Song and a Chat

Episode #127: Wide Open (Wings Of Grace)    (Song starts at   5:48 & 27:46) It’s a rainy night here in Melbourne as I write these show notes. As usual, I enjoyed recording this episode. I had no idea what song I was going to pick until I saw the title on an old cassette tape cover and I thought… why not. It’s a moody sort a song, suits the wintery evening – and suits th...

Episode#126: Too Dark To See    (Song starts at 3:33) Hi, for this episode I recorded a conversation with Paul Dredge, the co-composer of ‘Too Dark Too See’. Although the audio quality isn’t quite up to scratch, I think this was a well worth while exercise. The resulting candid conversation offers an insight into our songwriting style/relationship (and friendship) in an engaging and en...

Episode #124: The Test Of Man      ( Song starts at 7:20 & 28:35)    ‘A trail of mystery’ is one of the phrases in this week’s song. That pretty much sums up what I’m up to each week, as I record the ideas that pop into my mind and roll off my tongue for these episodes. I endeavour to put you in the shoes of a songwriter – how it feels.  I like to allow the song to lead the way&#82...

Episode #124:   Innocent    ( Song starts at 4:17 & 28:14) Where did Innocent, song #465, come from? It came from a dream.  The finished lyrics were pretty much what I wrote down as I recalled a dream which I had, just before I woke up. I recommend trying this…often what comes though is more than you bargained for. Sometimes you end up remembering more than you thought would about the dr...

Episode #123: Someone To Lean On    (Song starts at 3:02 ) Hi there. Welcome to the podcast where the plan is : you’ll get to understand how it feels to be in the shoes of a songwriter. So how does it feel? It feels completely free to let your hands wander on the keys (if you play piano, like me). It’s like the ignition is there waiting for you. And… it’s like the sense of excite...

Episode #122:   All We Need (A Little Bit Of Peace)    (Song starts at 3:02) Hi there. All We Need, song #46, was one of those songs that’s been sitting in my songbook, doing nothing. Why? The chorus wasn’t up to scratch. The lyrics were just not right. So I decided to rewrite the lyrics for the chorus. Then, just before I recorded this podcast episode, I thought I’d have some fun and record...

Episode #121: Miles and Messages    (Song starts at 2:33) Carrying on from the last episode, this song, #256, was written a short time after Fairy Tale. While Fairy Tale (as it’s title suggests), is mostly an imagined scenario with a projected happy ending with a moral, Miles and Messages is where the songwriter (yours truly) came back to earth with a thump and faced up to the reality of wha...

Episode #120   Fairy Tale (song starts at 3:46) We are going back in time again – with some help from this week’s song.   Fairytale, song #252, was written in 1993. The demo was recorded then, too. On this episode, I touch on how much our surroundings affect us. Nature is my thing, particularly being next to a river or the ocean .  I was living in Kuratau, NZ when this song came to me...

Episode#119: This Is How It Goes   (Song starts at 4:28) The evening I recorded this episode, I went outside because I heard a strange song. A chorus of hundreds of frogs could be heard on the wind. Talk about nature’s tune. These frogs were really making a racket. As it turned out, this fitted in nicely with the song featured on this week’s episode. ‘This Is How It Goes’ talks about getting...

Episode #118: The Patient Hum      (Song starts at 4:58 & 24:38) Song #436, The Patient Hum was written in 1998. Back then, there was a sense of peace about what I was up to (and I’m happy to say there’s a sense of peace about what I’m up to today). So the song came from a peaceful place. The lyrics talk about how everything is in a state of constant change – including...

Episode #117:   No Crime To Stay  (Song starts at 10:00) This week’s song (#263) was written in 1993, when I was living in a very beautiful & peaceful spot in New Zealand: Kuratau, on the shores of lake Taupo. The meditative pastime of fly fishing for trout really relaxes me. I find that once I’ve been out in nature, all my worries have drifted away and I’m ready to create. ...

Episode #116: Still Crazy Here (Song starts at 3:43) Hi there,  For this episode, I dug up a box of old diaries and found the year/week where I wrote this song.  I read through some passages. It turns out I’d left my stage piano at the gig. So I wasn’t able to write songs… and I wrote: ‘If I’m not being creative, I feel terrible!’.  I was flat. Didn’t see the point in watch...

