I began this blog to share stories of people and events I have been lucky enough to be involved with over the last five decades. Along with my poetry and original music I also enjoyed sharing my pictures and personal observations.
While I am sure there will also be beautiful and exciting things to share in my future, I also want to chill. I need to make life simpler from here on.
I have enjoyed this community and those willing to share everything with total strangers. There were many times when this was the hi-light of my day. I could go on posting my views and thoughts on politics, religion, money and other hot topics but there are too many of us doing that these days. So this is a good time to phase out MIDI Mike.
While the site remains live, feel free to take a look at the topics on the top of the page to find something that might interest you.
I may throw in a post from time to time just to surprise myself. In my usual style, let me show you a few recent pictures I took at a favorite place of mine: Spring Grove Cemetery. We had a heavy rain days before these pictures with hi winds. Before that the fall colors were really starting to jump out. Unfortunately the rain hit a bit early and dropped most of the leaves, but I managed to get some good pictures.
Spring Grove Cemetery 2019 MSK 1 Spring Grove Cemetery 2019 MSK 2 Spring Grove Cemetery 2019 MSK 3 Spring Grove Cemetery 2019 MSK 4 Spring Grove Cemetery 2019 MSK 5 Spring Grove Cemetery 2019 MSK 6 Spring Grove Cemetery 2019 MSK 7 Spring Grove Cemetery 2019 MSK 8 Spring Grove Cemetery 2019 MSK 9 Spring Grove Cemetery 2019 MSK 10 Spring Grove Cemetery 2019 MSK 11 Spring Grove Cemetery 2019 MSK 12
I hope you get a laugh from my latest song, “Tired”. It definitely has a ‘senior point of view’. I thought of naming it “Retired”, but this seemed to fit better.
I posted as a poem but once I put it to music and the song arrangement came together I had to make cuts and edits. I will post the new lyrics here for convenience.
I’ve been thinking all day of when I get you home After everyone has gone we’re finally alone Like a good dog I’m gonn’a give you a bone.
I’ve heard his mouth running all over town Talking shit about me and calling me a clown I’m headed over there now to put him down.
Hold that thought ‘Til I get back I’m feeling rather tired And it’s time for a nap.
Think I better Slow it down.
Rewarded or punished for decisions we make Climbing this mountain is a piece of cake Just another day or so beyond the lake.
Hold that thought ‘til I get back I’m feeling rather tired And it’s time for a nap.
Dream what you remember Remember what you dream. After all these years It’s almost the same thing
I bought three books and can’t wait to start Two of them are very close to my heart. I’ll read them all tonight, then put more in my cart.
I’ve been thinking all day of when I get you home After everyone has gone we’re finally alone. Like a good dog I’m gonn’a give you a bone.
Hold that thought ‘til I get back I’m feeling rather tired and it’s time for a nap. Hold that thought ‘til I get back I’m feeling rather tired and it’s time for a nap.
With lyrics in hand, I mapped it out to a drum arrangement I already had. No other instruments….. While I fit the lyrics to the drum arrangement the melody immediately fell in my lap. It is backwards for me to have a melody first. Usually I write the melody listening to the chords. This is like reverse-engineering if you know what I mean!
This was not a simple fit, so the drums also had to be edited and changed for the rhythm of guitar and vocals. The drums are not finished and need a lot of work to smooth out grooves here and there, but it is solid enough to work with for now.
I don’t practice or play for hours a day anymore. I rarely play for more than is necessary to record my demo songs. It can take me a while to play the guitar (and keyboard) parts I need for new songs. Everything is slowing down after 65!
I played a Martin acoustic/electric guitar with no overdubs or additional guitar tracks. The bass guitar is added using my MIDI keyboard and a computer plug-in sample-player for a great sound. I added some playful vocal harmonies and that was it. Arrangement done, it will take me a couple weeks to clean up the tracks and do a mix. Or maybe a bit longer than usual now that I think about it!
I’ve been thinking all day of when I get you home After everyone has gone and we’re finally alone. Like a good dog I’m gonn’a give you a bone.
I hear his mouth running all over town Talking shit and calling me a clown. I am headed over there now to put him down.
But I’m feeling rather tired And it’s time for a nap. It’s been years since I retired And it’s time for a nap.
Rewarded or punished for decisions we make Climbing this mountain is a piece of cake. Just another day or so beyond the lake.
Dream what you remember Remember what you dream. After all these years I found out It’s just about the same thing.
I bought three books and can’t wait to start Two of them are very close to my heart. I’ll read them all tonight, then put more in my cart.
I’ve been thinking all day of when I get you home After everyone has gone and we’re finally alone. Like a good dog I’m gonn’a give you a bone.
But I’m feeling rather tired And it’s time for a nap. It’s been years since I retired Sleepy from my morning snack. You can see I’m rather tired And it’s time for my nap!
