Luscious Jackson “Citysong”

Hitting Random on the iTunes list . . .

Every once and a while, a journalist or DJ from another part of the country, or another part of the world, will drop in on the radio station. They’re on Martha’s Vineyard, on vacation, and are interested in interviewing one of us about Local Radio/American radio, and about Martha’s Vineyard.

Of course, the Vineyard has a reputation for being a place where celebrities visit, vacation and/or live, so the questions inevitably turn to “Who have you met?”

Of course, they expect to hear BIG names (Oprah!?), or even Big Names (Meg Ryan?!).

In my decade out-and-about on Martha’s Vineyard, I’ve met or at least passed on the street, familiar folks like Ted Danson and Mary Steenbergen, Mike Wallace and Walter Cronkite, Spike Lee and Larry David.

But not every famous person that comes to the Island is a household name, and I’ve had more than a few “Hey I know that guy” moments as well, bumping into Paul Benedict (Mr. Bentley on “The Jeffersons”), Jere Burns (Kirk from “Dear John”), CC Pounder (“The Shield”) and loads of others.

A few years back, on a quiet, sunny, shoulder-season day, I was walking to the bookstore on Main Street in Vineyard Haven, when I passed this couple, walking in the opposite direction, pushing a baby stroller.

I locked eyes with the woman for a moment, and I had this flash of recognition. Did I go to High School with you or something? And she glanced back, with a look that seemed to indicate that she didn’t necessarily know me, but she knew she’d been recognized.

I got about 30 steps past them, and “Citysong” popped into my head.

I don’t know for sure that the woman was Jill Cunniff of Luscious Jackson. I didn’t go back to ask---that’s an MV faux pas. But the “City” that I think about when I hear this song, isn’t New York any more.



See an interview with the band, and the music video for ”Citysong”, plus if you didn't recognized the actors mentioned above, see them too!

Buy the album, ”Natural Ingredients”