MUSIC TO ENTERTAIN BY

Ah, what a golden opportunity it is to have friends over to your place -- where YOU get to be the DJ and, if you're really lucky, introduce a captive audience to some music they don't hear on the radio.

I don't get to have friends over to my apartment much, mainly because most of my established friends live about 7,000 miles away and the jerks just aren't willing to make the drive. But since I work the night shift, it's hard to get together much even with the few friends I have here in Tokyo. But today -- Memorial Day -- I had the day off, and so did the hubby, so we had some co-workers/neighbors over for dinner and hanging out.

The dinner was mainly grilling some steaks, so no extensive preparations needed there. I was free to focus on the bigger question: What will I load up the 5 CD changer with? These friends aren't much into music of any kind, but, well, what CDs they do have are, well. Um. They're nice people, these friends. They just need enlightening. So I set out to picking the evening's first round of CDs. I decided to go "easy" -- yes, I think BR5-49 is a kickin' band for any party, but it's maybe a little strong for the uninitiated -- and maybe a little much for a sit-down and chill type gathering. So I decided on a sneaky, gateway-Americana route. "Garden State" soundtrack, Jack Johnson, Ryan Adams. Mellow, mostly unobtrusive, but pervasively good.

I don't know if it's a good sign or a bad sign, but the music never really came up in conversation the whole night. I like to think I planted a seed, that maybe tomorrow my friends will ask "Hey, what was that awesome CD playing, anyway?" But it also occurs to me that to some people, background music is just ... background. Sigh. I shake my head. But I rest easy, knowing I did what I can. No one likes music forced on them (yeah, I'm talking to YOU -- "that guy" whom everyone knows who comes over to your house and takes over your CD player and puts on his music, which always sucks. Man, I hate "that guy."), so I figure by putting it out there, like tempting chocolates on a sample tray in a store, I'm hinting at but not forcing the good things that can come.

However, now that the guests are gone and only the cleaning up remains, BR5-49 is definitely hitting the CD player ...