Take a listen and let me know what you think about it.

The show focused on Dolly as a songwriter and interpreter. She, of course, contained multitudes. I did not know about her Imagination Library until last week, but watching your tributes on Instagram about the impact this initiative has had on you and your children brought me to even more tears.

My mood has been decidedly heartbroken as I explored her words and music, so for KCRW’s Music Insider I wrote about one gut wrenching song in particular and Sinead’s interpretation of it.

Now Spinning On My Turntable

Dolly Parton’s & Sinead O'Connor’s versions of "Dagger Through the Heart"

Nobody wrote better about heartbreak than Dolly. She recognized emotions when we couldn’t name them ourselves, and understood how it felt for a knife to pierce our chests—and stay there.

To that end, I’ve been particularly struck again by “Dagger Through The Heart” from her third album in her bluegrass series Halos & Horns (2002).” And it’s likely because the following year, a tribute album was released, Just Because I’m A Woman: Songs Of Dolly Parton. Buried deep on the album is a version of “Dagger” by Sinead O’Connor.

While I have always loved Dolly’s version, with its glimmer of faint (if slightly annoyed) optimism (not to mention the brilliance of both Dolly’s writing and the session players on her recording) Sinead version made me hear it anew. It’s ominous. It begins darkly, with a guitar. She sounds like she’s made of glass about to break. By the time the fiddle and mandolin kick in, she’s getting angry—really angry—her rage spitting out:

Oh, I know I’m a fool to keep stayin’

When you’ve made hurtin’ me such an art,

Tossed around like a used box of crayons,

It’s like a dagger through the heart

Listen to Sinead’s version and let me know what you think. Don’t get me wrong, Dolly is pretty darn mad in her version as well, but somehow when the song ends -- perhaps it’s the sheer strength of her powerful voice -- I know she’ll be ok. Ultimately, Sinead will too. In each of their versions, they just process differently. The early aughts angst of Sinead and her vocal interpretation have come back fresh and big for this girl. Listen closely and see how it hits for you.

Dolly forever.

xx, Anne

It was in my early 40’s I decided that once I turned 50 it would not be sexy to be a DJ anymore. I thought I would look like a desperate Gen Xer trying to cling to some crate-digging, 20-something, size 4 version of myself. Add to that, I had a toddler. Definitely not sexy was my take, so I told myself 50 was the cutoff.

For weeks I’ve been scheduled to DJ August 14 (tomorrow night) for KCRW’s Summer Nights. As the days have grown closer to this DJ gig, I’ve been wondering if this is even still a good look for me? Is it time to call it, pass the mantle, and ease on down the road, regardless of how much I love doing it? Am I staying at the party too long?

Monday, I take my son (the former toddler) back to college for year 2. You can do the math.

So here we are, a decade past my self-imposed expiration date, son in college, still DJing. Clearly I’m still sorting through big feelings about all of these things.

Last weekend when I went to the K to do my weekly radio show (Saturdays noon-3pm) I was low-key plagued with these thoughts and wondered who might have a clue what I was talking about. And then, who was there? Indie goddesses Liz Phair and Corin Tucker. Yes, Liz and I knew each other a lifetime ago when my ex-husband produced her album whitechocolatespaceegg in 1998. I’ve been listening to Sleater-Kinney since former KCRW DJ and encyclopedia, Tricia Halloran, introduced me to Dig Me Out in 1997.

They were there to talk about their upcoming co-headlining tour this fall. When I first saw them I thought, perfect! I can delicately suss out whether these doubts affect them too, especially on the eve of such a high profile tour., but within seconds, their vitality, badassery, and humor took over. I realized my questions were irrelevant. I didn’t need to ask them, I knew the answer.

These are the women who along with artists like PJ Harvey, Babes In Toyland, Cat Power, L7, Fiona Apple, Bikini Kill and so many others bushwhacked their own path through a 90’s misogynistic record business while still creating and touring.

It was bad back then. I was there too.

I guess I digress, but part of me wants to stop, sit you down, and have these women do a Ted Talk about what they accomplished (and are still accomplishing) for us.

But now I want to get back to what beautiful badasses they are now. Corin and Liz are stone cold sexy, as they tour, write, create, and live.

