Dealing With The Unknown - Quarantine Music For The Masses!

Man, Hi. It's been a while. Quarantine doesn't offer the most opportunities to write fascinating stories all the time, as there just isn't that much to do. Most of us have been locked down, doing our own projects and things that aren't all that interesting to read about ... or are they? I think the biggest thing we're all dealing with is fear of the unknown ... and what is going to happen next? Well, my awesome brother, Paul, just put all of those thoughts and feelings into a brand new album he cranked out while shut inside in Los Angeles. His band, The Weight of Everything has released its second album of the month (that was recorded and !), and Dealing With The Unknown is now available everywhere.

I know I'm biased, but this piece of work is among Paul's best. I think the song "Quaranteens" should be THE anthem for the Class of 2020 ... give it a listen HERE:

Apple music:

https://music.apple.com/us/album/dealing-with-the-unknown/1511687677

Spotify: 

Dealing With the Unknown https://open.spotify.com/album/5AgNSiJQYqid7SwyRpKuOw

Really good, right? There is a lot of reflection in there, as Paul says he was thinking about a lot while in lockdown. Themes like being this all being a rare opportunity for creativity, mortality, future generations, spending constant time with your partner, and sticking it to The Man are in there, and there's even a track about a Norwegian doppelgänger on there!

The songs range from pretty hard rock to simply pretty, as in my other favorite track, "Lockdown". I'm telling you music supervisors out there - this is some cinematic stuff, and would be perfect for all of the quarantine shows and movies that you know are coming. Paul has been here in Minneapolis with us for the last few weeks, helping out and working SO hard on things around my Mom's house, he's a real life hero, for real. Then he just found out his work van was stolen from his house while he's been here by some selfish jerks that maybe didn't realize that van provides his livelihood - which has already been suffering due to the lack of work because of this awful virus. All of that being said to say this - my brother could really use your support, and it would be really extra vitally cool of you to go buy a song or the whole album. You'll really like it, plus you'll be helping out a really good guy.

THANK YOU! And turn it up loud for Cinco de Mayo! Olé!!!

An Evening With Ben Harper & Charlie Musselwhite At The Grammy Museum

The second collaboration between Ben Harper and Charlie Musselwhite (after their Grammy winning debut, Get Up!), is out today, and there was a performance and conversation Wednesday evening with the two bluesmen at The Grammy Museum to celebrate their brand new album,  No Mercy In This Land.

It was the eve of the new John Lee Hooker Centennial exhibit opening at The Grammy Museum, which was fitting, as Hooker was the one who introduced Harper to Musselwhite, and a good portion of the interview was spent discussing the legendary Mr. Hooker. I was fortunate enough to be seated next to Hooker's daughter, Zakiya ("Z"), who told me that she would be performing herself the following night at the opening. Grammy Museum Executive Director, Scott Goldman, hosted and moderated the event, and introduced Harper and Musselwhite, who came out to a warm reception, and in turn introduced their backing band - Jason Mozersky on guitar, Jesse Ingalls on bass, and Jimmy Paxson on drums. Harper explained that "The way we made this album was the same as in a circle like this, just in a different room," and they dug right into the opening and title track, "No Mercy In This Land." It's a swampy, traditional blues number that finds Harper and Musselwhite sharing vocal verses and trading licks on their guitar and harmonica respectively. The intimate audience loved it, and Musselwhite cracked, "Don't forget that we have a million dollar dance floor down here!", indicating the tiny space in front of the stage, but found no takers.

"I Found The One" was more fun, an upbeat one with old school rock and roll riffs (derived straight from the blues) and rim shot drums, on which Musselwhite's harp really shone. He is THE master of harmonica, and after its tight ending, the room erupted in applause. The next one found Harper sitting down with his trademark Weissenborn, which garnered its own applause just for being taken out (Grammy Museum events in the Clive Davis Theater tend to bring out the real music aficionados). "I know better than to not check in with my Captain before lift-off," cracked Harper to explain the tune discussion that happened before they got down with "The Bottle Wins Again". This one is a real toe-tapper, for real. I looked around at my immediate area, and every single foot I could see was tapping away - mine included. "Broken hearts and broken dreams, turns out they weigh the same" is an example of the blues Harper must have had while writing this one, and his lap steel wailed away right into another tight ending. It's great stuff. They're not really breaking any new blues ground, but they are certainly shoring up the blues foundation, making sure it lasts beyond their generations.

