Last Christmas my husband, Robert Rosen, and I went to a friend’s for dinner. I had no idea when we were walking up the steep flights to his apartment that the evening would spark a new song. He’d had us over the Christmas before, but this time, being in the home of Michael Medeiros, who was John Lennon’s gardener—Lennon called him “Mike Tree”—seemed more of a heady, almost magical experience, with the stories and music (and wine) we shared in his spare but cozy space. Lennon’s witty, skeptical, peace-loving spirit seemed to hover over us.
And so did his death. Having become close to John, and still an employee when it happened, Michael was—perhaps still is—devastated. And of course many who never knew Lennon also feel the loss. December 8 was the anniversary of that terrible and preventable murder—another mentally ill person with a gun. Imagine if we could do something about that.
The Dakota gates, which Lennon walked through that night, are beautiful—see the cover art above, designed by Grey Thornberry (using my photo). Art can uplift us, as Lennon knew, and I hope “Mild December” does that for you, in whatever way. Click on the image above (or here) for links to hear the song. It's also available for purchase on Amazon.
“Mild December” was produced by the fantastic Adam Tilzer, who also played all instruments except the drums—played with attitude by Danny Bradley—and mastered by Nick Miller. It was premiered by Michael J. Mand on his radio show St. James Infirmary on OWWR (click link for the podcast), coming in around 2:30:20 on the timeline, after Schooner Fare's “First Snow” and before Donovan's “Hurdy Gurdy Man,” with a great segue on the latter.
Thank you for all streams, downloads, and shares! Purchases help defray recording costs; streams rarely pay anything but they can lead to spots on playlists and help with show bookings. I would love to hear what you think about the song. Feel free to leave a comment below.
And I wish you happy holidays.