a brief manifesto
So it turns out that 2008 is the year that everything changes. About a month ago I left Brooklyn with Ms. Fishuncle to return to London. Emigration. Changing jobs. House buying. And here’s the biggie, parenthood. Coming to a crib near you in October! I’m off-the-charts happy, and everything rocks.
Here’s the thing, though. I love making records and sharing them with people. And that’s always been expensive and time consuming, and as any parent knows money and time are the two things you tend not to have a lot of with a kid around.
I’ve spent all this time trying to make the money required to not just make the record, but ‘market’ it. And the next record doesn’t yet exist, because I’ve been busy earning money and I haven’t had the time. See the problem?
So I started thinking. Do I really need to bring another wodge of plastic discs into the world? Not really. Do I want to spend thousands to try and get on the radio in the longshot hope that 1000s of ‘kids’ will buy the record? Do I want to spend time away from my daughter-to-be, to travel to towns where nobody knows me in the hope of reaching fresh ears? Am I willing to spend a year paying off the debt if the album doesn’t catch fire?
Not really, no. But I still want to make music.
So I’ll make it with whatever I have to hand or can beg, borrow or steal. I’ll make it with friends and I’ll make it in my own backyard. I’ll play whatever and wherever I like and follow my whims and passions. I’ll make songs with sap in them still oozing golden. Serve ‘em up fresh before the bite’s gone out of them. Indulge my magpie mind and share whatever shiny treasures I’ve been sitting on, stolen or otherwise.
What a waste if creativity and music and joy has to wait for a release schedule or a factory pressing.
Done with all that.
Popularity: 48% [?]
August 25th, 2008 at 3:00 pm
As long as music keeps coming out of you, all will be well in the world. It would be wrong to waste your precious gift. Just because it is not heard ” on the radio” does not make it any less wonderful. And as for being a “STAR”….
You already are.