Kel's Theories

From a letter to a friend....

2011-04-30T02:08:00.000-07:00

Just a little rant on the value of creativity in the world today.

Our whole society is seemingly becoming more and more geared
to reinforce the theory that creativity of all kinds, is worthless.

It's being pounded into our collective heads that things like
painting, music, writing, photography, etc., are really sort of
useless and, in fact ANYBODY CAN DO IT so why PAY someone.
The point is NOT EVERYBODY CAN DO IT! The 'powers
that be' have somehow raised the limbo stick so every
Tom/Dick/Harry can dance under it and be a Rockstar.
Making stuff up is hard! It takes time. Serious energy. And to be
good, you have to be smart. Learning music theory for example
is every bit as difficult as learning Algebra and Geometry. They've
cut back the creative programs in schools. (Like they don't matter).

And parents live in FANTASY-VILLE thinking that their child is
going to win American Idol, or that their stupid 12 year old's Flip
video of his teenage bedroom will go VIRAL on YouTube and they'll all become RICH and FAMOUS. Yeah. ANYBODY CAN DO IT BECAUSE IT'S ALL CRAP!

The real artists do what they've always done. Make art for art's sake. As you most definitely know, there is SO much to explore and learn and improve on when you start a creative project of any kind. That's where you have to get your "compensation". Because, traditionally, creative people are BUSKERS most of the time. Because the product of an artist's hard work is usually intangible, or it's worth is judged on a sliding scale of popular "taste", THEY USUALLY GET CRAPPED! I mean...it's not like being a baker. You wouldn't EVER walk into a bakery and just TAKE a loaf of bread with the reasoning..."Well I know it's stealing, but I'll do it JUST BECAUSE I CAN". But people do it EVERY DAY to music. And Movies. And books.

And visual arts? Man, they do have something tangible to sell, but it's NOT bread. It's sort of nebulous. The line between good and bad art is micro THIN. Who get's to say what's good or bad? Usually some rich, fat, white guy who doesn't have an ounce of taste. He gets to 'decide' because he wants to collect the most expensive and popular pieces because he thinks it makes his DICK bigger. He doesn't give a shit about the actual work. Hasn't got a creative bone in his body. And USUALLY, the artist never lives to see there monetary success if indeed they ever get it. It escalates after they are DEAD!

Now, all that being said, I know I'm preaching to the choir. I was just compelled to remind you, cause I do know how crappy it feels to be disrespected for your creative time and energy. It won't stop you though. Somehow it will improve the next thing you work on. O.K., Polyanna is done.

Mountain of Dreams

2011-02-13T10:03:00.000-08:00

My night was filled with super scary dreams. The kind that seem more like reality than life itself. Dreams inside of dreams. I woke up early, and as the images faded from my evening's cinema of the subconscious, I was immediately relieved to realize I'd only been dreaming. I rolled out of bed for a cold swallow of juice and saw my friend Mt. San Jacinto out the kitchen window. I've heard it turns red & purple, just as the sun rises, and then it turns to it's day long comforting yellow & gold. I love Mt. San Jacinto. I'm glad to be awake.

Irish Fortune Cookie

2010-07-14T23:57:00.000-07:00

I woke up this morning grouchy. I had no reason to be. I guess. The calendar was still showing itself to be YESTERDAY, but other than that..all should be fine. I loved. I ate. I looked out my windexed-window as the rain drizzled down so miserably and misty-fine, that fog could not compete. And I was inside. Dry and warm. It was a fine day. If I was a bitch...it would only be because I could not see the beauty. And I couldn't. I pushed and pulled and drug and sweat through this Summer day...with all the momentum and ballet and patience of a jagged rock rolling down a cliff.

So, lunchtime, at 2:30 or so..I heard something that changed my perspective just a tiny bit. I guess it was a sort of Irish Fortune Cookie.

There were 4 of us, looking at menus, in a little gastro pub on the sea in East Cork. It smelled wonderful. We ordered and were left to our friendly reverie. One of us (not yours truly by the way) mentioned the fact that they were disappointed that a certain selection wasn't on the menu anymore. We lamented the fact that things change. And there was a pretty nice, rousing discussion as we concluded, "Yes, change is hard...but this is definitely as good as it gets". And it was.

