Her Name is Rio...

To celebrate my upcoming 57th birthday, I am going to make a list of 57 things I want to do while I’m 57.  

More on the list later. For now, I will note that one of the 57 items will be to read one book in the 33 1/3 series per month while I am 57.

33 1/3 is a series of short books, each about a record album. I once submitted a proposal to write a 33 1/3book (on K-tel’s 1974 compilation, Dynamite!) and maybe I will again some time.

For now though, I’ll be reading. First up: Annie Zaleski’s book on Duran Duran’s Rio, which just celebrated its 40th anniversary. I am halfway through the book, and I can tell you that it’s an insightful and entertaining look at the creative process behind Rio and the influence that it’s had.

I like Duran Duran and was even present for their Live Aid performance, which became n-n-n-notorious for a crack in Simon LeBon’s voice. I do not remember that exact moment, but I still marvel at how the crowd, which had been worshipping Led Zeppelin just a bit earlier, was subsequently going crazy for Duran Duran. That transition from a Zep crowd to a DD crowd is among one of my favorite Live Aid memories.

~217~