Author Archives: Jon Sidel

Greetings from Laurel Canyon!

Bury me at sea / Where no murdered ghost can haunt me / If I rock upon the waves / And no corpse can lie upon me

Let me go, boys, let me go, boys / Let me go down in the mud, where the rivers all run dry

If I should fall from grace with God / Where no doctor can relieve me / If I’m buried in the sand / But the angels won’t receive me

Let me go, boys, let me go, boys / Let me go down in the mud, where the rivers all run dry

Did you happen to catch the blood eclipse last night? I was excited to watch it unfold as I cut this week’s Idelic Hour. In the end, the event was more “brown” than “blood” red. To be honest I woke up thinking that today was St. Patrick’s Day. Well such is 2025.

In truth, my listening has been more “cold and rainy” post Britpop and cowboy than Irish. This said, any chance to listen to Shane MacGowan—“Poguetry” takes me back. The two of us had similar taste in fashion. Leather wristbands, big rings, and leather vests. I remember him taking off his shirt at my restaurant The Olive. He wanted to trade it for my vest. It took many drinks to make him understand that I was hanging onto my leather.

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Greetings from Laurel Canyon!

Fools in love / Are there any creatures more pathetic / Fools in love / Never knowing when they’ve lost the game / Everything you do / Everywhere you go now / Everything you touch / Everything you feel / Everything you see / Everything you know now / Everything you do

This week was a bit frustrating. I don’t ever recall getting political in this column. I’m just gonna say, I’m gonna try and not be a fool and get dumped by the bullshit streaming across my Flipboard, socials, and TV.

Are we in the middle of a con game? Try and keep your head straight with a few songs that talk about fools.

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Greetings from Laurel Canyon!

Last time I saw him we weren’t really talking / He said / “Hey, how’re you living? How’s life been treating you?” / Was at the Good Luck Bar before they closed down / About a month before I left town

Oh, how we drift away from our friends / And the ones back home pay remembrance / You can take me out of your phone / If you come looking I won’t be home

The lyric above fits me this week. Many of my afternoons were filled with long chats with old friends. I’ve always been annoyed by how quickly February comes to an end. It’s almost become disorienting when I’m up working late nights.

For some reason, people are sending me birthday texts. It’s nice, but it was Mario C’s birthday, not mine. We sat around, ate Brazilian food, and talked about the days of Beck and the Beasties and late-morning courtyard coffee. And our kids and our hope for them.

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Greetings from Laurel Canyon!

Sunny weather in our canyon.

This week’s set is dedicated to Rick from The Jam.

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Greetings from Laurel Canyon!

Love her / And tell her each day / That girl needs to know / Tell her so / Tell her everything I couldn’t say / Like she’s warm / And she’s sweet / And she’s fine / Oh, love her / Like I should have done

It really wasn’t until deep into the week that I realized today is Valentine’s Day. As a holiday it’s a mixed bag. It can be sexy, fun, and romantic—but just as easily, bitter and lonely.

It was actually my years owning bars, clubs, and restaurants that brought on my love for making “mix tapes,” which in turn became the urge to DJ on the radio (KCRW) which became my obsession (call it diary) we know as The Idelic Hour.

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Greetings from Laurel Canyon!

It’s cold outside / And the paint’s peeling off of my walls / There’s a man outside / In a long coat, grey hat, smoking a cigarette

Now the light fades out / And I wonder what I’m doing in a room like this / There’s a knock on the door / And just for a second I thought I remembered you

So now I’m alone / Now I can think for myself / About little deals and S.U’s / And things that I just don’t understand / Like a white lie that night / Or a sly touch at times / I don’t think it meant anything to you

Finally, the dark days of winter have hit LA. Our floorboards are cold, but I guess we needed it. Our Jonah was home much of the week fighting the flu. Honestly, LA feels like a struggle right now, but all said, the sun is peaking out.

A few old songs to keep hope alive, mixed with a grip of new releases. After all the show…must…must…

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Greetings from Laurel Canyon!

Love will call / When you’ve got enough under your arms / Oh oh, mah-mah / Love will call / Love will make you fit it all in the car / Oh oh, mah-mah / Something will take you by your pants and / Swing you over its head and kick you back and forth

Watching the bells, watching the lights / What I want is far away / Talk to the moon, flatten her down / And make her watch the wind all night / She can wait

I’m still thanking the lucky stars it rained last weekend. In fact, it hailed like crazy. Every time I see hail I flash to back to a teen moment sitting with friends around those stone chess tables in Central Park as the sky turned a charcoal gray. We bolted to the east, just making it to the shelter of Baskin Robbins on Madison Ave.

Oh man, the “golf balls” from the sky will fuck a kid up.

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Greetings from Laurel Canyon!

Your toy balloon has sailed in the sky, love / But now it must fall to the ground / Now your sad eyes reveal just how badly you feel / ‘Cause there is no easy way down

The view from the cliffs must have been exciting / And up to the peaks you were bound / Now you’re stranded alone and the past is unknown / And there is no easy way down

The wind is down and there’s clear sunny skies in our canyon. I’ve been told our prayers for rain might be answered this weekend.

My second installment of the Idelic Hour for ’25 starts with a fair amount of dreamy favorites from a playlist I often listen to while riding my beloved bicycle.

I’m still thanking my lucky stars and beaming from Laurel Canon. Bless you and this groovy city of angles.

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Greetings from Laurel Canyon!