"Nothing At All" found Harper at the piano, and it was my favorite tune of the evening. A slow, dramatic number full of the minor notes that are a weakness of mine. It featured a subtle and sensuous harmonica solo from Musselwhite, and this one was the standout for me. Sure, because it's beautiful, but mainly because it sounds different than the typical 1/4/5 chord changes that traditional blues is known for.

When the clapping died down, it was time for the interview portion of the evening. Goldman brought up the fact that the Hooker exhibition was opening the next night, and that Musselwhite heard Harper opening up for Hooker in 1993, and said of that night, "I heard the blues in Ben's guitar playing, and that got my attention. We met good." Harper said of Hooker, "What comes to mind about his music was the deepest ease. And his grace - he gave me an opening gig before my first album had even come out." Musselwhite added, "I learned from John Lee that you get your money up front!" - to much laughter. Musselwhite is a pretty funny cat, cracking up the audience the whole time.

The obvious good friends talked of how their music deepened by being on the road together to promote Get Up!, and how their shared collective musical information made this new album even more possible - and necessary. "Charlie makes me exceed myself. He pushes me to go places I could not go myself," explained Harper, with tangible admiration for his friend and mentor. He added, "Charlie's harmonica steeps the music deep into the ground AND gives it flight. We're not re-inventing the blues, we're re-invigorating the blues. The blues has to shape-shift to stay vital."

Musselwhite returned the admiration, saying, "This relationship works because we're kindred souls, searchers, and lifelong learners seeking the heart of things." - and the music shows this off, absolutely. Harper's mother, Ellen Chase-Verdries, was in the audience, and Harper shared stories about the making of their own collaboration, Childhood Home, and about how he used to trash her records by playing them to death. He finally got his own turntable and records "The little white Radio Shack one, remember, Mom?", and soon was listening to Hendrix ("Probably because we had matching afros, I had no business liking Jimi at 8 years old!) and The Who. He shared an anecdote about his mother coming home from work one day to find that a very young Ben had decorated his white bedroom walls - in Sharpie - with an entire The Who concert drawing covering three walls. She just shook her head and walked out. Kids.

Musselwhite was also an avid record collector of every genre imaginable ("Flamenco is some bluesy stuff!"). He joked that "'My baby left me' is a worldwide phenomenon - or 'She came back and it was worse'." Everyone laughed at that one. Haha. Harper added that he will say to Musselwhite something like "Have you heard the Furry Lewis song 'Turn My Money Green'?" and Musselwhite would answer, "Oh, I KNEW Furry Lewis." As a nod to his own wide appeal, Harper humble-boasted, "I promise you, I'm the only human being that has opened for Pearl Jam AND John Lee Hooker." He's probably right.

The majority of No Mercy In This Land was recorded live, and Harper explained that after being asked "When are you going to work with Charlie again?" in every language around the world, this record had to happen, and "I want to work with Charlie as much as I can from here forward." Watching them play together - and crack each other up constantly - you can see why. Goldman asked, "Is there more to come?" to which Musselwhite drolly replied, "Well, this one isn't even out yet ...", earning more laughter (but it IS out now!). Harper spoke to how he comes up with songs, mocking himself by saying "I'm just channeling - shut the fuck up - don't act like you know songwriting ... but silence doesn't make a good interview." After a decades-long and successful career, I think it could be time for him to hang up the faux-humility, as you probably DO know songwriting if, as he said, he's opened for both Pearl Jam and Hooker. Just saying.