As we got up to leave, the waitress asked us if "everything was fine for us?". We all said "yes, thank you!" , but then I just decided to add, "We DO lament that a certain dish you used to have, of sweet brown bread, fresh prawns with lemons, tabasco and salad-on-the-side is not on the menu anymore". She immediately replied..."oh, yes, but I think you can get what you want". And she DISAPPEARED into the kitchen.

We straggled around awhile, gathering ourselves to peel out the door, back into that misty-fog-of-a-day...and just as we started to cross the threshold, she seemingly came out of nowhere (although it was probably the gastropub's kitchen) and said, "I just asked the chef and he says: if you'd like that dish the next time you come...just ask". And THEN she said, (and this was the Irish fortune cookie part), "You just never know, unless you inquire. No harm in asking. Otherwise..you might not ever know the answer is YES".

And I swear...without her PHYSICALLY MOVING A MUSCLE....she winked an eye. Sparkle blue. Nothing. But magic. Bedtime 4 me. Ha!

I woke up the next morning vaguely aware, that after everyone had gone to bed last night, I stayed up with my computer and a very large glass of red wine. My first thought was, "oh crap!...'NEVER mix alcohol and writing'. Throw in my current hormone count and you have an extremely, explosive cocktail for disaster. I was convinced that I wrote ... See Moresomething much more akin to one of those long, butt-cringy letters that distant relatives send out at Christmas time, telling you EVERYTHING about their life...and their kids' life...and their parakeet's life, rather than something that was hopefully, slightly interesting. I grabbed some coffee. Grabbed my puter. And thought..."Maybe there's time to hit that delete button before anybody reads it"!!! I was relieved to find, it didn't seem too obtuse. It just occurred to me how amazing it is, that one, teeny, tiny COMMENT or TOUCH or LOOK from an absolute stranger can shift my perspective so radically from dark to light. I'm sure these cool, human, magical-moments occur DAILY...EVERYWHERE. Mostly when I least expect it. And, I guess what I'm saying is, it IS amazing to live here in such a raggedly-beautiful place, with my best pal. Wouldn't trade it for the world. But, even when I lived alone, on Top Ramen and sour cream in a creepy little studio apartment in Hollywood, putting WAY too many suspicious substances up my nose, living pay check to pay check...luckily...I thought THAT was all great too. I just keep rediscovering that, no matter what, I wouldn't want to be anyone other than myself. Which is actually a really healthy belief since I HAVEN'T GOT A CHOICE ANYWAY! There are a few things I wish for occasionally. Like it would have been excellent to have kids. Adopted or conceived. That is one experience that is a complete mystery to me. But I'm pretty sure of one thing, IF I had 10 kids, two dogs and 6 cats and lived in Pacoima, in a tent... I'd STILL have many of those cool, human, magical-moments that seemingly come out of nowhere to make me remember: "I'm lucky". O.K. maybe not a tent in Pacoima. According to that waitress, Mick Jagger and company were wrong. You CAN SOMETIMES get what you want. Or better yet, in the words of Edith Piaf, "Non,Je Ne Regrette Rien". O.K. I've now firmly entered butt cringe-ville, laughing all the way. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kFRuLFR91e4

"Bridie's Eyes"

2010-06-17T07:40:00.000-07:00

I wrote the song "Bridie's Eyes" with Don Dixon. He delivered the beautiful melody and I filled in the words. Bridie used to live up the road from me here in Ireland. She lived in a small cottage with marginal plumbing and only a fireplace for heat. Her story is rich and sad and very Irish. I wish I could have written a book about her. A song just doesn't cover it. Everyday she would grab her walking stick, a burlap sack and her little dog Rose, and hike down the old cliff road to the sea to gather driftwood for her fire. She lived in another time. Bridie time. Like I've said before, she is a "walking song". Her eyes actually TWINKLE blue. She had a contagious laugh and spoke with wild Celtic wisdom. She no longer lives in the cottage by the sea. She's since moved into a nursing home, up the road. I actually went to visit her the other day and ended up playing some music for her and friends. Let me just say, I have had some pretty exotic and mind-blowing experiences playing music in my.....life, and THIS was NO exception. I could not get it out of my head. So I decided to document what is left of the life she used to have, on the cliff at the edge of the sea, with my trustee flip video camera. I got a little obsessed, taking videos of everything and anything that I thought she would have seen on her daily walk. I only have the one, blurry photo of her that I shot through my car window one day a few years ago as she headed down our road. She's doing well, where she lives now. But I think I'll choose to remember her the way she was when she lived in her little place by the sea. She is a hero of mine.

