Inkwell: Authors and Artists

    
it does NOT amuse me that amazon still hasn't even sent out my copy.
  

    

 Although Kathi was an early reader, she was NOT reading yet at age
one or one and a half. But she knew her music. She had a huge pile of
plastic 45s, and the only way she could identify the song she wanted
was to put each disk on the player, listen to the first two notes, and
yank it off until she found the one she wanted. Seriously -- all it
took was the first note or two.
  

    
Hey, that was Tony, wasn't it? He used to throw the baby records on the 
floor till he found the Marvin Gaye single of "Hitch-hike"; Let's 
see--advice to songwriters:

always keep a pen and some paper with you for the odd inspirational hit. I 
find that if you scribble something on a napkin and put it in your pocket 
you might not find it again for awhile, but if you stick it inside your 
bra you are bound to come across it again within 24 hours.

don't be afraid to collaborate. 100 percent of nothing is nothing, and 
sometimes it takes another ear and a fresh brain to turn a bunch of 
couplets into a real song.

Remember the "10% inspiration; 90% perspiration" rule. Most songs don't 
write themselves. Read a lot, and listen to a lot of music, to increase 
your vocabulary. 

Don't be afraid to write down something stupid. No one has to ever see it, 
and it might be the germ of a good idea.

If you're stuck for a melody, pick an existing one and write your lyrics 
to it, then change the melody later, or find a collaborator who can do 
that. I went through a period (admittedly short) of writing every song to 
the tune of "Alley-Oop", then changing the tune.

I'll probably think of more...

And hey, I haven't received my amazon.com order yet either. What's up with 
that?
  

    
Ahem. . . talk to your publisher. Sometimes Chronicle's orders are
late. 
  

    
The Chronicle Books web site for Shoes really is great. I was looking
at my actual book today and wondering why the little guitar lady wasn't
bouncing up and down.

One of the things I love about old country music is the humor, the
puns, the word play. Even the saddest songs can be really funny. 

If I was to sit down today and write a song, what is it about the
lyrics, independent of the melody and instrumentation, that would make
it a country song and not just any old pop song? What makes country
lyrics different from other genres?
  

    
I don't know--it's partly the instrumentation and arrangements, but also 
the straightforwardness of the story telling. Country lyrics can be funny, 
sad, emotional, and corny, all at the same time. There's a heavy use  of 
hook lines and catchy melodies that stick in your head. Look at one of my 
all-time favorite country lyrics:

Not long ago you held our baby's bottle

But the one you're holdin' now's a different kind

You just sit and wait to be somebody's baby

And it all depends on who will buy the wine  


That is simple, elegant, and totally corny story-telling! There's also a 
very visual quality to a lot of country lyrics. One of the contemporary
 songwriters who is very visually descriptive is Lucinda Williams.  

gotta get ready for work...more later!
  

    

I once drove from Opelousas to Jackson Mississippi without a map, using only
the words to a Lucinda Williams song.

It seems to me that certain timeless themes run through country music:
drinking, cheating, heartbreak, hard times. Trucks, maybe. Some word play
and some bad grammar, a twangy accent and a raw edge of emotion, a dash of
religion-tinged guilt.

But you're right, it's harder than it looks to write a good song. (Miss
Wanda's got me trying though; she really wants me to win you reading the
passage about Peaches at her cafe.)
  

    
Okay, I am here to whine because I was at Cody's last night for Dennis
McNally's booksigning and was HOPING to pick up a copy of this book,
but NOOOO, Cody's does not have it yet!

I am bumming.

Even though I'm supposed to interview Delbert McClinton in five minutes...
  

    
LOVE Delbert.

One of the greatest rockabilly albums extant: GEnuine Cowhide.
  

    
This is just for a little news blurb about his new one, but I'm
totally looking forward to it. Alas, his office says he's running
late, so the suspense mounts at the Eisenhart house.
  

    
To clear up an apparent misunderstanding, McNally's book was there
in profusion, but "Shoes," no.

Meanwhile, that Delbert, wotta phone voice <swoon>.
  

    
Been listening to the local "hat boy" country station since I moved ot
the desert. (no local version of KFOG, so I'm pretty bored) and the
spate of patriotic songs since 9-11 has been fierce. Alan Jackson's
"Where Were You When the World Stopped Turning" was played to death.

A lot of nostalgia going on lately about old boats, a Chevvy that
belonged to a dead Korean vet; lots of Vietnam (pronounced "naaam" not
"nahm")and a lot of "God  bless the USA" going on.

country music is nothing if not the pulse of the nation, especially
from the fly-over states. 
  

    
Are they playing the new one about the prison dog, Cyn? It's pretty 
funny--can't remember the artist or title though...
  

    

Hey folks, our next interview is now in the spotlight, but there is no reason
at all for this one to end.  Please carry on!

Off-WELL readers are invited to send questions or coments to inkwell-
hosts@well.come for posting.
  

    
Oh, you mean "Old Red?" Yup. That's the pup.

Years ago, the Examiner published 300 "Lines to Leave Yer Lover By,"
and some of them were choice as in:

I'd rather have a bottle in front of me instead of a frontal lobotomy.

I'd need a bridge to get over you.

Don't cry down my back, you'll rust my spurs.
  

    
Mary, my SO and I are big Delbert fans and went on his 8th Delbert
cruise last January. We already have our tickets for his next one this
January. It's huge fun. You can check it out at www.delbert.com. Also,
they have lots of other musicians on the cruise, including some who
have written a lot of Nashville hits. One of the regular shows on the
boat is a "singers and songwriters" show, where a few of the folks get
together to sing the songs they've written, often ones other people
have made famous. Kathi, wonder if this cruise holds possibilities for
you......

Got my book from Amazon.com this week and they were very prompt in
sending it.
  

    
I finally got my amazon book too!  I've heard about that Delbert 
Cruise--it sounds so totally fun.
  

    
Yeah, we talked about it a little, and it does sound like a total blast.
  

    
well, come on! There are still tickets left! lotsa fun to be had. some
perfectly legal
  

    

Well, maybe we just will! Hey everyone, it's time to move it on over for 
the next interview. It's been great fun, thanks! (The hosts say we can 
keep chatting if we wanna.)
  

    
Please do!
  

    
I'm off to Chicago on Sunday to get Tony settled at college, then the book 
events begin on Friday Sept. 20. Thanks, Elizabeth, for doing a swell job 
on this interview--your questions were wonderful. And thanks everyone 
else, for chiming in.
  

    
You have an insanely full schedule!  Have a graet time, Kathi.
  

    
Thanks, Kathi, it was a treat to have you here. And I'm looking forward to
your reading up here in my neck of the woods (Thurs. Oct 3, 7 p.m.,
Copperfield's Books, 2316 Montgomery Drive, Santa Rosa, CA).
  

    

Have a safe trip!