Who's singing when you're writing?

Well, sadly, it's me.

I'm always oriented to I got to sing my own song. Yeah. You're lucky. You're a great singer. I mean, you are a song assassin. I love it. I love that. Is it 1,500 songs at this point? You're up in Irving, Berlin, territory of her songs written. I've written a lot of songs. That's what the internet says, 1500. Wow. You know, the data that matters is does it make the hair on your arm stand up?

Does it make you feel something? So I'm intrigued about the cave. Do you have a name for the cave? I mean, I didn't name it the cave. So it's a place I've been writing for it. But what do you call it? I just call it my disgusting writing room. I don't know. I mean, you know, Robert Hilburn one time wrote an article and used to be called the calendar. It was a magazine. It was a really long time ago. And he called it the cave. And so, but I never called it. I mean, I don't call it anything really. It's called my room, you know. I've had it for almost 40 years. I've seen the pictures. Yeah, it's kind of, I mean, I like it in there. I was there today. I start every day there, you know. I've had it for almost 40 years. I've seen the pictures. Yeah, it's kind of, I mean,

I like it in there. I was there today. I start every day there, you know. What time do you start every day? About nine, a little after nine. And is it, okay, what's your normal workday? Because I read some, I just, I just, you know, I, my normal work days, I show up like around nine o'clock and just start writing and you know then i also have a building where my studio is a couple of

blocks away so i usually work days. I show up like around 9 o'clock and just start writing. Then I also have a building

where my studio is a couple of blocks away. So I usually start out at, you know, my whole places. And then go record whatever you're writing? Yeah, not necessarily recording, but I go have lunch and then I might have a meeting or I might, you know, like today I was just recording something before I got here. So, you know, it's all kind of, but I like to start out the day just by myself. Like, I had my company that used to be at that place. Okay. And then the COVID shutdown happened, and everybody stayed home. And I was like, but I went there every day. I go, I really like it. I like being here by myself. And I just bought the other place. And I was making that to be where the company would move to. So just a bunch of keyboards, drum machines. Like what is your kind of work, pal? Yeah, a drum machine, like, you know, keyboards. And I have a couple of rooms in my old place. And I have a piano, a grand piano in one room.

So I kind of just kind of float around both all those rooms.

And then I go to the other one and I write in the studio sometimes.

So you touch my heart when you talk like this because you and I have a very similar experience of just thousands and thousands of hours by ourselves in a bedroom.

It's weird that it's weird. It's weird. Like people go, God, you write songs by yourself. I go, yeah, why is, it's weird that it's weird. It's my happiest place. Me too, me too. Like it's like life to me. It's where all the dreams come true or something, right? Yes, I love it. So I really, when you're talking, I can feel it. Yeah, you get it?

Yeah.

But no, it's so weird now there's so many people,

like there'll be like 10 people. really, when you're talking, I can feel it. Yeah, you get it. Yeah.

But it's so weird.

Now there's so many people, like there'll be like 10 people in a room, like a writing camp. I'm like, that shit. You know, I mean, I, you know, can I talk like that? I'll be believing me a lot. That's fun. But, yeah. So it's to paint the picture for our great audience.

Like describe, I know there's stuff all over the floor, there's cassettes.

Yeah. So just to paint the picture for our great audience, like, describe, I know there's stuff all over the floor, there's cassettes. Yeah, there's, I don't know. Is there a dat tapes? Are we going like? Oh, there's dads, there's cassettes. There's everything. I mean, it's like, probably like dinosaur eggs in there. I've been there so long, who knows what's there. I'm either, I'm probably immune to every disease

because I've been there for 40 years without cleaning it. Yeah, it's probably like mold.

Yeah, so the mold won't even go in there. Do you, when you go into write, are you focused on one

idea that captures your attention? Are you in a free associative state and then go back and review?

I mean, I like just to work on one song at one, because I have to give it my full attention, because I have to really make that song as good as I can make. I hate this question, but I'm such a fan of your writing. I'm going to ask the question I don't like being asked, which is melody, you know, what's the first thing generally? I like to have a concept of something I want to write. So I'm going to steal this because this is really about me getting a free class for me. No, but I'm not that I can teach anything, but I like to, like something that's going to compel me to write it. But it might be just playing some chords like that happens too. Okay, but if it's an idea, is it a scenario, like a...

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