I’ve been a little dry lately. I've got a melody that I just composed that I really like but I’ve taken two stabs at lyrics and neither did it justice. It’s written in a time signature (5/4) that I haven’t written in before, inspired by a Glen Hansard song I heard from the movie Once. I toyed with the idea of a love gone bad song but I’m just not there right now in my life. I also fooled around with rewriting one of my favorite Alfred Noyes poems from when I was a child “The Highwayman” which I’ve always wanted to put to music, but I’m not sold on it for this tune.
There’s lots of ways of breaking the logjam when you’re blocked. Usually we write about what ever is affecting our lives at the moment but sometimes those things are just not that interesting to write about. We can find great ideas listening to talk radio or daytime talk shows on TV. Books, CDs, and movies can be gold mines. Newspaper headlines are a good source for title ideas. Joni Mitchell says she sits in restaurants and eavesdrops on conversations, however none of these are bearing any fruit for me. John Hiatt says it’s not the two hour performance fans pay for. It’s the 22 other hours of living. If that’s the case I think it’s time to get out and do some of that.