The slowest song circle. The

April 17, 2002

The slowest song circle. The last time I was in New York was to play on a song I had written for Rosanne Cash. The opportunity to write the song came out of the blue and seemed to mark the beginning of a something. It was the first time I’d sat down and put a very real part of myself into a song for someone else. I discovered the most direct connection could be made with that person through the song. Making art is an attempt to have another person feel what you are feeling -- to articulate things in new ways. The song is already successful in that Rosanne took the song on in a way that showed she understood it even better than I did. We listened to the almost finished product today at a lower west side studio. I was blown away by how the song really was Rosanne’s. I felt like I didn’t even write it. She is that kind of singer. The most notable yet unspoken compliment I could ever receive comes from the fact that she’s one of the great songwriters and doesn’t need my help in the least. When I played it individually for Scott, Dave & Bruce they all said the same three things. “It’s beautiful”, “she’s incredible” and “it really sounds like her song”. Who knows why it worked but I hope this keeps happening to me. I’m so glad it was Rosanne and John who brought me into this new arena. Mentorship is involuntary. They’ve really set the bar at a healthy height for everything I’ve done since. John Leventhal (guitar god/producer/writer and Rosanne’s husband) & Rosanne deserve some sort of award for making sure I got to experience all the best parts of the process. They didn’t have to involve me in the recording and they didn’t have to take me on as a friend. In a lot of ways this yet to be released gem is already one of my biggest hits.
We listened to the song at the studio where John is recording Joan Osbourne’s new record. Joan was very kind to allow us to walk in and hang. Sometimes you feel like you’re breaking somebody’s vibe when you go into those situations. The day was bookended by just hanging with Rosanne and catching up. It seemed like someone had planned this day off for me. How did the Kids in the Hall know how to start and complete this cycle for me? It doesn’t seem so weird that the song has taken this long to be done. The natural metaphors really apply. When I came here first the song was a green bud and when I came back to check it was the tree I imagined.
The title of the tune was originally taken from something Scott (Thompson) had said in his very first solo show in Austin Texas three years ago (the Odds just happened to be in the same town). It was serendipitous to be back in New York for the first time partly courtesy of Scott and get to hand deliver the song to him. The slowest song circle.

sidebar:
Mid-life banana hammock. There’s a sure thing to every hot day in Central Park. You will see a 40 plus guy wearing only a banana hammock while sunbathing. Its a free country but this seems il advised. Sunbathing is bad for you. Looking ridiculous can be fun but when you think you are oozing sexuality it can be worse than ridiculous. Nothing like a paunch hanging over a luminescent teal green thong to get me going. Central Park has skipped through spring to summer. Its glorious smells of cherry blossoms, horse shit and exhaust are heightened by the premature heat. I’ve had a couple of nice runs around the perimeter over the last few days. If you go after 5pm its like being in a fun run. Half the world is running. Fending off the mid life crisis that will bring on the the thong.

Well ...that’s enough names, times, and places. I think this journal is getting too newsy so I’m going to have to find that place under the surface again. Now that New York is behind the bus, and Cleveland looms on the horizon, I can let the muse flow to a new pool. New York seems to demand a lot of psychic space and despite my attempts to articulate how I felt about it I know it speaks for itself quite loudly. Impressionism seems my best bet.