There Is No Control
Haven't stepped outside in two days. Getting in pretty deep with the demoing. Got an altered arrangement for "The Loophole" tracked, and now I am on to "Bloody Mary". Last night around 5am, after tracking all day I got into some kind of a hyper-focused sleep deprived creative state. Started going through all the lyrics I have written for all the songs going on the record, and really looking at them. All of a sudden, different ideas started appearing. Verses that I realized that I knew could be better, or just more emotionally connected started re-writing themselves. At least that's what it felt like. "Left To Lose" and "Said You'd Be" are all re-written, some of the lyrics to those songs I never liked anyway. After that, I worked on this new arrangement idea for "Bloody Mary". Woke up with the new version in my head today. Not sure if that means that it's a good idea, or just that I was drilling it over and over until 9am this morning and it stuck. Also, this apparently means my new apartment really is great for playing music. If the neighbors don't hate me now, they never will. After "Mary" is demoed out, I plan on tackling my new song, "Green".
In my furious re-writing mode as the sun strained to get through the blinds this morning, I flashed back on an interview with The Who's Pete Townshed, when he was asked about one of the lyrics from "Tommy": "Sickness will surely take the mind where minds can't usually go...". I remember him saying that he was really ill at one point, and in his delirium his mind was released from it's normal patterns and had opened up to a free and unpredictable creative state. Apparently, this is where part of the "Tommy" concept came from. I see what he means; when your body is going through something, your mind can lose it's ability to exercise it's idea of control, and a kind of liberation occurs. Kind of like the "altered" thoughts from drug or alcohol intake. Are those ideas random, or are they a result of the ego being "occupied" with a substance, and as a result more subconscious ideas float to the surface? Personally, most of the ideas I had when under the influence tended to seem like genius when I was having them, and lame afterwards. My favorite ideas have come from late nights, obsession, and solitude.
Fortune Cookie: "Life to you is a dashing, bold adventure"
Comments
Glad to hear you are kicking into a creative stride. What will you be doing with Josh on Monday?
I began an 11 day sabbatical/vacation this week, so I hope to explore your deprivation theory firsthand as i get back to work in LE.
Posted by: Mike C. | September 9, 2005 06:20 PM
"Life to you is a dashing, bold adventure"
SO SING, AND REJOICE....SING, AND REVOICE!!
Faith No More
"Land of Sunshine"
Posted by: Six7Six7 | September 9, 2005 10:36 PM
Hello Steve, I'll tell you what, the more days that go by and the more I hear about this record the more I can't wait to hear it.
Tell you the truth, I had no idea who you were before TPC. But now I'm fixed. Reading about the creative distances you are putting yourself through with this record is amazing. I really do hope that it works out for you. Keep up the good work.
Posted by: Simon | September 10, 2005 12:20 AM
As I was reading this, I thought: "Wow, Steve really is a gemini..."
I totally relate to this (although my writing has dried up for longer than I care to mention), and very much look forward to hearing the results.
Posted by: Theresa | September 10, 2005 08:03 AM
When I used to imbibe, I had an uncontrollable urge to be sleep with William Hurt. Don't know how creative that was. I read the works of Tart, Ornstein and Deikman. Not really, that's a line from the movie, but I might. I spent a lot of time catching my hand while in altered states. Not the opposite hand, but the same one that I was throwing up in the air. Try it. And then I'd say, "Hey everyone, try to catch your hand!". This one girl kept on missing, she was like, "I can't do it!"-funny as hell. One time, I had some Jack Daniels in a bouta pouch, and I told her, "Hey, I've got Jack Daniels in here" and she was like, "No, no way, how could a person fit in such a tiny pouch?" Took something like 8 hours to convince her it was the liquor and not a real person. One thing we did used to do was to tape our conversations during a session and then play them back from the previous session at the next one. That shit was pretty funny too. Best memory? Me and my good friend, since departed, smoked Zeppelin 4. How? We'd put a ciggy in the center hole of the album, and you had to hold it up to your face, would look really funny from the perpective of the other guy. Ah, memories.
Posted by: Lyn | September 10, 2005 11:07 AM
I'm looking forward to the album (obviously, after 1 year...), but I get the sense one more "hit" song would complete your set. I like everything I've heard so far, but I also want you guys to sell enough to be noiced and stick around. Perhaps some of the new stuff fits the bill.
Posted by: Mike | September 11, 2005 07:52 PM
we need water, good good water
Posted by: chris | September 11, 2005 09:39 PM
Solitude can bring out the best in us at times. I do some of my best work alone, in the dark of the night. Congrats on your recent progress. Sounds like good material coming forth.
Posted by: Jonathan | September 11, 2005 11:07 PM
Steve
Keep it coming! We can't wait to hear the new versions.
Are you using protools digital amps or you have your amp mic'd and playing late into the night?
Pony
Posted by: WhitePony | September 12, 2005 09:19 AM
Hey, you should try meditating, it brings the same effect, its takes quite a while but you learn how to diminish the dominance of the rational or ego controlled mind so that our intuitive side can become apparent, and in this way you can deliberately or consciously bring yourself to this state rather then relying on chance happenings, though it all counts, and its amazing when it happens.
Good luck!
Posted by: Mick | September 13, 2005 03:13 AM