Today Jeff, Bill and I went to LA for the first session of a song writing workshop. Peter Case is teaching it. I don't know much about Peter Case. He's been nominated three times for a Grammy. Michael saw him in concert and said he really liked him. Jeff and Bill saw him at the Folk Center. That's all I know. The workshop has four sessions and there are twelve people in the class. I found him to be quite a likeable guy and he really seems to know his shit.
We did this exercise where we had to write for five minutes about a frying pan. Jeff did this pretty cool riff that was just chock full of almost touchable images. Peter said it would make a good rap with a blues guitar accompaniment. I think it would, but it kind of makes me think of a beatnik scene in a cheesy 60's movie. There's this guy sitting on a stage in a smoke-filled coffee house playing blues guitar and rapping about a greasy frying pan? Man, that's ka-raaazee!
Our homework for the week is to write about some random object for ten minutes every morning, start keeping a list of song titles (that we make up), and write a song. It'll be interesting to see what we come up with.
After the workshop we went to dinner at an Indian restaurant. Jeff and Bill, not wanting to waste any time, dove right in and started writing a song about nipples. Yes, nipples. I may have contributed a word or two but the project really belongs to the boys. On the way home Bill got out a uke and came up with some chords and a functional melody. The song began to take shape. I was caught in a storm of nipple references. At one point I started to have an uncomfortable physical reaction and had to kind of hold onto myself as I drove home. It was as if my nipples were saying, "Hey, man, are you talking about us?"
When we got back to Riverside we met up with Virginia and their sister, Pam, at Barnes and Noble. She's visiting from PA. We bought a few books and then went to the California Pizza kitchen for drinks and a visit. Bill had bought a rhyming dictionary. Jeff took it and started looking up rhymes for nipple. The best one was participle. Then Pam said, "Dangling participle" and much laughter ensued.
Quite a good day.
14 comments:
Here's what I wrote this morning. It didn't take me the full 10 minutes and I didn't use all my senses. But hey, I didn't have much sense when I bought the wine in the first place.
That expensive bottle of wine
What am I saving it for?
It taunts me laying there on its side in my wine rack
Next to its brothers
Did I really need two bottles of champagne?
What am I celebrating?
There they sit, their necks pointing out
Like cannons at the ready
They've been there together
Long enough to become a set
Seven bottles of wine that all cost more that two dollars each
And really, who needs to pay more?
Seven bottles of wine
Drink me
Nice.
Although I have to admit, I thought the reference to *rack* was a nod to the nipple song.
according to our handout, we're supposed to do this three times a day.
Write 'til your hand hurts.
Virginia- Har!
Jeff- Three times a day? Screw that.
Oops, the line was supposed to say "that all cost more THAN two dollars each". Bill's been bringing Two Buck Chuck to our uke practices and it tastes pretty good to me. I bought the seven bottles when we were wine tasting in SLO. They really are good but I can't bring myself to crack 'em open unless there's a nice dinner involved. Time for a party, I guess.
Why are so many of the original songs coming out of your group there about tits?
-dean
The Nipple Song is a logical and pragmatic extension of the Bosom Song. It's actually the beginnings of a song cycle. Next up: The Vee Jay Jay Song.
I didn't write this morning because I'm going through a kitty crisis. Our dear Katie may be checking out. Like, soon. It's a big, freakin' bummer because she's the best cat we've ever had.
So, maybe I'll write a song about her. But first I'll have to write a penis song since Bill and Jeff are writing about vee-jay-jay next. Our album will be titled "Nasty Bits". Boy, we sure got off to a kinky start.
Oh the Katie-kins. How old is she? I hope she pulls through.
The vee jay jay project is a solo project. I'm writing a song about the uvula.
DEan- Katie just turned 10. I don't think she'll pull through. Once the kidneys start shutting down that's pretty much it.
Jeff- If Bill is working on a solo project then he should write the penis song. Right now I'm working on one about sex at the office.
I'm getting a little carried away. I think the Spankers inspired me.
Hey, Dean! We saw the Asylum Street Spankers at the Folk Center the other night. Damn, what a show!
Oh dear- so sorry about Katie- I remember her from last summer's visit.
And- so sorry to butt in, but did you know Kyle has the biggest uvula EVER??? That's why he snores so much/loud. :)
Good luck with the song writing!
Aren't the Spankers cool? I've seen them twice play live music for a silent movie: "The Gold Rush" and "The General". If you ever get the chance to see a silent movie with a live band, do not pass it up!
-dean
Anne- Well, I may have spoken too soon about Katie. Still, I can't get my hopes up too much. She has to go to the vet every day this week to get fluids. Yesterday she staggered around after we got home. Lindsay took her today and said she handled it well. Just now I got home and gave her a can of super fancy tuna cat food and she chowed down like a lumberjack. Last night I tried to give her tuna and she refused it. Today the tuna plate is clean. So, maybe...
Remind me to never ask Kyle if I can see his uvula.
Dean- I think I do remember you telling me about the silent movie thing. The Spankers are awesome. Today I wasted a bunch of time at work looking up their website. Since almost nobody was in the office I felt I could listen to their music without getting into trouble. Their stuff is definitely NSFW.
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