There’s an interesting thing about humans. We can go cruising along and get to a point where things are going great. The work you create is making you happy, people like your work. You get a point to do another ‘job’ or in my case a song and suddenly it’s not right.
Case in point. I wrote a song a couple of weeks ago. It was for a specific thing. We wrote it, recorded it. I mixed it. I liked it. It had a flow. It built. It went somewhere. Then the co-writer wanted to add more things. I started to not like the song any more. But to please the other person, I added more. Then the song went to the person who would deal with it’s fate. That person listened. Liked the song but wanted “more”. Didn’t want the song to build, but to have more. What the fuck is MORE in a song?
That’s the kind of shit that drives me batty. I can now understand why my dad used to get so worked up when the agent would come back saying something wasn’t right, but couldn’t really define what it was that wasn’t right. It’s mind numbing. Especially when some nutter who knows nothing about art and color starts telling an artist who is a genius with color and perspective what is wrong with the work.
The same holds true with a song. When I write with a co-writer I get to the point where if it’s not working, I have to know specifically why it doesn’t work for them or whomever. Otherwise, I detach myself from it and decide it’s not worth any further effort, until they can give a concrete thing to change or add. At which point it lowers my desire to push the song anywhere. I lose interest in it. Because when an artist starts chasing someone to please them, it will never be right.
Things like this go in threes right? Because it also happened with another tune where something needed to be rerecorded. And now I’m doing a mix for a friend who was unhappy with the direction I took it. I don’t do brick wall limited mixes. I hate how that sucks the life out of a mix. Give a session to 100 different mixing people and you’re going to get 100 different mixes. It’s that simple. Everyone brings a view to it. We get to talk about that today.
Ah and to top it off, I got an e-mail from Google today telling me that there is fraudulent clicks happening with the ads. What the fuck?!? I get maybe two or three clicks maybe every 10 days or so. How is that fraudulent?!? I wrote them back saying I resented the implication and for them to prove it. Of course I got a nice form letter stating they got my e-mail. In the meantime, since I’m coming to the conclusion that Google’s Ads are a waste of cyberspace on my site, can anyone recommend a better ad service?
Now on to the music. I’m very happy to be putting up a tune by Jim Boggia. I chose To and Fro to be the feeling that I get when someone can’t communicate with you about your work. I’m betting Jim runs into it to. Eventually this will all sort out and I’ll go on my merry way. Until then, I will listen to several of Jim’s songs.
Initially as I listened, I got a hint of the influences he lists, The Beatles and Elvis Costello. Both fine artists. However there is a singer that I hold in high regard by the name of Eric Dover. Jim reminds me of him. Additionally there are elements to Jim’s ability to build a song that remind me of the Jellyfish. That right there is cause for greatness in my book. This particular track really takes a while to build, the anticipation can about kill you, but it pays off.
The same can be said for several of the songs I’ve heard from him so far. I know it’s about pushing the single I’ve picked, but in the case of Jim, I really think you want to buy the whole CD. It’s really that good.