Jack Johnson

I am so old that the coolest I can be now in the music world is what they call "retro."

I did not want my retro-ness to stand in the way of www.donmcintyre.com being useful to *all* of its visitors, so I went to my two personal experts on the current state of popular music, who also happen to be my sons, and I said, "If you could recommend one musical performer to the world, who would it be?"

They both gave me the same answer: Jack Johnson. So I listened for myself.

My first reaction, you understand, was hostile rage. I mean, all through the seventies, as I hitchhiked all over the United States, writing songs and singing songs, and doing all kinds of things to get myself in front of music publishers and agents and the like, I kept hearing the same thing over and over again:

"You are talented and you write good material. But you're just one guy with a guitar - shheeesh! This isn't the sixties, for crying outloud. You need a *band* - drums, bass, keyboard, maybe even some violins and horns. Go put all that together and make a demo. Then we'll talk."

Now, 30 years later, as I make my "retro" music CD's (!), this Jack Johnson dude comes around with his one guitar and sells his stuff to my own kids - who, by the way, I supported by working in a cubicle, for the most part.

But, okay, Jack Johnson really is good. And I'm too old to appeal to his audience. Maybe if I live long enough, someday 70 year old retro guys will be in. But with my luck, they'll have to play the tuba.

In the meantime, go back to www.donmcintyre.com and buy one of Jack's releases.