Playlist

It really speaks to my level of motivation when, instead of cleaning the house, an hour after I decide to get down to it, I find myself still putting the finishing touches on my House Cleaning Mix using my trusty iTunes. (To be fair, I just finished cleaning. And the mix was rad-- totally got me in the cleaning groove. So time well spent.)

Anyway, this got me thinking about the awesomeness that is the mixtape. I know I'm not alone in my undying devotion to an artful mix of music that's just so damn perfect for a situation that you play it until you can't stand it any more. I remember spending hours in my childhood closet, carefully queuing up the cassette tape so that my transitions were smooth and clever. (It was truly the mark of an amateur to have those nasty clicks between songs. Hello, people, that's what the "Pause" button is all about!!) Mixtapes have come back into fashion lately with a vengeance, with everyone from hipsters to hip-hop artists embracing the control of a rockin' mix.

I have discovered some amazing artists from friend's mixtapes, and I must confess that I aspire to be that cool friend for people I mix CDs for. My favorite present from any friend is a mixtape of their music. I love everything about it: homemade liner notes, Sharpie artwork on the disc itself (I scoff at those fancy computer printed CD's!), listening to the type of music and the way it's laid out on the CD. How the mix starts and ends is just as important as what's in the middle. Now I can't claim that I'm any good at this myself. But I do love trying, and I do have a few friends who are seriously kick-ass at mixtapes. (Noelle, Edna, Jesse- I'm looking at you, kids.)

Nothing is more frustrating than getting an unlabelled mixtape with unfamiliar songs. What if you love a song? How are you going to find out more about this artist? At the same time, though, there is a thrill in the mystery of it all. One of my favorite mixes of all time came with no label. It was entitled The Toilet Brush Mix, after a gag in the show we were doing at the time, A Perfect Wedding. I was able to identify 3 artists at the time: Raffi, Weezer and G Love. (I told you it was an awesome mix!) The rest of the songs were amazing, and when I would hear them out in the world, I would immediately demand to know who the artist was. (Hello, Belle & Sebastian!) I still listen to that CD.

I especially love mixtapes with themes. Recently I've been challenged to create a Soundtrack of My Life. I suppose you could be very literal with this, starting at the beginning from the sounds of your childhood and progressing through chronologically until today. I went for the looser approach, choosing songs that meant a lot to me during different phases of my life.



Here's my list:



1. Hold Tight (Want Some Seafood, Baby)-- The Andrews Sisters


I was introduced to The Andrews Sisters in high school, and they made a huge impact on me, musically. The harmonies, the clever lyrics-- they are some cool gals. Plus this song is silly and cracks me up and reminds me of riding in the car with Noelle and Kevin, thinking that I had really grown up friends.




2. Super Connected-- Belly


This song also takes me back to high school, when I was discovering both "secular" and "alternative" music all at once. It was a great time to come into the music scene, I must say. I loved Belly because they were the first female-fronted band that I loved. I also loved this song because my mother had no idea what the lyrics meant. That was a definite plus.




3. My Body Is a Cage-- Arcade Fire

(I don't think this is the official video.)

I'm here right now. This song came over my headphones the other day when I was walking in a driving rain, and I thought "Yeah. Yeah, this is me. Right now." Plus, you know, Arcade Fire seriously rule.




4. Alarm Call-- Bjork

(It was a true toss up between this song and Army of Me, which I also love, and which reminds me of being in Germany when I was 16, when it was the only damn video they played on MTV Europe.)

This song reminds me of college, when I was struggling but suddenly had this breakthrough: I was actually doing it. I was actually succeeding, when so often I thought I was failing. This song helped me to pick up my head and say "fuck it" to all of the negativity and bullshit that was swirling around me at the time. Plus I love Bjork, and her random use of profanity in the song.




5. Ghosts in My Machine-- Annie Lennox


This is me now, again. Trying to clear the clutter from my head. Fighting this beast on my back. Fighting against despair. But becoming increasingly angry about it. Only Annie Lennox can express this particular frustration so well. I love everything that she sings.




6. The Space Between-- Dave Matthews Band

(This isn't the official music video, this is from Dave's performance at the Winter Olympics Apparently Dave doesn't like his videos to be embedded. Jerk. Anyway, for a much better version, click here.)

Aaargh, this song still breaks my heart a little. It came out when I was a freshman in college, seeing someone I shouldn't have been seeing. And falling for this person a little, even though I knew they belonged to someone else. And knowing that it was wrong, and that it would end badly and that I would get hurt. And then doing it anyway.




7. Better Version of Me-- Fiona Apple


This song was the soundtrack to getting my current job at the Walnut Street Theatre. It came at a time in my life when I was kicking ass and taking names, moving up in the world, happy in my relationship and generally feeling pretty awesome. We saw Fiona Apple in concert that summer, and it was a really great show. She's a very cool, if slightly crazy, chick.



8. Eleanor Rigby-- The Beatles


The Beatles were a little known garage band in the 60's. Ha. Ha. Ahem. But I must say that Sgt. Pepper was the first album I ever bought with my own money. The Beatles were a major part of my high school experience. I fell in love with this song during our high school production of The Diary of Anne Frank. I played Mrs. Van Daan. I remember getting into costume to this song. I love the strings. My favorite Beatles song of all time, and that's a lot for me to settle on just one.




9. All We Have Is Now-- The Flaming Lips

(Again, not the official video, but the song is set to clips from Quantum Leap, which I find hilarious!)

Another "now" song-- I play this to remind myself to stay in the present. It helps my anxiety. Plus, again, The Flaming Lips are rad. I would LOVE to see them in concert. Apparently it is the trippiest experience.




