Jonathan & Ruth
Big John, Big Bad John
Jimmy Dean
Ruth and I are two of Michael and Dodie's circle of friends who play golf together. Over the years many experiences on the course have taken on the form of story, maybe one day legend. The original details grow dim with retellings, but not the smiles and laughs which seem to wrap us together, wrapping together our concerns, passions, offspring, health, hopes, and hobbies. Michael brings to this a frightfully inclusive and accurate knowledge of songs, lyrics, and singers by articulating his commentary on
certain shots through song, many times speaking a stanza to remind the rest of us of the relevant words. This can be challenging as we often don't remember the song much less the actual lyrics. Yet, there are Michael's eyes that say it all. Dancingly delightful. Once I hit a terrific 3-wood on the 14th hole at Brunswick Golf Club. Michael didn't skip a beat as he, aka Jimmy Dean, sang out, "Big Jon, Big Bad Jon." We will never forget it. We love you, Michael.
Jeff
Music in my Room
Cheryl Wheeler
Our great friendship is built in part on our shared passion for many things—golf, skiing, travel, but most of all our mutual love of music, especially the music of folk singers and singer-songwriters. One of our favorites is a true original, Cheryl Wheeler, whom we’ve together seen perform live many times. Cheryl’s song “Music in my Room” reminds me of Michael because it captures the magic and power of music so vividly:
“If you go out, hope you don’t want me to, I’ve got a rendezvous with a stack of 45s . . . . Closing my eyes, whispering along, waiting for the song that always hits the mark . . . . And I knew the songs would end too soon, when I listened to the music in my room.”
Happy 70th birthday, my friend!
Clio & Philip
Carey
Joni Mitchell
Six of us went on a wonderful trip in 2017 to Crete and a cruise up the Adriatic to Venice from Athens. We were Michael & Dodie, Dale & Bob, Philip & Clio. While in Crete, Michael did a stellar job doing all the driving, dealing with unbelievably tiny streets in the villages and towns. One of our day trips was to Matala, a sleepy little village, where the hippies lived in the caves in the early 1970’s. Joni Mitchell wrote “Carey” about her time at Matala in 1971. We had lunch in the only open restaurant and paid homage to the ghosts of the past. Here’s a photo of Michael that day and a photo of the group at lunch.
John
You Can't Always Get What You Want
Rollings Stones
Both Michael and I taught intermediate micro for years. A key theme of micro is scarcity: satisfying unlimited wants with limited means. The title says it. And we both have a weakness for the classics.
Joanie and Bill
I’m From New Jersey
John Gorka
Happy 70th Michael! So many wonderful memories of times together with you, Dodie and friends. After you and Dodie invited us to our first ever John Gorka concert in Gardiner, we can’t listen to “I’m From New Jersey” without thinking of you. You are such a devoted fan…John doesn’t know how lucky he is. You were so thrilled that we enjoyed his music that you dropped off a mix of his music the next day. You were so tickled that you had recruited yet another couple of fans. Welcome to the 70’s! Love, Joanie and Billy
Nancy H
Keep on the Sunny Side
The Whites, as sung in the movie O Brother, Where Art Thou?
Exactly one week before the Big 70, we took a walk with Michael and Dodie. It was the same day as his family’s request for song submissions. The walking chat turned to my sister, who Michael knows well and who recently broke her tibia in a skiing accident. We elaborated on her misfortune, which Michael already knew about, and the surgery to come, which he did not. “Great news!” he proclaimed, when he heard that the bone was not completely shattered but had decent healing potential. And that, in a nutshell, is how our dear friend approaches setbacks. He is an incurable optimist and a model for us all! Happy birthday, Michael, and many more!
Jamie
Eli's Coming
Laura Nyro, Three Dog Night
I don't believe this choice requires an explanation.
Bennie and the Jets
Elton John
This song always reminds me of your dad’s lengthy love-hate relationship with Ben Roethlisberger, even though Bennie is a woman & Big Ben obviously never played with the Jets. Funny how the mind works.
Judy
I’m From New Jersey
John Gorka
David and I went to a Gorka show with Michael and Dodie, and they had been to so many of his shows they could not only sing along, but they knew all his patter, too. And of course, Michael is From...
Happy birthday to Michael!
Carol
Camp Grenada
Alan Sherman
For many years when my boys Andy and Colin were young, we spent time each summer at Baxter State Park with Michael, Dodie, Carrie, Kevin and Maddie. Since they were Maine residents they could reserve prime spots in cabins on a lovely pond – it was idyllic, canoeing, hiking, watching moose and deer, and cooking dinner on the porch…..
Except for the “forced marches” in the rain (it usually rained at least one day, but we did not hide inside), the pond had leaches (not alligators), and Michael couldn’t wash his hair for five days in a row (no showers)!