At the end of their interview they both came into the studio just as I was going on the air, and you know what? We three sexy women talked about our kids.

xx, Anne

P.S. I’ve decided to “Stay At The Party” thanks to Hope Tala and Scott Dallavo

Top photo by Anthony Valadez

Exactly two weeks ago I found myself on a train to New London, CT where I would walk across the street to the ferry terminal to go to Block Island, RI. From there the plan was to deliver a 48 foot sailboat back to its home base on the Chesapeake Bay via the Atlantic Ocean.

Though I’ve been sailing my entire life, I’ve never had the experience of 8 foot swells, cargo ship dodgeball in and out of NY Harbor and tethering myself into the cockpit of the boat lest a rogue wave sweep me out to sea. We studied and consulted on weather patterns for our 60 hour journey and accordingly planned watches throughout the night. (What I didn’t plan for were the hours after the spectacular sunset when I lost the horizon and my dinner.)

I’ve never felt so small and inconsequential, just a little speck in the middle of the sea, 40 miles offshore. There is also something about being that far away, alone that bound me to my fellow sailors in endless conversation, solving all the world’s problems.

The only part of the trip that felt better than making the turn from the Atlantic Ocean up into the Chesapeake Bay was pulling up at the dock, stepping off the boat, knowing I tried something new and had stuck the landing. It was thrilling.

24 hours later…

I found myself here at the Hollywood Bowl – a different kind of speck, this time in a different kind of ocean. These two events were connected only by a cross country airplane ride (the pioneers in their covered wagons had months to prepare for their new lives out West). As much as I had been looking forward to my hosting stint at the Hollywood Bowl all summer, I wondered how it could possibly measure up to the profound experience I’d just had at sea.

“Ocean Anne” needn’t have worried. Once I was back in (my rightful place) the audience, I had an epiphany as I watched the show.

Artist and guitar virtuoso, St Vincent tried something new that, from what I’ve heard and read, surprised her as much as us. There she was on stage at The Hollywood Bowl. Red patent multi-strap Mary Janes and red lips to match her guitar, St Vincent was all of it. When she performed “Violent Times” four songs into her performance Sunday night with the entire Hollywood Bowl Orchestra, I heard the opening credits of a James Bond film. I felt the anticipation – the low power of the brass ascending into strings and horns. And then her voice, “Violent times, I almost lost you in these violent times…”

It was dramatic, cinematic, and I heard songs that spanned her 20 year career arranged for an orchestra.

Initially she put the show together for the BBC Proms classical music festival, not anticipating or even planning that it would become a vinyl release (Live In London!) and then a full blown orchestral tour. Our show in Los Angeles was the final of the series and it was breathtaking.

You know what was also breathtaking? Watching her stick her own landing with a performance that was over much too quickly.

Here’s to all of us finishing strong whenever we can.

xx, Anne

Dear Friends,

I’ve been reflecting a bit about our weekly conversation in the Music Insider. I sent you my very first Music Insider newsletter on January 27th, 2021. At the time, as Music Director, I was also wrapping up my tenure hosting Morning Becomes Eclectic, welcoming our new hosts and reflecting on the riveting poetry by Amanda Gorman, America’s Poet Laureate, which she delivered at President Biden’s inauguration. We were still reeling from COVID, but grateful that vaccines were imminent. We were recovering from the events of January 6th, yet hopeful for the future.

During that time, artists released some of their most powerful music. I remember musing on what those times would elicit from artists, both visual and musical. That first Music Insider featured a private playlist from pop group Xinxin, Today’s Top Tune from Field Music, and a playlist remembering the one-year anniversary of losing Kobe.

Our beloved Executive Music Producer, Ariana Morgenstern (more about her impact below!), was keeping Morning Becomes Eclectic, me, and the KCRW Music Team in line.

What I’ve loved most about writing this weekly missive is sharing with you, not only what goes on behind the scenes musically here at the K (Live From KCRW HQ, Live from my (Anne’s) Backyard (remind me to tell you about when Wet Leg played in my yard), Guest DJs, but also what we’re feeling about the music we are hearing. Sometimes it was the energy of Dodgers Walk Up music, and sometimes it was a poignant bilingual cover of Paul Simon performed by Gaby Moreno and David Garza. Among hundreds of artists, we talked together about the uncategorizable Mermaid Chunky, the openness of Sharon Van Etten, the creativity of Moses Sumney, the elegance of Beth Gibbons, and the breathtaking beauty of silence.

