Music that Fueled My 2012 

Admittedly, I have a problem when it comes to music. A real, bona fide dependency issue that, depending on who you ask, might or might not require treatment. Going back to a time when I earned $2 allowance per week and I saved every dime of it to buy the latest rock album I was lusting over to today when I have a CD rack with about 2,500 CDs on it and a digital music collection that numbers well over 30,000 tracks, my life has always been defined by music.

Music has shepherded me through the good and bad times. It has served as the soundtrack to every last bit of my life - the parts I remember fondly as well as the ones that will live in infamy.

The year 2012 has been a particularly difficult one for your wayward author - those of you who know me well know why. Thankfully, my friend and constant companion, music, has been by my side. Following is a list of some of the music that punctuated the last year for me. Some of the music is old. Some is new. Some of it has been in my collection for decades, while some of it is brand spanking new to me. The end result, however, is a playlist that has carried me through. The artists and styles are as varied as life, I think. Maybe a track or two here will do the same for you.

In no particular order: 

Album	Why It Made My Ears Happy
	Ryan Adams, Easy Tiger, 2007 Say what you will about Ryan's prolific songwriting, but when he gets the bat on the ball, he gets all of it. "Easy Tiger" hits all the right buttons, proving the pedal steel guitar is the most underrated of modern instruments. Key tracks: "Two" and "Everybody Knows."
	Foo Fighters, Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace, 2007  Seriously, can we elect Dave Grohl to some sort of public office? Beautiful, passionate fury.That's the best description I can muster for the Foos. "Long Road to Ruin" and "The Pretender" are masterpieces. Rumour has it that the Foos are done. Say it ain't so, Dave.
	Pete Yorn, musicforthemorningafter, 2001  This album has become a desert island album for me, having been in almost constant rotation for 11 years. This record speaks to me on many, many levels. Yorn's subsequent work is brilliant, but none of it touches this album's sheer perfection.
	Pink Floyd, Wish You Were Here, 1975 While I would rate "Dark Side of the Moon" or "The Wall" above this record for overall brilliance, "Wish You Were Here" touched me in 2012 in a personal way after the death of my best friend. Listen to it the way all Floyd albums are meant to be enjoyed - with headphones, a dark room and a recliner. (Other accoutrements are your business.)
	The Fixx, One Thing Leads to Another: Greatest Hits, 1989 Didn't see that one coming, did you? Me neither. I've long appreciated The Fixx as being much more than a one-hit wonder, but it's only be recently that I've truly begun to appreciate their genius. Fire up "Deeper and Deeper" and see why it makes my headphones smoke with 80s new wave rock glory. Think MTV's 120 Minutes - loud, loud, loud! And "Secret Separation" - just try not to tap your foot to this infectious little tune. I suggest to you that it can't be done.
	Bob Dylan, Modern Times, 2006 - Uncle Bob proves he's still got plenty of cool left in the tank, even a 65 (when this record came out - he's 71 now). There isn't enough room here to do justice to any description of Dylan. If "Thunder on the Mountain" doesn't put some swagger in your groove thang, then well, I can't help you...
	Ryan Bingham, Mescalito, 2007 Bingham's voice has the road weary growl of a much older man. His lyrics evoke a wisdom that is beyond his age, and if you don't feel just a little "outlaw" when listening to this record, then you might just be doing it wrong. Put this record on, inch the volume up a little higher than you might normally and let his smokehouse-dried voice take you down a dirt road to salvation. Sorry - corny, but man can this kid bring it. Check out "Hard Times" and "Bread & Water."
