Here’s to 2024.
My buddy Aidan Kennedy is an incredible DJ. We met at work and bonded over music, and I caught him spin at Baby’s All Right a few months back. Kristin and I danced our asses off. I could have just sat there and Shazam’d every song and been happy, but my body wanted to move.
He texted me last week:
Gonna be going back to Houston for the holidays and it just got me thinking about the cd collection that’s probably still at my parents’ house
And so we set off to compile “My favorite songs from when I was 13 years old.”
To be honest, I was a little nervous about it, because… what thirteen year old has super interesting, sophisticated taste? I certainly didn’t. Aidan’s taste was definitely more inquisitive and exploratory than my Billboard Top 100 collection at the time, but I think he’d be the first to say he’s come a long way.
Thirteen is a really interesting time in personal discovery and cultural development. I, at the very least, was just starting to branch off into my own set of preferences, but still under the watchful eye of my parents and the curation of pop radio. I was very self-conscious about what was ‘cool’ and I wanted more than anything to like whatever that was. I loved the M2M song that appears on this mixtape, and my parents got me the Pokemon movie soundtrack on which it appeared. Years later, I was horrified at the idea that someone might find the soundtrack in my collection, so I hid it under some other trash in the kitchen so it could get thrown out with the leftovers.
I felt incredible relief at the time, but I’ve listened to the song again in recent years, and I still really love it. This mixtape became for me at least a little bit trying to reconcile that moment for my younger self. I feel like this is the tape Aidan and I would have made at 13, but with the confidence of our mid-30s.
Hope you like it. I do, and I feel no shame for it.
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And hey, if you like it, why not share the mix or this newsletter with a friend?
New Year. Old Me.
Created in collaboration with Aidan Kennedy for 13.
A few words from Aidan:
*****
I’m Shakin’ - Rooney
Remember when your band’s music career could get launched by having a song placed in an episode of The O.C.?! I watched this show religiously with my family every week when I was growing up (weird, I know), and this was always one of my favorite tunes of that era/series.
Steppin’ Out - Joe Jackson
This is one of those songs that’s deeply engrained in my subconscious, and I’ll never know where exactly it came from. Growing up in the early 90’s, I remember this song always being played in the background somewhere. Whether it was a shopping mall, car commercial, grocery store, car radio, you name it. This one was inescapable, and it’s been stuck in my head ever since.
La Chica Sexy - Sandy & Papo
This song triggers memories of driving to my little league games. I think my parents got this CD from a wedding they went to in Latin America one time (?), and it was often used in our household for pump-up music.
Can I Sit Next to You Girl - AC/DC
This. Song. ROCKS. AC/DC was an early favorite of mine, and the first electric guitar that I ever owned was a copy of Angus Young’s signature “Gibson SG”. This was my favorite song on the first AC/DC record that I bought with my own money.
Partyup - Prince
I remember being SO stoked when I found out that my parents had a small collection of vinyl records. I was around 13 or 14, and it’s one of my earliest memories of having the realization that maybe once upon a time, my parents were hip too! One afternoon I was digging through their stash when I came across this INSANE album cover. There stands Prince, in a military style top-coat, shirtless (save for a loosely draped bandanna), sporting a banana-hammock for the ages. I knew that I HAD to hear what was on this record the second I locked eyes with the purple one himself, and ever since it’s remained one of my favorite Prince albums of all time.
Give It Up (2,800 Mile Remix) - ZZ Top
Okay, so, I technically didn’t find this song/remix until this year. BUT. Billy Gibbons is literally the guy that inspired me in the 4th grade to start playing the guitar. I’ve been playing this tune in my DJ sets for a bit now, and I love getting to make this callback to such an early stage of my musical life.
Miss Frisco (Queen of the Disco) - Johnny “Guitar” Watson
This was another record that was mined from my parents vinyl stash, and quickly became a fav. On the album cover, Houston native Johnny “Guitar” Watson stands in outer-space, donning what looks like a baby blue velvet ensemble, holding the world in his hands, adorned in gold. Does it get any funkier than that!?
Everybody Wants Some - Van Halen
In 6th grade, my dad and I camped out early morning in line at the Toyota Center for tickets to Van Halen’s first big reunion tour with David Lee Roth (!!!). I went to the show with some of my best friends, and the next day we all wore our concert tee’s to school, uniforms be damned! Never have I felt so rock n’ roll.
Can I Get A… - Jay-Z, Amil, Ja Rule
Before my parents would buy me my own personal CD player, they made me use a little handheld radio for a few months to see if this “music thing” would really stick. One of the few stations that my radio could consistently pick up was 104.9, an all rap/hip-hop station at the time. I remember this song getting played like crazy, and that snare drum is still one of the absolute TOUGHEST drum sounds in history.
Strutter - KISS
I used to sneak my “Kiss: Greatest Hits” CD into Hebrew school and listen to that instead of listening to/practicing my torah portions for my Bar Mitzvah. I hope it’s okay in long run. After all, KISS are jewish guys too!
Dolly Dagger - Jimi Hendrix
I was a huge Hendrix-head through middle and high school. This one always felt kind of funkier and more rhythmic-guitar driven than some of his other tunes, but still maintains solid riff-age. Lots of fun memories of skateboarding through Houston to this one.
*****
Love you all. Hope you enjoy!
Join Me: Invest in Your Hobbies.
I started shooting 35mm film photography in December 2022, and I’ve had so much fun with it this past year. I wanted to document trips and memories but remain fully present in them. I hate taking photos with my phone, then instantly reviewing them and posting them and waiting for reactions from people. It takes me out of the moment, makes you relive memories before you’ve even finished making them.
Anyways, I’ve enjoyed playing around with different films and techniques, and I have no ambition to be much better than I am at it. Highly recommend you find something like this for your life (like mixtapes or film or sewing). This year, I might try my hand and mending clothes (less things! more investing!).
RIYL: Self-fulfillment.
Check out all my photos on my Instagram.
Some Other 2023 Discoveries That I Love
(that you might love too!)
The Criterion Channel - I watched a lot of movies in 2023, and this was the single best investment in entertainment I made. The curation is incredible and very deliberate. Most other streaming networks feel like they put everything into a big pot and you just reach in and grab something to watch. The Criterion Channel guides you through it all. Wonderful.
Wythe - This brand makes cowboy clothes, and I love them.
Home Improvement - Kristin and I have been revisiting old 90s sitcoms and it brings me no/great pleasure to report that Home Improvement is pretty fun and funny. A time capsule with some problems, but it’s fun seeing a middle class family sitcom like this. Several running gags that get regular laughs.