Praying to the cat ladies... ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏
| Hi John! Another week and another newsletter. This one is about where inspiration comes from. Does divine inspiration exist? Or is that just intervention...? Onto that in a moment... Cartoon: MEOW 😽
Dad Joke: Opening up... 🔪
Post: Two guys hanging out 🚗
Quote: A conversation between songwriters ✍️
Artwork: Sow your seeds 🍉
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The church loves to make vilians of single women. But what if God was a single cat lady?
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The next time I’m opening up is at my autopsy.
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| Paul Zollo, in his book, Songwriters on Songwriting, asks Paul Simon a question: “Do you ever feel that those thoughts that surprise you come from beyond you?” Paul Simon answers, “No. Beyond? No. I don’t know what that means.” Zollo continues, “Many songwriters, including John Lennon, have expressed that they feel like channels, and that songs come through them from a source that is beyond.” Simon: “Well, it’s coming from their subconscious. Unless you believe that someone is sending you a signal from another planet or another sphere. But maybe that’s an explanation for your subconscious. I don’t think that way.” Zollo: “But doesn’t it ever seem to you that the process is rather magical?” Simon: “Yes, and that’s why it’s m ore fun to write that way.” Zollo: “But that magic is something you possess?” Simon: “You don’t really possess it. That’s the feeling that it comes through, that you’re a transmitter. It comes through you. But you don’t possess it. You can’t control it or dictate to it. You’re just waiting. Waiting for the show to begin.” |
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| You or God: Where does music come from? |
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| I’ve been sharing with you my slow and painfully cautious journey back into making music like I used to. Last week’s letter revealed to you that I figured out why I’ve had a block: because the depths of my self, the erroneous religious prejudice against “secular” music still existed. Once I realized that, it disappeared. So I bought a couple books on songwriting, pulled out my guitar a couple times, and am getting closer to actually making music again. But this massive book of Zollo’s, a collection of interviews with singer-songwriters, is rather eye-opening. Most of the songwriters so far claim that you can’t invent music. You discover it. Or, rather, it discovers you. Like Michelangelo claimed… he didn’t carve out David. Rather, he chiseled away the excess marble to expose the David who was already there. These songwriters really believe these songs appear. The difference is in their opinions of where they come from. Many, like Lennon, Carole King, and so many more, claim they come from beyond… such as from God. Many others, like Paul Simon, believe they arise from deep in the subconscious. Here’s what I think— Years ago when I first got introduced to the subconscious, via Carl Jung, etc., I came to believe that the “beyond” (God, etc.) and the depths of our unconscious selves, are the same thing. They are one. There is no in or out, up or down, here or beyond. It is all one. So that when we tap into the depths of ourselves and therefore the depths of humanness and therefore the depths of the universe, we are actually also reaching into the heights of all things. It depends only on your perspective and the words you choose to articulate it. But what was really interesting to me is that all of them agree on one thing: it requires raw honesty and brutal authenticity for good music to come out. And I like that. I think I can do this. I think I’m ready. |
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| Art Feature: Jesus Sows Watermelon Seeds |
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This original drawing needs a good home. One where seeds of goodness are sown daily.
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| I have great news! Any day now (maybe even by the time you're reading this) my Facebook name will be back to normal. The loss of my page was so hard to deal with but your Likes and Comments and Reviews in the last few weeks have made such a difference. Please keep them coming you can. Much love my friend, David |
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