Well, the pleasure, the privilege is mine

Well, it’s my 39th Birthday again – the 24th to be precise.

(Thank you Mr. Benny).

As some of you may remember, this was a rather strange year for me (I have let surgeons operate on me three times this year. In fact I have a secret tape of one of the medical teams.) I have heeded the advice of ACME’s in-house law firm, Hungerdunger, Hungerdunger, Hungerdunger, Hungerdunger and McCormick (and don’t be like Jamison and leave out the most important Hungerdunger,) and avoided copyright issues with the BBC by teaming up with Toho Studios and renamed my Desert Island Discs selections, Godzilla’s Atoll LPs, brought to you by ACME Eagle Hand Soap Radio Hour.

(In case you’ve never heard of the BBC show Desert Island Disc – people are asked what music they would bring with them if they were stranded on an island for an indefinite period of time.

Here are the rules:

1.) You make choose 8 pieces of music and tell me why you chose them.
2.) You then get to choose one book to take with you (you automatically get to take the Complete Works of Shakespeare and either the Bible or another appropriate religious or philosophical work.)
3.) You get to choose one luxury, which must be inanimate and of no use in escaping the island or allowing communication from outside. (You can cheat here – since you can listen to music, there is some form of electric, so you may have refrigeration for your luxury item.)

There is nothing profound or deep in my Godzilla’s Atoll LP choices – they’re just songs that I like (in no particular order)

Once I Loved – Astrud Gibert

I can think of very few songs that immediately put me into a cocktail lounge mood. Being on a desert island I had better be in a cocktail mood. Also I could tell myself the joke that Bossa Nova music was clearly invented to relay technical difficulty messages by local TV stations from my childhood. (Don’t worry if you don;t get the reference, you have to be past 60 and from NYC to get it.)

Show Biz Kids – Steely Dan

My annual dilemma, choosing the Steely Dan cut. I’ve often said that I probably don’t need a Steely Dan song; I could call them up at will in my mind. I’m always amused by the Lenny Bruce joke reference in the middle of the song. And as usual, I won’t forget my Steely Dan tshirt!

Jersey Girl – Tom Waits

This is the best Bruce Springsteen song that Springsteen never wrote (he’s covered it live at his concert for years.) While Mrs. Dr. Caligari is definitely not a Jersey girl, I often think of her when I hear this song.

There Is a Light That Never Goes Out – The Smiths

I really like The Smiths and yet, I almost never pick a cut of theirs for my choices – I’m not sure why. The song is bizarrely romantic for such violent content but then again isn’t that just like much of the The Smith’s recordings.

Vienna – Billy Joel

I don’t think I’ve ever picked a Billy Joel song and yet I’ve gone to many of his concerts during my youth. This more quiet tune will put me in mind of my girls when I hear it.

Concerto for a Rainy Day suite – ELO

I know this is a cheat, four songs, but not really, they need to be played together as a unit. ELO has been a favorite of my since I saw them as the opening act for Boston – they blew me away, Boston, not so much. I will be blasting this on on that beach.

Only The Lonely – Frank Sinatra

I’ve gone with the earlier Sinatra this year, although as I’ve gotten older, I’m more and more appreciating the older Sinatra – his voice nearly gone but full of emotion. And since we’re going with the Capital years, why not go with the full out heartbreak one.

All This Useless Beauty – Elvis Costello

I initially was going to repeat a previous years pick and go with Watching The Detectives (I can’t believe I’m still listening to this song after 40 years,) but switched gears and went with the beautifully under rated song All This Useless Beauty. It’s nearly impossible to appreciate the long lasting career of the brilliant Mr. MacManus.

Given the state of affairs in the world, I’d reread War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy (Briggs translation.)

As always, the luxury item would be a refrigerator full of Bombay Sapphire (and maybe, tub or two of kalamata olivies.)

So that’s eight songs (and that’s all you’re allowed.) Once again, I felt very conflicted with my choices. There are so many artist I didn’t go with this year. I’ll try to get marooned again next year for my birthday, and see how I do.

Demand Euphoria!