When Goldman asked Musselwhite why he chose the harmonica, he answered, "It's the only instrument that you can't see what you're doing. It has a voice-like quality, and I feel like I'm singing without words, breathing the music." He talked about hanging out in Chicago ("Coming from Memphis, I already knew how to drink!") and watching Muddy Waters. A waitress (whom he may or may not have had a thing with) told Waters to check him out, and from then on he would be asked to sit in with "Mud" whenever he was in the audience, "And that was my ticket out of the factory!" Goldman followed up by asking, "What makes a deep player?" to which Musselwhite retorted, "That's a question that if you have to ask it, you probably won't get it." Burn. He quickly added, "Deep blues has the most feeling. It comforts you." After being kind of dissed, Goldman turned to the audience to see if anyone had better questions. One lady asked Musselwhite if he was familiar with Turkish blues - and of course, he was. Zakiya Hooker stood up and greeted her Dad's old friend, Charlie, and invited them to the Hoooker exhibition, and the respect given her from both was clear. As I was next to her, I raised my hand and asked that since they both have talked a lot about who inspired them and gave them their shots, was there an up and coming musician that they would like to inspire or give a shot to? Harper replied, "I paid mine forward permanently with Jack Johnson.", revealing uncharacteristic maybe jealousy and for sure selfishness (alluding to the fact that he initially gave Johnson a boost, and has been surpassed by Johnson in both sales and fame). I was rather taken aback, as Harper is usually known for his activism and helpfulness, but maybe that was a younger Harper's unjaded idealism. Regardless, he is where he is in a great place today, affirming that and concluding by saying that "My Grammys are cherished like nothing else."

The duo returned to their instruments for an unaccompanied version of "Trust You To Dig My Grave", where just when you think it's about the trust that these two clearly have for each other, Harper sings about "Don't want to be your first lover, I want to be your last", implying a different kind of relationship being sung about. Whoever it's about, it's good, and the friends and musical partners gave each other a big thumbs up at its conclusion. I give No Mercy In This Land a big thumbs up, and this insightful evening of music and conversation at The Grammy Museum gets BOTH thumbs way up. Any chance you get to attend ANY program at The Grammy Museum should be taken, as you always come away from it feeling more knowledgeable, and grateful that music programs such as theirs continue to exist in this crazy world. Perhaps there maybe IS a little mercy in this land after all.

Thank you to the wonderful Grammy Museum for all that they do, and to Ben Harper and Charlie Musselwhite for giving us the blues - in a good way.

*Photos courtesy of Alison Buck/Wireimage.com for The Grammy Museum

Paul Simon: Words & Music At The Skirball Center

Paul Simon: Words & Music, the wonderful new exhibit at the Skirball Cultural Center opens to the public tomorrow, and it's something else. This traveling show from the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is making its only West Coast stop at the Skirball Center - and lucky for us. If you love Paul Simon - and I do - this is truly an exhibition that you must not miss.

The show takes you into Simon's life through his creative process, from his birth on October 13, 1941 in New Jersey, all the way up to right now (Simon performed at the gala opening last night at The Skirball). This is a comprehensive study of one of our most beloved American treasures.

                                                                    Courtesy of The Skirball/1943 Paul Simon Collection

Skirball Museum Director, Robert Kirshner gave the opening remarks, and told us that many of the Simon artifacts have never been seen before, because the Rock Hall simply didn't have the room. Again, lucky for us. Kirshner spoke to how The Skirball strives to build community through bridging cultures with musical collaborations, and who better to showcase than Simon? His music is "an exercise in musical democracy," as Kirshner put it, and has always reached across societal lines to include everyone. Think about it. Everyone from Grandmas to babies loves some Paul Simon. It's impossible not to, as each and every song is so beautifully crafted and gloriously written. The soundtrack to our American lives since the 60's, really.

I was invited to the press preview, and it was great because the group tour through the galleries was led by both Skirball curators, and one of my favorite music writers, Robert Hilburn (former LA Times music critic, now writing the official biography of Paul Simon). It was great to hear about it all from Hilburn, as he's both super knowledgeable about the man, but also very enthusiastic ... touchingly so. He told us how when Simon was a kid, he was never even into music (his Dad was a musician), as he was totally obsessed with baseball. Hearing "Gee" by The Crows as a young boy changed all that, and he asked his Dad for a guitar on his 13th birthday. The rest is American History.

                                                                                    Courtesy of The Skirball/Paul Simon Collection

Simon met Art Garfunkel in elementary school, and they soon began to write songs together. There is a sweet letter on display from Simon to Garfunkel at summer camp, talking about songs he'd written (and telling him to greet all the good looking girls for him). Back from camp, they began to play their songs out, and were known as the duo "Tom and Jerry".

