I would say that the past seven months have been some of the most productive months I've ever had, creatively speaking.
In many ways, the dam has broken.
My father passed away in September 2002, and that combined with a couple of other major events really put a wet blanket on my creativity and writing.
But in May 2005, a curious thing happened.
My old high school was celebrating its 75th Anniversary, and they asked me to perform at the event. I wracked my brain, but I couldn't think of any song that would be appropriate. So, I took it on as a challenge to write a song for a public high school that had meant so much to me. What was it in the stone and the mortar that had somehow helped shape me? What historical events had occured in the life of the school? What had the students lived through? And were the students from 1940 all that different from my graduating class?
Writing this song, titled "Not that Long Ago," helped create some cracks in the dam for me. It felt so GOOD to be writing again. It made me think about myself, about the fears I had, and about the ways I felt I had not measured up over the past few years.
So, that began a fertile time of writing.
It has been marvelous just to scratch the pencil across the paper again.
To somehow dig deep into what I REALLY think about myself, about the world, about consumerism, about Iraq, about plastic toys, about red wine, and about real friendship.
For those few who have had real patience with me over the past few years, while I was trying to figure out what I was doing, what I really believed in, and how I could live an authentic life while working in an industry that celebrates silicone smiles, I thank you. I really believe my next CD will be my best so far. Not because it sounds "hot," though I think it does. But because it may actually be the first group of songs I've written that actually tell you all what I think about myself and about the world. I think I've touched on that before, most notably with "what luther said," but now it's time to get down to the details. I hope you like it. I think it'll be out this Fall.
I'll be posting periodic journals about how the writing and recording process is going. Some journals will be longer, some will be shorter. But I hope to keep you somewhat up to date with what I'm doing and what I'm working on. I may even post some lyrics along the way for your perusal.
Thanks again for sticking with me.
mark