You were the moon and I was a windy child / You left too soon but my mind kept growing wild / You were always bigger, you were always wiser than me / You were the sun and I was the morning dew / You had your fun and I know I had mine too / You were always bigger, you were always brighter than me

Welcome to the first Idelic Hour of ’25. Last week was crazier than last year. Like most canyon dwellers, we were evacuated.

All I can say is that I’m thanking my lucky stars in all directions to present this episode of the The Idelic Hour from our groovy canyon pad.

When times are rough, sad or happy, I turn to song. I hope this set of music brings you comfort and inspiration.

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Greetings from Laurel Canyon!

Hot stuff, can’t get enough / Hot stuff, play it rough, yeah / I gave you love / Because music is want I want / To keep my body always moving / Yeah, shake it up, hot stuff / Every day, I get another dose / I can’t stand it when the music stops / Hot stuff / Everybody out on the dance floor / You know what I’m talking about / Music make you forget all your trouble / Make you sing and make you tell the whole wide world / So what? Hot stuff

Hot, hot, hot. This planet, town, and our canyon is getting too hot. It’s a bit scary and a drag. So why not find some other “hot stuff” to get excited about? Like a hot record or two or three?

And mom got a hot new red car…ok let this music do the talking and jump in a lake.

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Greetings from Laurel Canyon!

Ba ba-blah / Blah blah / Blah blah / Blah blah / Something about books / Did you see see the petrol prices, I am totally shook / We don’t care about that / We don’t care about that / Stop talking / Shhhhh-shut up

And yes, the final Idelic Hour episode of 2024. What a year, what a life, what a rock ‘n’ roll journey! A good amount of new wax and song. I’m thanking my lucky stars in all directions.

Thanks to Jon Meyers. I believe 2025 might be year 15? Fuck me! But thanks Jon for allowing me to share music. My years on this planet have taught me music connects me to my “soul,” and a lonely soul is… lonely.

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Greetings from Laurel Canyon!

After a millennia of good times / God said “Hey now, let’s have a dream” / Where we raise the stakes a little / Come on let’s make things interesting / Parachute into the Anthropocene / An amnesiac, a himbo Ken doll / I guess time just makes fools of us all

This is the day! Well, my day anyway. The 13th yep, and once in a blue moon it comes on a Friday. So I will continue to indulge my magical taste in music discovery and share my favorite 25 Idelic Hits of 2024.

Thanks again to all of these great artists for making and performing cool shit in 2024.

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Greetings from Laurel Canyon!

It’s a losing battle, tryin’ to be sane / It leaves me tired and listless / If I’m gonna jump in front of a train / I’ll wait till after christmas / don’t wanna overstay my welcome / don’t wanna overstay my welcome 

It’s a brilliant day in LA today. Hope you all had a warm and safe turkey weekend.

As tradition dictates, bloggers hand out their year end “Best of” lists. Yes, I know this is pretty much the same rap I’ve spewed year after year on the same Friday. Yes, and pretty much everyone reading this has their Spotify Wrapped. Yep, I’m fascinated by my own magical taste in music discovery.

Does anything going into 2025 matter? As a matter of fact, some shit really does and hopefully these songwriters will help me figure it out. So for the next couple weeks I’ll be celebrating the songs of those musicians I felt inspired to listen to.

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Greetings from Laurel Canyon!

Oh, when you’re smilin’ / When you’re smilin’ / The whole world smiles with you, baby / Yes, when you’re laughin’ / Oh, when you’re laughin’ / The sun comes shinin’ through

But when you’re cryin’ / You bring on the rain / So stop your sighin’, baby / And be happy again

Yes, and keep on smilin’ / Keep on smilin’, baby / And the whole world smiles with you

I love how a song can absolutely transport me to a moment in time. I was driving the other day and The Dream Syndicate came on the radio. Hearing Steve Wynn’s voice went straight to my veins. It’s wasn’t long before I was digging through crates for my copy of The Days Of Wine and Roses.

I hadn’t heard “When You Smile” in many, many moons. It was a like the chords opened up a little cubby in my mind. Out popped a girl. A crush from when the album came out in 1982.

She was a rich girl from the upper east side. Her dad’s sprawling Park Avenue apartment. I could see her smile as she gave me a light kiss and pushed me away.

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Greetings from Laurel Canyon!

Woke up this morning with an ache in my head / Splashed on my clothes as I spilled out of bed / Opened the window to listen to the news / But all I heard was the Establishment’s Blues.

Gun sales are soaring, housewives find life boring / Divorce the only answer smoking causes cancer / This system’s gonna fall soon, to an angry young tune / And that’s a concrete cold fact.

The pope digs population, freedom from taxation / Teeny Bops are up tight, drinking at a stoplight / Miniskirt is flirting I can’t stop so I’m hurting / Spinster sells her hopeless chest.

Adultery plays the kitchen, bigot cops non-fiction / The little man gets shafted, sons and monies drafted / Living by a time piece, new war in the far east. / Can you pass the Rorschach test?

It’s a hassle is an educated guess. / Well, frankly I couldn’t care less.

I think I can officially say summer has left the canyon. I’m grateful for these past couple of Indian summer months: the warm mornings spent meditating by the pool, Mr. Ha’s apples, George Yemetz almond butter, and, of course, family and their milestones.

Mom’s turning 89, Zoe’s courage, Jonah’s fastball, and Susan’s tenacity and laugh.

This week feels cold and dim. I stayed busy and tried to shake it. My first remedy is always “song.” The friends and artists. You guys have helped.

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