                                       Courtesy of The Skirball/Photo by Don Hunstein 1964/Paul Simon Collection

After a bit of success in the pop world, the duo decided in the early 1960s that they really liked folk music - and had something to say. One executive told them that they should be confident and proud with what they were saying, and to say it in their own names. Simon's response was "Who wants to hear the truth from two Jewish boys from Queens?" The answer was everyone, because their "The Sound Of Silence" blew them into the stratosphere ... which is funny, because they didn't even like the original version that was fully re-mixed in London with other musicians. The musicians decided the success should be credited to their rightful names, and they were now known as Simon and Garfunkel.

                                            Courtesy of The Skirball/Photo by Don Hunstein, 1967/Sony Music

Simon and Garfunkel had massive success, as we all know, but it only lasted until 1968, when they broke up due to well-documented personal differences. This would not deter Simon in the least, as he went on in the early 1970s to have his first two solo albums surpass even Simon and Garfunkel's best. There are many photos, documents, posters, videos, memorabilia, lyrics, and instruments to support all of this history, and they all give an incredible insight into who this Simon guy really was and is. For instance, did you know that the song "Mother And Child Reunion" is about a chicken and egg dish at a Chinese restaurant? It is.

                                                                   Courtesy of The Skirball/1971 Paul Simon Collection

Simon kept an impressive personal archive, and his hand written lyric sheets are all there. There is an in-flight magazine from United Airlines featured that shows how Simon wrote the lyrics to "The Boxer" all over its margins during his flight. Awesome.

                                                                            Courtesy of The Skirball/1968 Paul Simon Collection

In the 80s, Simon experienced a slump, having split up with Carrie Fisher (RIP) and had two of his albums in a row completely flop. Around this time, Simon became very interested in World Music, especially that coming out of South Africa. Every executive told him not to experiment with that, that it would never sell. Simon pretty much shrugged and said he wasn't selling anyway, so he was going to do what he felt passionate about. That resulted in his best-selling record ever, the Grammy Album of the Year in 1987, the crucial, must-have Graceland. So THERE!

                                               Courtesy of The Skirball/Photo by Luise Gubb 1987/Paul Simon Archive

There are decades of Simon albums, and he has won Best Album in three different decades. Simon is a proven classic, and fully permeates our popular culture. There is a living room set up in the exhibit to show what it would be like to sit and watch Simon on Saturday Night Live in the 1970s - as Simon is a member of the SNL 5-Timer Club, with that member's jacket on display. This might be because Simon is best friends with SNL creator, Lorne Michaels. After 9/11, Michaels had to decide what to do for their first show after the horrors, and he chose Simon to open the show by singing "The Boxer". I remember it. I felt the same lump in my throat today, but like then, Simon made it better.

Simon makes many things better, as he is also a noted philanthropist, but as Kirshner said, the most respected Jewish people are the ones that are philanthropic without boasting about it, which Simon never has. He's just invested in the world around him, from "We Are The World" to founding The Children's Health Fund. In a word, he's a mensch.

                                 Courtesy of The Skirball/Photo by Lynne Goldsmith, 2000/Paul Simon Collection

One of the coolest parts of the Simon exhibition is the Music Lab, brought to you by the Roland Corporation. One gallery has been set aside for an interactive musical extravaganza, that allows the viewer/listener to try their own hand at experiencing Simon's creativity. There are multi-tracks that allow you to isolate the separate musical parts of classic Simon songs, "like the ingredients of a cake that are separated out," according to the Roland rep. There was a harmonizer machine that let you put on headphones, sing "Kodachrome" into the microphone, push a harmony button, and suddenly you're harmonizing with yourself in four parts with Paul Simon. Pretty rad.

You can bang along on drum machines, isolate instruments and swap them out on sample boxes, or try out a "Chromelodeon", a keyboard invented by Harry Partch to include 43 other extra tones, rather than the 12 on a regular keyboard. That was very cool, and very open-minded of Simon, who has always loved to experiment, always kept writing, and always stayed passionate about his music. I'd never even heard of that Partch thing, and now I just want to play on it all day. Simon is interviewed in several listening stations around the exhibition, and you could spend all day learning about his craft ... basically because he seems pretty down to earth, like he'd be fun to hang out with. And you'd definitely learn a lot.

                                     Courtesy of The Skirball/Photo by Nick Elgar, 1991/Paul Simon Collection 

We did indeed learn a lot today, and what a wonderful glimpse The Skirball and The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame have put together for the public into the life of one of our most prolific and well-loved American musicians. I've been humming Simon songs non-stop since I left, and guarantee that you will be too when you leave this excellent portrait of a musical legacy given to us by Paul Simon.