10. Legend of a Cowgirl-- Imani Coppola


This takes me back to college... the first time. In my freshman dorm room at SUNY Fredonia, I discovered Imani-- I think on MTV. She was a one-hit wonder, but I bought the whole album and loved it. Plus she went to SUNY Purchase, my soon-to-be alma mater. This was right around the time Princess Di was killed, and I have vivid memories of flipping back and forth between the news and MTV. Ah, to be 18 again...




11. Rifflin' the Scotch-- Billie Holiday

(I couldn't find Rifflin' the Scotch, so this is Billie singing You Go to My Head, another favorite of mine)

Billie takes me back to living in Pittsburgh, when I started my female jazz artist obsession. I made my boyfriend at the time buy me a Billie Holliday CD with the last of his cash. I listened to it constantly in our cramped apartment, wondering what I had gotten myself into.




12. I'm A Woman-- Koko Taylor

(This is Koko singing both Good Times Roll and I'm A Woman live in 1978)

I discovered this song on the preshow mix of Shadowland Theatre's production of Proof that I stage managed. Koko Taylor really blew me away, and introduced me to the blues. Plus the lyrics are awesome-- any song that includes the line "I can make love to a crocodile" is a good song in my book. This song takes me back to those heady nights when we would cram into an actor's bedroom to listen to Megan on her guitar, while I would feel the haze in my head from too much drinking, smoking and sleeping with someone who was no good for me. Ah, the trajectory of Sara's failed heteorsexual relationships...




13. Super Sex-- Morphine


Morphine is another one of those bands that I love fiercely, and have collected their whole catalogue. My good friend Amanda Oechsle introduced me to them, and I have a huge fan since. They are no longer a band, as the leader singer died ONSTAGE during a concert in 1999. Morphine reminds me of the last summer I stayed at home between college semesters-- waiting tables, dinner theater, Amanda and Weas, driving through the country summer night with the windows down and the music telling you which turn to take.




14. Star Witness-- Neko Case

(I apologize for the shitty pirated concert version, there's no official music video)

GOD, I love Neko Case. I only just recently purchased this album (I was heavily influenced by the picture of her and her greyhound on the cover), but this song takes me back to high school. Or maybe some time beyond that when I was home... anyway, I think it perfectly captures the thrilling claustrophobia of growing up in a small town. Neko was introduced to me through a mix of Edna's, and I am Edna's eternal slave for that.




15. The Dog Song-- Nelly McKay

(This is her performance on Letterman)

Nelly McKay is the bees knees. She's got a jazzy, soulful voice, wildly original musical arrangements and lyrics that are slyly subversive. We saw her perform at WXPN, and it was one of the best concerts I've been to. I even waited for her autograph afterwards. This song speaks to me on two levels-- I had this CD on constant rotation when I was living in New York City during that horrendous production of The Beauty Inside. I have never been through such professional hell, and yet at the same time I was living by myself in New York and it was springtime. Nelly captured my conflicting moods pretty perfectly. I didn't have an MP3 player at the time, so I bought a $20 portable CD player from some shitty bodega and carted it all around. The subway was my favorite place to listen to this CD.

Of course now this song speaks to me because I have a dog, who I walk everyday. Singing a song.




16. Big Exit-- PJ Harvey


Another song that reminds me of my last summer at home. I was feeling a little frustrated and impotent that summer, so listening to PJ Harvey at full volume as I cruised around town in a beat up minivan was just the ticket for my mental state. I like a woman who can get angry and still sound so damn sexy. That's what I want to be when I grow up. This whole album is amazing.




17. Mother's Little Helper-- The Rolling Stones


What a drag it is getting old... I first really discovered this song during a production I stage managed at InterAct... help me out, here, InterAct people. It was scene change music for... Was it American Sublime? Since Africa? Woof, I'm getting old. Anyway, it sort of never occured to me that I was actually aging before. Sounds silly, I know, but in these past few years I've discovered that I'm becoming an adult. For better and for worse.




18. Feeling Good-- Nina Simone


This song blew my mind. I was introduced to it on a mixtape (yes, an actual cassette!) made for me by Noelle Lutz when I was living in Pittsburgh. There's nothing like striding down the street on the Northside of Pittsburgh listening to this song. (I guess you had to be there...) I felt so young and alive and open to possibilities during that time, and Nina knew just what that was like.




19. In Spite of Ourselves-- John Prine with Iris DeMent


I discovered this song on the amazing album A Date With John Waters, which is a collection of songs that John Waters picked out for some sexy time. Seriously, this is an amazing CD. Go buy it.

Anyway, this song pretty much sums up my relationship with Deb. With a few pronoun substitutions, of course. If we ever get married, expect to hear this song at the reception. Plus I really dig John Prine's gravelly voice.




10. Last but not least.... Clair de lune-- Claude DeBussy


I directed a production of Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de lune in the summer of 2005, and it was an absolutely transformative for me. I don't think I have a big future in directing, but this was a truly magical experience. SueAnn and Bill were breathtaking and incredibly brave. The set was gorgeous. And I still get tears thinking about Rachel's slow, beautiful sunrise lighting cue set to this song. This show defined and strengthened me as a theater artist. I miss you, Bill.





Whew! Longest blog EVER. Of course this is just a small sampling of my musical influences-- now I'm thinking about so many other songs I left off.... practically the whole jukebox at BG's! So far the only theme I can determine from the above mix is an undying love for strong female vocalists. But hey, you've got to start somewhere with the soundtrack of your life, right?

So now it's your turn. Let's make some mixes, people! Somebody pick a theme 'cause after this blog, I'm just TIRED.