X files

I worked on a song once with Daniel Lanois and Ron Sexmith, 20 years ago, for the X files. That sounds surreal, it was a little.

Lanois did something surprising as we developed improvising on the song. He turned to Ron and asked him to drum. Ron said he’s not a drummer. Lanois said that’s ok. And Ron tried drumming and it was unique.

Since then I’ve asked people many times, specifically singers, to play an instrument that they don’t usually play. It usually makes very interesting results because they’re very aware of the groove and where the vocals are and their own limits.

New Age

Sensory deprivation was a thing people used to pay for. Floatation tanks. I signed up. Lying in a salt water tank in absolute darkness. Maybe this would be an exploration of consciousness of weightless …sightless ….soundless

As I paid for the session and prepared to go to my chamber the reception person asked if I wanted music. They offered a choice from 5 different New Age records to embellish the sensory deprivation experience.

to embellish the sensory d e p r i v a t i o n experience.

putting it off

I got an A+ when I studied piano at York and I never had good marks in high school. When I got that mark from I remember thinking – oh so that’s how those people in high school got top marks, they just studied and reviewed all the fucking time. I practised endlessly, I lived with the piano, sometimes I slept in the piano cubicles.

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Some people tell me the day of our lessons that they just crammed the info today or last night. I explain to them the unlikelihood of progress with only working that day instead of everyday but it doesn’t necessarily wake them up.

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Making the effort to do the work is something people have to teach themselves.