Sometimes, when you least expect it, you connect with who you used to be, every song triggers a memory, it’s like your whole life is a highway and the feelings you thought were gone forever have suddenly shown up and are now riding shotgun.

I used to live in winter. It was a part of my life. The anticipation, those damp October nights, those dreary November days and then finally December, cold with snow. You stayed inside and played board games. “Wide World Of Sports” was the most fascinating program on television. You went outside in your flannel-lined jeans and romped in the snow and when your clothing had frozen board stiff you trundled up to your front door where your mom made you hot chocolate and you felt fully alive in a way you rarely do anymore.

That’s what’s great about the cold, it’s invigorating. Stay still and you’ll freeze. Keep moving and you’ve got no idea what you’ll encounter.

And today, the last time I looked at the thermometer it was one degree. My nose had that tingling pre-frostbite feeling and when I got inside I slurped down the hot chocolate like it was the elixir of life. There’s nothing better than being warmed from the inside.

And that’s when I put on “Twilight.”

Remember when you traveled with a box of cassettes? When you couldn’t bear being without your music? Today Spotify sits on my iPhone and I have the history of recorded music at my fingertips. Anything I want to hear is just a click away. And I wanted to hear Shawn Colvin. Singing that Band song that no one knows.

Don’t send me no distant salutations
Or silly souvenirs from far away
Don’t leave me alone in the twilight
Twilight is the loneliest time of day

Not when you’ve got the right song in your ears. And in that eerie time before darkness this song was playing and I marveled at the power of music to evoke a feeling, to get the emotions right, to be positively human.

So I pulled up “King Harvest,” from the second Band LP. And not only remembered Brad Weston playing it for me in his parents’ den, but was stunned that this sound was once popular, that once upon a time stardom might arrive, but you didn’t chase it, you focused inward, not out, you wanted to get the music right.

Which had my mind drifting, to Big Pink, to this concoction backing up the bard of my generation, and I pulled up “Tangled Up In Blue.”

Early one mornin’ the sun was shinin’

As I was driving up the access road to Mammoth Mountain. It was May 1st 1975. I’d driven across the desert, eaten at Baskin Robbins for dinner, since I was broke and had a gift certificate for my birthday, and was now where I never was before meeting people I barely knew and this record came on the radio.

And I remembered all that as the song played on.

But reveled in the fact that whatever the song meant then, now it meant something completely different.

When you’re twenty two, the world is your oyster, you’re gonna eat it alive, you’re full of vigor, overflowing with optimism.

Then you get older and waste so much time you find yourself just existing, wondering what’s around the next corner, if anything.

You’re haunted by your memories. You think they’re just that and then you stumble into someone you used to know and they’re just as damaged as you are, but the sight of each other makes your hearts palpitate, there’s a little spark of hope that wasn’t there yesterday, making you feel like this life is worth living, even though the downs oftentimes outweigh the ups.

Christmas Playlist

THE INTERNET

1. It allows me to reach all of you.

2. It puts the history of recorded music at my fingertips. What was once rare is now standing in plain sight. People might be financially-challenged, but music, the elixir of life, is right there for them to grab and listen to. It’s music’s heyday.

PSY

He showed a chubby man could break all the rules to become the biggest star in the world essentially overnight. His music did not sound like the mainstream, he was neither broken nor controlled by radio, and his sheer creativity shone through in his video, which soon became the most played YouTube clip ever.

It demonstrates that what’s inside one’s head is more important than money when it comes to both creativity and music. Just when you think you’re locked out, PSY comes along with the key that shows how to open the door.

JUSTIN BIEBER

Because he discovered Carly Rae Jepsen, he single-handedly took her from a “Canadian Idol” wannabe to international star based on the sheer hookiness and unforgettableness of “Call Me Maybe.” If you don’t think “Call Me Maybe” is a stone cold smash, you’re probably living in Brooklyn and staring at your shoes. Just because something is mainstream and monstrous that does not mean it’s not good. “Call Me Maybe” is a classic. With many more teeth than “The Macarena.” It will stick with kids for the rest of their lives.

Furthermore, the audience no longer sits by and listens passively. A veritable industry exploded on YouTube of “Call Me Maybe”…lip-synchs and parodies. Once again, you might not be rich, but that does not mean you can’t play in the new music world.

APPLE

Because the iPhone 5 is so damn good. Android may sell more units, the stock may be challenged, but using the iPhone 5 is an utter pleasure, akin to having a communicator from “Star Trek.” It’s intuitive and it just works. Remember when the first iteration of technology was crap? Those days are long gone.

KID ROCK

For finally going on iTunes. AC/DC too.

Used to be musicians were leaders, now the stars play last.

Sure, it might have been about the album, but people have been cherry-picking tunes since the advent of the CD. Make a whole album that hangs together with a story and we’re interested, but for all the pontificating that seems to happen twice a decade.

