L U N A T A L K with Eva Moon

Down the Drain

December 9, 2007 on 10:06 am | In Backstage Pass, General Musing, Music |

I was interviewed recently for an article in the Snoqualmie Valley Reporter (a heady thrill) and the reporter asked me where my song ideas come from.

It’s not an uncommon question for any songwriter. But what is the answer? Where does creative work come from? It seems to defy the laws of science. Something new appears where nothing was before. Do the laws of thermodynamics apply? Did my last song suck a tiny bit of creative energy out of the universe somewhere else? Some might argue it’s not a closed system - crediting god or some other supernatural force for pouring the juice into us. It’s a mystery. But I didn’t get into any metaphysics with the reporter.

But what I told him was…

Imagine your brain is an enormous Costco and the shelves are stocked with everything you’ve ever experienced. There it all is - dinosaurs, baristas, RVs, Nigerian scammers. Each memory in its own spot. Now imagine the Costco has been hit by a tornado. Chaos ensues. The floor is a toxic swirl. Random, unrelated items collide. Everything is gooey with libido (it’s a well-stocked item). A call goes out to the songwriter, who arrives in hip boots with a push broom and begins the arduous task shoving the whole stinking mess down the drain.

So, songwriting is a sort of waste treatment facility.

Can you believe he didn’t use any of this in the story?

See more like that one:

• Folklife 2008
• The Point of the Needle
• Songs of My Enemies
• Anything Else But This
• Most Unwanted