I watched it for a little while

It's that time of year that I have to pick my Desert Island Disc choices

(In case you've never heard of the BBC show Desert Island Disc -  people are asked what music they would bring with them if they were stranded on an island for an indefinite period of time.

Here are the rules:

1.) You make choose 8 pieces of music and tell me why you chose them.
2.) You then get to choose one book to take with you (you automatically get to take  the Complete Works of Shakespeare and either the Bible or another appropriate religious or philosophical work.)
3.) You get to choose one luxury, which must be inanimate and of no use in escaping the island or allowing communication from outside. (You can cheat here - since you can listen to music, there is some form of electric, so you may have refrigeration for your luxury item.)


There is nothing profound or deep in my Desert Island Disc choices - they're just songs that I like (in no particular order)


Satellite of Love - Lou Reed



Once again this is one of those sneaky twofer.  I picked one of Lou's more upbeat songs and I get to hear Bowie in the background. I would remember hearing this for the first time in the middle of the night during the summer of 1978, on WNEW-FM, listening to Vin Scelsa.

Talk about your Proustian moment.


Slave to Love - Jimmy Scott



Jimmy has one of the most moving and emotional voices, I think, ever recorded.  Listening to him would remind me of any emotion I might have forgotten being alone on the island. You have to be stone cold sober to listen to Jimmy though or you'll be reduced to a puddle of tears.


Downtown Train - Tom Waits



Why wouldn't you want to listen to Tom Waits?  I don't think I trust anyone who doesn't like Tome Waits. (Watching this video makes me think - do kids still watch music videos?)


Autumn Leaves - Rickie Lee Jones 



I have no idea how to pick out just one song of hers.  And since I can't, I'll pick my favorite cover that she does (I seem to be listening to a lot of bar tunes this year.)


Home at Last - Steely Dan



Ah, the ever present Steely Dan cut.  I probably wouldn't need a Steely Dan song;  I could call them up at will in my mind.  But this is the perfect song to have with you while stuck on a desert island.


Where or When - Frank Sinatra



I can't have every Sinatra song, so I picked a mid maudlin one; this is about three martinis into the evening Sinatra (I can't judge where your mid-maudlin Sinatra is.)


The Hula Hula Boys - Warren Zevon



I had to have a Warren Zevon and I figured I go with one of the 'funny' ones. Also it's about being on an island (although not a particularly good vacation.)


Gymnopédie No.1 - Erik Satie



Even on a desert island, there's going to be stressful days - Satie was made for de-stressing.


The book I'd take with me would be Sister Wendy's 1000 Masterpieces (hard cover)

I'd never miss television with this book. This year, the luxury item would be a refrigerator full of Bombay Sapphire (and maybe, tub of kalamata olivies.)

so that's eight songs (and that's all you're allowed.) I didn't get a chance to pick any Annie Lennox, Fleetwood Mac, Elvis Costello or Nina Simone this year - I'll have to play them in my head.


I'll try to get marooned again next year for my birthday, to have another go at it.


And so it goes.