(C) MSK 4-28-2019 I listen to your words Over and over as if I had not heard. Why am I hypnotized? What holds me finally realized.
Your voice gives them meaning Half way through the day I realize I’m dreaming. Can’t say I understand Things don’t usually end the way they’re planned.
Listening to your words In the dark of silence it all sounds absurd. Lost without the story? Turns so clear so deep so true to me.
There’s no other way to say it. It is in the sound In the melody The voice as it carries. There’s no other way to say it. Opens the heart Pounds the soul The heart as it buries.
There is no denying the power As it overwhelms and begins to devour. The dreams I’ve known forever Lie in the softness of light and strength of a feather
There’s no other way to say it. It is in the sound In the melody The voice as it carries. There’s no other way to say it. Opens the heart Pounds the soul The heart as it buries.
Metaphors and analogies Comic plays and tragedies Miracle cures and man-made disease Sealed with handshakes and apologies.
You couldn’t tell an ancient shaman From a clown selling snake oil remedies Observing you see much in common Debating the pain as you burn or freeze.
You chose the wrong path long before today Fame and fortune have gotten you this far Felt you deserved the status and glory somehow But no amount of luck is going to help you now.
Family and friends give you all you ask Generations of wealth demand compliance Doors opened easily for a wink and a bow But no amount of luck is going to help you now.
Miracle cures and man-made disease Debating the pain as you burn or freeze Sealed with handshakes and apologies From a clown selling snake oil remedies.
You chose the wrong path long before today Fame and fortune have gotten you this far Felt you deserved the status and glory somehow But no amount of luck is going to help you now.
Doors opened easily with a wink and a bow But no amount of luck is going to help you now. You took all that your power would allow But no amount of luck is going to help you now.
Metaphors and analogies Comic plays and tragedies Miracle cures and man-made disease Sealed with handshakes and apologies.
It’s been months since we left shore Nothing looks familiar any more. The tropics and fair weather long past How did it get so dark and cold that fast?
The seas blended into the sky As the waves are frozen in ice. A sun this bright feels bitter cold The heart burns darker if the truth be told
I’ve seen the bottom of the iceberg; I know how deep it goes. You can’t judge distance by its tip; This, every captain knows.
Compass guides us toward nothing Spinning, bouncing but never pointing. There’s no one trusted at the helm Of a sudden lost far beyond the realm.
Never lived under clouds this weird Sweat instantly frozen in my beard. Your cries are lost behind a smile Deeper still with each swallowed mile.
I’ve seen the bottom of the iceberg; I know how deep it goes. You can’t judge distance by its tip; This, every captain knows.
It’s been months since we left shore Nothing looks familiar any more. The tropics and fair weather long past How did it get so dark and cold that fast?
Here we are and I love you still. No strength; no hope; no will. Here we are and you can’t let go Never see; never believe; never know.
Fortunately, when I have too many things on my plate and never seem to get to putting some of my best lyrics to music, I have many talented friends that bail me out. Often I write poems – but almost as often I begin writing lyrics intending to put music to them at some point. Today I will share the lyrics and the original live recording to one of my favorites.
I found myself thinking of musical relationships and what, to some, becomes a long path that never gets close to ‘stardom’, whatever that is. The late-night conversations with many friends – musicians reflecting on the efforts and rewards involved in the lifestyle we have chosen – became metaphors in these lyrics.
The title “Stainless Steel” refers to one type of guitar strings. I also use silk and stainless steel strings on my Ovation 12 string guitar, but Stainless Steel captured the feeling I was surrounded by when writing the lyrics. There is a certain pride creative people get when sacrificing for their art. So many things are put on the back-burner or postponed indefinitely to accomplish turning a dream or idea into a treasure; even if it is only for a select few to enjoy. No one else may ever know what gems were created, and it appears to many that you have nothing to show for your time and talent. Only a few will understand the trade-offs you have made; those sitting around with you late at night, year after year.
In this recording my good friend, the late Mark Kelsey, plays guitar and sings. He is accompanied by Ann Ellis from my band “The Personal Touch”. Mark has worked through the arrangement a few times and I believe this is the first time Ann had heard the song. He quickly recorded for me to listen to and was later to record a final version in a professional studio where he lived. This is my favorite recording and I will always think fondly of him when I hear this recording. While the living room quality is easy to hear, the mood and inspiration comes through clearly.
In our busy lives, it is all too easy for us to overlook the efforts our friends and loved ones make for us. Sometimes it takes far too long for us to fully appreciate those acts of love. I have let many go unrecognized – unappreciated – unacknowledged until it was too late. Looking back I find myself humbled to realize how much my life would have been uplifted and how many friends deserved my – – – I do not know the correct words, but ‘praise’ seems as close as any I can think of. It may also have uplifted their lives in a time when they needed it most. It can be sad and joyous when time finally reveals the reflections of our lives.
MidiMike 