2010-05-12T10:17:00.000-07:00

I spend my life in two very different places, in Ireland at the edge of the sea, and in California at the edge of the desert. Each year is an egg that I crack in half, usually pretty much right down the middle. The edges are a little jagged, and sometimes I lose a bit of shell, but all in all, it's a good move. It's... the one that I currently make anyway. I DO tend to get a tiny bit discumboobulated every time I switch from one to the other. I love "hello" and hate "goodbye" and can never quite get used to the idea that you can't have one without the other. (Still working on that one). I traveled around a LOT in the last few months, but it still didn't soften the blow that comes with hopping over the pond. East to West. West to East. Either way, it's an incredibly beautiful, educational and liberating way to live. It's also a mind-fuck, a spirit bender and a test of emotional stability. Luckily I get to spin around the planet with my Danman. We keep each others feet NEAR the ground anyway. It's a small world, but at the same time, it's a very large planet.

2010-04-29T16:37:00.000-07:00

I'm dead tired. Completely happy and dead tired. Packing up for a Summer in Ireland and trying to soak in all the excellent experiences of the last few months. I've never had such an amazing time as I did playing out with my friends Don Dixon and Marti Jones (and Jim Brock when I could nab him), over the past few months. It was Disneyland with only E tickets for this chick. I've posted a little video of "The Beautiful Child" from the L.A. show at the M Bar a few weeks ago in my video section here. Lots of great peeps showed up and I think it was a pretty fine night. I certainly had a great time. Much more to come. From the Emerald Isle...

2010-02-23T15:28:00.000-08:00

Mr. Van Dyke Park's did two wonderful string arrangements on TWIST. Sort of the 'bookends' to the girl theme, the young girl..."the Beautiful Child" and the older woman..."Bridie's Eyes". His early involvement on the record definitely helped to shape it's aural direction. I was asked by the San Diego News Network to write a few words about my impressions of Van Dyke and what it was like to work with him. It was a pleasure to do and I'm pleased to say they pretty much took me word for word. Here's the article about my friend Van Dyke Parks that came out Feb. 11th:

...Van Dyke Parks’ remarkable résumé includes producing the first albums by Randy Newman and Ry Cooder, writing with the Beach Boys’ Brian Wilson (most famously for the long-unreleased album “Smile”) and arranging for a dizzying array of performers ranging from Cher to U2. On his own, he created the massively ambitious ”Song Cycle,” an artistic triumph of true Americana whose economical title was not matched by the recording budget ($48,032 in 1968 dollars, reportedly making it the most expensive album to date).

“Whenever I hear Van Dyke’s music, even a snippet, I am immediately transported into his seriously beautiful cartoon-world of aural emotion,” said Kelley Ryan, the astroPuppees singer-songwriter whose bubbly new solo album, “Twist” (out Tuesday), features Parks arrangements on two songs. “Both his melodies and his lyrics take you to a place that only Van Dyke knows. Only he has the map. It’s like a secret musical treasure diagram and “X” marks the spot. The best musicians I know have worked with him, from Carly Simon to Brian Wilson to Rufus Wainwright, to name a few. And if they were ever asked, “What music would you take to a deserted island?”, I bet they would answer “anything of Van Dyke Parks has to be in the stack.” “In my case,” Ryan added, ”it would be “Tokyo Rose.” Or would it be the soundtrack to “Popeye”? Van Dyke has one of the most unique and supportive musical imprints of anyone I’ve ever had the pleasure of working with. He at once augments and lifts the music to a different level. For me, it was a level I didn’t even know existed in nature, let alone musical expression. He is magic.”

Mikel Toombs is an SDNN Music contributor.

