John Cusack was born on June 28, 1966.
So was I.
I like to think this is not a coincidence.
Mr. Cusack, after all, is the patron saint of the cassette mixtape, thanks to his many music-themed movies, and I’m the guy wrote the book on mixtapes.
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!”
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.
We have so much in common.
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.”)
Speaking of “The Sure Thing,” back in the 80s I was friends with a guy named Joe Murphy, pictured below in his Boston Tea Party Ship and Museum uniform. And Joe was an extra in that movie!
Just another example of the cosmic connection between me and Mr. Cusack!
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 was my first concert.
So there’s that incredibly strong connection between Mr. Cusack and myself, as well.
Sometime in the mid-1980s I reached a certain significant “romantic milestone” in Apartment 1408 at 1 Devonshire Place In Boston. The Thompson Twins’ “Hold Me Now” was playing on my battery operated boombox, and at 4 minutes 44 seconds, that song was just the right length for the teenage effort underway. (Well, maybe a minute or two too long, in truth.)
Did you know that in 2007 John Cusack starred in a film called “1408?”
Of course he did!
Also, Mr. John Cusack may have had a slight influence on my wardrobe back in the day.
On June 28, 2023, Mr. Cusack gave me a gift. I posted the original version of this blog, and he “liked” my Tweet!
And so I say, “Happy 60th Birthday, John Cusack! And HBD to me, too.”
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