My attempt to extort free music from my friends in order to maintain my sanity while driving west is going pretty well, and while it’s still too early to declare a clear winner in any category (volume, theme, CD cover design), there are already some obvious favorites on the list. Once again, I’m reminded that the High Fidelity argument reigns supreme:

“…what really matters is what you like, not what you are like… Books, records, films — these things matter. Call me shallow but it’s the fuckin’ truth, and by this measure I was having one of the best dates of my life.”

Because the two are so inextricably linked, and time after time, I’m shown that preferences denote character. I invited a ton of people into the road trip CD project, and while I adore each and every person who chose to participate, there were a handful of people who I really wanted to be involved, because I was genuinely excited to hear what they had to share. Two of those people were The Friends Chris.

Chris B. is a DJ and Perpetual Coolest Motherfucker in the Room. I worked with him when I started at A-B years ago, and it was when he let me in on an inside joke (Tipsy the Party Ghost, YEAHHHH) that I felt like I belonged there. Back in the days when Brennan, Fiala, Kupinski and I were younger and drunker, we’d occasionally stumble into Delmar Lounge, and Chris B. (aka DJ C-Beond) would stop whatever he was doing to play whatever we asked, which was always some dorky white kid music but he didn’t care because he had such a tremendous enthusiasm for stuff to listen to. When Chris B. replied to the road trip CD project with a huge file of obscure stuff, including some 30+ minute Turkish funk podcast, I replied with “shit just got real.” I mean, come on.

Chris D. is a certified music nerd and tech wizard whose tastes run concurrent with my own. Not only did he create three custom mixes (Rockin’, Alt, and Mellow) for me, but he also granted me access to an enormous online cache, and I feel only slightly greedy after spending the past hour and a half downloading albums that I either wanted and didn’t have or had and lost when my old hard drive crashed. I’m not even done downloading but had to stop to write this as a thank you; I am so genuinely grateful and thrilled to know people this generous.

I’ll eventually get around to thanking everyone who contributed, both with “Best Of” and personal mixes, as well as with mentions here. You guys are seriously the best.

Tonight: the Departure Party! Shuffleboard! Skee ball! Washers! Cheap beer! People who show up late because everyone in the fucking world is getting married today, apparently!