Now if only the holdouts could sign on to every streaming service, from Spotify to MOG to Deezer. Streaming is the way. Did people refuse to put their music on compact discs?

YOUTUBE

Because it’s free. Because everything’s available. Because it’s the nation’s radio station.

However I’ve come to hate the ads. Can’t I just pay ten bucks a year to get rid of them?

GOOGLE

Forget antitrust. Isn’t it incredible that you can get the answers to all your questions immediately? We need no Bing if we’ve got Google.

SWEDISH HOUSE MAFIA

For stealing the show at Coachella, and then breaking up, just like the superstars of yore. You’ve got to follow your muse, not the money.

ELECTRIC DAISY CARNIVAL

Caught the powers that be flatfooted and single-handedly made the rest of the industry aware of the power of electronic music. Sure, the sound has been around forever, and ULTRA and other festivals triumphed too, but EDC is like Woodstock. It showed that what the mainstream thought was a sideshow is actually bigger than the main event. Furthermore, EDC, unlike Woodstock, happens every year. And there are more porta-potties!

PAUL MCCARTNEY

For continuing to try. His album sucked. He dyes his hair. But his live show is the best in the world, and he even played with the remnants of Nirvana. Most people are afraid to fail. McCartney keeps trying. Give him props. There’s no one to replace him when he’s gone.

PAUL TOLLETT

Single-handedly started the festival scene in America. He believed, he lost money, but he kept on trying. The site is nowhere near as good as AEG says it is. The sound bleed is terrible. Many in attendance don’t care about most of the acts. But this is the granddaddy, it’s about the experience, it’s done for the fans, and that’s the way it always should be.

LED ZEPPELIN

For not getting back together. For being honored by the Kennedy Center. For never apologizing for past behavior. For being rock stars through and through. You can’t ask for more.

INSANE CLOWN POSSE

For giving meaning to the Juggalos. The downtrodden and the overlooked. We all need someone to believe in. In a nation where everybody envies the rich, the ICP banded together the losers. Give them credit.

NEIL YOUNG

For playing his own Sandy benefit and refusing to join in with the cluster… in NYC. It was about the money as opposed to making the scene. Neil isn’t as admirable as everybody thinks. He loves money. But even more than McCartney, he keeps playing, he keeps taking chances, he follows his own muse, he’s our number one still active rock star.

ROLLING STONE

For finally realizing we live in the Internet era. “Rolling Stone” has better musical updates on the Web and on Twitter than any other music source. Whether everybody will eventually realize this is…another thing.

GILBERT GOTTFRIED

For having the best Twitter feed and refusing to grovel to get his AFLAC job back. When you’re right, double down, don’t apologize.

VERIZON

For rolling out LTE before most people even knew what it was.

ELON MUSK

For being the new Steve Jobs. SpaceX, Tesla…”no” doesn’t exist in Musk’s lexicon. Furthermore, he not only talks the talk, he walks the walk. He doesn’t bitch and moan and say he can’t, he just does. Individuals make up this country. They push the envelope. The Doors were nothing without Jim Morrison and Apple is suffering without Steve Jobs. But thank god there are people like Elon Musk to pick up the slack.

JIMMY IOVINE

For convincing Americans that good sound is worth it. Beats may be substandard, but suddenly crap headphones were no longer good enough. Someday in the future we’ll have enough bandwidth and high fidelity will reign once again.

NATE SILVER

For illustrating that facts and data matter. The days of the bloviator are over. If you operate in a quantifiable field, your opinion means nothing without the data. Music is not a data-driven enterprise, it’s all about concepts and creativity. Turn off your mind, relax and float downstream…and come up with something that positively blows our minds!

I can listen to “Waterfront” and “Let There Be Love” all day long.

Alas, after that initial hit period, Simple Minds lost traction. But this 1995 album sat in my Walkman for months, it energized me, it made me feel like I could conquer the world when I was at the lowest point in my life.

Ain’t that how it always is. The albums that are panned, disdained by the critics, are our personal favorites. And we passionately emote to others how great they are but it never really translates, because there’s not a big hit single, a memorable video…they think we’re nuts. But that’s what being a passionate music fan is all about, digging so deep you find a nugget that only you seem to get that makes your life worth living. It’s just you and the band, riding shotgun. Yup, we wouldn’t take a road trip without these favorites. We blast them from the dashboard stereo, singing along, with those stopped at lights clueless as to the words we’re mouthing.

“7 Deadly Sins”

It’s not the opener, but this is the track that sticks in my mind, the one I need to hear. It demands instant attention, it hooks you and then shoots you into outer space, thrilled to be along for the ride. The intro is like those Paxil explosions you get in your head, and then the guitar whips you around like a bobsled on the Matterhorn.

