Recently my job took me to The Green Space, a New York Public Radio performance studio in Tribeca. I was there to stream or as Steinway & Sons like to call it; “Spiriocast” a performance by Yannick Nézet-Séguin (See Steinway literature for an explanation of this streaming feature.) I had no expectations. I was told that he was the celebrated music director of the Metropolitan Opera and to use “Maestro” when addressing him. I was so surprised when he walked in the door, he looked more CrossFit instructor than an orchestra conductor, I guess I was expecting less hair and more stomach, not to mention he was very personable.

Recently watching Only Murders in the Building, my appreciation for Steve Martin was reawakened. Thanks to the internet I was able to watch him in old clips on Johnny Cash, The Tonight Show and especially the Ray Stevens Show. It was fun to glimpse the infancy of the genius that would rocket him to stardom in the 70’s. Being a teenager in the seventies, “Excuse Me” was comfortably ensconced in my contributions to the high school lunch room conversation. Not a huge fan of his movies over all (a little too silly), though, I particularly liked a few — Parenthood and L.A. Story, in particular. With my curiosity piqued, I read Born Standing Up, Steve Marin’s autobiography and discovered he was an L.A. story.