In the beginning of my career as songwriter, I had four tools: a pencil, notebook, cassette deck and of course, guitar.  That was it.  I’d go to the library for inspiration.  Moon Martin taught me his trick of writing down lines that you hear, read, or come to mind… so I started doing this.  Larry McMurtry to Stephen King to John Fante, William Shakespeare to Anne Sexton and Langston Hughes.  It didn’t matter who, my mind would read with a little headlamp on in search of lines that stood out to work in song.

Making records was another school inadvertently taught.  In 1983 I joined a very brief band of LA session musicians… let’s see it was Mike Baird-drums, Alan Pasqua-keyboards, Dennis Belfield-bass, Kevin Dukes-lead guitar and myself as lead vocalist and guitarist.  Alan and I were the main songwriters, but the band all had much more experience than I at making the actual records.  It became apparent to me very quickly that, in deciding studio parts, arguing for them or against them,  you didn’t get away with saying things like ‘i don’t know… i just don’t like it’.  There had to be a comprehensive explanation for why it didn’t work.  I have to say that taught me a lot about the democratic process and about record-making in general.

A couple of weeks ago, after forgetting I had subscribed to Suno a month or two previous, I turned it on and began diving in.  Having worked for years in Logic Pro, Pro Tools, and Digital Performer, Suno made little sense to me.  It was cryptic… a video game for a beginner, not an avid pro!  But I watched a couple of videos and learned at the very least what to do with finished, undemo’d songs.

I have to say, after my fourth completed song, it is the single most important tool I’ve used since the pencil and paper.

Songs I’ve had for many years, and would have never seen the light of day now have a life.  To go the old route, i’d have had to book a studio in Nashville, hire 5 musicians, at least 2 singers, one for lead and another for background vocals, a recording engineer who would likely mix as well.  I’d have needed a hotel room for 3-5 days, a plane roundtrip from Los Angeles.  Approximate total cost?  about 10-15k for 3 songs.

This is why the songs were doomed an abandoned life in a box until someone sent them to the eternal dumpster.  Why?  Because I wasn’t confident they were good enough!

The one I will share with you I spent a few days on.  It was intended to be a pop/neo soul track.  I have dozens of Suno versions of it this way that I may put up for fun…  But… frustrated in not getting the exact right performance desired, I took it in another direction.

It’s amazing to me how parallel country music and soul/r&b are.  They have identical structures, breakdowns, lyric sensibilities.  So this one transformed into country much nicer than I would have believed.  For my ears, it’s a hit song, … and believe me I can be my own worst critic, but this sounds like a follow-up single to Ella Langley’s ‘Choosin’ Texas’.

And regardless of whether I’m right about that part, the fact is that it lives now.  It’s not an aborted piece of cassette tape living in a trash heap somewhere with all the unrealized potential.  Suno made this possible.  The drum sound alone… I would have had to hire an expert drummer to get this performance and sound, as well as pay a mixer to bring it home.

Now, I do understand there’s a level of this app that non-musicians and half-writers can use to get AI as kind of a co-writer.  I’m not interested in any of that.  That’s for pussies.  I’m just so excited to get my demos finished I can die a happy man.  So I’m trying to decide how to display them.  To add to soundcloud, like I have this one, showing the multiple genres made, the original demo given to Suno etc.?  I’m not sure yet.  But I am sure of one thing-

It’s fun AF.  I can take the stems now into logic, and with the multiple performances chosen, make a pretty solid demonstration of what was in my head to begin with.  Only now has something like this ever been possible.  So use it as a glorified interactive radio if you like, but to the serious songwriter it’s another tool, but one that’s blasted past the rest in light speed.

Jude

In 1990 life was an open road.  It’s interesting to watch now.  All I’ve ever seen is the actual video, but hearing myself interviewed, seeing others at work but at ease so to speak… it’s like looking at a snowglobe on the credenza.  You pick it up, shake it and go ‘wow!’.  It was a day in the life.  Kiefer was the sweetest friend.  Joel Schumacher was amazing, supportive and kind.  Lori was my new girlfriend and together we started a family that’s as close now as it’s ever been.  Together, with Vanessa, and I can’t understate her role in all of it, I’m grateful.  And also it’s much like I feel when I watch an old movie, then look up the players.  You see a film or two, a few articles, a wikipedia page of the life and times, the passing, and there you have it- the arc of a life.  I’m still alive and well, still hungry to create more, but this was a surprise VHS find.  Hope you enjoy it ❤️

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cy5g-oZN6xA

We were tickled pink when Bill Clinton could play a saxophone with middle-school mediocrity, or when Barack Obama sang ‘Let’s Stay Together’ and held a tune.  That’s how bereft of talent the industry of politics are, and how low our bar for them really is.  “Joe, you answered all the questions!!”