If you want to read more and see a cool youtube video of Mr. Parks in action...click this:

http://www.sdnn.com/sandiego/2010-02-11/concerts-music-clubs/soul-legend-percy-sledge-highlights-valentines-day-weekend-shows

2010-01-21T11:16:00.000-08:00

I have a certain fondness for monkeys,chimps,apes...
all primates in general. Alive OR Stuffed. Gorillas In The Mist OR Sock Monkeys. It's all good.

Anyway, I recently moved to Palm Springs, California and discovered from a local resident that Cheeta (yes, Tarzan's Cheeta) lives in Palm Springs too. Apparently he's retired from acting and become a painter. In fact, we had recently BOUGHT a painting from him on his website (http://cheetathechimp.org/). Of course. Well, our friend actually knew Cheeta's home address. It just happened to be on the way to our local grocery store. He actually lives in a residential neighborhood in one of those mid-century modern, Jetson's/Flintstone houses. Very appropriate for a retired movie star cum artist.

First thing my husband Dan and I did after our friend left was to run to the store for supplies. A little wine..a little dinner. Of course, on our way home, we decided we really SHOULD do a drive by of Cheeta's house. I know...I know. Weird. I felt like a stalker. But it was SO funny. We were laughing the whole way there and it IS on the way home (sort of). Anyway, we pulled up and the front gate was open and there was a guy taking out the trash. I rolled down my window and said, "Hi! We're fans of Cheeta. We bought one of his paintings." And he said, "Good. You want
to meet him?"

So of course we parked the car and followed him into his garage
that was very dark. I kept saying, "Are you sure it's o.k.?" because there was
one animal in there making a horrible, scary racket and he said, "Oh, yeah.
They're just antsy because they had to come in from the rain." I guess they
usually hang out in his backyard, but it's been so stormy here so he brought
them in. Yes. THEM. There was a baboon in the first cage who was really quiet
and cute and small. Then there was someone named Suzy who was shy and wouldn't
come out to say Hi. Then...right there in the middle in a big ass cage was
Cheeta. There was a sort of one foot square opening, and his face was right in
it, and he is BIG. The owner (who is coincidentally named Dan) said to stay
back cause he can reach out his long arms unexpectedly. He then said to Cheeta
to make a funny face and he totally 'raspberried' us. WE HOWLED!

Now, the whole time there is this ever increasing BANG BANG BOOMIMG from a dark corner in the back and it was SCARY so I said, "What the heck is that"?!! Cheeta's Dan said it was Cheeta's grandson. I'm telling you it was WILD! Literally.

So I just tried to ignore the raging, teenage chimp in the corner and I told Cheeta that I was a big fan of his painting, which I'm sure he appreciated as he had left a successful career
as an actor to pursue his true passion, which is art. I'm actually positive he
appreciated it because he gave us another raspberry. And then....as the BOOMING in the corner was raising to a fever pitch.....I put my hands in the air and bowed down to him
in homage, and his crapper grandson spit water at me from like 20 feet away!
Cheeta's Dan said I had been christened. I jumped 60 feet into the air. It
scared the poop out of me! It was GREAT!

He said we should come back on a nice day when they are all out in the backyard. I can picture it now...all of us just basking in the sun around Cheeta's swimming pool while he sits at his easel painting plein air style. Only in Sothern California......

