Wednesday, June 4, 2008

Summink about nuffink
Current mood: not grumpy but slightly old
Category: not grumpy but slightly old Music

I wanted to write a little update as to what I've but up to as opposed to some abstract rant about how I've become a grumpy old man (did you know there is a program in the UK called precisely that?) I decided after watching and enjoying it last night that I am too young to become that grumpy. So I'm just mildly annoyed. Well this year, since I didn't want to make an album (more on that later) I thought I'd take some time off. But there is no such thing really as taking time off being creative. The live DVD has taken up so much time that I haven't really had a break. But maybe it's good not to have too much time on my hands. I also know that I really can't switch off this year until the work on the animated DVD is finished. It is such a long and ongoing project that I'll be overseeing that for most of this year.

One thing I have started to do, is do some songwriting for other people.
It's something I've never really consciously done before.
Any songs of mine that have been covered by other artists have always been by accident to be fair.

But my friend Rick Nowels is in town from L.A and we decided to pick up on our promise to write together for other artists.

We've done a couple of days, and it's hard work!
I'm keeping a totally open mind about it. I'm 50% liking it as much as not!
I think the biggest thing for me is that usually when I write, it's just an expression of me.
When I'm in the headspace of making songs with no fixed address obviously it's not as personal.
And maybe that's not a bad thing. But that's the thing I am finding I need to adjust to.
The upside is that It lets me explore melody and styles that I would NEVER record hehe.
But I must admit, I get to have a hand in the making of a guilty pleasure song and it's fun.
Though in saying that, today we worked on something that was deeply emotional.
As opposed to yesterday's song which was pop on speed.

The reason I'm doing it, is primarily to distract myself from making another album too quickly!
I knew that if I sat around with time on my hands I'd end up in a studio. And that if I didn't make some rules about what I was doing in there, I'd end up making another album without much perspective or thought : just the desire to crank something out because that's what I 'do'.

That's not at all what I want to achieve. I explained it a bit after my last gig in February.
I don't want to bring new music out until I've got something new to say.
I want to make sure that all my albums are the result of a kind of creative pregnancy and that idea is king.

Having said all this - I've been liaising with The Shave a little bit.
God I love that man.
I truly think he's a genius and it's likely I'm going to tackle him later this year and force him to join me on my quest to not make an album this year.
Maybe he and Steve and I can all not make an album together.
For other people.

Right here's my quick list of reactions to things in the pop stratosphere.

*Indiana Jones and the attack of the 50 foot martians - disappointing.
George Lucas I can finally say it out loud. You sort of ruined the Star Wars trilogy with the new films and you've almost succeeded in doing the same with Indy.
You make me want to promise in blood that I will never re-record or re-shoot anything from my past no matter how dodgy I think it might appear. History is
history.

*Cyndi Lauper - has managed to make some of the most brilliant and dare I say it better than the latest Madonna and Kylie dance pop songs I've heard in years. I love 'Into the Nightlife' 'Lay Me Down' and 'Rain Down on Me' from her new album.
Genius.

*I'm seeing Yazoo! in concert in London and I can't freakin' wait.
Alison Moyet was the first concert I ever went to so this will be serendipitous.

*I just can't get into Candy Shop. Miles away is lovely though

*I'm utterly astonished at how beautiful the song 'Viva La Vida' is.

*I have started listening to BBC London on long car drives. Does that make me sad?

*I think that Bon Ivor are amazing.

* I think that the Cut Copy record is lovely

* I think London is lovely at this time of the year

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