Spring 2010. Berkeley, CA
i recorded the “song of love” album in my basement. it’s the first time i recorded an
album at home. my setup was; a chair, two microphones, and a laptop.
every morning for a month or so i sat down and played my songs. then i picked the
best takes and added other parts; xylophone, piano, pump organ, melodica, etc.
i used my mom’s nylon string guitar on most of the songs – it’s the guitar both my
older brother’s and i learned on.
Winter 1992, New York City
me and peter lewy at firehouse studio recording what should have been my first
solo album. unfortunately the session wasn’t recorded or mixed well, so the album
never came out. at the time i was devastated. we had worked hard preparing for it,
and i’d saved up money for months.
a few years ago i had the 2″ master tape transferred to digital (as it flaked apart
before our eyes) and i plan to resurrect and release it sometime soon.
January 1987, Journal Excerpt. Sacramento, CA
sundays are for putting things in order so you can spend the rest of the week
watching them fall apart
“the impossible dream” is playing on muzak. i keep the soft and easy radio station
on at all times, played through a thrift store stereo with the treble turned all the way
down and the bass turned all the way up. it creates a muffled fog machine of music
that obscures all the other distracting sounds and noises. i started doing it when
the new neighbor moved in upstairs. he’s big and gross, belching and pacing
constantly. constant thumping. back and forth to the refridgerator or the bathroom
or who knows where the hell he’s going. it’s a tiny apartment – there’s not too
many possibilities. also things like dripping faucets and noisy toilets – can’t hear
them with beautiful music making everything easier to accept. the people who talk
on this station say “soft music that feels good”, and they act like they are your friend.
“if I’ll only be true to this glorious quest”
another rainy day. stayed home sick from work and wrote lyrics
sitting in the usual chair with my clipboard and one of my bic roller pens (the only
kind tolerable). this is what the “way to write” book recommends, so the whole act
becomes habit. ritual. sit in the chair, pick up pen, mind starts thinking, or
creatively wandering
Drawing circa 1990. NYC
when i first started singing i was pretty mumbly, and people would tell me they
couldn’t understand the words to my songs. i worked hard on writing lyrics, and it
was important to me that they were heard clearly. so i made up some annunciation
exercises. then i illustrated them. i’m pretty sure it was the drawings that helped
me sing better.
hillary’s happy husband helps hasten her holistic healing
penelope’s peculiar problem predominantly pertained to a particular porcupine
rough and rugged roger rarely remembers reverend rourke
sally sent sissy to see six suspicious sorcerers
bowling before breakfast bothers bob’s bad back
Summer 2010. Berkeley, CA
trying to capture an idea while on duty. the song, “no end”, is on my new album.
Lyric excerpt:
lost
stumbled into your heart
slowly became a part
of everything that you are
faith
twisting around our lives
drawing us deep inside
leading us through the night
here new life begins
here love has no end
November 22, 1987. Journal Excerpt. Sacramento, CA
“To begin to write, begin to write”
and so it begins. just start writing, every day, with no expectations, rules, or other
possible means of judgment. therefore no way to fail
this book can be something to decorate and talk to each day – every day.
I will train myself to turn thoughts into words and words into songs
describing things is the bottom line.
maybe when I develop a style it won’t include ‘bottom line’
my apartment neighbor moved out. the note on his door:
Sindy
Moved To Desert Sands Motel #16
Come By
Tom
there were smoke stains on the underside of the awning and the window screen
was off and blackened. inside it didn’t seem like there’d been a fire. i saw a couple
lonely chairs in the kitchen – looked like a photograph in a book. could have been
the setting of a Sam Shepard play. Alkali Flat – that would be a good name. i
should write about it sometime; the rail station and the pawn shops, bars and
boarded up buildings. people living in the fields. not a pretty picture.
October 2007. Berkeley, CA
A conversation I recorded with my son when he was 5 or 6:
h: did you write asha?
s: you have an asha in your class?
h: yeah, but she’s not my best friend, but did you write any asha?
s: no, i didn’t know – i don’t know a lot of kids in your class.
h: did you write anthony?
s: yeah, anthony’s on there.
h: he is? where is anthony? there?
s: yup.
h: i want to make an arrow that says this row is in – this row is in hugo’s class.
thomas! he plays soccer.
s: yeah. he likes pirates.
h: but i don’t, ’cause they’re so nasty and they never brush their teeth and they’re
smelly and they’re just so weird. but i do like those skulls. the cross sword things.
what is that? an ‘r’?
s: r-e-x
h: that doesn’t look like a ‘r’… daddy, when can ju-ju have a playdate with us,
because she said “when can i have a playdate with you?”. that’s what she said in
kindergarten. i mean not in kindergarten, in pre-school… what’s that – peter?
s: yup.
h: what’s that?
s: jack. jack the dog was in your class?
h: no! jack the person, who’s lazy because at nap time he’s almost always the
last one to wake up. he’s like a cow he’s so sleepy.
List Circa 1995
a list i found of bands that True West shared the bill with:
REM – did a west coast tour with them; fables of the reconstruction. 17 shows or
so. the high point of true west’s touring days
Jonathan Richman – in sacramento. he was cranky, yelling at the soundman
during soundcheck. had a big band
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds – in england. brighton. the club was a cave in the
side of a mountain. before he got cleaned up
Rita Coolidge – strange pairing. at the lonestar in nyc (original downtown location).
she and the band were very friendly
Long Ryders – did many shows together as we both toured across the country
between 1984 and 1987
Rain Parade – same as above
Del Fuegos – i flicked a beer cap at the bass player during their set. that was rude;
sorry. they had great energy
Dwight Yoakam – we were supposed to headline a show at al’s bar (i think that
was the venue) in LA. when we got there we were informed that dwight yoakam
was headlining. never heard of him. the name sounded like a swedish yodeler.
we were pissed.
Violent Femmes – at the palace in LA. nice guys, lots of fun.
Jim Carroll – at the stone in SF. he was intense. great stage presence. very
badass. not a guy you’d small talk with
X – one of the greatest rock bands ever. mindblowing. such power and conviction.
a privilege to have played on the same stage
June 3, 1992. Tonala, Mexico. Journal Excerpt
it rained during the night
we are in a small town called tonala
there is one hotel; hotel tonala
the roads here are slabs of rock – no traffic to speak of
last night we walked around the town
children play in the streets at night when it’s cooler
simple games like leap-frog, games with balls and sticks
on every block there was at least one young couple sitting on the curb or front
porch, facing one another, touching, talking, laughing
a sweet and innocent courting – most likely chaperoned
yesterday when we arrived, walking through town looking for a hotel we got lots of
curious looks. we passed a schoolyard and children ran to the gate, giggling,
watching us pass. i said hello to them, which caused quite an outburst
2011. Berkeley, CA
reading through old journals, letters, and other things i’ve saved over the years.
taking stock. there are four boxes stacked against the wall of my studio that i
brought in from our storage room:
1) journals and screenplays
2) photos
3) letters and misc. memorabilia
4) yearbooks, school work, scrapbooks, calendars
“this is everything i’ve saved from my life” is the thought that comes to me. it’s not
a lot, but i’m glad i kept what i did. it seems important right now. like clues. what
does it all add up to? a friend said she burned most of her journals – years worth.
at first i thought that was sad, but maybe not. sometimes I wonder if hanging on to
all this has held me back in some way. dragging around the past. i guess it
depends on what your relationship with it is, which is what i’m trying to figure out.
hopefully gain some insight