Write it Down When You Think of It!
Because that big wonderful thoughtwill never hit you again quite the same way. It will be similar, but never as good, trust me. An insight is a gift from God and the Universe. It is the coming together of a thousand separate observations and thoughts...
The Great American Song Contest
I’ve just finished being the final judge of the lyrics division of the Great American Song Contest. I have had the pleasure and honor of doing this judging for many years, and I always enjoy it. I’m fascinated by the entries, and I try to always ...
Why do some people succeed at talent shows and others fail to be noticed?
IMTA New York is coming up July 15-19, and I’ll be there to judge… I have been judging this show for International Modeling and Talent Association – the largest talent show not televised – for about 10 years. Twice a year – in L...
Do it for the love of it
Recently, I was invited to an album release party of a European entertainer, who has for many years made her home in Los Angeles. I know that when I first met her years ago, she envisioned great stardom and was anxious and eager to achieve her place ...
Baggage? Moi?
Every year, we collect one more case of it. Mostly small stuff, a hurt here, a slight there, a let down, a misunderstanding. A job interview that fell flat, a song pitched that didn’t land. A promised cut that never materialized. A hold that got he...
Clarity is Being Simply Wonderful
Let me make myself crystal clear here: If you want your point of view to be heard, really heard, by your audience, there is no device like clarity. No cleverness or circularity can ever arrest your audience like nailing your idea. If you hit it just ...
For The Write Reasons
I have heard of a hungry young band turning down a record deal because their contract contained no clause specifying limousines on call. I have heard of a wonderful little movie that won’t get picked up for distribution because the producers are ho...
High Drama
Do you know the difference between making honest mistakes in judgment that in some way hurt your chances or had the effect of holding you back; and making unconscious decisions or choices that have the effect of making you fail? Be honest now: Are yo...
Nirvana
I have often pondered the meaning of the Hindu concept of Nirvana, feeling a certain resignation that I probably will never know what it is. And then last night I had an absurdly clear flash of understanding (Nirvana?) in which I was blessed with a m...
Living in The Land of Make-Believe
The Land of Make-Believe is not just a place in a Chuck Mangione song. For those of us involved in the Fine Arts whose job is to write words, it is a place we call home. When we start writing, everything is purely biographical. We write about what we...
Songwriting As Zen
Zen philosophy tells us there cannot be space between thought and action. Even a space as narrow as a hair’s breadth is too much. From the moment of its invention to your recognition of it, the processing of an idea must be a fluid motion wherein t...
Nothing To Fear But Fear
U.S. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt said at his 1933 inauguration, “There is nothing we have to fear but fear itself.” This rousing speech to the American people was, “to dissipate the fear and panic which had laid a paralyzing hand upon t...
Painting With A Full Palette
I am, like you, just another person on the path of daily living and making sense of life. I believe we are all on this planet to learn some lessons and to evolve spiritually. As writers we need to draw from the philosophies of many great thinkers, sp...
Words of Wisdom to Songwriters….
Over many years, people at book-signings have asked me to sign their books, and I find myself calling upon several ideas. Today, the Great American Song contest asked for ten autographed books. I inscribed each one with a unique thought to hopefully ...
There is Enough For Everyone
Or…Self-pity Isn’t Pretty. It hits you like Maxwell’s Silver Hammer coming down upon your head. You discover that they didn’t cut your song or pick up your song to publish. Or worse yet, they cut it and didn’t include it on the album. Or...
What Words Mean
The meaning of “soon” for instance. There’s “I’ll call you soon” as said by a date as he lets himself out of your front door. There’s “He’ll be dead soon,” as said by the man with the pillow over the other guy’s mouth. There’s...