Howdy,

I have four abandoned newsletters in the drafts folder. Seems by the time I’m close to finishing something I turn the hammer around and start pulling nails (cue Newsletter Blues or Blue Letter). So here’s a quick Window Inn scrap book of sorts- some snippets and snapshots as best as I could fashion ‘em on ole Substack.

Late one night on Gabriola Island, after a stroll on the beach with my son, Xianing, and his solved-in-under-one-minute Rubik’s cube,

I got to thinking about how I’d heard/read/dreamed (?) that when Jim Ford (RIP) arrived in the UK (wearing very expensive cowboy boots), a young Nick Lowe had his mind blown watching Jim sit in the studio making up songs on the spot. Ford’s songs often feel like winding trains of thought, turning around unexpected corners- like this fave of mine, Love on My Brain.

Once in a blue moon songs show up Jim Ford style, in just about the time it takes to sing ‘em. Work Out Fine, Hey Moon and Alright Ok come to mind. But for the most part I’m humming or strumming little snippets of ideas that show up here and there. Every so often one makes sense and crosses the finish line. I have a mobile phone full of a couple thousand voice memos and God forbid anyone finds them. Embarrassingly, I once left a notebook with half-finished lyrics in the trunk of a cab along with multiple copies of my album - in case anyone was wondering who was responsible for the chicken scratch. Try as I might, I never got them back.

One thing I try not to do is edit myself in the moment. Despite the dangers of others stumbling upon my gibberish, I try to let the first impulse- the weird, the goofy, the whatever- fly. I’m often looking for a rhythmic meter or melody and if I stumble upon something I often make the first rhyme or sound that comes to mind.

What follows is below the paywall because sharing it requires taking out songwriters insurance….