Thanks again to Bill and Ella for having me on this morning's Spare the Rock, Spoil the Child broadcast. I had a great time playing some rockin' tunes talking about the care and feeding of geckos with the two of 'em. And happy early birthday to Liam, too! For those of you who care, my notes on my playlist... 1. The Call - Let the Day Begin -- I heard this recently and was reminded how much I like this song. An anti-lullaby song of sorts. In a good way. 2. Ralph's World -- The Coffee Song -- My wife loves (or at least needs) coffee while I can't stand the stuff. This is her favorite Ralph's World song. 3. Anne Hathaway -- Great Big World -- Our daughter loves this song and sings along. (Listen to the broadcast for my discussion with Ella on why you can't find it in stores anymore.) 4. The New Pornographers -- The Laws Have Changed -- The insane number of layers this song has sonically floors me. And it is, as far as I can tell, kid-friendly. (Bill says he's checked.) 5. Asylum Street Spankers -- Sliver -- I like this version better than the original. 6. Lunch Money -- I Want A Dog -- We do not have a dog, but lyrically Molly Ledford nails the pleading/hopeful voice of a child perfectly -- for any object. (It's about here that the show digresses into a gecko-fest. My wife wishes me to emphasize that gecko invasions only happen during the summer.) 7. Dan Zanes -- Rattlin' Bog -- A couple years ago when our daughter was obsessed with this song, she could track back the order better than I could. 8. Gabby Pahinui -- Aloha Ka Manini -- Our few slack key guitars CDs get a lot of play. They're excellent quiet time music. 9. Elizabeth Mitchell - Jubilee -- This song makes me feel warm all over. 10. Semisonic -- Closing Time -- Go ahead and guess what this song is about. (You'll have to listen to the broadcast, or read drummer Jacob Schlichter's excellent set of diaries on life as a musician on a major label, So You Wanna Be a Rock 'N' Roll Star, to find out.) 11. Justin Roberts -- Cartwheels and Somersaults -- There might be better songs by Roberts, but this is the one that meant the most to our family after our son's arrival 12. Talking Heads -- This Must Be The Place (Naive Melody) -- Because "Stay Up Late" was too obvious and "The Great Curve" wasn't nearly so kid-friendly. "Love me 'til heart stops. Love me 'til I'm dead." It might just be the best rock song about family ever. 13. They Might Be Giants -- Theme From Higglytown Heroes -- Our daughter has never seen "Higglytown Heroes," only the video promo on the "Here Come the ABCs" DVD. But she loves the song anyway. (Y'know, maybe it's because of the video promo...) And just because it is a cool (and kid-friendly) video...