Thank you to one and all involved.

Paul Simon: Words & Music is on display April 27, 2017 - September 3, 2017.

Chesne & Ellis - They Don't Make 'Make 'm Like They Used To

There's a brand new oldie out now from Venice locals, Paul Chesne and Matt Ellis. "They Don't Make 'Em Like They Used To" is the new video and single, shot and recorded in Venice. In a garage. Just like they used to ...

The friends had such a good time making the video, they figured it deserved a proper launch, and that went down last week at The Cinema Bar.

We tore it up on a weeknight - like we used to - and counted our lucky stars that we get friends, songs, and nights like these, to remind us of the good old days that we're living right now. 

High Holidays Wth Matisyahu

The streets of Los Angeles felt pretty empty on Rosh Hashanah, but that wasn't the case inside The Hollywood Palladium for the Matisyahu show last night. It was packed with people feeling the positive vibrations, kicking off a HAPPY Jewish new year.

My dear Stephanie Hobgood recently groomed Matisyahu (Matthew Paul Miller) for the premiere of his film, The Possession, and it turns out that the guy that who had been buried under all his Hasidic beard and hair, is extra handsome.

They invited Steph +1 to the LA show, and though I'm pretty much a Studio One reggae purist, I wanted to check it all out. What a good decision! We got there in time to see openers Dirty Heads, who were stirring the crowd up, putting them all in a good mood.

 It wasn't hard to be in a good mood either, as it was a gorgeous night out in L.A., and the staff - to a person - of the Palladium were all charming and helpful and lovely. I can almost never say that about a show venue around town, and last night even the usually dickhead security people were dolls. The whole staff should get raises, and I told them all so.

We cruised around, making new friends, and were on the side of the stage when Matisyahu came out to join Dirty Heads on their single now blowing up KROQ, "Dance All Night". Even the crew were surprised by this joining for the duet, to say nothing of the enraptured crowd. It WAS dope.

I was really only familiar with the big singles from Matisyahu, so it was great to learn more about him and his music, which ranged from Enya style chants with the reggae beats, to some full on hard rock shreds that his band tore up. The bass was so heavy I felt it in my heart, and my hair was blowing from it way out in the middle of the crowd. Who knew?

Speaking of the crowd, it was very diverse, though surprisingly lacking in obvious Rasta men. Skinhead looking white guys sang along. Dolled up Hollywood blondes teetering along on their heels. Young hippie girls with string bracelets waving their arms and singing along to every word down front. Corporate looking guys. Obviously observant Jewish brethren. Chubby Mexican gangster types ... you name it. I was very happy to see that, as I can see where the Matisyahu story would draw more of a niche crowd, but that's not the case at all. EVERYONE loves good music.

I have to now go and really study the Matisyahu catalog, as the lyrics heard last night contained some deep ass knowledge, all while confidently rap flowing. His dance moves are very controlled and smooth, which seems to be the character of the man himself.

You have to be very controlled to observe all the Hasidic dietary rules and conduct regulations, and yet it also seemed like the guy would be a lot of fun to know and hang out with.

This was clearly evident when his friend, Kosha Dillz, came out (in his Star Of David baseball cap) to rap battle with Matisyahu, causing the crowd to go crazy.

 The guys exchanged freeestyle rhymes and had a blast doing so, you could tell. I was duly impressed. Kosha Dillz killz.

The weed smoke in the building was making it a very high holiday indeed, and probably helped to further instill the positivity being sung about. I liked very much how the mood would go from fully sunshiny reggae to heavy metal from one song to the next. His band, The Dub Trio, is TIGHT, and held it down all night.

I mean, it's hard not to like the guy who sings in his single "Sunshine" (off the new album Spark Seeker):

Reach for the sky
Keep your eye on the prize
Forever in my mind
Be my golden sunshine
It's raining in your mind
So push them clouds aside
Forever by my side
You're my golden sunshine

That is directly up my alley, as I'm sure you all know.  It's also hard not to like a guy who for his last song, the hit that he's most known for, "One Day", not only crowd surfed standing, but ended the night inviting anyone and everyone to join him up on stage (a page from the Iggy Pop and Tom Morello notebooks) for the finale. 

