My Memory Serves Me Far too Well

I'm not good at ranking things, creating those definitive-sounding lists that fill newspapers, magazines and websites this time of year. Maybe being a professional music critic wasn't as great a fit for me as I thought because I find it hard to rate with certainty my favorite or least-favorite of anything. Sure, I could name 10 of my favorite Madonna songs, but arranging those tracks in a list, 10 to 1, with total confidence in my ratings is something I can't do.

I won't be joining in with the countless music writers and fans who have spent the past month listing out the best songs, albums and artists of not only this year but this decade. I can, however, list out what happened in my year in music and such, and it was a pretty good one.

This is my bedroom mirror. I use it to hold all my tickets, show mementos and so forth until I take the time to file everything away neatly.



On the mirror, I have reminders of all these artists and things I saw this year:

The Joshua Tree/The Ruse at the House of Blues Anaheim on April 23
Social Distortion/The Vandals at the House of Blues Anaheim on May 18
Bryan Greenberg/Graham Colton/Curtis Peoples at Largo at the Coronet Theater on May 31
"It Might Get Loud" at the Los Angeles Film Festival on June 19 (with Q&A with director Davis Guggenheim, Jimmy Page and Jack White)
No Doubt/Paramore at Verizon Wireless Amphitheater on Aug. 1
Disneyland on Aug. 15
"The Beatles LOVE" at The Mirage on Aug. 22
The Joshua Tree at the LA County Fair on Sept. 9
Blink-182/Weezer at Verizon Wireless Amphitheater on Sept. 17
"The Heart of America Tour: Africa's Future and Ours" at the Carolina Theater on Oct. 2
U2/Muse at the Carter Finley Stadium on Oct. 3
"U23D" at the Wachovia IMAX Theatre at Marbles Kids Museum on Oct. 4
"Eddie Izzard Believe" at the Sunset 5 on Oct. 9 (with Q&A with Eddie Izzard)
Spamalot at the Orange County Performing Arts Center on Oct. 10
U2/Black Eyed Peas at the Rose Bowl on Oct. 25
Steve Martin with The Steep Canyon Rangers at the Orange County Performing Arts Center on Oct. 30
BB King/Lukas Nelson and The Promise of the Real at Coussoulis Arena on Nov. 19
Save New Wave at the House of Blues Hollywood on Nov. 21
Dashboard Confessional/New Found Glory at The Glass House on Dec. 1
Disneyland on Dec. 23

Pretty good for a year when I was intending to spend a lot of money or see very many shows. I did see "It Might Get Loud" twice and am looking forward to getting it on DVD soon. I jumped myself nearly sick at No Doubt, so elated to have the band back again. "LOVE" was phenomenal and I would definitely see it again. Weezer kicked Blink's ass in that showdown and I hope to see the band headline in 2010 (get better soon, Rivers!). The two U2 shows were fantastic and amazing. "Spamalot" was so much fun, as was the Steve Martin show. "Believe" is a really great documentary and all Eddie Izzard fans should check it out. Seeing BB King live was a long-held wish come true.

For 2010, I have John Mayer, two or three U2 shows and maybe Weezer to look forward to. I'm sure more will come up as I'll gladly jump at any opportunities that arise.

With this year (and possibly decade, depending on how you define decades) coming to an end, I pulled George Michael's "Listen Without Prejudice, Vol. 1" off my shelf and have been listening to it all week. This is the album Michael wrote to tell the world he no longer wanted to be a pop idol but instead wanted to be seen as a serious artist. He didn't quite stick to that but did make a stunning album that I love and appreciate more today than I did when I first got it nearly 20 years ago on cassette (I've since upgraded to CD).

The songs are all about transition and heartache and uncertainty and soul searching, perfect for the end of the year. Perhaps my favorite song on the album is "Waiting for That Day/You Can't Always Get What You Want" with the verse, "Now everybody's talking about this new decade/Like you say the magic numbers/Then just say goodbye to/The stupid mistakes you made/Oh my memory serves me far too well."

Not too cheery, but the album isn't. It's very serious, very grown-up in that way that only a world-weary 26-year-old can be and an alienated 13-year-old thinks you should be—intellectual, introspective. Michael was going through a lot when he wrote the album and the songs he came up with have travelled with me through quite a bit, too. For as much as I adore the album, I don't listen to it as much as I could so am enjoying having it accompany me home this week, taking in the beautiful lyrics, stunning arrangements and Michael's powerful voice.

Though I wouldn't know where to rank it, "Listen Without Prejudice, Vol. 1" is one of the best pop albums ever. With the weather so gloomy in so many places and all of our lives in a bit of flux, it's a perfect album for right now.

Something else to check out is a new video from The Ghost Who Walks (also known as Neil McCormick, Daily Telegraph music critic and author of the completely awesome "I Was Bono's Doppelganger"). The song feels dreamy '70s (a bit Bowie) and the video surreal yet cautionary.