My Many Hats and Marshall Crenshaw

2010-01-11T15:49:00.000-08:00

I've known Marshall Crenshaw over the years while wearing many different hats. He, however, seems to always be wearing the same hat. The one that says 'excellent songwriter, guitarist and artist' all-in-one. I first met him over a tape machine. I worked as a tape-maker pitching songs at his publishing company, and fell in love with one called, "Favorite Waste Of Time". Among many others. I was a bit of a little fish in a giant pond rumbling around L.A. in my youth and his jangling and sunny guitars made me feel REAL. I eventually even ended up hand delivering his demo of that song to Bette Midler and she covered it on one of her most successful records ever. I actually got to take it to her house. (But that's another story). I wore another Marshall hat one night when I got to attend an awards ceremony to celebrate his success for writing a huge hit song for The Gin Blossoms "Til I Hear It From You". He co-wrote that one with Jesse Valenzuela, who eventually became a compadre of mine as well. (Yet, another story). Over the years, I have only grown to respect him as a musician. He's been a good inspiration to "live the life" as they say. When I eventually came out of the closet as a songwriter, (yep, another story too), I recorded two records for a little label called HighTone under the name ASTROPUPPEES. I wrote most everything, but on the 2nd record I wanted to cover a song I loved called, "Crowded Town". It was written by Marshall and the great LeRoy Preston. There was a groovy version I'd heard by Jeannie Smith. So I put on my 'artist' hat and covered one of HIS songs. He then responded in kind, and slapped on a beautiful jangle-guitar on another track on that same record. I've since admired him and his career as he continues to make music on his own terms and the quality improves with each day. He's been successful in movie music, oh many things, but now I get to wear one of my favorite Marshall hat's ever. As co-writer. I am pleased to say I have two co-writes with Marshall on his new record JAGGEDLAND..."Passing Through" and "Just Snap Your Fingers". I may have 10 hats stacked on my head by now, while he still wears the ONE, classy musician hat, but I can definitely say, I am proud to be sparring in the same boxing ring with him. Lucky ducky girl that I am.

TWIST: SONG BY SONG

2009-12-19T16:04:00.000-08:00

A few people have been asking me where some of these songs came from so I thought I’d write it down. If not only to satisfy anyone else’s curiosity, but also to satisfy my own. I had no pre-planned ideas when I started this collection of songs that eventually became TWIST. It was definitely, always an evolving work in progress. I’m so proud of it, there’s nothing I’d rather write about than this rag-tag bunch of beautiful songs. So in chronological order, here goes……

"Heart and Bone"
I live part of the year in Cork, Ireland and the rest of the time I call the Southern California desert my home. Both are amazing
places. Yet, even with all their beauty and inherent inspiration, I occasionally find myself floundering in a deep, pool of writer’s
block. Now, I find that it is usually broken by the most innocent and unexpected occurrences. This was no exception.

For years I’ve worn the same two, silver charms around my neck…a bone and a heart. Two years ago I was making my regular run across the pond, and on the way, I stopped in Ohio to visit my friend Marti Jones and her excellent husband, Mr. Don Dixon, enroute to Europe. When I finally arrived in Ireland , jetlagged and sleep deprived, I snapped a cell phone picture of my necklace charms and sent them to her to let them know I had arrived safely in my Irish home. She texted back, “Hey! Heart and Bone would be a good song title.” Hmmmmmmm…..

The NEXT DAY, I drug myself over to my studio I call ‘the piggery’. Well, because it used to be a piggery. An actual PIGGERY.
Hence..the name. Anyway, I picked up my guitar and basically wrote “Heart And Bone” right then. Took me like two days. Felt good.

Now, a little background…Marti who is an EXCELLENT musician, has in the past few years, returned to her original passion which is painting. She always was an amazing visual artist, but was “sidetracked” by record deals and ‘Hollywood music-world’ because (drat!) because she happened to have the voice of a fucking angel. Not a bad problem to have, but it took her down a twisty path that veered away from her love of painting. Only for a while though, and now she’s thoroughly back at it. Thank God she sings. Thank God she paints. I’m obviously a fan.

The funny thing about “Heart And Bone” is that, while I was writing and recording it, unbeknownst to me, my husband had arranged for her to do a painting of me for my birthday. (Never mind the fact that the quote/unquote “portrait of ME” had a looming image of my husband included in it…but that’s another story). The cool part is, at the same time I was writing the second verse, “I feel like a Van Gogh sky…Thick and blue, deep and dry”, she was doing the painting. I put it off to magic. And good luck. It’s things like this that makes writing songs an adventure. Just can’t beat stuff like that.

Plus, I got to make my point about how I’m just not too sure about the saying, “It’s better to have love and lost, than never to have loved at all”. I mean, of COURSE it is, but then again it hurts so much to lose love, maybe it’s better to not have it in the first place. I don’t know. It’s like my theory on “Have your cake and eat it too”. That saying just never made sense to me. Oh, but that’s another story.

Suffice it to say, “Heart And Bone” definitely broke the dam of imagination, illuminating my twisty path for this new record. Good things seem to come when you LEAST suspect it.

