(Mostly) Words On Music 001

Is stealing from yourself allowed? Back before the internet actually worked, I hosted a live, online, call-in radio show. The studio we broadcast out of also had video, and I believe we streamed that as well, but we’re talking back in the days of dial-up when it took 30 minutes to download a lo res picture, so not too many people heard the program (forget the “saw it” part). We had the most amazing artists drop by the studio while on tour. They not only graced us with a live performance, but they stayed for a Q&A afterward. Those were some incredible days . . .

Sorry, drifted off into one of those “glory days” moments, but I’m back. The point is, that show needed a title. Since we mostly talked about music, I came up with the brilliant name: “Words On Music.” In my mind, besides describing what we did (talk about music), it was a little play on words (i.e., we mostly interviewed songwriters who wrote “words and music,” but I think I am the only one who ever got that private joke).

So what am I doing now? I’m stealing that old title and modifying it a bit. Presenting . . . dah, dah, dah, daaahhhh!!! (That sounded like a grand fanfare, didn’t it?) (Mostly) Words On Music!

Why?

Because I feel guilty, that’s why. Twenty years ago, when I began a little thing called Songwriter’s Monthly, it was a hobby I started to stay in touch with the music world as I left my band to raise a family (or raze, depending on whom you ask). Turns out, Songwriter’s Monthly achieved enough success for it to go to my head just a little and that caused problems in the family that I thought I was putting first. The perpetual deadlines came close to making me dead as I struggled to exist on no sleep and constant pressure — but hey, I was getting invites to all the cool parties. So, I’ve had a love/hate relationship with Songwriter’s Monthly, as you might imagine. Some days I think it’s a curse, other days a blessing.

So why the guilt? Twenty years is a long time to make connections. Currently, my inbox has over 18,000 unopened emails in it, most are from artists and publicists hoping I’ll write about them or their artists. To be honest, I’m actually pretty curious how many emails my inbox will hold before it explodes and showers my workspace with virtual confetti, but I also feel like I’m letting people down.

I’ve always believed in trying to create something worth creating. Take a little extra time on a layout, look up the exact word, try and get the grammar thing right, but no matter how hard I try, something always slips through and those countless hours I spent reading the paragraphs backwards or out loud, something always slips by. And you know what? That’s the something people point out.

Since I have to outline everything for myself so I know what I’m doing (yes this part is strictly for my own personal benefit), (Mostly) Words On Music isn’t going to be that labored over writing with the agonized over layout. There will be mistakes, sentence fragments, poorly constructed paragraphs, loss of cohesion, and whatever else happens when you don’t really proof your work before posting. That really makes you want to read, doesn’t it?

Now the (hopefully) good stuff. (Mostly) Words On Music is going to be just that, ramblings inspired by music in my inbox (and other places) that might drift off target. For instance, I might talk about how I spent most of the day beneath my house trying to fix the leak that’s spraying out like a cracked hydrant all over the crawlspace and the underside of my son’s bedroom floor! Grrr! But while doing so, I was listening to the Beach Boys . . . kinda appropriate considering the watery aspect of my day. But, at the end of the ramble, hopefully most of the words will have been spent on music. hence the title (once more, please): (Mostly) Words On Music Well, except this time, I guess it was (Mostly Not) Words On Music.