They say it’s your birthday, John Cusack. It’s my birthday, too, yeah.

John Cusack was born on June 28, 1966.  So was I. I like to think this isn’t a coincidence.

Mr. Cusack, after all, is the patron saint of the cassette mixtape, thanks to his many music-themed movies. And here I am professing my undying faith to that scared audio format all over this reverential blog site.  

Mr. Cusack is a well-known fan of The Clash, and The Clash helped me with my Spanish homework back in 1983 via their hit “Should I Stay or Should I Go”: “Esta indecision me molesta…si no quires, librame…digame, que tango ser!”

We have so much in common.

In his 2000 hipster masterpiece “High Fidelity,” Mr. Cusack plays Rob Gordon, the emotionally-stunted owner of a used record shop who arranges his enormous album collection alphabetically, then chronologically, and when depressed, “autobiographically.”  

I arrange my albums, too. Sort of. Well, they’re shelved.

In “High Fidelity,” Rob and his crazy record store friends, Dick (perfectly played by a low-key Todd Louiso) and Barry (an unforgettably-manic Jack Black), constantly try to one-up each other with their mixtapes and their mastery of musical trivia. Much like my two best playlist-making friends growing up, Gus and Bob. (Gus named his first-born “Nick,” in honor of Mr. Cusack’s epic monologue about “Nick’s your buddy, Nick’s your pal” from “The Sure Thing.”)

In the 1989 movie “Say Anything…,” Mr. Cusack’s Lloyd Dobbler iconically holds a cassette boombox high over his head, blasting Peter Gabriel’s “In Your Eyes” outside of the house of the girl he pines for, class valedictorian Diane Court.  Diane’s character is played by the wonderfully-named Ione Skye, whose real-life dad is the 1960s folk singer Donovan, who played an Amnesty International concert with Phil Collins in 1981. Phil Collins, as you may recall, was my first concert. So there’s that incredibly strong connection between Mr. Cusack and myself, as well.

Also, Mr. John Cusack may have had a slight influence on my wardrobe back in the day.

And so I say, “Happy Birthday, Mr. Cusack! And HBD to me, too.”

(Public service announcement: John Cusack is on tour this year. Should I go see him in Connecticut?)