Kinky by The Clintons/John McLellan

This song was written by John McLellan, who is the lead singer of a band called The Clintons. He's also one of my oldest and closest friends, one of my two "brothers from another mother". John and I met in 1997 while we were both going to Northwest College in Powell, Wyoming. A mutual friend introduced us because we both were (and still are) huge fans of Dave Matthews Band. John was in the earliest stages of his music career at that point, and this is one of the first songs he ever wrote, during those initial years of our friendship.

Me and John in May 1998

I've always liked this song because it's cute and catchy. Over time it's changed from this solo acoustic version into one that's played with his full four member band. Just about every time I see John play I ask him to play Kinky because a) it's fun to dance to but b) it takes me back the days when I'd go see him while he was working at our campus library. We'd go in a back room and he'd play me the songs he'd been working on. As John's career has advanced and he's written many other wonderful songs, Kinky has always stuck with me in my heart as my favorite. I think it's partly because I know the story behind it and each time I listen to it, I'm reminded of how far we've both come since our college days. When I'm in a crowd that's singing along to his songs, I'm filled with a sense of pride in him because I know how hard he's worked to get where he is.

Being friends with someone for 17 years isn't a small task. As John said to me on the phone this week "We've been through a lot of shit together. If there was ever anybody whose got each other's back, it's John and Ramona." I couldn't have said it better myself. He was my Man of Honor when I got married, supported me through my divorce, helped me move across the country to start over. During those years, he got married and has had two sons. We've both changed so much over the years and we haven't always agreed with each other as that's happened. Because I don't have siblings, my closest friends have been especially important to me, they're my family! There are a exceptional few who have known me through all my stages, supported me through some poor life choices and some awesome ones and I wouldn't be who I am without them. John's music always reminds me of that.

Me and John March 2014