So the first song I ever wrote, at least the one I can remember writing, came about in unlikely circumstances. The only thing more unlikely is that you’ll ever hear it. I mean I don’t really remember how it went any more… I can only recall the following scant details.
I was 11, I was at my Nan and Pop’s house and I was playing outside. Instrument of choice? Well that would be a fencepost, held like a guitar of course, though I could still feel the energy in those big pretend strums.
It was called “Monstrosity” and was written mainly about the thistles in the paddock we were standing in. All of this sounds very metal but that was light years away from what I was listening to at the time (which ranged from Naughty by Nature to Boyz II Men - which I’ve told plenty of lies about but if there’s a place to come clean it’s on a blog entry right?)
I wouldn’t write another song for around 5/6 years, this time with a good mate in his lounge room, using his Mum’s very nice sounding 12 string guitar.
As you’ve probably surmised, “Sixpence” was a much better song than “Monstrosity” (IMHO) but the former may not have existed were it not for the latter. Perhaps.
A lot of time has been spent since writing songs that are (probably) better than either of those two but sometimes I wonder what path I would have chosen if not music. I’d probably be richer having not spent every spare cent on musical equipment but I’d be nowhere near as content.
Clint
PS I’m looking to take the songs I’m playing at the moment on a bit of a tour of the smaller places in regional Australia. If you know someone that might know a place I should go, send ‘em my way!