Song #2

            My trick for forgetting the song didn’t work. I took a train downtown yesterday and couldn’t think about anything else. I tried to put it out of my mind, but it didn’t work. I’ve been working on it without pen and paper. It’s in my head, but still not finished. It’s going to be one of those songs that take’s a while. I like the songs that write themselves. Too much thinking can kill a song. I have to give it time, but I’m an addict. I can’t stop myself from trying to put the puzzle together. It’s like wondering if a girl likes you or not. I’m trying to say the right things to get the romance started. 

Song Writing

            I think I spoke too soon when I said the songs were coming easy. I was working on a new one and it was flowing pretty good, when I got stuck. Now I’m running the risk of creating something that is contrived. There’s nothing worse than that. It’s bad for everybody, the listener, the artist, it’s just a bad scene. I’m going to let it go, not try, regroup, rather than force it. I hope it works out. I like the chord structure and the melody, but I can’t seem to fit the words in without it sounding preachy. The words are thematic. I haven’t had much luck with themes in the past. Sometimes if I don’t think about it, the words will come. But I can't pretend to not think about it, it has to be honest, sincere, there's no tricking the cosmos, not even on Halloween.
 

The Cosmos

It’s one of those perfect days in Los Angeles. Not too hot, not too cool. But don’t move out here all at once, we still have lot's of traffic.

            I’ve been keeping busy stacking rocks. I’m making a flowerbed near my cabin. In between rocks I’ll jot down words to a song I’m working on. The songs are coming one after another. I think the cosmos are trying to tell me something. I don't hear voices exactly, but I do listen. I highly recommend you just sit and listen. But if you hear something that involves guns and murder, check yourself in case you're nuts. 

1968 Oldsmobile

      I took a look at a car today. It was a 1968 Oldsmobile 98 with a 454 engine. It’s not all that practical but, it is a convertible. It’s a beautiful car. It's been sitting for years, it's beat up, but romantic. There was a kid selling the car for his parents. He was a nice kid. He was a twenty-nine year old attorney but not a practicing attorney. He seemed wise beyond his years. He had tiny eyes, like a cowboy's eyes in the sunlight. We talked for twenty minutes or so before I hit the road. I really want the car but it does need work. It's a little piece of history and I'm a sucker for history. 

Train

      I’ve been riding the train to get around. I’m in between cars. Being in between cars is like being in between girlfriends in many respects. I don’t mind the train. I rode the train for years when I lived in San Francisco. It’s always an adventure. I like it. I feel like I’m on the road traveling, but I’m just seeing the city in a different light. It takes longer, but I’m not in a rush. The tricky part is walking once I’m off the train. I haven’t mastered the connections yet. I don’t think it will be that bad once I set my bike up. I’m looking forward to the exercise. 

The Flutter

            Martin and I finished the tracking to Dust Covered Man. We laid down a tambourine and a trumpet yesterday. I played the trumpet at the end of the song. The only problem was I’m not a trumpet player. I gave it my best shot anyway. We were listening to the play back and began to laugh uncontrollably. I was that bad. It was a bunch of squeaks and low end flutters. The flutters really got us going.

            "Excuse me," Martin said, in an English accent. "Do you have a handkerchief?” 

            You had to be there. I hadn’t laughed that hard in a long time. It’s hard to remember what we were laughing at the end. It was just funny. We couldn’t stop laughing if we tried, and oddly we tried.

The NBA

About this time of the year I usually watch NBA basketball. I’m a huge Laker fan, and have been ever since I can remember. To tell you the truth I don’t miss it much. The league was starting to wear on me some. The officiating was suspect and over all, the product has diminished over the years. 

           Frankly, I think the league is being mismanaged. The owners are saying they are losing money. What they should be saying is we’re mismanaged. I can’t bring myself to feel sorry for multi millionaires who are supposedly losing money. What does that mean? That they’re driving Porsche’s instead of Ferrari’s? It’s amusing to me that the owners are crying poor. Have they no shame, pride or otherwise?What are they aiming for? To be the richest men in the grave?