Mr. Jones and Me

There is more than one reason why my face is pink and flushed today. Besides getting over a wicked sinus thingy that made me feel like my head was going to explode on the airplane, I didn't apply quite enough sun block today, and I am way more aware of the existence of my forehead than I have ever been before. I'm going to peel like an orange later this week. But I barely noticed the burn happening as I was so busy going out of my brain with excitement and happiness at today's live broadcast. The entire day went incredibly well, though for me the excitement really kicked in when Billy Bragg showed up. What a true gent. The crowd ate up his signature blend of political protest, humor and showmanship. I mean this in the best possible way - that guy should have his own show on the Vegas strip. His stage presence and patter is amazing.

So then Nino Moschello and Darondo stopped by. I didn't know what to expect, but I didn't expect to hand over my extra-large bottle of generic pain reliever to be used as a percussion instrument. (Sounded pretty good though!) I can't even describe Darondo here - you'll just have to watch the video to witness the funk soul brother in his full glory. Hi-larious and amazing. Like James Brown, Al Green, Morris Day and Redd Foxx all in one, with an awesome backing band. It was a perfect jammy vibe for a sun drenched afternoon.

But then, then, then.... then came Carbon/Silicon. Now, I'm slightly more than a casual fan of The Clash. Lunatic is probably a better word. I made the heartbreaking decision once to pass up an opportunity to talk with Joe Strummer, thinking I didn't want to be one of those people that gushes to someone how much they looooooove them, etc etc. Sadly, Joe passed away shortly after. So there was no way I was going to miss at least shaking Mick's hand. And shake it I did. I looked him square in the eye and thanked him for helping shape my world view. He couldn't have been sweeter. A total doll. (For the record, Tony James is no slouch either.) They also put on a great show to a packed crowd that waited patiently for hours in the blazing sun. It was truly a high point for my musical life, not to mention this year's SXSW broadcast. I can't wait for tomorrow. I'm going to try to score a picture with another long time hero, John Doe.

As Dizzee Rascal said this morning, "It's public radio, can I get an OHHHHHHH....".