Smile, Darn Ya Smile! - Happy John Walsh Day

Tonight, a group of us said goodbye to our dear friend, John Andrew Walsh, who passed away at the very start of the new year. John was not only the nicest, warmest and funniest person you would ever want to meet, but he also had a vast and eclectic taste in music to rival even some of the most ardent followers of arcane examples of recorded sound. He was also a big inspiration to many people. In fact, this blog exists because of the encouragement John gave me to start it.

After learning of his passing, I put together a playlist dedicated to John which I'd only circulated on Facebook. Each song is representative of John in some way and several of them contain a bit of humor that those who knew John will hopefully appreciate. I'm sharing it here now since at tonight's gathering it was clear to many of us that John Walsh Day is something that needs to happen annually. And one does not simply have an annual fete without music as part of the tradition.

The playlist starts with some classics, which I know deep down John would love, including this number by Billy Cotton, which could almost be John's theme song.



John once appeared on and won on an episode of the 80's talent program, Puttin' on the Hits, with this classic Perry Como number.



When John wrote the news ticker for G4TV this Rosemary Clooney song title made it's way into many headlines he would submit to me for approval and it always made sense whenever he used it.



John had a wonderful appreciation for the Eurovision Song Contest and all of its over the top spectacle, which would become an annual topic of discussion between us.



Walshie introduced me to the German pop group, Wir sind Helden, and this fantastically fun song.



John had an eclectic taste in music, which included genres mixing Eastern and Western sounds.



There were two subjects which John knew better than anybody: Shakespeare and ukulele music. #YesReally. So I was very excited to find this video by YouTuber Matt Daniels which combined these two things perfectly.



John was a foodie in the truest sense of the word. So many dishes by chef Weird Al to choose from.



I asked myself "What Would Walshie Do?" before including this one by Monty Python. He definitely would have said, "Yes!! Play it!"



More so than anyone I've ever known personally, John really did it his way. As he was someone known to throw the horns and who appreciated the work of a legend, this version seems most appropriate. Yes, that Christopher Lee.



There is no other song that could end a tribute to John Andrew Walsh better than this one. As he himself would have said: #PleaseToEnjoy



If you knew John at all, hopefully you will get a smile from this set of songs. Thanks for listening in.

Walshie, I hope you enjoyed it.


Photo credit: Latif Van Lowe. Taken at The Cat Club, Hollywood, 2009