2020

We had a lot of fun last year, didn't we? The Monthly Recap feature was an intriguing look into listening habits and trends, the Decade End list got a ton of interaction, and of course crowning a new champion was as thrilling as usual, even though the #1 was a runaway by a mile. 

Here's the thing. Life keeps happening, right? I started doing J1 because my friend Pete was doing a smattering of yearly lists, much deeper than the ones that I have done. But even he unofficially called it a day back in 2016, leaving us with one last post to reminisce about. But we're in our 30s now, married with families to think about. I've had 11 Countdowns that I can look back on with pride, joy, and in some cases embarrassment (I'm looking at you, The Limousines).

Writing for Music in Motion has been an absolute joy. Being able to connect with musicians, enjoy great music, and go to shows is something that has always been a huge passion of mine, and it thrills me every day to know that I can do it wearing that badge. On the other hand, it does take up a decent amount of my time, as does full-time employment. For the last few years, I've woken up many days and asked myself - is it still worth my time to do J1? 

It's essentially a nostalgia project these days, which is why I've given myself new tasks to keep the flow going. The intriguing thing about MiM is sometimes we'll go a week or two without much to do, and then all of a sudden there'll be 3 CDs to review and an entire weekend full of shows. It just kind of ebbs and flows like that. I don't need J1 to fill that time... the question I keep asking myself is, do I need it at all?

There is always a thrill in charting the songs I love the most. I always talk to people about the auto-biographical way I think about life an music - how songs and albums take me back to specific instances in my life. Knowing that those things specifically happened in certain years (like hearing Check My Brain by Alice in Chains the first time and pulling off the road to bask in its awesomeness) gives me comfort. Maybe one day I'll lose my mind, but I hope that those musical memories never fade.

Anyways, the entire world is going bananas right now about the Coronavirus and I am currently unemployed. I've had a lot of time on my hands, and I've listened to a TON of music, but I haven't really thought about finding new music or continuing J1. I guess I'm just at a mental impasse right now. I kind of started writing this trying to figure out whether I would talk myself out of it or actually put this thing to rest. I'm still essentially at the same spot... but at least I got the words out of me.


Stay tuned, I guess? I wouldn't leave without saying goodbye... even though I do this essentially for myself. Finality is a necessity in life.