On another note, I went to the Egyptian Theater to see Shih-Ching Tsou's "Left-Handed Girl," this movie here: le-pacte.com/internationa.... It was fantastic, and with all the talk about this or that good or bad about Hollywood, it is a real reminder that even though film is the

Thank you, #VinylSanta! I am certain that I had the "Fonzie Favorites" record as a kid, but I may be creating a memory of something that didn't happen. I remember the record, though, maybe on TV, maybe in a store. Thank you!

I put Wendy Carlos' "Sonic Seasonings" on today for my morning tea music, and for some reason I was particularly struck at how forward-thinking this particular record of hers is. It's emphatically a record, four distinct though interconnected sides, not narrative precisely but sequential.

You don’t recognize this highway You pass the outline of unfamiliar hills The radio has gone silent You’ve never heard of the cities on the sign You brought the wrong map The dashboard light flickers out Your watch has stopped Ice forms on the windshield

Playing now, one of my prize possessions. It's not exactly a rare record but I managed to get a copy that plays absolutely perfectly for a great price. It doesn't seem like this record gets talked about much, but it seems pretty clear that Miles and Gil Evans took direct inspiration from it.

Thank you, #VinylSanta!

I hadn't heard Daisy Rickman before this tune of hers, "Haven," came on an NTS Radio show I wasn't listening to. Before the tune had ended on the show, I'd found it on Bandcamp, quickly double-checked that it was as good as I thought, and bought the album. daisyrickman.bandcamp.com/track/haven

I found out about Jackie Paris a few years ago when I got a vinyl copy of Mingus' "Changes One" and "Changes Two" as a double-album, and for the first time I heard the incredible version of "Duke Ellington's Sound of Love" on "Changes Two," and read in the notes about Mingus' affection for Paris.

The next tune up on the Car Mix was Philip Glass' "Lady Day." A friend's older brother had "Glassworks" when I was in 7th grade and discovering interesting music, and I'd taped it. Later, when "Koyaanisqatsi" came out, I'd felt really hip for the first time when I recognized the composer.

I‘ll be here tomorrow: www.livingearth.la/gatherings/p...

I stopped in a thrift store for something else and against what I thought was my better judgement I looked at the used vinyl. Much to my surprise, it was my day.

The next tune that came up on the Car Mix was Kraftwerk's "Transistor," from "Radio-Activity." I was lucky I first got this on cassette as a kid, because when I later bought it on vinyl, Capitol Records, as I found was a bad habit at the time, had cut this track off the release.

I went to Deadly Wax in Granada Hills to pick up my Vinyl Santa gift and this was in the newly arrived section. I've long loved "Legrand Jazz" but didn't have a copy. This is one of those records that's both artistically compelling and completely entertaining at the same time.

Not part of the Car Mix, but on Tuesday, with a night off and nothing to do, I rolled the dice on the L.A. Philharmonic's Green Umbrella series performance that evening and was absolutely blown away. This is what I saw: www.laphil.com/events/perfo...

"The Hissing of Summer Lawns" came up next on the Car Mix. I was late to Joni's music, getting into her after I saw "The Last Waltz" in college, picking up "Hejira," which remains my favorite of her records. But this tune for whatever reason, and despite "Hejira"'s theme, feels right for driving.

Continuing my Car Mix, the next tune that came up was this, Gordon Lightfoot's "Carefree Highway." My dad had the album when I was a kid but years later when I actually looked into Lightfoot's work, I realized that I only had vague memories of "Sundown," and not the rest of the album.

This came today, or rather late yesterday. I'd heard of Pahinui from a friend's father in high school but didn't actually hear his music until about 10 years ago. Absolutely first rate, with that kind of loose but tight feeling real players have.

So the first one up on the Car Mix (on shuffle) could not be better for a drive: Earth, Wind and Fire's "September." This is one of those tunes that is simultaneously pure pop and pure art. Everything in it is perfect, but more than anything it's the response in me that is so wonderful.

I recently restarted using a streaming platform, Qobuz, which really does sound good and as far as I know pays more per stream to the rights holder than any other service. If I'm wrong, I'd want to know. I have a long list of companies I'll never patronize again, and S**tify is at or near the top.

Today, however, I'll talk about @campofwolves.bsky.social and particularly "Bear Creek," which I picked up and have been going back to again and again. Here's the link, worth your purchase: lunar-module.bandcamp.com/album/bear-c...

I notice that the @vinylsanta.bsky.social thing is happening and it's a great ritual. But it says that a participant should look at a person's feed to see their tastes and that means I need to put some things up here. Starting tomorrow I'll go through my Car Mix as it plays randomly, song by song.

Very good news: I have a new tape that is out as of now, called "Sketches," Shipping from either the UK or California: Shipping from the UK: prestoncapes1.bandcamp.com/album/pct-24... Shipping from California: bizarrestatue.bandcamp.com/album/sketches