Episode #115: Winter’s Song  (Song starts at 4:57) It was a cold day, back in 1999. I looked around the flat, saw and heard the rain in the trees outside the window. We had a heater like a back handed compliment: it blew air out, not nearly as warm as what was required..  So I started by writing:   ‘Raining in the trees, winters song….’ Song #454 presented itself this week when I opened one...

Episode #114 : In Your Mind    (Song starts at   4:19) Hi there, In this episode, we are going back to 1987! We are looking at song #24 from my song books…  As I walked into my studio to record this episode, a little voice suggested this song. I haven’t thought of ‘In Your Mind’ for years. I wasn’t sure about it. But when my fingers opened the song book straight to the correct page, I...

Episode #113: Tenderness (Strongest Memories) (Song starts at 5:17 ) This song came along when I was sitting at the piano, letting my hands wander on the keys. Some nice chords came through. I opened my eyes, looked up and saw the seascape painting hanging above the piano.  On this episode, I read an excerpt from an old diary. I thought for a change I’d try it. The very page I opened to happ...

Episode #112: Made It Through    (Song starts at 7:31) This song caught my eye to feature in this week’s episode.  Each week when it comes time to record another episode, I enjoy just going with the flow. I leap in there and see what happens. The threads appear as I go along and we just sort of see where chatting about the song takes us each week. It’s always a fun and there are always pleas...

Episode #111: With You    (song starts at 2:45) This episode features a song I wrote in 1993. Song #309 jumped out of my song book this week.  I haven’t played this – or thought about it for that matter – for years, for some reason. Perhaps this is a ‘universal’  love song for someone….for someone (if that makes sense). It also talks about a higher love that I t...

Episode #110:   Lonely Path  (Song starts at 7:03) I enjoyed singing and playing Lonely Path live for today’s episode. I do this sometimes. Other times I’ll select an old demo or maybe an album track. It adds variety along the way. It’s all a work in progress. I played a gig today – and yesterday – at the village green. It’s a small village. A very nice communit...

Episode #109: You Can Hurt Them Worse (by leaving things unsaid) (song starts at 6:37) There are so many different places to start writing a song. Number one would be feeling, I would say. You can find it in a space within in yourself where you can be completely honest. That doesn’t mean you have to wear your heart on your sleeve or hit prospective listeners over the head with the wet bus ti...

Episode #108: St Kilda  (Song starts at 7:42) The Autumn weather has turned a little wintery here in Melbourne. I played 6 gigs in 7 days last week, which was pretty major after no gigs in 2 years, with the Covid lockdowns going on.  The last 2 gigs I played were over the weekend and that was when the wintery breeze got up. These were outdoor gigs, so it was a bit nippy in the outdoor seated area....

Episode #107: Yesterday’s Race    (Song starts 2:48) Hi there. This is the podcast where you can sit back, be entertained and informed and – learn a little about the art of songwriting.  I make a point of saying I’m not here to tell you how to write a song- but I am going to share how I write a song. I think it’s important to keep an eye on your surroundings. Relaxing, subdued li...

Episode #106: Fingers In The Trees  (Song starts at 5:52 & 26:00) Autumn is a great time of year. It’s a season which really resonates with me for some reason. I was camping in Bright, Victoria recently, camping by a stream (which you’ll get to listen to in this episode). The trees were all losing their leaves, the birds singing.  The bare fingered trees are the image I had in mind...

Episode #105: What’s True To You    (Song starts at 7:00 ) This is the podcast where you’re going to get to hear how it feels to be a songwriter, where the featured song of the week came from, some funny stories, etc. The idea being: to entertain and inform – and along the way hopefully shed some light on what is a very interesting creative process.  Mistakes are a necessary part...

Episode #104:   As Far As I Can Tell  (Song starts at 4:50) Welcome. I love writing songs. There’s a 100-odd songs on this podcast, 13 albums on bandcamp, a selection on all the streaming platforms and YouTube channel, etc. One of the reasons I’m these producing these episodes is to help people. I teach, as it turns out.  I’m also an artist. The blank canvas can be so confronting...

Episode #103:  Life’s A Show    (song starts at 2:48) On this podcast, I talk a lot about where a song comes from – the beginning. What about the end..where do you draw the line? When is something creative done? When is it finished? Which brings us nicely to the crux of the meaning of ‘Life’s A Show’. There’s a line in the song that says “There’s no end&#8...