Paradise Lost & Found
Do you have a place in your mind that represents paradise to you? Although I lived on Oahu for a short time when I was quite young, Hawaii occupies that place for me. Hawaii holds such a dear place in my heart and mind but, it’s an image forged within the mind of a child; and so I wonder if the place that the little girl remembers truly exists? Yet I have this fear that if I went back, I would never leave.
Several years ago, I read West of Then by Tara Bray Smith when it was first published. It is the story of a mother and daughter’s journey in that Hawaiian paradise; a story so remarkable and so profound that it became etched in my mind, so much so that I wanted to talk to the woman behind the book. I am so honored to say that this week’s culture piece is an interview with this fantastic author, where she talks writing, family and of course, our shared adoration of magical Hawaii.
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I Heart Rock & Roll
It’s pretty inspiring to meet people who do what they love, and if what they love has taken them off the beaten path, even more so. My friend Melissa Simmons does just that. She manages musician Edwin McCain as president of Harrington Management. You might remember McCain’s 1993 hit, “I’ll Be,” better known as the first dance wedding song anthem. But, he’s so much more than that…a platinum-selling singer songwriter who crosses into folk, soul, and rock genres seamlessly – and a nice guy to boot.
This summer marks her 10th year working with Edwin and I recently spoke to her about the ever-changing music business, memorable travel, and of course, those pesky groupies. And just to amp up the coolness factor in a bit more – Melissa’s in Japan right now…for her job. Jealous.
Beat Studies Made Simple
In On the Road – Jack Kerouac’s defining work of the beat generation – the existential query, “What’s your road, man?” served as a siren song that lured thousands to answer the call of the open road, leaving the establishment behind in search of new meaning.
Beat Studies Productions – an Atlanta-based independent hip-hop label, like Kerouac, calls out the establishment (the hip-hop one) on its complacency when it comes to the commercialization of the genre. Beat Studies is paving a new road for a new generation of hip-hop artists who want to make what founder B.J. Alden calls “intelligent music.”
One of those artists is SIMP (a.k.a Duran Butler). For the record, SIMP is just about the freshest thing to sprout out of the South since, well, the Dogwood.
Here’s my enlightening Q&A with SIMP.
St. Paddy’s Playlist
I’ve always had a special appreciation for St. Patrick’s Day celebrations – my top three reasons:
1. One of my nieces was born on this day…she’ll be celebrating with shamrock shaped birthday cakes and green Bud Light (post-21, of course) for the rest of her life. Happy 3, E.
2. One of my best friends was born and raised in Dublin – she and her family are just about some of the dearest people I’ve ever met.
3. The first St. Patrick’s Day my husband and I spent as a married couple we were at an all day pub crawl – I kept complaining about side ache – he told me to just keep drinking – some 12 hours later we realized I was having an appendicitis. Oh, and apparently, I’m HILARIOUS on morphine. Good times.
So, in honor of the Irish, I’ve put together a playlist of my favorite artists from the Emerald Isle.
Pop Playlist
Pop life. Everybody needs a thrill. Pop life. We all got a space to fill.
This is my space to fill and I can’t help but fill some of it with music. After I chose the name danapop I kept coming across songs with the word “pop” in the title or lyrics. One day while brainstorming with my graphic designer (the fabulous Kristen Alden) when the site was still in its peanut of an idea phase that morphed into the idea for a pop playlist. A few of these songs’ lyrics made it to the site’s sidebar menu, but so many others that I love didn’t survive the necessary design cut.
So now that we’re up and running, here’s the extended playlist for you to enjoy – a token of my affection and appreciation for the fabulous readers and those in my life who’ve supported every step of this crazy mess of a concept. So, pop your collar, pop the champagne, and just keep it poppin’.
Climbing Mount Everest
Drew Barrymore’s sartorial wink and a nod to the Valley of the Dolls at the Golden Globes last week made me realize it’s a good time to talk about that literary gem. I finally got around to reading it recently. Now, I see what all the fuss is about.
Valley of the Dolls is loaded – with sex (and more sex), celebrity, and of course, all those dolls (for those of you who are still wondering – dolls are pills) – all chewed up and spit out by the sacrificial beast of Hollywood. Upton Sinclair, it’s not – nor does it even try to fake it – it’s just true chick-lit all in its delicious glory. All those authors out there with their cotton-candy pink-hued book jacket covers could learn a thing or two from Jacqueline Susann about how to write a timeless piece of fiction. A piece of fiction so great you fly through it over a weekend (preferably a weekend where you’ve stocked up on a couple bottles of wine to compliment the reading – dolls optional).
Worth the TiVo
Baby it’s cold outside – at our house that usually means one thing…lots o’ television time. With the world in repeats, season endings and such, thought it would be a good time to do a TiVo roundup of sorts of shows worth watching, if you’re not already.
Run Lola Run
I’m running a half marathon in February. I signed on for the race partly because it’s something I’ve always wanted to do and also because it’ll hopefully curb my tendency of eating and drinking my way through the holidays.
I’ve found with the training, the iPod playlist is crucial. Working out is one of the rare times I adore pop music. But, with running I need a bit of pop, plus motivation – so, here is a running list, filled with an equal mix of boys I find sexy (lead singer of The Killers) plus pop tart girls that have the tummy I’m striving for (pre-Federline Britney), a dash of pissed off angst (any tune that makes me think of images of things breaking or people marching in protest), and the old stuff that reminds me of my family (the John Lennon, Mick Jaggar, Elton John trifecta). Read More
Turkey Tension Playlist
Thanksgiving is just weeks away, so I’ve put together a little holiday tension playlist. This includes ex run-ins and dinner table tunes, as well as, family meddling melodies. Read More
