Mr A to Z

It was sometime in November in 2006. I'd been sent to LA for the first time ever to interview Will Smith for his latest movie The Pursuit of Happyness and I was sitting in the hotel room of the Beverly Hilton, unable to sleep the night before the big interview. A mix of nerves and excitement but mostly nerves. As I flicked channels, I grew more tired, but still just couldn't sleep. And then I flipped over to the Hilton channel - you know, the one that tells you "eat here, drink here, etc" and, as I was about to change yet again, he caught my eye. Or ear I should say. Jason Mraz. Mr A to Z. With a beautiful little song called Life is Wonderful. It was the acoustic version, done especially for the hotel chain and it made me feel so peaceful, so, well, wonderful. Wonderful enough to finally get some shut-eye.

It's one of my fave Jason Mraz songs - another is Song for A Friend - with words that I return to over and over again:

Climb up over the top.
Survey the state of the soul.
You’ve got to find out for yourself whether or not you’re truly trying.
Why not give it a shot?
Shake it, Take control
And inevitably wind up
Finding for yourself
All the strengths you have inside still rising

But you've got to hear them being sung - incredible!

Mr A to Z is now much more famous - and rightly so. He's brought out a fun-fuelled, energetic, thoughtful DVD, called Jason Mraz's Beautiful Mess Live on Earth, which will enable me to now "dine at the Gratitude Cafe" a little more often.