An Unusual Gift
Smash Mouth’s Steve Harwell (“Walking On The Sun,” “Fast Ball”) passed away in 2023. He was a blast to write with. Never a dull moment. Uncontrollably flirty, yes. Yet Tender. And tasty with words and melody. One does not want to write with ‘boring.’ You write with boring you get a boring song. Plus, he left me with a gift I’ll never forget. 🎄❤️💚
Allee
In the spirit of “The World According To Allee Willis,” the new documentary about the insanely creative, unconditionally loving, outrageous, hilarious, and eternally optimistic Allee Willis, I thought I’d share a personal Allee story with you. If you knew her you have one. I take this from my 2016 GRAMMY nominated memoir “Confessions Of A Serial Songwriter.” Allee had a profound effect on peoples’ lives. She will never be forgotten.
Hello From My Bubble 🫧🫧
If I wasn’t gonna watch the news for a while imagine how more productive I could be. It would give me two more hours every day to get things done here in my Laurel Canyon Bubble. I was effectively putting my money where my last 2 blogs were: get busy. Surround yourself with that which brings you pleasure and meaning.
Looking Forward
We set up the living room with music stands and monitors. Mics and peddles. By the fourth rehearsal my voice was limbering up. I was reaching notes I couldn’t reach the week before. My hands and fingers started going to the right place without forethought. Before I knew it I was in that zone. Deliriously happy. We sounded pretty good. A drummer-away from touring. 😎😎
Joni Under The Stars
My favorite part of the show was when Joni laughed after finishing a song and hearing the uproarious response from the crowd. She sounded like a young child who just caught a dragonfly inside a jar. ♥️
Bottle of Red Bottle of White
All my favorite artists from my past trigger different memories and emotions. Todd taps into crushes. High school. First kisses. Kisses I wish I got, etc. Billy doesn’t do that for me. He pulls me into the tapestry of his life. His world with unforgettable stories. I don’t get sentimental … just nostalgic. Perhaps it’s our Long Island connection. The night was worth every penny we didn't pay for those seats. 😳
Songwriting Beyond 50
Don’t let this youth heavy music business make you feel like there’s no room for you any more. MAKE room. Tell the universe what you want. Believe you can have it. It’s never over. In fact it just may be beginning. Again. 💜
Christina & Sabrina sing “What a Girl Wants” 😀
In a beautiful staged, elegantly filmed celebration of nostalgia and appreciation for the past Christina goes down memory lane. She sings “Come On Over Baby,” “Genie in a Bottle,” and then my jaw drops as Sabrina Carpenter emerges and joins her on “What A Girl Wants.” It’s a song that keeps giving and I’m eternally grateful for its life. ❤️😀🎶
“You'd have to stop the world just to stop the feeling”
In writing sessions we pray for lines like these to drop from the sky. Lightening in a bottle. Sometimes, it’s obvious. Sometimes elusive. The sum up is as important as the title. It supports the whole ‘thesis’ of the song and brings the concept full circle. 💙🎶
Green Light Moments 💚🚥
Green Light Moments are when the Universe tells us we’re on the right path. Not for a minute since we began creating the Musical SNIPPED! have I had a second thought about the endeavor. And on the morning of our first staged performance I got a sign from the Universe … a Green Light Moment if there ever was one ... that life was saying "yes." 💚🚦
I’m Not In Love
10 cc’s Graham (I’m Not In Love”) Gouldman (on the left) and I were guests on The Naked Lunch Podcast hosted David Wild and Phil Rosenthal. I’m in awe of this man … his history, creativity, his ongoing writing process. I was honored to be part of the conversation. I think you might enjoy it. ❤️⭐️🎸
SNIPPED!
After 2 table readings we’re finally preparing for our first “Staged Reading” of our Musical with legitimate actors and singers who will bring our songs and story to life. It’s a test. Will they laugh? With they cry? Will they leave the theater happy that they came? We’re ready to find out.
Catching Up With Glen
Glen Burtnik, veteran songwriter, singer, musician and lefty is a lifer with a great attitude. He launched his career with Patty Smyth’s “Sometimes Love Just Ain’t Enough.” That was over 30 years ago. He’s never stopped. Have a look at and listen to what’s on his mind.
Songwriting With Your Honey
It was never a goal to be collaborators. We were both happily doing our very own things. It wasn’t until Covid, when we were all faced with the challenge of convening with other humans (or writing on Zoom — which I couldn’t stomach) that we turned to each other and said “I guess you’re it.” Hey, Barry and Cynthia did it. The Bergmans. Carole and Jerry. There have been hundreds of spousal collaborative teams. We were about to explore this conjugal dynamic.
Crossing The Pond
There’s a slight kerfuffle at boarding. We wait in the tunnel for 20 minutes at a standstill. Is something wrong with the plane? Are they reattaching the exit door? Is this a Boeing? I’m poised to call American Express with whom I booked my flight to ask what my options are. And do I have a change of underwear in my carry-on? I used to be a free man in Paris. And everywhere else. Not any more. What happened? 😳
Beyoncé
Way back when I first started writing songs, before there were algorithms and expectations and boxes we needed to check … I wrote something that had a spoken lyric. In my novice mind I thought of it as white-girl rap, if you will. Nobody suggested I didn’t have any business trying to be something I was not. I was just making a song. It felt right. It came out of me. I let it rip. No one was the boss of my creative spirit.
The Greatest Night in Pop
“The Greatest Night in Pop” is a Netflix Documentary about how the song “We Are The World” came to be. At a typical recording session any one of these stars would be red-carpeted, catered to, worshipped. But tonight they are equals. Selfless humans coming together for a sum greater than the parts.
What Was I Made For
Greta Gerwig could have chosen a funnier song or a poppier song or certainly a song that propelled us to the dance floor. Many other directors would have. But instead she tapped the right writers and got “What Was I Made For.” I applaud Billie Eilish and her talented sibling Finneas for the melancholy approach and Greta Gerwig for not trying to steer them in a safer happier direction.
I’ve Been Thinking About Taylor
My family has sat around many-a-dinner-table with friends of all ages deliberating Ms. Swift. Her sharp marketing calculations. Her social media game. Her ticket sales. Whether she’s as big as the Beatles? (No!) Was it mean to invite Sabrina Carpenter to open for her after the Olivia Rodrigo debacle? Her ability to put her finger on the heartbeat of the young woman experience. Love her, hate her or ambivalent, one can’t argue that she’s a cultural icon who has the power to influence the course of the country. ❤️
