Every generation has a woman that makes a difference. She’s the kind of woman who inspires us. She’s the one that girls want to be, and guys want to be with. And for my generation, that woman was Molly Ringwald.

I remember being in awe of Molly as I grew up. I admired her strength as I watched her on screen railing against stereotypes and social classes. I desperately wanted to kiss Andrew McCarthy and Judd Nelson too. All those feelings I had about Molly never went away, so there was no question in my mind that I had to be there when she closed the Sydney Writers Festival with her jazz music.

Honestly, I went to bask in her presence, not to appreciate her music. She could have said she’d be there to read the phone book and I would have bought a ticket. For the first few songs I couldn’t think of anything else other than the fact that this woman who means so much to me was right there, breathing the same air as me, under the same roof as me.

But as the evening wore on, I found that I appreciated so much more than that. Admittedly, Molly isn’t technically the world’s best singer. Her voice is a little thin, and you can hear her struggling to reach the high notes. But her voice has so much character, and the charisma she oozed on the silver screen translates well to the musical arena.

I also appreciated that she really knows music. Her songs were so carefully chosen, jazz classics that aren’t overdone by the countless artists that delve into the Great American Songbook. The influence of her father, a jazz musician in his own right, was apparent. Her knack for telling a story was showcased beautifully in “I Get Along Without You Very Well (Except Sometimes)” and “Ballad of the Sad Young Men”.

She also gave so much of herself, chatting in between every song about the music, her family, and her life. By the time she closed her regular set with “Don’t You (Forget About Me)”, a tribute to the late great John Hughes, we were all on her side. There was no doubt we’d ask for an encore. She might be best known as an actress, but as a jazz musician Molly Ringwald certainly holds her own.

Image source: own photo