Wednesday, March 9, 2011

The Auto-Destructive Nature of the Literary Beast

Okay...where have I been the last several days?  My blogging is off because of my real life and all the shit that has to go along with it.  And yet, it's really not that much at all when you think about it.


My Walkman's first track is the same one from last night; what happens is, when you shuffle every track (all 2500+ of 'em!), the last one stays when you stop it.  That's fine.


"The Beauty Way," the song that inspired the story of the same name, was the one.  Now, the version I have and love is by Ray Wylie Hubbard; the song was written by Eliza Gilkyson, and I think she does sing on Ray's version.


It is a very interesting, and easy song to play, and I may try it out on the band.


I have not been pleased with the way that story came out; a semi-autobiographical account of a short period in my life, it remained a short/long story of about 130 pages.  Then I stretched it out, by adding incidents, scenes and other weird shit.  It's still not right.


My friend Jess has offered to read it, reasoning I think that it can't be that awful.  Well, I'm my worst critic.


Partly to avoid the reality that it is not that good, I have been busy editing other stories, and oh, did they not need it.  I have blasted my way through "Parasite Girls," which is really good I feel.  "SDS-6" also got a makeover, and I don't even remember what else I worked on.


So yeah...then...I've had ANOTHER one cooking upstairs.  I have started to write out the character sketches and storylines for this one, which could become a series, but I need to think it through a lot more.


Segue..."A Little Soul," by Pulp.  Interesting group; never knew them when they were popular, but then I didn't like Oasis when they were together, either.


Someone recently asked me what my days are like.  Do you really want to know?  Well, I'll tell you.


Weekends are one thing; as I work for WITF/Radio PA/KYW, and sometimes for Clear Channel, those days are pretty full.


During the week, I'm hosting TrafficTalk for the DC Metro Area, 3-7 pm.  Go here:


www.traffictalk.info


That is what we're about.  Okay, shameless plug done.


Now...what happens before and after the shift?  I've made an effort of late to get my ass out of bed in the mornings.  There was a long period when I'd get up at noon if I felt like it.  I realize I needed that pretty badly, the sleep, and the rest.  A smart man once said, "If you don't sleep, you can't think."  Very true.


Segue..."This Charming Man," by the Smiths.  Interesting morning already for music.  Again, never a Smiths fan when they were together.


So I usually end up at the Office, between 10 and 11 am...I get coffee (drug of choice) and it's check my messages, check my schedule, return any calls, and then set to work.


Whatever writing I'm on, I edit, write, consider, and try to make it look like I'm actually doing something.  This is work, you know...I wish one day to make this my career, and to have as much in the tank as I have will bode well for when Sweet Dreams:  Searching for Roy Buchanan (that's SDS-1, or Book 1) is published.


This is what I do, folks.  Oh yeah; so anyway, I hang in here for a while, do errands, then get back to the house to set up my laptop and get ready to host.


Segue..."What Do You Want From Me?"  Pink Floyd, live version from Pulse...great performance!


Now there's not a lot of "traffic," right now, so while I'm monitoring cameras, I can usually take care of office-type things at the house. Multi-task, you see.


At 7, I usually leave the house and head back to the Office and keep working until closing time.


Sometimes I do more of this when I get home, sometimes not.


Okay...you must be thinking, "Shit, this guy's got no fucking life!  No wonder he's not married!"


Sigh...think what you want, I don't really care what you think.  The point of it is, I am like this partly because there is not much money coming in; this keeps me out of trouble financially.  It allows me to focus my mind on the things that I hope one day will make me a living.  Then I can be more like the Wardroom boys who are now gathering before me here at the Office...Coffeehouse Preacher, Loudmouth and one other, Bohemian looking gentleman are together.  Thanks to the Floyd, I do not have to hear CP going off at the top of his high voice about things.


All these fellows are actually nice people, but I'm not of their "set."


Segue..."The Great Divide," Black Country Communion.  Never heard of them, right?  THINK:  Glenn Hughes, Joe Bonamassa, Jason Bonham and Derek Sharinian...the last man I don't know much about, but...SUPERGROUP!!!  Chickenfoot, EAT YOUR FUCKING HEART OUT!!!


Ahhh...so yeah, the Wardroom...sounds like the wardroom of a Royal Navy vessel when those guys and the recently missing regulars gather.  They all sit about, sparking the world with their thoughts and putting it to rights.


Not my people, apart from my Zen Master...I tend to wonder where that man is, I miss him and his centered presence.


So yeah...this is what I do.  Once I start working more in a full-time capacity again, it should change.  At the same time:  this is what I need to do.  I need to do this type of work, to pay my dues as it were.  I paid my dues in the radio business for 20 years before I made it to XM...that's normal, that's about right.


I'm still in the business after 26 years, give or take two or three that I was out of it.  In any case, I still love it; I assume I'll always keep a hand in through the rest of my life, and I'd like to do that.


As a writer, this is what I want to do; this is what I have to do to get anywhere.  You have to work it; you have to give a shit about what you're doing, and yes I put the hours in.


Segue..."Valerie," by Richard Thompson, from the excellent "Daring Adventures" album.


Not sure why I'm getting all this off my chest like this, but anyway this is what I do.  Later on, I'll have more time to do what I'd like to do...I hope to live long enough to do some of that.


Either way, I cannot complain about my life.  I'm in a better shape than most of my friends and my family, so what's going right now will do just fine.


Anybody that wonders, don't quit anything.  The only time to quit is when you know and are aware there's nothing more you can do.  That's gonna be a long time for me.


Outta here...

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