There’s underlying propulsion in the track. Kind of like Winwood’s “Night Train.” But it’s what’s swirling around on top that hooks you, pushes out the rest of what’s in your brain and demands attention. It’s like you’ve donned ice skates and Apolo Ohno is whipping you around the track. You’re scared, you’re thrilled, you’re screaming along at the top of your lungs. The cut starts out at ten and stays there. It’s a shot of adrenaline. If “7 Deadly Sins” doesn’t immediately penetrate you, make you rock your body, make you want to go to the show, then you don’t like rock music and I hope you enjoy your night home alone with cookies and warm milk.

“She’s A River”

This is the opening track. It too has a stinging guitar. But the groove is different, it’s hypnotic. You know, the kind of cut you pump the accelerator in time to as you motor down the highway in your own personal cocoon.

“Night Music”

This is track two, and it too is a screamer, a raver, albeit not quite as good as the above two, but still extremely satisfying. And then…

“Hypnotised”

The record finally slows down. There’s still that guitar. Whew, the axe sound throughout this record makes it. You just want to curl yourself around it.

“Great Leap Forward”

And then we’re back on a tear. The energy on this album is utterly staggering. It’s as if the band has something to prove, they’re gonna get in your face and give it their all. And either you’re gonna pay attention and lap it up or leave. It’s black and white, either you like this sound or you don’t. But if you ever liked Simple Minds, you’ll be enthralled.

“This Time”

This is the majestic closer. Before the curtain comes down and you salivate for more.

Credit everyone involved. Jim Kerr and Charlie Burchill, who wrote all the songs. Keith Forsey, who helped produce. Brian Reeves, who engineered, Tom Lord Alge, who mixed. Unfortunately, “Good News From The Next World” came out at the completely wrong time. When MTV was moving away from rock towards pop and it was all about the hit single, which was absent from this album.

If it was released in the seventies, “Good News From The Next World” would be legendary.

Today it would build a steady touring base as word spread. Bands just don’t make albums that are truly playable throughout.

But Simple Minds did.

Times change. Sometimes you’re out of synch. You make your best effort but end up ignored. You lose momentum, you question your direction.

But sometimes it’s the audience, not you. Sometimes you’ve got it right, and the best thing about recordings is they last forever, and in the digital world they don’t go out of print but end up on Spotify to be discovered.

Give this one a chance. Really, play it. Crank it. You’ll find yourself jolted alive, staring at the speakers, thrilled by the wondrous noise.

Rhinofy-Good News From The Next World

Previous Rhinofy playlists

Don’t e-mail every day unless you have something to say.

We’re going to go on a cruise for my mother’s 85th birthday, although she just celebrated her 86th yesterday, Happy Birthday Mom! We were catching up on the phone and the conversation veers so frequently to health, as in her buddies are not doing so well. Furthermore, for every hypochondriac there’s another person who refuses to go to the doctor, even if he or she falls down…again and again and again. I’m not sure if you get more stubborn as you get older or whether you’re just ready to die, but experiencing these stories with my mom is quite edifying. As for my mother… If she’s complaining, it’s the end of the world. She just powers on. And that’s good.

Anyway, we bought this cruise and now the company who sold it to us e-mails me every day to try and sell me another. As it is, we’re not going to take this cruise until next summer. Do they really think I’m interested in going again before that? And, if I hypothetically was, maybe they could send me a personalized offer that was extremely attractive. Instead, I just get the generic hype without the ability to unsubscribe.

Now I’m not gonna cancel this summer’s cruise, but this company is doing its best to ensure I never use them again. I’m a person, not an e-mail address…dammit!

The best story I ever heard about this was told by Seth Godin.

Once upon a time there was a company called CDNow. It sold CDs over the Internet. You remember CDs, right? Those discs that were supposed to have the ultimate sound and last forever? I’m one of the few people who hasn’t sold my collection… As for perfection… It doesn’t exist and even vinyl sounds better.

Anyway, CDNow put out a newsletter every quarter that generated a ton of dough.

Then the company went public and in an effort to boost numbers sent two newsletters a quarter. Both did extremely well.

To make a long story short, by time they were done, CDNow was sending a newsletter every week. And then they truly were done, the company went into decline and was sold to Bertelsmann. Newsletters were generating almost no sales. The audience tuned out.

If you’ve got something interesting to say and an audience that wants to hear it, by all means reach out as often as you’d like. But if you’re just trying to generate sales, trying to stay in your audience’s mind, be careful about how often you intrude. It’s the best way to turn people off. Banging at their door again and again and again.

First you earn the trust.

Then you sell.

If you’re selling first, most people are ignoring you.

Build the relationship.

Nurture the relationship.

And know that everybody on the other end is an individual, with feelings and desires.

But that does not mean that the customer is always right. Because of newfound digital access, every complainer is reaching out, trying to make trouble, usually desiring something for free. They want a guarantee the product they bought will last forever and be better than anything else forever and even if it cost a dollar, they want to be able to get an instant response from your team. Ignore these people.

That’s the flip side of Internet access. The ability to tune out unreasonable spam.

Don’t be a culprit.