I think this may be the largest audience I’ve ever spoken to! Wow!

RIP Dan Fogelberg, 1951-2007. A variety of musical influences shaped my tastes growing up – two musician parents certainly helped, it’s not every five-year-old who gets to see Angela Lansbury in Sweeney Todd from the 6th row… But my dad’s love of Jazz, my mom’s love of Broadway, and my rebellion to run out and buy Run DMC’s "Raising Hell" when I was 14 all put me on the path to a surprisingly well-rounded love of music. Dan Fogelberg played a small part in that. I remember finding a copy of his Greatest Hits album on a cassette (A cassete was something like an mp3, except it played in a casette player, or in later years, a Sony Walkman or [...]

<In ad pitch meeting> "So here’s our idea – Those New Yorkers, they’re always running around on those underground busses – I think they call them "subways" or something. Anyhow, what if we put little audio jacks there, and people can listen to our music on the platform through our advertisements?" "Great idea! And I was watching Sex and the City last night, it seems like the city is incredibly safe now, so I doubt anyone would ever steal the iPod the people have to hold in their hands to plug into our ads!" "Definitely! OK. Let’s do it. Good job, guys. Wanna get some dinner?" "Sure! How about Bennigans?" "Sweet!" <end pitch meeting.> Sigh. Who’s brilliant idea was this? [...]

Every year, the Fire Island Pines have a summer "Anthem" song, that’s played at Tea, and at all the clubs around the Pines. The dancing is amazing. And fun. And incredibly Gay. Which makes it just that much MORE fun. In ’02, it was Cher’s "Song for the Lonely," and in ’03, ATB’s "I Don’t Wanna Stop" was huge. I was dating someone at the time whose parents had the 2nd largest house in the Pines, so it reaffirmed my love of dance music. My prediction for this year is two-fold: Idina Menzel’s "Defying Gravity" remixes, and Sonny Jim: "Can’t Stop Moving." Sonny Jim is below. Trust me – this is gonna blow big. Happy Friday! Can’t stop moving Can-Can’t [...]

23 years ago today, this song came out. A song with a conscience! Who would of thought? 99 Kriegsminister Streichholz und Benzinkanister Hielten sich fuer schlaue Leute Witterten schon fette Beute Riefen: Krieg und wollten Macht Mann, wer haette das gedacht Dass es einmal soweit kommt Wegen 99 ballons Otherwise known as… You and I in a little toy shopBuy a bag of balloons with the money we’ve gotSet them free at the break of dawn’till one by one they were goneBack at base, sparks in the softwareFlash the message "something’s out there"Floating in the summer skyNinety nine red balloons go by I remember thinking back in 83, when I was 11, that the German version sounded SO much cooler. [...]