Today, five and a half years later, it’s time for me to turn over the reins of Music Insider to my successor as Music Director, Ale Cohen. Ale, along with all of our DJs, will keep this conversation going about what is inspiring and exciting us in music. I’ll occasionally jump back in when I have something to share.

That said, the reins of Saturday afternoon music from noon until 3 PM remain firmly in my hands, so I’ll see you on the radio (or app, or website) this Saturday and every Saturday.

Be well always,
xx, Anne

Now Spinning On My Turntable
Mamas Gun – “Joy”

Mamas Gun, the British five-piece named after Erykah Badu’s 2000 album, have made a masterpiece of warmth and musicianship, DIG! Recorded straight to 16-track analog tape with nary an overdub to be found, the entire album is brimming with soul and joy. That is why “Joy” is spinning and spinning for me. I dare you to try to feel bad after you’ve watched and listened! Once you’ve heard the whole album, run and grab Songs In The Key Of Life for your next spin. It’s a perfect segue!

More Music Moments

As I just mentioned above, we have sent our queen and Executive Producer extraordinaire, Ariana Morgenstern, off into retirement bliss. For 43 years, she has been the one constant running through KCRW Music. She has worked with six music directors and seven hosts of Morning Becomes Eclectic. She has also been a mentor and den mother to scores of DJs. And, most importantly, Ariana has been our creative throughline. Yesterday, she was Novena’s Guest DJ in the 11 o’clock hour. Listen to her song picks and countless stories. (Scrub to 1:53:01.)

For her final surprise (in addition to the party waiting for her after the show was over), producers Bob Carlson and Myke Dodge Weiskopf put together an eight-minute-long tribute that’ll make you shed a tear, laugh, and appreciate Ariana as much as we do at KCRW.

Her final words were about making sure KCRW stayed a place of “integrity, creativity, and humanity.” And with that, she rolled into her final track, Stevie Wonder’s “As.”

For 43 years, Ariana Morgenstern has been quietly but powerfully shaping the signature sound of KCRW music. She joined the station as a 23-year-old in 1983 and spent the next three decades producing Morning Becomes Eclectic, KCRW’s flagship daily music program, before becoming Executive Producer of KCRW’s Music Department in 2015. Now, she’s retiring, and she has stories to share from her legendary career.

If you’ve made it this far, thanks for reading. I’ll try to meet up with you here weekly. Let me know what you think!

xx, Anne

Thank you, 2026 Winter Olympics. Humanity needed you this week. I needed you. In fact, much of my last week was spent in contemplation of the Women’s Halfpipe, down to its dramatic finale.

My fascination with this particular competition started when I met a young snowboarder and future Olympian from right here in SoCal a couple of years ago. Her name is Bea Kim (pictured above with my son, Guy, in the background). In the summer of 2024, my son and I were lucky enough to be part of an experiential learning expedition to the Arctic Circle through Walking Softer’s Summit Program, focused on climate and leadership. Our fellow travelers were scientists, business leaders, policy mavens, artists (including a DJ!), philanthropists, and a couple of very accomplished athletes, all of whom were eager to explore how they might use their platforms and pulpits to educate about climate change. Bea, then only 17, spoke eloquently about the effects of climate change on her sport.

Watching the Women’s Halfpipe Finals was heart-stopping. About 30 minutes before the competition began, the snow began, and an icy hardpack was nowhere to be found. As the snow swirled and fell heavily, the riders struggled. Powder in the pipe is not your friend. There were wipeouts and even injuries, but these riders pushed hard. They saved their most complicated tricks for their best-of-three runs. These young women are some of the most formidable there are — resilient and strong. I respect them and am in awe of them.

All the women seemed to have small, individual rituals they performed in preparation at the top of the pipe — meditation or a mental check-list of the programs they were about to perform, maybe even prayers. And some appeared to be listening to music. In fact, I noticed many Olympians listening to music all week — if not during their actual events, in their warm-ups and practices. What were they listening to? Do cross-country skiers tend to favor one form of music, speed skaters another, and curling masters yet another?

What would I be listening to? I used to do a lot of snowboarding, and I still ski. Snowboarding, I always listened to music. But I never have, for some reason, while skiing. I would love a playlist of the music those competitors were listening to — for relaxation, or inspiration, or simply to get their hearts beating faster.

Bea came in 8th overall in the Women’s halfpipe, and when she gets back to Cali, I’m going to find out what was in her earbuds. And put it in mine.

What would you listen to? I want to hear that playlist! Working on one right now…

xx, Anne