Ok so they don’t have musical talent, but surely they possess other skills, right? Their expertise would have to be communication.  This is how they got where they are, right?

Have you listened to our Senators or Congresspersons lately?  It’s as if the owners put them there to flaunt to the public, ‘You will honor any simpleton we choose!’

Ok well they must be really attractive?  (cough)

The truth is, they are the ‘Trustee Class’.  They don’t make decisions, don’t possess deep secrets of our world, ancient knowledge, true history… in fact they don’t possess much skill past CYA.

Presidents, secret society members, technocrat billionaires or not,  they don’t hold the keys.  They’re just vapid enough to show their superiors they can be bought and sold, and will say and do anything for it.  You think it’s Bush vs. Clinton, with all the public charades… then after the puppet show they’re close friends.  Tada!  And it’s not just DC, but the top of all industry, literally any area of life with money, power and influence.

We call them ‘elites’ for this reason… fleeting power, homes, cars, private planes, always the best made, top tier.  But here’s the thing, it’s all just ‘stuff’, and none of it was produced or conceived by them.  Still we can’t help it.  We hold them on a pedestal.

Bill Gates is a perfect example.  Responsible for an untold amount of deaths and injury, but many of us choose to look the other way because of his power and influence. (people he’s bought) He should so clearly be in prison.

And all the while, WE are the blessed ones, though most of us don’t see it.  The ones with talent, drive, beauty, creativity, ingenuity, clarity, communication skills, empathy, love, desire, passion.  THEY have none of this.

We should not be referring to them as ‘elite’, but the statement always falls short of sincerity because down deep in our Matrix hole, we’ve been conditioned to believe they hold the answers.

So how did THEY get to be where they are?  The simple answer must be that they’re really smart, while in fact it’s just the opposite.  Their truest skill is again, CYA.  Oh there’s real intelligence above them, but we don’t get to see who this is.  They are hidden to the public.

Something major shifted in me recently, and I hope it does for you too.  I now feel more elite than the elite.  As true to myself as I know how, true to others, with many hard lessons along the way. To work when I’m inspired.  To choose creativity over content.  To treat a janitor with the same respect as the CEO.  To feel richer than material rich.  To show love, compassion, empathy… I wouldn’t trade this for an ounce of their existence.

It’s time to refer to ourselves as THE TRUE ELITE.

A few examples…  Would Bonnie Raitt trade her perfect tone, pitch and phrased vocals for one of Peter Thiel’s yachts?  I doubt it.

Would Derek Trucks give up his inspired guitar work to live in one of John Kerry’s mansions?  Not a f’ing chance.

Would Charles Bukowski have traded his writings to be close personal friends with GW Bush and the life of American royalty?   Ha.

I use these examples because it doesn’t feel like they sold out.  They’re focused on craft, and do it with precision and excellence.  Of course I could use Adele or Sam Smith or others like them as examples…  they certainly have talent and passion… but so many superstar talents traded a piece of their soul to play along with the club.  They got it both ways, and have been duly rewarded.

Now they take the one-eyed photos, the tongue-out smile and ‘OK’  hand signal on camera.  The signs that say ‘I’m one of you, oh mighty club’.  And sometimes they win big.  But they seem to lose something too.  They have that empty look in their eyes.  They can’t go back to being pure artists again.  Their art needs the machine now.  They traded their wings for gold, and can no longer fly.  It’s ‘The Treasure Of The Sierra Madre’ in real time.

As for the True Elites, I’m referring to those who made a choice to take their talent as far as possible, without giving up the purity of it just to play in the club.  These are the best of the best.  I hope we see it soon.

Tesla died broke.  We should never fear it.  It’s we that hold the face cards.

Jude

I wrote this song a few years ago but finally cut it properly, with the legendary JR Robinson on drums, wow… and Chris Lord-Alge mixing.

The photo was shot around the time I was getting the parts together, complete with sweater-muted Gibson 335 and banjo doing 16th notes (12th notes?) and a potpourri of other instrument guests in my studio.

The lyrics and song are on soundcloud and I’ll keep it up as a sneak-peek for a couple of weeks, as my records take me time!

Cheers-
Jude

Like batteries, almost everything has a positive and negative side.

Light/Dark, Good/Bad, Rich/Poor, Loud/Quiet, Hard/Soft… the examples are endless.

There could be no one side without the other, but our frequency determines which side we reflect.

So, given your last year of inner thought, words used to others, internet communication, entertainment… which one are you?

Are you cleaning your own front yard so the street is nice and you’ve done your part, or screaming on the corner for everyone to listen up, wake up, the neighborhood is going to hell!

We can only be responsible for ourselves, but what others learn when we shine and succeed 🙂