A few weeks ago I noticed a package on my front steps. I couldn’t remember ordering anything, and didn’t recognize the return address. Not thinking that I had any enemies… At least non who know how to make anthrax…I opened it.

I peeled the tape back and pulled a slightly used Rickie Lee Jones vinyl out of the package. There was a note taped to it, with a signature that I could neither recognize nor read. I racked my brain, started thinking of old friends from the music business that may have found this record and for some reason thought to send it to me. Nothing was adding up.  Especially the United States Senate stationary.

I stopped trying to think of someone I knew in the Senate and thought… Who is the biggest music nerd I know? The answer was clear, but why on earth would Matt Nathanson send me vinyl? Just for fun I googled images if his signature… And to my surprise it looked similar to the scribble on the note taped to the vinyl! My wife suggested that I pull the liner notes from Modern Love to do a CSI style handwriting analysis… It looked pretty close as well… I put the record on, and started listening as I continued my investigation.

I scanned through Matt’s Facebook page, his twitter feed, and his website… After several hours of searching his awesomely random posts… I found it.  Matt had posted a few weeks earlier that he was going to pick 20 of his favorite records, and pick 20 people that per-ordered his new record Last of the Great Pretenders, which is amazing by the way, and send them one of his records.  It feels pretty good to win a contest you didn’t know you entered.  Thanks Matt.