The smiles on all the faces would let you know how much everyone loved the show, but the best was in the bathroom line after the show when I heard a much older and grey haired lady sharing excited anecdotes about the show with a dyed red haired and tattooed young girl ... "I KNOW. He's so positive!" "How does he do that above the crowd stuff without falling?" "Well, everyone loves him so they'd never let him fall." "Well, I just loved him. What a wonderful show!"

I couldn't agree more.


*Photos by Me and Stephanie Hobgood

Leonard Cohen in Venice. WHAT?!

There is nothing I will be ever be able to write cooler than this, now, but maybe ever. If you know me, you know I love Leonard Cohen. LOVE Leonard Cohen. So imagine my damn struck dumb surprise when I was physically reading his stunningly gorgeous book of poetry and line drawings, Book Of Longing - super random, but the thing is so beautiful and meaningful to me that I get chills thinking back upon it now - and WHILST reading it, in walks Mr. Leonard Cohen to my physical human space. I felt light-headedly strange (in a good Doors kind of strange), but in an unexpectedly shakily, floored kind of way. I said to the living persona of artistic heights standing in front of me, on little Abbot Kinney Boulevard, "Mr. Cohen, This is crazy but look what I'm reading!" (And I struggled with bothering him even with that - not at ALL my style, but I had to, ala Kris Kristofferson life moments) "I think I conjured you up!". He looked me dead in the eye and said, "You did." And then proceeded to sign my book - without me asking - in the same lettering that features in the treasure of a book.



All I can say, All I can know, is that life is crazy, and deeply meaningful, and beyond what we let ourselves imagine. But than we do. And it happens.

Imagine if we could harness that for the good of the whole. I do. All the time.

In Venice, or wherever you are, let yourself believe in dreams coming true. All the time.




*Photo of my special treasure book by Jennifer Everhart

The Del Taco Super Special Show!

Apparently there really is something called The Del Taco Super Special Show (I saw a commercial), but that's not what I'm talking about. This is a little story that happened amid the mad frenzy of holiday fun and getting ready to leave town, that I wanted to share then, and just remembered now (when I saw that commercial).

A few days before Christmas a bunch of us were at The Red Garter to see Shooter Jennings, Carter Falco, and Dan Coakley play. When the Garter closes, there aren't many late night dining options, so we walked down the street to Del Taco. I'm not proud. Once inside the garishly lit establishment (which I'd never been inside of ... it's more of a drive-thru venue), we were delighted to be met with the beautiful strummings of a Mexican man on his guitar. He didn't care if anyone was listening or not, he was completely immersed in his own special vibe.


Now I'm not gonna lie to you, we had all partaken in some holiday cheer of a whiskey nature, and that may have contributed to our festive camaraderie, but I'd like to think it would've happened anyway. When he finished one lovely song, I said, "Gracias! Feliz Navidad!" He smiled and began playing "Feliz Navidad".

The whole place started singing along. The guy (I think his name might have been Pablo, but that part's hazy, I'm embarrassed to say). Us. The entire Del Taco staff - all the way back to the fry area). The Drive-Thru customers. We were in full-throated unison when some gangster-y looking guys came in and cracked up. They didn't exactly sing, but I heard one of them humming.

It was adorable, and kinda special. I said to the guy ringing us up, "I didn't know you had entertainment here!" He replied with a grin, "Um, this is the first time." Classic.

Sometimes the best musicians (or best people, period) are the ones without any glory or acclaim, who are just doing what they love, for the love of it. This was clearly the case with this wonderful, warm and open fellow, sharing his gift just for the heck of it in a fast food restaurant.


We started chatting, and in the guy's limited English, he explained that he was Michoacan, he loved giant belt buckles, and that his guitar was 26 years old, and has been his very best amigo. My brother, Paul (also sometimes referred to as Pablo) said that he played guitar too, and Michoacan "Pablo" held out his beloved guitar for him to play. Paul started strumming one of his own songs, and one minute later, Pablo started singing along perfectly, down to the exact pauses, and creating perfect harmonies with the chords. It was all in Spanish, but I recognized "Corazon" and "Te Amo", and that's all I needed to know. Both men had huge smiles on their faces the whole time, as did everyone listening.

After much clapping and laughter, we all shook hands and went off into the chilly night, warmed to the core by one of life's perfect moments that we'd all just shared. It could have happened anywhere, but it happened in Venice.