“Fly Julie”

And then came “FLY JULIE”. I think of it as a tone poem. It has all my typical ‘star/moon/sun’ lyrics, and it’s definitely NOT a complex story, but I love it for it’s mood. Open and dreamy. Julie is someone you would do anything for. No matter what. Whatever path they chose to travel. However long it takes. You will love them until the day you die. This song set my head in gear for the rest of the batch. I decided every song would be from a very feminine perspective. About girls. Real or imagined. Honest as possible. Straight from the heart. As they say, “write what you know”.

“About A Girl”

Next, I received a beautiful, poppy melody from my pal Don Dixon. I loved it. Turns out it was a collaboration between he and his lovely wife, Marti. Now, people sometimes ask me to explain exactly HOW someone writes a song. I always explain that, for me, it’s different every time. Sometimes the words come first. Sometimes the melody. Sometimes they come at the same time. Sometimes I sit with a co-writer. Sometimes you do it by “mail”. It is always different for each song. There is ONE thing, however, that seems to happen with EVERY song. For me, it’s NOT divine intervention with angels whispering down from the heavens.

No, for me, it’s more like INSANITY. I call it ‘roothogging’. Like a hamster running on a wheel in her cage. Nuts. Over and over I play the chords. Until I can do it in my sleep. In this case, I added a little musical snippet myself and wrote the words for “About A Girl”. I thought this was appropriate, since I’d just decided that this whole record would be about girls. In fact, I decided to DRILL the obvious home, and see how many times I could actually SAY the word “girl” in 3 minutes without puking. I LOVE this song. It almost seems like it was picked from a tree. Like it was a big, red apple.

“The Lady’s Daughter”

“The Lady’s Daughter” is a song I’ve always wanted to write. When I was a kid, my Grandmother Effie, would take me to the park for a ride on the swings. She would sing an Irish nursery rhyme as she pushed. ‘Saw a bucket of water for the lady’s daughter, give her a ring and a silver pin and let the old lady go under’. At that point she’d run all the way under the swing pushing me higher and faster and I’d swear I was flying. I love that memory and never forgot the song. While I was writing for “Twist”, I got the idea of writing a song about her, and incorporating her ditty into it somehow. While I was writing it, her daughter (my Aunt Marilee) passed away. She was also always an inspiration to me. Sweet and wild and so beautiful, she taught me wonderful things like the proper way to make a left-over Thanksgiving turkey sandwich (WITH the stuffing and cranberry sauce). She also taught me the importance of saying “fill it up” 3 times under a full moon to receive good luck and money. And, of course, how to make a perfectly dry, vodka , martini. Yup..ALL the important stuff. The song somehow ‘morphed’ into being about Aunt Marilee AND Grandma Effie, which made sense since in reality, Marilee IS the lady’s daughter. I love them both. I think of them often. And “The Lady’s Daughter” is definitely written for those two beautiful women in my life.

“Monkey With A Flashlight”

Next song to hit my brain was “Monkey With A Flashlight”. I was just experimenting with different sounds and loops and having fun with this one. I wanted it to musically reflect the absolute joy of the feeling you get when you’re head-over-heels in love with someone. That feeling that is SO strong and compelling YOU SWEAR the other person must feel it as well. In fact, you think can practically SEE it it’s so strong. Thick, magnetic energy. Undeniable and absolutely consuming. I love getting lost in that.

“The Beautiful Child”

“The Beautiful Child” is also written specifically about a certain girl. I don’t have any children, and in keeping with the all girl
theme, I had the idea of trying to write a song about ‘the daughter I never had’. I started out with that idea in mind, but it proved too hard to imagine and it ended up being about a friend’s daughter. I’ve known this sweet girl since she was 6. She’s one of my favorite little chicks on the planet. Completely interesting and totally unique. I’ve watched her bob and weave as she’s struggled to grow up in a world that doesn’t really understand her distinct personality and point of view. Her parents are awesome and have given her the tools to deal with this crazy life. I found, by the end of the song, in trying to see life through her eyes, I was very much like her. I guess I do my own form of ‘bobbing and weaving’ and navigating through this nutty life. We live and die for love.