	Band of Horses, Infinite Arms, 2010 When a friend recently asked me to describe the style of music Band of Horses make, I found that their style truly defies description. I settled on "the good kind." Fire up any of their albums and you'll hear rock with country, folk and blues undertones. Standout tracks: "Laredo" and "NW Apt."
	Johnny Cash, American III: Solitary Man, 2007 Sadly, I did not truly discover the genius of Johnny Cash until after his death. I came across his "American" series of recordings a couple of years ago and the more I listen, the more I realize just what a national treasure he was. Key tracks: "I Won't Back Down," "One," and "Nobody."
	The Alan Parsons Project, The Essential Alan Parsons Project, 2007 If you don't know APP, your headphones don't know true love. Pure, delicious pornography for your ears. I recommend this retrospective package since you get the key tracks, though you can't go wrong with "The Turn of a Friendly Card," or "Ammonia Avenue." Parsons was a key sound engineer for Pink Floyd's classic "Dark Side of the Moon." I mean, really - who doesn't dig a little funky prog rock once in a while?
	The Black Keys, El Camino, 2011 Dirty, grungy, foot-stomping, smoke-drifting blues rock with a serious dose of something funky. Need I say more? Standout tracks: "Lonely Boy," and "Gold on the Ceiling." Oh, and it needs to be scare the cat out of the room kinda loud.
	Justin Townes Earle, Harlem River Blues, 2011 If Nashville and New York City had a love child, Justin Townes Earl would be his name. I really can't explain him or this record any more clearly. Just spin it, and prepare to feel folky groove thing that maybe scares you a little.
	Mumford & Sons, Sigh No More, 2010 Mumford & Sons clearly are the darlings of music critics everywhere - and for good reason. Folk? Maybe. Rock? A little. Alternative? What's that? Really, this band defies labels other than "groovy" and "hip." Yes, I said "hip."
	Chris Knight, Heart of Stone, 2008 Chris Knight is an artist that I stumbled on by mistake while exploring artists similar to other favorites on iTunes - and I am glad a did. Knight leans a little closer to pure country than I sometimes go, but he does so in way that evokes comparisons to other singer-songwriters (Steve Earle comes to mind). Put this disc on a rainy evening, crack a beer and reflect. "Miles to Memphis" is pure gold.
	Robert Plant & Alison Krauss, Raising Sand, 2007 In the world of musical pairings, I'm pretty sure I am not alone in being surprised that these two musicians decided to make a record. I'm even more surprised that it's an absolute masterpiece. The personalities and musical styles of both Plant and Krauss shine through while blending to create a remarkable concoction that goes surprisingly well with a good sub-woofer and a comfy chair.
	The Decemberists, The King is Dead, 2011 Haunting and foot-tappingly addictive at the same time, The Decemberists have a sound that starts off feeling a bit folkish, but then starts feeling a little country and then feels, well, just a little weird. All I can say is crank up "Don't Carry It All" or "Down By the Water" and see for yourself. This record is responsible for me discovering the rest of their catalog and I am better for it.
	The Rolling Stones, Exile on Main Street, 1972 Choosing just one Stones album to represent what Mick and his buzzy bandmates have done for me throughout my life is exceptionally difficult. This one, however, wins it by a nose. It's gritty, dirty, feels like it has street grime on it, and it's just the ticket. If not this album, check out "Some Girls," "Tattoo You," and/or "Black and Blue." Or, just buy the whole catalog. Mick and Keith will thank you.

