Greetings from Laurel Canyon!
If this world were mine, I’d place at your feet / All that I own; you’ve been so good to me / If this world were mine / I’d give you the flowers, the birds and the bees / For with your love inside me, that would be all I need / If this world were mine / I’d give you anything
24
It’s been a sad week in our “City of Angels.” The Kobe crash is weird and sad karma, and many are now asking why this is effecting us Los Angelenos so deeply. Of course I spent much of the early days of the week listening to sad songs. Today’s playlist muse, “Sadsong Street,” was penned by Richard Swift, another brilliant soul who met his end way too early. I used to tease Richard about his sad songs. Adored by many, somber tunes don’t often lead to fame and fortune in the record biz. Yet for my Idelic heart, I reach for these tunes in times of healing.
This week I couldn’t be help but think about basketball. I’ve long since stopped trying to explain the game’s significance to my upbringing in New York City. At a young age (ironically about the same age as my son Jonah) I wandered out to Central Park to play hoop. What I found was a world, community, a group of friends, heroes and villains, apart from my family and school.
It was the era of the NY Knicks, Era the Pearl, The ABA, and Julius Erving, better known to us as “The Doc.” There were no nets on the rims and no leather sneakers. No Nikes! 24 was “Dollar Bill” Bradley, so for me I could never have been a Laker or Kobe follower. I did respect his game however and especially his toughness, and maybe even moreso his (what I’ll call) nonconformist attitude.
Dude looked good and had game. So sad about his exit.
Take care and hug those kids.
The Idelic Single of the Week: Modern Chemistry – Please, Don’t Let Me Disappear
