If you’re receiving this post as an email it’s because you signed up for updates about my music, maybe in the very distant past.. I've now moved my newsletter to Substack.
Please Unsubscribe below if it’s not for you any more. Hello and goodbye!
But if you want to stick around.. welcome.
I’m here
Just wanted to let people know I’m in the process of making my BIG COMEBACK.
Substack is a part of my BIG COMEBACK STRATEGY.
Or at least, it seems like a good tool to actually reach people that genuinely want to be informed about what I’m doing, that doesn’t mean feeling like i work for Meta.. so maybe this will be good?
It’s an experiment.. We’ll see.
But yes.. here I am, totally 100% BACK, open for business, shilling my wares, and soon to be sharing songs again.. starting next week.
click here to Pre-Save Heavy Going…
Where was I?
For many years I was really stuck and blocked, especially by stupid WORDS.
I was tormented with the question of “What’s worth saying?”
There’s a lot going on in that question and I don’t know exactly when or how this idea got into my system, but clearly it’s not a healthy mindset for writing songs or much else, it caused me a lot of distress and I was also very embarrassed about that.
(Music was supposed to be my job, man) ← probably a bit of a clue here
But I suppose it didn’t hurt quite enough to actually solve the problem.
I’m being a little bit unfair to myself there, but that’s also what can happen when I feel stuck. It can feel like a deep personal failing, cruelty turning inwards.
Lyrics took on the form of ‘Lizards’ 🦎
If I could just tame some lizards it was going to solve all of my problems.
Writing songs that I want to write did not become magically easier, but at some point, with time, love and support, to my amazement there they were.. and a lot of that came down to something in me becoming bored of not having them any more.
And that is absolutely hilarious to me.
All that neuroticism and anguish and then one day you’re just not as anguished for a while.. and for what!
And then you get to start the process all over again.
And when I look back, some version of this rigmarole seems to happen every time I sit down to write so it might just be the way I do it.
Certain types of singer-songwriters are always basically writing about letting go.
And if that’s your thing, boy, do I have some tunes about letting go for you!
Heavy Going…
(J. Woon, D. Gulino, M. Terefe)
Heavy going... For a minute til the end of time I don't even know how to be about it While i'm wearing this face of mine I keep forgiving yesterday For making it up on the go Method-acting in a world gone crazy As someone that I’ll never know Change in a changeless way Big deal, come and bring courage Start getting everything done Pick a part of a system to nourish And harness the warmth of the sun But baby, baby, baby my darling I’m addicted to the thrill of the blue Grind my teeth at 3 o'clock in the morning And crying in bed to the moon Change in a changeless way
Writing this got me thinking about WOONews emails of old and the Myspace days
From Ursula K. Le Guin’s amazing interpretation of the Dao De Jing
It's interested because on the inside we are our own biggest critics. But from the outside to us, you are amazing. You music genuinely made me become more introspective, and appreciate the things in life that take time.
You’ve got an original voice with your melodies, tone and timbre, the same thing transfers to your guitar playing, and then you’ve written lyrics that really connect with people - the whole song adds up. I can tell your guitar playing is you straight away. It is really pure music to me. People wait for you for a reason. It is a dichotomy that writing in that way does cause the writer suffering, it is not comfortable to do, it is a lot of raking and exavating and judging. But thank God it is not all riding on the marketing campaign! I truly think we will continue to get the better songs from people like you… the best songs, will come from people made like you, not from the board meeting people. I think it is kind of like what Joni is like. Any mood is acceptable in music, and that is what helps people as listeners - people try and train this out of us, but maybe that should not be our takeaway. Great you are back.