But Michael was a wonderful camp counselor – always patient, encouraging to the kids, and excited to play games and lead us all on hikes into the Maine wilderness! As the song says, when the sun came out we played his sport (baseball) and it was not a problem that the coach read “something called Ulysses” (and everything else by Joyce)! It was a special time for all of us, thanks to our very special camp coach, Michael!
Best wishes for a very Happy Birthday.
Bruce
Dancing with the Mountains
John Denver
A song about the thrills and bliss of skiing the mountain slopes. I have many wonderful memories of our adventures together on the various Sugarloaf slopes.
Jack
High Tide and Green Grass (Greatest Hits)
Rolling Stones
I so look forward each year to seeing Michael and Dodie on our favorite golf course, where all spring long the green grass fights to stay above the high tide, and each time Michael hits a shot he is unlikely to "get no satisfaction" (track 1 side A).
Doug
New York Mining Disaster 1941
The Bee Gees
The chorus says “have you seen my wife Mr. Jones”. Doug would be saying this to Mike when I takeoff for Sugarloaf and go skiing. That is without him. Mike and I often ski together.
Georgette
Can't You Hear Me Knocking
Rolling Stones
We would love to tribute the raucous Stones’ tune “Can’t you Hear Me Knocking?” Because that’s one of our favorite Stones; songs. We dedicate it to another rock n roll music lover on his 70th special birthday.
Pat
You've Got a Friend
Carole King
Because I feel that in a quiet, subtle way, Michael has always been a good friend to me, and I'd like him to know how much I appreciate and reciprocate that friendship.
Tom
Scatman, parody of the Batman theme
Neal Hefti; lyrics by Michael Jones
Your parents sang at Steve W’s 50th birthday party in 1992. They sang it as “Scatman,” parody in honor of the work Steve (and I) did at that time recycling municipal wastewater treatment sludge as a soil amendment for BFI Organics.
PS. This was the first time we met your parents.
Jill
Michael, Row the Boat Ashore
Dodie, and Michael, Arnie and I, and other friends would go canoeing in the spring. One year Arnie couldn't go so Michael and Dodie invited me to join them in their canoe. First Dodie and Michael got in and waited patiently for me. So I stretched my leg over and started to get in. No sooner did I put some weight down, when Michael warned, "Stay down low." And of course, by then it was too late. The canoe flipped over and all three of us were drenched in the chilly spring water before we could begin.
Fortunately we all were scouts, (be prepared!) and had dry clothes to change into.
What I remember is that Michael never got mad - or at least he never expressed that to me. We just changed, scooted into the boat (low this time) and off we went. (It is possible that that was our last canoe adventure, but I hope there were many reasons for that!)
Annee
Deportee
Woody Guthrie
I have the pleasure of playing golf with Dodie and Michael several times a year and each time as we're walking around your dad will ask me if I know a certain artist or song or song by the artist.... I never do. But one day last summer, I think it was on the 6th green at Brunswick Golf Club, someone made a putt that went way past the cup, to which I reacted "adios amigo!" And your Dad said, naturally "what was that Woody Guthrie song that had that line?" For the first, and only, time in our 20+ year friendship, I was able to say "that's Deportee," in answer to one of your Dad's music questions. He may not remember this episode; but it is indelibly etched in my memory book.
David V
Wild Life
Talking Heads
Over the 30+ years that I've known and collaborated with Michael, he's always struck me as one of the calmest, least "rattle-able" people I've met....a master at cooling down heated emotions. Is he like that as a dad too?
You mention that he likes some 1980s punk and new wave groups, so I thought of a fitting tune by my fave band from that era, Talking Heads, and their movie True Stories: it's "Wild Life." (To "Heads" fans, the video is a gas: https://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-b-1-d&q=wild+life+music+video: .)
Have a great celebration for a great guy, David
David W
Rocket Man
William Shatner (spoken version!)
Because Michael loved it so much that he took David up to his office at home to watch it on the computer. And he laughed and laughed and enjoyed it so much. They both did.
Frank
Par 7
Golf Brooks
Nancy and I remember the good times we had playing golf with you and Dodie at your country club and at various courses near us in W. Hartford.
I particularly liked your view of scoring. It was not what you shot in total for 18 holes, but the number of good holes that you had during the round. So you would say "I shot a 7 today" meaning that you had 7 really good holes. Now that you're 70, we hope you have many days where you are in the double digits.
Nancy W
Hair
James Rado/Gerome Ragni
I have always been in love with your hair! It is GORGEOUS! Thick and curly, you make bald men drool. It has always been your signature and still is. Now at age 70, you've still got it, Michael! WOW!
Happy Birthday from your Girlfriend,
Nancy
