In the past I have rudely forgotten that Mary’s birthday is the same as Elvis (73) and David Bowie (61). I remembered this year because it was staring me in the face on my Now Up2Date program. It also helps we’ve been in communication again due to the upcoming Tim Finn show in February and I helped get her iPod working with the Barbie iMac I sold her long ago.
Mary is a Midwesterner herself from Iowa. She moved down here with her family before the population explosion of the Nineties. I ran into Mary and her daughter Jessica at the Neil Finn show in 1998, shortly after I returned to Austin. We all yakked and then met up again when Neil returned later that year; Austin was one of the 12 lucky cities he revisited for a special acoustic tour. Mary is dedicated fan of the whole Split Enz-Crowded House-Finn Brothers. My fandom is more academic I guess since I’m also nuts over a dozen other acts, yet I agree with how Neil’s lyrics have a place in my life, probably a form of apophenia.
If you know Mary, drop her a line. If you see her in public, buy her a drink or some iTunes to go with that impressive iPod Nano.