It’s been an amazing time since I last posted. I’ve driven from Las Vegas to Los Angeles, San Francisco, and up to Portland. Along the way I visited many good friends and had some wonderful adventures. Sometimes I worry that if I don’t write things down I won’t remember them, but I’ll have to risk it as I’ve been too busy with actual living to document everything.
When I returned to Las Vegas about a month ago, I moved into my place and slowly started setting things up. Once I had my musical equipment together I began recording almost immediately.
After about a week of dabbling around, I present to you my first “finished” song in over a decade:
It’s kind of odd, because I have at least 10 songs that have been written and ready for many years, and another 50 musical ideas in various stages of development. However the original seed for this song sprouted just a month ago, and I cultivated it from there in just the past week. Got to follow the flow, I suppose.
I’m going to go ahead and call it “finished”, though I reserve the right to do minor mixing changes as I collect songs for an album.
Yes: an album. Though the idea of an album is kind of old fashioned these days, that’s how I feel like doing it. Single songs come in too small units for me to feel the sense of accomplishment I’m looking for. So I don’t know that I’ll be posting songs as I complete them. Maybe a few, but I’ll be aiming to post a album sized collection sometime down the road. Probably in a few months.
I’m taking a cue from the illustrious The Reverend Brendan Powell Smith, who has been a lone creative force for many years now. He says setting arbitrary deadlines helps. I did set an arbitrary deadline of Tuesday night for this song, and I beat it by a day. So that’s a start.
I haven’t set my next song deadline yet, or come up with a big-picture timeline for the album. Maybe I will, or maybe I’ll take things step-by-step.
In any case, I’m very excited to be doing music again. I thought I might have lost the love with all these years being immersed in cold computer culture. But I seem to have thawed out just fine.
I like the song!!! Now it’s stuck in my head. I assume that’s your voice layered on top of your voice in the verses? What would you do if you ever sang it live?…
In other news I got Karaoke Revolution last week from Lila and Brendan. Pretty schweet.
Thanks! And yes: that is me singing again and again and again. I would use cloning for live performances. Speaking of which, can I use your body to grow some of my cloned embryos? I know that sounds like a pick up line, but I’m really just looking for volunteers.
Karaoke Revolution sounds awesome. Just make sure you sing some Swayze for me.
I think Lila and Brendan would kill me if I had one of Mark’s spawn, let alone open my lady parts up to you, too. I think you’ll have to look elsewhere – maybe Kate’s vagina’s available?
Sadly, Karaoke Revolution has no Swayze but it does have “(I’ve Had) The Time of My Life.” I’ve been getting down to “Dust in the Wind.”
You have my permission to open your lady parts to Jon.
But if you have one of Mark’s spawn, I will, indeed, kill you.
But don’t you want the Mikulis line to be continued? I mean, you (and Kelsi) have met my brother. I might be my family’s only chance.
I recommend you adopt a 17 and 11/12 year old. Legally change his last name to Mikulis. Then boot him out of the house at age 18.
And encourage him to marry and have a child ASAP.
Or have him adopt another 17 and 11/12 year old. Repeat as necessary.
If you demand a full-blooded Mikulis progeny, the only way to really ensure that is to bear Michael’s child yourself. Or Mr. Kathy’s. Or Chuck #2′s.