Stinkweeds dude and bassist-about-town Dario Miranda already illustrated the difficulties surrounding those foolish enough to accept Stateside Presents' invitation to DJ our 15 Favorite Songs tonight at Crescent Ballroom, so I hope you don't mind if I skip the bitching about how hard it is it pick and simply use this moment to invite you out.
On the New Times front, you've got Jessica Hill (who doubles as a weekend jock over at X103.9) and myself, plus Lindsay Cates, Miranda, and Stinkweeds owner/Local First point-person Kimber Lanning (who occasionally plays rock 'n' roll around town, too).
Alright, I can't help just a little whining about this event. Author Nick Hornby pretty much summed it up --pretty much summed everything about being an obsessive music nerd up, actually -- when his Rob (Gordon in the movie adaptation, Fleming in the book; I'm going with the movie here) described his trepidation about making a top five songs list for the reporter from the Chicago Reader.
You just need some context, right? Best song for dancing ("Shake," by Otis Redding), greatest tune for driving ("Rambling Gambling Man," Bob Seger System), top song that reminds you of your mother ("Black Velvet," Alannah Myles). If you love music, if you use it as sort of emotional filing system, it's hard rank things without some parameters.
I've decided the best choice would be to think as little as possible. Tough as it is, I think I'm going to throw out the carefully doted over lists and charts that line the walls of my office, ("My 15 Favorite Songs that Ain't Numbingly Depressing;" "15 Favorite Songs That Aren't By Bruce Springsteen"); tear down the yards of yarn that connect the emotional high and low points of my life to Saves the Day's Stay What You Are, Marvin Gaye's What's Going On, Jay Reatard's Blood Visions, and Pharoah Sanders' "The Creator Has a Master Plan." I'm going to stop trying to figure out what these 15 songs say about me as a writer, as a music listener, and most troublesome, as a person. I'm just going to pick some songs I love.
I think most of the songs will be fun to drink a beer to. And if they aren't? Blame Stateside. The folks there are the reason for this whole existential mess.
