2019 Top 5 Lists

John Lydon once sang "anger is an energy."  In America it seems like anger is an industry these days and business is booming!  This year we should all take a tip from Otis Redding and "Try A Little Tenderness."  I'm happy to report that life here in Sonoma for The Loves is good.  The kids are living (together!?!) in Fairfield while Jaime and I are both working from home.  We just finished a record-breaking run of A Christmas Story, The Musical where I had the honor of playing The Old Man, which was awesome!  My radio show on 91.3 KSVY ALL KINDSA GIRLS celebrated 10 years of Power Pop and is still going strong.  In these polarizing times I'm especially thankful for the movies, TV shows, plays/musicals, records and books I saw, listened to and read.  In a tradition that dates back to 1999, I humbly submit my 2019 Top 5's:

TOP 5 MOVIES
The Last Black Man In San Francisco (Jimmie Fails? I think not)
Fighting With My Family (Florence Pugh owned 2019!)
Booksmart (WWBFFD)
Rocketman (party time in the Tower of Babel)
Parasite (how we are now)

TOP 5 STREAMING MOVIES/DVDs
A Vigilante (righteous fury)
Columbus (dancing about architecture)
Capernaum (suffer the children)
The Hate U Give (Starr story)
Support The Girls (we all need a Lisa)

TOP 5 ALBUMS
Nervous Eaters- Record 10 (Boston Rock still rules!)
Pernice Brothers- Spread The Feeling (Power Pop perfection)
Sidewalk Driver- For All The Boys and Girls (Boston Glam Kings!)
Redd Kross- Beyond The Door (McDonald bros still rockin')
Giuda- Racey Roller (Roman stompers)

TOP 5 BOOKS
Clothes, Clothes, Clothes. Boys, Boys, Boys. Music, Music, Music.- Viv Albertine (not in that order)
There There- Tommy Orange (the crushing weight of history)
Super Sad True Love Story- Gary Shteyngart (Deny and Imply)
Cherry- Nico Walker (how we got here)
Moonglow- Michael Chabon  (rocket ride)

TOP 5 TV SHOWS
Lodge 49 (unlike any show I've ever seen)
Fleabag / Undone (listen to the woman)
Unbelievable (Dever + Wever + Collete= incredible)
Fosse/Verdon (as artists- genius; as people- meh)
Watchmen (you can't heal under a mask)

TOP 5 THEATRICAL PERFORMANCES
The Who and The What Marin Theater Company 3/6/19
Spring Awakening Marin Musical Theater Company 3/8/19
Rapture, Blister, Burn Lucky Penny Theater Company 5/9/19 
Once 42nd Street Moon 6/19/19
Eureka Day Spreckels Theater Company 8/30/19 

(I did not consider our Sonoma Arts Live shows though one or two easily could have made the list.)
 
Several of the selections above did not come out in the past 12 months but that's when I got around to them.  Please send your own best of 2019 lists- I've a feeling during this election year I'm going to need the distraction/immersion of quality viewing/listening/reading material more than ever.  And your selections might even end up on next year's list!  Wishing you all the best in 2020!