David Wild's Huffington Post Playlists Offer a Little Fun Amidst the Daily News

I've been a rock music fan for as long as I can remember – well, rock, soul, R&B, even disco and country to some extent. I love popular music, and I especially enjoy finding out the kinds of music other people like best. With this as background, allow me to share one of the many simple pleasures I've enjoyed during 2012. Last Christmas, I noticed a playlist of holiday songs on the front page of The Huffington Post by a fellow named David Wild, a television writer and contributing editor at Rolling Stone. It was a great list, and I had some fun poring over the diverse group of selections that were included. Later I learned that David's holiday playlist was but one in a series of event-specific collections he's posted. The man's no one-trick pony when it comes to making playlists. During the past year, he's published playlists in honor of everything from the First Presidential Debate to the TVLand Awards. Today, of course, there's a playlist for New Year's Eve, and, as usual, it's a smart and far-ranging collection of songs – some obvious, some esoteric, but all of them spirited and thought-provoking. The posting of David's playlist is only the first step of the fun, however, for he encourages readers to add suggestions of their own. This launches a lively dialogue with fans of various persuasions nominating their favorites, commenting on the suggestions of others and, frequently, sharing memories about what a particular song means to them. David himself remains actively involved, and he seems to have something nice to say about nearly every reader's contribution. In a world that seems to become more impersonal every day, this little feature offers perfect strangers a chance to connect with others, if only for a moment, by sharing their thoughts about songs and occasions that mean something to them. Thanks, David, for creating a little piece of happiness amidst the daily news.