Zach Person and I are writing a song for a charity, A Chance to Rock, that partners with Band Aid School of Music to provide music lessons for kids in the foster care system. I’ve done work for other charities of this sort for many reasons—I’ll mention one: the graduation rate for foster kids who learn instruments and get music lessons is ridiculously higher for those who don’t get that opportunity.
I started the lyrics on a plane back from NYC—I have a good track record with airplane lyric writing (having written Vacation lyrics on a plane when I was 19!) and I didn’t realize til yesterday’s recording session that I was totally inspired by “Succession,” which I’ve been obsessed with.
The song’s called “We Don’t Play” and here we’re working on the demo. In the future will probably record it in a fully equipped studio and May 1st we will do it live at their fundraiser. Check out Zach’s talent if you like his vibe. I sure do. He’s got it all.
It’s alarming how time is accelerating in direct proportion to my age. If I were a physicist, I’d come up with a defining or descriptive physics equation for this. One that states a principle proving the less time you have the quicker it goes. You know me by now—I tried. Looked for:
Equation for time and speed without distance—because my time goes just as quickly whether I’m in motion or not.
Equation for acceleration of time in relation to volume dispersal. lol. Mad Google skillz do not always yield results. I guess in physics, time can’t be quantified as volume. Physics should ask us about that.
What about velocity? The directional speed of an object—object being me I guess—doesn’t seem to bring forth the results either.
Which brought me full circle to thinking about the/this direction of motion, and I recalled a full 10 days has already flown by since dispatch 17, even though it just seems like a couple days.
Today I went to get my global entry number since I intend to be bi-country soon. The customs/border agent was rather unpleasant for the first part of the interview. Humorless, bored, without charm, impervious to my good nature. Until. He looks up from his screen. “You are in the Go-Go’s?” Yes, I am. How did you know that? “You put it as your employer.” (I rarely do that, I usually put ‘self-employed’) Complete 180.
He wanted to know everything and I told him everything—I mean, everything. I told him things only my best friends know. Hah! He got the full scoop. I even told him he’d gotten the full scoop. He was entranced. “Wow. You don’t say?” I asked him what other band people or whatever he’d met this way. “Oh plenty.” Mentioned Lenny Kravitz and the guitar player from Coldplay…I know Lenny I say. I asked him if he liked his job. “No, I hate it.” When can you retire? “Not for ten more years. I got a shitty divorce.” We talked a long time. He took me around to other desks where other custom/border agents were interviewing people because he wanted someone to take a photo. He took his glasses off for the photo and said I’d made his day. He kind of made mine too.
Substack has rolled out a cool new feature called “Notes.” They’ve been testing it with just the writers and it’s kind of Twitter-like, but with no ads or Elon Musk. And it’s just for Substack writers and subscribers. I think it might be cool, and I’ll be using it for shorter memos and whatnot, hope to see some of you in the Notes.
I have a job!! I can’t say until it’s formally announced April 17. It will last seven weeks and means I can’t move to UK until late fall now. That’s all I can say for now. I’m happy about it.
And now for my thanky part! I think of my subscribers as a community and welcome all the new people. I encourage you to comment, interact, engage. If you want to move to paid, cool, it helps. If not, cool, I like that you’re here and reading. Paid subscribers will get occasional perks but all dispatches will be free and open. xoKV
18) Guitars, Physics Lite and Rock and Roll