Bacharach at the White House

Well I just finished watching "In Performance at the White House" which tonight was a tribute to Burt Bacharach and Hal David and the presentation of the Gershwin award for popular music to them.  Pretty good show. I won't mention the low points .  There were several not the least of which was the lineup of artists picked to play one of the greatest American songbooks. No one else in modern time has done what Bacharach-David has done with lyric and melody.  I am not including the Gershwins whose work is still and will always transform life musically.  At any rate Stevie Wonder's extended harmonica solo on "Alfie" (in my humble opinion B&D's greatest song. Nope, that was "A House is not a Home".  Nope, it was.....) was, in spite or it's unnecessarily over the top moments, an indication that we have never really gotten from Stevie all Stevie has to give.  I really liked his reggae tinged version of "Breaking Up is Hard to Do. Diana Krall's vocal was weak but her piano was tops.  I don't know why they had Lyle Lovett there but I was for the first time ever impressed with Cheryl Crow.  Still don't know why she was picked to sing Bacharach-David but she did a pretty good job and it was sincere.  What really impressed me is that it almost doesn't matter who they picked to sing these amazing songs, the songs made even the roughest performer look good.  

Live Your Creativity!

So you're a writer.  You know it because you do it and when you're not doing it you're thinking about doing it.  It moves you to come up with sentences or lyrics that ring true and define what you see honestly. You're excited when you read something you wrote a month ago and the words still seem fluid and meaningful to you. You've been writing for six months or two years, long enough to know you love it and need to do it. But nobody else knows it, because you do it in private and for whatever reason keep the fruits of your labor to yourself even when you're pleased with the result of your work.  Well, that's okay.  To a point.  But most of us don't really want to be another Emily dickinson whose genius went unnoticed by the greater world until after her death and rediscovery.  Most of us would actually like to be recognized outside of our poorly lit clothing strewn bedroom  where we have written or composed our masterpieces. And even if we care nothing for publicity and acclaim we at least find the lure of professional recognition and peer praise tantalizing.

I would like to suggest to you another reason for breaking out of your creative isolation and sharing with the world your words and probably oddball personality. I put it to you that you will never be a complete "creative" or fully-realized owner and producer of your art until you decide to define yourself as "writer".  Is this you? Do you have rough drafts or chapters, maybe complete short stories or book-length manuscripts or lyrics hidden away in some drawer or on your laptop waiting for you to give them and yourself the ultimate freedom?  THIS IS CRITICAL ADVICE FROM AN AGING CREATIVE who knows exactly who and what he is. Once you define yourself as a creator, a writer, and present yourself and your work to the world boldly you will feel a freedom that you cannot obtain any other way in your life.  This doesn't mean that when someone asks "what do you do?" you have to answer "I'm a writer".  Perhaps you're a student, or a doctor or fireman.  Just say, "I'm a fireman, but what I really love is to write. That's what gets me up in the morning".  Believe me, that's a conversation starter.You won't be able to hide it from yourself or others once you say out loud what your passion is.  And that declaration will move you forward faster than anything else you can do.  Declare it over and over and soon it becomes second nature and a true belief.

I know this for many is a tremendous leap of courage that you fear will expose your true self to the world.  but that is where the freedom comes from.  You give yourself the gift to create and share without fear and the gift of self-confidence that comes through self-awareness and courage.Once you let yourself be what you already are your output will increase and you might even be able to talk to someone about how to better your work. And you must better your work. If you're the average writer you already think your work is valid and valuable because it moves you to write it.  But in the end it matters most if it moves others to read it.  Unless you write solely for self-indulgence. Study it. Learn it. Get over your assumptions of greatness.  They are most likely false for there is much to learn. And when you make the inevitable discovery that your output does not bear the mark of greatness but possibly the mark of great promise, take that discovery and run with it.

I am a songwriter.  I am eaten up with the desire to create and to share the creation.  At the age of 58 I create much more and better  material than I did when I was 30 and was too afraid of my own creative shadow to do anything with it and thought I was already the unknown god of the unknowns..  Do not closet away your true self.  Anything you substitute for the true freedom of living the life you are wired to live will always be second best.  Make self-doubt and fear powerless.  WRITE! And tell the world you are a writer.

Where's my Recorder??

Just a brief note of advice based on my own stumbling around.  If you're a songwriter you know that inspiration can strike you anytime, anywhere.  Whether just words, melody, or both if you don't have a tool to record your ideas it's quite likely some of your world-class, life-changing brilliance will escape into the ether now and again. The other day an idea came from somewhere and built itself into the first verse of a fun to sing pop song.  I was pumped. I'm always pumped when I'm creating.  There's no other feeling like it.  The only thing better is building on that creation and keeping the process going.  Unfortunately I couldn't find my pocket voice recorder anywhere and failed to find a way to record my latest creation.  I could only look so long for it before I had to be on my way to markedly less creative real job. Of course by the end of the day all I had was a handfull of lyrics and chords with no remembered melody.  I quietly mourned the loss of this nugget for two days, then said to myself "forget it,  maybe it will come back."  Luckily, out of the blue it snuck out of  some hidden file in my mind while I was washing dishes or clipping my toenails or something.

So, I dodged a bullet, but I swear my recorder will only be kept in my laptop bag, or in my hand from this day forward.  That is, if I find it.  It's somewhere floating around with 110 clips  that I'm sure I'll never recall from my memory.  I'll do a recording of this song in progress soon.       .