Well, this should be fun. Or a complete disaster.

Either way, Alan Unger asked for it. He's a friend of mine, and husband of a long-time buddy, Ruby, who I knew from her nights as a talk show host on KCBS. For over a year, Alan's been after me to kick off a speaker series he was organizing at The Redwoods, a seniors center in Marin County. The idea was a good one: Show up and tell your story, and, at the same time, encourage guests -- whether residents or the general public -- to tell their own stories.

I agreed to do it, but said that I wanted to reflect today's culture and technology, and offer tips on using various media for story-telling purposes. And I wanted to reflect my own life, which is connected to music, from childhood to now, and as a listener, a fan, a journalist, and, finally, performer. So, the evening (Sept. 17, 7 to 8:30 p.m. at The Redwoods in Mill Valley) will include an interviewer (Redroommate Kathi Goldmark) who will also play rhythm guitar, her husband Sam Barry on keyboard and harmonica; Kurt Huget of Bread & Roses on guitar, and, for a couple of standards, George Yamasaki on piano. No percussion. I'm guessing the audience's slow, derisive clapping will take care of that. 

Regardless: We will go from childhood in Chinatown (and singing "That's Amore" at a talent show) through falling for Elvis, through college in the 60s (the Beatles and Dylan), into radio and Rolling Stone magazine, and getting into singing, which will somehow bring me full circle--to songs of the '40s and '50s. 

Throughout, I'll offer tips on recalling the past, on shaping stories, on finding one's own voice, and on combining photos, videos, music and words into a personal memoirs. Should be fun. 

The event is sponsored by Book Passage in Corte Madera; tickets for the public are $15.  For more info, try www.theredwoods.org.