Music is my Church

Music is my church...with all due respect to Maren Morris, she wrote my song. There are few better feelings to me in the world than just sitting in darkness, bevvie in hand and listening to music. I did that just last night in my hotel room as the snows of Colorado swirled and fell all around me. Btw, fuck Colorado. I hate snow and cold. Give me the beach ANY day...but I digress. The key is the darkness; you have to be ready to receive that which you are about to enjoy, much like the sermon in church. Now, as with many sermons, some are better than others; same as songs on an album. I have decided to listen to artist discography's in order of release. I already know their hits, I want to hear what I missed in their un-released music. That is where it all began for them and I want to experience that with them. I am beginning with Jimmy Buffett and Billy Joel. I know, y'all will hit me up with all the "there's better than that out there to start with." Save it. Opinions are like assholes...you listen to who you want, and I'll listen to who I want to. Sheesh. It's like the idiot who comes in (remember, we are in a dive bar) and immediately starts to play his/her music over what is already playing on the "juke box." I LOATHE those people. Their sense of entitlement, self-importance and arrogance. It is a microcosm of everything wrong with our country today. "I know better than you and let me show and tell you why." You know what? Go fuck yourself. I don't care. "Youth is wasted on the young." Note to self, I need to find out the author who said that. Oscar Wilde. It just popped into my head as I typed that. I think it was him anyway...but I digress (sensing a pattern here? It's my own prison; my mind won't stop going in a 1000 different direction's) again. Music, yes. the first Buffet album is interesting. Not at all what I expected, but again, it was 1970 before Margaritaville and his journey to the Keys w/Jerry Jeff. You can hear the artist struggling to get out. You can hear the magic that is about to explode onto the world. Sure, he tried too hard on some cuts, but when he relaxed and let it all come to him, you just know that this artist was going to do great things. There were no hits off that record but I think I chose well in beginning with the 'ol parrothead.

Billy Joel's first record, "Cold Spring Harbor," was an equally as interesting listen. I think he had a lot of relationships with many different women (lucky him) and he was writing about the demise of all of them and how he missed them. As with Buffet, you hear the beginnings of the artist he would eventually become. His musicianship really comes through as well. He plays beautifully and his writing is honest, raw and never forced or pretentious. It's so good to hear these artists in their infancy. They struggled with everything the human condition has thrown at all of us, but they chose a path that was easy for them to cope with all those issues and produced such incredible art for us to enjoy all these years. I respect ANYONE who has done this. Artistry is hard. It is not for the faint of heart. It is not for many of us. I thought about it for about 30 seconds. Hell, I'd still like to write music and try it. However, as back then, I discovered that I like to eat and drink too much to be that poor. A good friend and former colleague of mine in radio always told me that if you "follow your passion, the money will come." Two things: what IS my passion? And why the hell has it not reared its ugly head and told me already? Fucker. I hate him.

PS - whilst listening to my music last night a good friend of mine pointed me in the direction of a woman named Gretchen Peters. Whoa. Blown away. Do yourself a favor and give her a listen.

Oh, and one more; Drake White. You'll thank me later for both.