To be continued...

My Letter to Santa...

It was a blustery night.

And in a fitful sleep, I heard in the distance - sleigh bells!

Shaking the dreams of sparkly, dancing crappie jigs from my head, I ran to the window, threw up the sash and gazed into the starry sky. The wind wiggled up my robe and tussled my cap - yes, I wear those...what of it? - and I thought I heard in the distance, the merry ho-ho-ho of good ol' Saint Nick.

I stood with my head poking from the window, scanning the sky in search of Santa and his reindeer-powered chariot for several minutes before deciding that it was probably just gas. Burritos at bedtime tend to elicit odd dreams.

Back in my warm bed, I struggled for sleep that did not come. In the quiet pauses between stomach rumblings, I pondered the last year and decided that yes, I had been a good boy (at least insofar as horseshoes and hand grenades are concerned). And perhaps this year, Santa would skid to a stop on my snow-covered rooftop, plop down my chimney and work his way around our humble abode, leaving cool toys and stopping to enjoy the beer and kielbasas with hot mustard that I leave for him every year.

With a shot, I leaped from bed and ran to my keyboard and began typing my letter to Santa. It went something like this:

Dear Santa,
 
Having been an extraordinarily good boy this year, I am submitting the following requisition from your jolly Santaship:

• First, I would like more fish. Not on my plate, but on the end of my line. For a variety of reasons, things have been slow in the ol' fish acquisitions department and I'd like for that to change, please. Seriously, I've purchased enough rods, reels, tackle, boats and attire to outfit a small village. Certainly, it can't be too much of an imposition to ask for a few more fish in my live well.
• Next, I would like to respectfully request a new spine. I realize that you probably can't leave this one under the tree for fear of frightening the kids, but if we could work out some way for me to get a few vertebrae that work properly, I think that would be right fine. UPS, FedEx, whatever you like. Heck, I'd settle for a gently used model if you have one lying around somewhere in the back. Get it, back? Ha-ha-ha-ha...er, ahem..
• A hasenpfeffer. Seriously, I've been shouting, "bring me my hasenpfeffer!" for years. I'd really like it if someone would oblige me.
• GPS coordinates for the final resting place (or places) of Jimmy Hoffa. I poke around every time I go out wade fishing and I keep thinking that I'm bound to snag him at some point, but...
• A tiny can of Binaca breath spray specially formulated for dogs. Seriously, our beagle's breath could bring down a team of oxen, who incidentally have chronic halitosis issues if their own.
• One-quarter of one ounce of the energy my little boy burns on an average Tuesday morning. I haven't had that much giddy-up in my get-up-and-go in about 30 years.
• My very own island that I can appropriately name the Isle of Misfit Good People. Anyone can come live there with me so long as they are willing to admit that they don't know what's right for everyone and that a one-size-fits-all approach to government, religion, tolerance and so on has had its day. Your religion, race, sexual preference and gender and any of the other thousand or so things that subdivide us are irrelevant. I expect that I will have relatively few neighbors.
• Please bring peace to those who are suffering right now. You know who they are and what they need.
• And last, but not least, I'd REALLY like to have another G.I. Joe with Kung-Fu Grip. The neighborhood bully stole mine about 35 years ago. He and I never got to finish our zip line rescue of Princess Leia who was being held hostage under the dining room table by Sam Cobra.

I ended my letter, slapped it into an envelope and trotted out into the cold, my nightshirt a'fluttering to place it in the mailbox at the end of our driveway.  

As I crawled into bed, warm with holiday cheer, I thought I heard the mighty ho-ho-ho of the red-suited fat guy as he sailed into the sky driving a team of highly irregular reindeer.

Gonna have to give up those midnight burritos.

  

   

25 Things You Didn't Know About Your Wayward Author

1. I am the superhero known as Adjective Man. I have a cape and everything.

2. I think life would be better if random groups of people broke out into Monty Python-like  musicals from time to time. What shopping trip wouldn't be made better if everyone in the produce section suddenly broke into a perfectly choreographed musical that spilled out into the parking lot? I mean really...

3. I think it would be great if someone followed me around narrating my every move. The narrator would announce the mundane things, such as "and with a steely grin, Rick proceeds to dig lint from his belly button," to the more serious matters, such as "and thanks to Rick's boundless courage, the free world will remain free, the forces of evil thwarted yet again."

4. I would like to be Jack Bauer. Well, except for the episode in each season in which he was tortured.

5. I was born a poor black child. I remember the days, sittin' on the porch with my family, singin' and dancin' down in Mississippi.

6. I once fought off a pack of meat fork wielding pixies using only a pellet gun.

7. I'll eat most anything, though I think grapefruit is an abomination. Really, it's a crime against humanity.

8. In my spare time, I like to pole vault.

9. I really like it when I am hailed as "O Captain, My Captain."

10. I would like it if you brought me a shrubbery.

11. When I finally got rid of my mullet, I discovered that with the improved aerodynamics, I was much much faster.

12. Really scary movies, well, scare me. I have a pretty vivid imagination. I don't really need Hollywood's help.

13. I really wish I could yodel.

14. I name each and every fish that I catch.

15. I am a broken hero on a last chance power drive.

16. If they still made Hai Karate cologne, I'd wear it...just so I could say that I'm wearing Hai Karate cologne.

17. I have a new line of Rick Kughen action figures, complete with Kung Fu grip, coming out soon.

18. I once got into a pretty serious fight as a kid because the neighbor brat stole my G.I. Joe with Kung Fu grip. During the melee, the little jerk bit my thumb. I got my G.I. Joe back though.

19. I write the songs that make the young girls cry.

20. I think it would be great if 1970s fashions came back. I'd look great in bell bottoms, platform shoes and gold neck chains.

21. I once saw Elvis in a K-Mart. He had fried peanut butter and banana sandwich smears on the front of his sequined jumpsuit.

22. Sometimes when I am trapped in a long phone conversation, I pace around the house pretending I am a swashbuckling hero while making jabbing, cutting motions in the air.

23. I wear my sunglasses at night. That's just the way I roll.

24. I know it's an inconvenience, but if you could just knock three times on the ceiling (twice on the pipe, if the answer is no) if you want me, I'd appreciate it.

25. I once had the extreme misfortune of getting the chorus from "Elvira" stuck in my head: "Elvira! Giddy Up Oom Poppa Omm Poppa Mow Mow, Giddy Up Oom Poppa Omm Poppa Mow Mow." I thought I was a goner.