Born on October 16:
Angela Lansbury, “A Little Priest,” from Sweeney Todd, the Demon Barber of Fleet Street (1979)
Bob Weir, “Looks Like Rain,” from Ace (1972)
Tony Carey, “Where Does It Go,” from Planet P Project’s 1931: Go Out Dancing, Pt. 1 (2005)
Bob Mould, “What You Want It to Be,” from Sugar’s File Under: Easy Listening (1994)
John Mayer, “Try,” from Try! John Mayer Trio Live in Concert (2005)
Born in 1969:
Marilyn Manson, “Coma White,” from Mechanical Animals (1998)
Dave Grohl, “Generator,” from Foo Fighters’ There Is Nothing Left to Lose (1999)
Bobby Brown, “My Prerogative,” from Don’t Be Cruel (1988)
Burton C. Bell, “Descent,” from Fear Factory’s Obsolete (1999)
Steven Drozd, “Buggin’,” from the Flaming Lips’ The Soft Bulletin (1999)
Jack Black, “Wonderboy,” from Tenacious D’s self-titled album
(2001)
Gwen Stefani, “Simple Kind of Life,” from No Doubt’s Return of Saturn (2000)
Born October 16, 1969:
Wendy Wilson, “Alone,” from Wilson Phillips’s Shadows & Light (1992)
This Friday Mixtape has been brought to you by “Li’l Buzzard” …
This might sound bizarre, but it’s true: when I was in high school, I had the strange feeling I wasn’t going to make it to my 30th birthday. I know a lot of teens, preoccupied with the ever-so-important details of acne, greasy hair, social status, and the constant sense of inadequacy, have felt the same way, as will many more.
When I was a teen we had Ronald Reagan quipping with Gipper-ish glee about starting the bombing run while us paranoid types expected the USSR to vaporize us into nuclear ash as we slept. Now you have the tango dance of Kim Jong-il and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, leading, following, and never really telling anyone where they’re going to place that other hand.
Ten years after 30 has come and gone, and I don’t feel radically different. I’ve always had hip trouble — I’ll tell you that story another time — so the creaking and stiffness is rather second nature to me. I’m still open to new music, although I’ll admit I have more fondness for new music from older, familiar artists. Still, that has to be better than endlessly spinning The Best of Haircut 100 and proclaiming the institution of recorded music to be nothing but a cesspool ever since. You think I’m kidding, but I know a half dozen people whose music appreciation ended right after prom night.
In these past ten years I’ve seen an awful lot: the election of the first African-American to the presidency of the United States, the twin towers blown to dust (which I could smell right from my backyard), powerful people falling down the ladder while many average ones fulfilled their personal Horatio Alger stories. I’ve seen loved ones get married and loved ones shake off this mortal coil for good.
So here at the threshold of the big four-oh, I find myself a little more confident about an uncertain future, thankful for the songs, the stories, and the friends I’ve found through this bizarre digital intersection we’ve coined Popdose, and still looking for that hand to hold in the next decade. But it’s going to be good, just you wait and see. If you thought the best was “Love Plus One” and nothing more, hang on — I’m up to fourth gear now.
Special thanks to the Popdose staff for helping me populate this weird yet wonderful mix.
Comments