Well, it’s been a minute.
I wish I had a better excuse for not publishing for the past…erm…almost year, but I have a pretty good excuse.
The fact of the matter is that My Life is…complex. Like Michael Keaton as Batman, I’m struggling with my multiplicities—similar to Michael Keaton in Multiplicity. Also, like Michael Keaton in Mr. Mom, these kids aren’t going to raise themselves, and on top of it all, I’m pretty Gung Ho about my career. I can’t just drink a gallon of Beetlejuice and get back to the Night Shift making songs! I’m navigating My Life like a Clean and Sober Jack Frost Birdman (or the Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance). Still, I’ve got The Dream Team at my back no matter how Johnny Dangerously things get. Some say that writing is as simple as a mad lib where every blank to fill is a Michael Keaton movie, and I say those people are Batman Returns!
The publishing hiatus provided some perspective.
One thing that kept me committed over three years also contributed to the burn out. I connected with some great folks via this platform but it was overwhelming to consistently engage. My fragile psyche couldn’t keep up with what felt like a job on top of a job on top of a side hustle with no meaningful compensation. It is beautiful to create, however, there is something off about ostensibly working in service of a creative practice while actually providing cheap labor to a for profit company. I’d rather not engage the demon gorging on the need for validity in the pseudo-market of social media—but what are ya gonna do, amirite?
However washed I may be, I’m not finished. I put forth a laudable effort with this newsletter and it would be a shame to let it go. Also, I haven’t stopped making music.
Despite the ridiculousness of releasing songs as a podcast on Substack, I’d like to keep doing it from time to time. Hopefully, I’ll be able to highlight other people’s tracks along with my collaborations and projects.
Speaking of which, this track is the first demo from a project with two friends from days of yore. We all have complicated, Keatonesque lives, but it’s a fun project that is trending toward being a real band. I’ll hope to share more music and news from this project here in the future.
This song, Signal Disconnect, was cowritten in every way. It originated as a jam, we combined multiple parts to which we all contributed and we all added parts of the melody and lyrics. Collaborative song writing from the ground up is pretty rare in my estimation and piecing things together while bringing in different perspectives, trainings, tastes, and histories is a great way to work. Take a listen, it’s the first thing we’ve ever recorded or shared, so let me know what you think!
Signal Disconnect
Shield your eyes
from what you've become
Manipulate, love, manipulate
Lies command what you are and what you can love
We all know what you are and what you've become
You say you have answers
Signal disconnect
You copy to know the way
You don't know the way
You don't notice what I say
You don't even know the way
I've made up my mind
to find my way through
to reconnect you, to reconnect
Shape my words, shave them down
make them answer to your ideas
let me hear all your commands
The future remains uncertain but I hope the next time you receive this publication isn’t a year away.
Take care, pals.
