn on the lights before I left. It was a nod to being another year older and a nice reminder to take care of myself.

Take a listen on Spotify here or at the widget on the home screen.

1. "Dreams Never End" - New Order
2. "Follow" - Mr. Gnome
3. "All My Friends" - LCD Soundsystem
4. "Where It's At" - Beck
5. "First Song" - Band of Horses
6. "Jumping Jack Flash" - Rolling Stones
7. "Home (Leave a Light On)" - Field Report

My Meeting Mick Jagger Story PLUS Vintage Rolling Stones Footage at Avon Theatre Wed 4/21

The Avon Theatre in Stamford, CT is presenting rare footage of the Rolling Stones during the Brian Jones years (1964 - 1969) this Wednesday night at 7 pm. This evening is hosted by Bill Shelley of Shelley Artchives, a filmaker who lists The Stray Cats and Joan Jett as subjects and now dedicating time to preservation of archival films. The organization also seeks to compensate the artists fairly during the process, always a good idea. Details are here:

http://www.avontheater.org/special_events.html#apr21

After hearing the new pop sensation Kesha sing about how she wants her pick up boy to look like Mick Jagger on Saturday Night Live over the weekend, I was remembering how I once met the guy. It was around 1985 at a birthday party for my new husband's boss at a NYC music house. This being the 80s, the boss was big pals with Jon Taylor of Duran Duran who showed up with Mick Jagger. (Back then I decided I wanted to be a bass player like Tina Weymouth of the Talking Heads and got myself a Japanese Aria pro mini bass like Taylor used to play which is now somewhere in the basement. I had a hard time reading the bass clef and transporting things onto a guitar fret from knowing a piano keyboard but that's another story.)

Anyway, we were all to come in costume as the title of a song. We dressed in our best NYC chic black outfits and bought a pair of handcuffs at a magic store -- you can imagine the shop owner's look as we newlyweds made the purchase. It was to illustrate the current hit by Bryan Ferry, "Slave to Love" or Frank Sinatra's "The Tender Trap" as a back up. So Mick Jagger is wearing a pair of broken mirrored sunglasses. My husband is always good about waltzing up to celebrities, especially fellow musicians. I on the other hand, clam up even though I'm the more chatty of us by far. The chit chatting begins after introductions when Jagger wants us to guess what song he's portraying, "a Stones song" he tells us in his often-imitated accent. We racked our brains, how can we not know the answer basically growing up with the Rolling Stones playing record after record on every radio station there was?

"Shattered," he finally said with that famous grin. We had to admit it was the best costume at the party!