Surrounded by friends with Mabel Kwan

Golden Egg: Do you think about getting older, and what you'd like your life to look like?

Mabel Kwan: Yes, my dream is to be healthy and surrounded by my best friends.

GE: Do you want to retire, or keep playing music for your whole life, or some combination of both?

MK: I'll have to see-- if I get arthritis in my hands I may need to stop playing the piano, but if I can make sounds and noises via the twisting of knobs or singing, I would keep doing that as long as I wanted to.

GE: Have you planned (financially or otherwise) for retirement or aging?

MK: Yes, I think about my health in the long term and work on building bone and muscle mass and strengthening ligaments and tendons. I have a retirement account where I put away some money each year, and am paying off a mortgage. 

GE: Who are some of your favorite artists over 65, or a favorite album of theirs?

MK: I was really inspired by Mwata Bowden's debut album release show a few years ago, 1 Foot In, 1 Foot Out.

Extraordinary Popular Delusions was one of the first bands I heard when I moved to Chicago, and they are still one of my favorites.