“That’s All”

“That’s All” is a fun little tune. Pretty obvious, but I am just attempting to underline the wonderful fact that not all women want someone who will drape them in money and jewels. All you need is love.

“The Speaks”

“The Speaks” is not necessarily about a girl. In fact, it’s about 3 boys. They are brothers and their last name is Speaks. All of them are, shall we say, peculiar. But isn’t everyone? My mother has a wonderful philosophy about how we should always attempt to ‘walk in other people’s shoes’. Don’t judge people too quickly. Accept them for what they are even if it doesn’t fit in with your idea of “normal”. Maybe even ESPECIALLY if it doesn’t fit in with your idea of “normal”. Anyway, doesn’t everybody have some quirky friends, that if you just open your mind to them and look at them with a little humor and love, they become more UNquirky? I certainly do. And this song could be a little auto biographical too. I am the Queen of Quirk. I like quirky.

“Bleeding A Girl”

“Bleeding A Girl”. Written about my beloved sister Teri, who happened to fall in love with someone who was falling in love with everyone EXCEPT her. We’ve all been there. A one-way, spirit cracking crush that doesn’t evolve into anything but longing and misery for the unattainable person. The best thing to do in this case, I think, is cut your loss. Easier said than done. Love cuts.

“Key To My Heart”

“Key To My Heart” is a collaboration between Marti and I. I thought this was a nice, sort of, tip of the hat to good old girl group pop songs. Lotsa harmony. We wrote this one long distance (via Flip video) and polished it up together in Ireland on one of her globe trotting journeys to work on this record. I guess you could say this one is an ode to finding a true love. You know, the perfect fitting, missing link in your life. The person that completes you. The one that you can’t even remember how you ever got along in life without them in it. Completely wonderful and much better than bitching about your significant other. It’s fun to be cornball every once in awhile, and no better person to do that with than Marti.

“Lost Cause”

I’ve always been a fan of Beck. I especially loved SEA CHANGE. “Lost Cause” is from that record and I covered it here for a few reasons. One, I love the song. It seemed to fit in perfectly with the mood of the record and so I recorded it. Also, when I first heard it years ago, I was on my way to a funeral for a friend of mine. She lost her life way too prematurely. Messed up on heavy drugs and heavy thinking, she couldn’t handle it anymore and took her own life. I can’t hear this song without thinking of her. The howling Irish church wind….the lonely wind chimes….life isn’t always a bowl of cherries.

“Bridie’s Eyes”

And finally, this song wasn’t exactly written last. It was sort of written all the way through the process of creating TWIST. Dixon gave me this beautiful, truly haunting melody, complete with rainwater dripping in the background. Perfect for Ireland where it is CONSTANTLY drizzling. There is a woman named Bridie who lived in a cottage just up the road from me. I saw her almost everyday as she would hike down the cliff to the sea to gather driftwood to burn in her stove. It was her heat and her entertainment. Her daily ritual. Her constant companion was her little dog Rose who was her best friend. She had the BLUEST eyes you can imagine. They actually sparkled. She walked with a little limp and always carried her crooked, little walking stick. One day she was walking by as I was playing around with the melody Dixon had written and it just seemed to be Bridie’s Theme song.

She was around 75 years old then. She had married late and lost her husband early. They only had each other for a few, wonderful years at the edge of that same cliff overlooking the sea. First she lost her husband, then she lost her home in a legal mishap, and so the neighbors took care of her . She moved into a tiny cottage just up the road, with her dog Rose and a rapidly fading memory. I knew her and loved her as everyone in our neighborhood did. She looked EXACTLY like my Grandma Effie who used to push me in the swing. (My Dad and Mom met her once. My Dad looked at her and immediately said, “It’s Ma!”). She slowly lost her memory and good sense and we all watched as she slipped into dementia. The gray sky, the broken heart, the loneliness…so Irish. I like to think that she still holds the memory of her husband’s love in her heart and her mind although everything else is fading. If the sparkle of her blue eyes means anything, you can still see the love they had.

So that, in a nutshell, is the story of TWIST. A collection of feelings and thoughts about women and girls whom I have known and loved. And who doesn’t love a girl?