Until now, I've never been to Coachella, and this has almost become a badge of honor for me: can't deal with big crowds, overpriced water, or sloppy people on ecstacy. Having said that, this year's line-up is dangerously enticing. There are so many good acts making their big desert debuts. Among these, popalicious Mika stands out. His single "Grace Kelly" is No. 1 in the UK right now. A Lebanese British songster and pianoman born in 1983, he sorta makes you blush a little -- even when he isn't wearing ambulance-red hotpants. It's that star-bright Bee Gee falsetto, I think:
Others on my Coachella wish-list: LCD Soundsystem, !!!, Rodrigo y Gabriela, The Roots, Grizzly Bear, Lupe Fiasco, CSS, El-P, Busdriver, Hot Chip, Erol Alkon, The Rapture, Jose Gonzalez, Manu Chao, Bjork, DJ Shadow, and ... Pharoahe Monch? He's back?! So I'm online looking for an old video, and, how about that?, I find one where the featured "video girl" is actually Maritza Murray, a classmate since the sixth grade and one of my tightest homegirls. The only suitable conclusion from all this is ... I love everything: