Exile in Dunganville

• I am crazy about the new vanilla frosty at Wendy's. What's strange about that is that up to this point I have never really cared much for the "original" frosty much, nor have I had a strong craving for milkshakes. I'm hoping it's just a phase.

• I used to pride myself on the fact that I was a chips guy. If I had to choose between chips or a cookie, I used to go for the chips. Salt was king, and sweets always took a backseat. Over the last year I think I have switched to the other team. I have turned into the John Kerry of junk food.

• Speaking of junk food - my brother's friend "Elijah", had a strong craving for a cinnamon bun from CinnaBon on Saturday. I thought that was strange. CinnaBon hasn't crossed my mind in at all in the last twenty-some years. Are they really worth craving? (Don't tell Wendy).

So after posting WXPN's listening generated Top 885 Artists of All Time list, I thought to myself - who would I choose? Not knowing what criteria they used to determine the list really doesn't matter that much. After all, this is my list right?

I guess I could grade them on their overall body of work, or the impact their music had on me in my short 30 years on the planet. I could also look at prior favorites and see if they still make me feel the same way I once did about them.

There is pivotal music in our lives. But maybe it meant more at that time then it means today. I can love a group, for example like REM for a period of time, but do I still feel strongly about them today? In the case of REM - that would be a no. I like them and I have several albums of theirs. But in the overall picture - do they warrant being in the DunganNation Top Five?

So after 24 hours of long and hard thinking - I have come up with my list:

My Top Five Artists of All Time:

1. U2
2. Johnny Cash
3. Ben Folds
4. Bob Dylan
5. The Jayhawks
   

If you could rank your Top 885 musical artists of all time, who would you choose? Sounds like a pretty daunting task doesn't it? Well, Americans love countdowns, and WXPN-FM 88.5 (Philadelphia, PA) was at it again doing their annual Top 885 Countdown recently. This year it was all about a body of work - no one hit wonders allowed!

1. The Beatles
2. Bob Dylan
3. Rolling Stones
4. Bruce Springsteen
5. U2
6. Led Zeppelin
7. Grateful Dead
8. Neil Young
9. Pink Floyd
10. Joni Mitchell

The following column will appear in the November 2006 edition of Gaston Alive:

Michael Reno Harrell is a storyteller first, and perhaps a musician second. Both skills are great by themselves, but when Michael melds them together, he offers a snapshot of life into each and every one of his songs.

Michael says he drives for living, and rewards himself by making music. Our reward is the stories and images he takes with him along the way.

A Tennessean by birth, and now a North Carolinian by choice, Michael takes up residence in Burke County, NC. However, some would say his true residence is in his car traveling all around playing his music for people he meets along the way.

Enter his brand new release Drive (Dancing Bear Records), Michael reminds us that this thing we call life is a journey, and if you don't stop and look around once in a while, you'll miss the best parts. Maybe that's what Michael does for us. His music forces us to stop and appreciate this ride we call life.

Michael tells us that songs are everywhere. They are found on cold East Tennessee mornings, in old trucks, in dreams, and lastly - blowin' in the wind. In a world where everyone's patience is at an all-time low, and busyness pervades our lives, Michael just so happens to be the medicine we need to help us stop and reflect upon the journey of life.

Michael's medicine doesn't require an extensive health insurance plan or tons of money in your bank account. All it requires is that you enjoy great stories and music and the willingness to stop to appreciate "the drive".

I like music and movies. I have never been patient enough to read books.

Sure I have read a whole book all the way through before, but more at the rate of one every two years. It usually coincides with some traveling. For example - my 20-hour flight to Australia.

However, I met a guy the other night at a bar that told me he "devoured" books. You can imagine how unworldly I felt.

The funny thing is that I think of myself as an all-around intelligent guy. Sure, I don't devour books, nor do I check out the New York Times best seller list on a weekly basis. However, I have been to a library before. And I even watch Book TV on CSPAN 2 sometimes.

I respect what books have to offer. I think I may lack the patience and commitment to finish a book.

I was once loaned a book by an older guy named Carl. Now let it be known that I did not ask Carl to borrow it, nor did I want to read his book. However, at the time it was easier to smile and accept the book then it was to tell Carl that I had no desire to read it.

Each month, Carl would check up on me to see how my reading was progressing. I'd dance around the question each month, saying I just hadn't had the time.

Not having enough time was not a good enough reason for Carl. He believed that if you wanted to read something - you would make the time for it. He then proceeded to enlighten me on how to read a book.

It was simple advice I suppose. Carl told me to read 10 pages per day. If the book had 300 pages, then it should take 30 days.

When I heard this advice, I really wanted to tell Carl - "I never wanted to read your damn book in the first place!" Instead, I took the easy way out again and just nodded my head pretending to agree that this was the best advice I had ever received and that I should be kicking myself for not thinking of it first.

What's the point? Well, maybe that my generation is not known for its book reading ability. We have the patience to complete every level on Super Mario Brothers, but we can't sit down and read a book all the way through.

Maybe I need more patience. Maybe I should have been more blunt with Carl. Then again, maybe I should have been born in an earlier generation.

What I should have done was challenge Carl to a game to Super Mario Brothers - loser has to read a book. And that's not all. It has to be a book of the winner's choice!