Trying to force my thoughts into rhymes I’ve started over too many times. Lost my way more often than I can count Paying for the future from an empty account.
I lived in a palace that is now Smoldering ash and dust. I thought I was a Man of Steel Turns out I’m a bucket of rust.
Running down-hill you can only go so fast Falling head first, now your feet aren’t the last. Told a good story, played the main part Some if it science, some of it art.
I lived in a palace that is gone Smoldering ash and dust. I thought I was a Man of Steel Turns out I am a bucket of rust.
Sometimes you are forced to gamble Usually there is no preamble. For some it’s fun to shop until you drop For me it was just impossible to stop.
I thought I was a Man of Steel What’s left is a bucket of rust.
I stole the main theme from my older brother. He would often say he thought he was a man of steel but looking around he saw a bucket of rust. He was a wrestler and chess player in school…. an avid reader and ready for any challenge. Even after his third stroke and 2nd seizure this year, he remembers his wrestling days in high school more clearly than many other accomplishments. It is plagiarism, but he is my brother so I think I can get away with it this time.
A common topic shared on this platform as I reach 70 years old.
Another friend of mine has died unexpectedly. He was ten years younger than me. My posts have bragged about the people I have met over the years, and he is one of the special ones. Jay Aronoff truly loved music…. in all it’s forms, but he made it his own. Life had it’s struggles but he always had time for good friends.
Son of former Ohio Senator Stan Aronoff but he chose his own path. I met him when I worked at a local music store chain. I managed the store and he was a guitar instructor. Even when he was not in a lesson, the guitar was strapped around his shoulder and he encouraged impromptu renditions of our favorite prog-rock songs. He was easy to love.
Jay was stunned I had never had a cup of coffee. He persisted until I had my first and only cup of coffee with him. It wasn’t that bad but not as good as the smell of fresh ground coffee in the old grocery stores so I decided to stick with tea!
I did a video of Jay’s band Mara performing live. My wife Ellen and I did all the camera work on two separate nights, and I did the post production video and timing by ear. In memory of Jay Aronoff, here are links to that video filmed in 1988:
I also have some lyrics to share with all who knew Jay, and those who know me:
This is all Unpredictable The end to a terrible day. A phone call from another friend; This would be the last day with Jay.
He was a very special soul Who bound so many together. I thought he’d be the one To remember us forever.
Jay had his demons to face I’m sure he faced many alone. None of that matters today Because from now on, Jay is gone.
This is all UnPredictable The cruelty cannot be more clear This would be the last day with Jay. So I raised another glass of beer.
This is all UnPredictable The cruelty cannot be more clear This would be the last day with Jay. So I raised a glass of beer.
I know it has been a while since I have posted much, but in reality I have been pretty busy. I have a lot to catch up on, but for now I want to share a new song with you. I wrote the lyrics to “Trap” a while ago and now have music for it. The lyrics have changed a bit so I will include an updated lyric sheet as well.
I have a vocalist coming in to redo the melody track to replace mine, and I will keep my harmony track. Soon another friend will send me bass guitar tracks, but for now, here is “Trap”.
When you think you are making the right decision Everybody you connect with is on your side. Well, buckle up your seat belts and hold on to your cap You don’t know it, but you just walked into a trap.
A trap you can’t get out of. X2 A trap you couldn’t see. A trap of your own making. Trapped for all eternity.
Still struggling and squirming trying to believe Yellin’ ‘I don’t understand’, makes you look like a fool. All bundled up nice with a box, bow and pretty wrap However you say it, you’re stuck in a trap. Lashing out at anyone that comes even close. You keep pushing yourself further and further away.
Suddenly you hear a loud and powerful snap Now you know it, you just walked into a trap.
When you think you are making the right decision Everybody you connect with is on your side. Well, buckle up your seat belts and hold on to your cap You don’t know it, you just walked into a trap.
It seems like you are making your own choices Everything’s going down just like you planned. The box is smashed and you’re hanging from a strap However you play it, you’re stuck in a trap. Suddenly you hear a loud and powerful snap Now you know it, you just walked into a trap.
Life on the outside is cruel and often mean. Life on the inside can be what you make it to be. You have more than I do and it’s still not enough. If someone ‘wants you’, you think that they’re in love.
I find the simple pleasures we share Can provide the answers for hope and prayer. Literally, just stop and face the other way We see so much clearly in the light of day.
In Summary; There’s a bunch of things I haven’t done yet. In Summary; Far too many things I’ve learned to regret. In Summary; The important ones I try not to forget. In Summary; I’m not a gambler But there were many times I should have placed my bet.
The difference between the haves and the have-nots Or more like the players that miss all the free shots. Learn to appreciate everything that goes toward the Sum I’ve gotten old and slow, but I’ve never been dumb.
I hear the beat when nothing is around. Can’t help but imitating life’s unusual sound. I would gladly show anyone what I have found The tempo changes come from underground.
It’s not a pattern if it doesn’t flow. Soon watch your feet and hands begin moving from fast to slow. No way to see it if you don’t already know But stand still long enough you will feel it grow.
The first thing I learned was how to snap. Didn’t take me long ‘til I had the knack. Walkin down the street or wakin’ from a nap, My life has always been a musical soundtrack.
From the solid ground comes a roar like thunder. I can never wake from the spell I am under. Once I can open my eyes they are full of wonder Let’s escape this world that has been plundered.
From there everything comes into play. Someone writes a musical out of the things you say. I would like to think we could leave it for another day But you and I know it will never go away.
The first thing I learned was how to snap. Didn’t take me long ‘til I had the knack. Walkin down the street or wakin’ from a nap, My life has always been a really long soundtrack.
When we started there wasn’t much. Hand-me-downs and used furniture were better than the nothing we had. So many odds and ends and things we didn’t really need But it was “Good Enough”.
Nothing went smooth, some pretty rough. Cars breaking down on the way to work and no money to get it fixed. Opportunities we missed cause I couldn’t afford enough gas. But we did “Good Enough”.
Slowly we could save for simple stuff. Little things here and there for a smile – something delicious or pretty. The children got something even when there was nothing to give. And we felt “Good Enough”.
The next decade wasn’t so tough. Most things happened so fast even now I can’t remember it all. Friends come and go while family is always too far away I hope its “Good Enough”.
And in an instant it became insanely clear; Our plans and efforts weren’t Good Enough. At the time when the end of the road is near It turns out nothing we did was “Good Enough”.
When we started there wasn’t much. Hand-me-downs and used furniture were better than the nothing we had. So many odds and ends and things we didn’t really need But it was “Good Enough”.
And in an instant it became insanely clear; Our plans and efforts weren’t Good Enough. At the time when the end of the road is near It turns out nothing we did was “Good Enough”.
I mentioned before that one of the more painful things about getting old is inheriting stuff from your friends that are either no longer able to access older technology or loved ones that checked out of life before you do.
Recently, many wonderful musical things of no real value have found a home in my house. Some make noise, some record noise, some avoid noise, but all have been turned into music by friends of mine for decades. The memories and cave-man-level responses to sounds from the past hits me hard. You probably grew up hearing these sounds, but you might have been in the womb or soon after to this world when hearing them. These toys literally created most of the pop – rock and country music you grew up to. The list is too long for TV and commercial applications.
Anyway, unless you know what this stuff is (and things weren’t small in those days) and how to make it work it might as well be a pyramid that becomes nothing a storage problem. As usual, I digress.
Recently, I was given half a ton of old 45 rpm vinyl records.
But not the ones you buy at a store. To avoid another really interesting connected tangent, I will simply say that these came from a company where my wife worked. It was one company and then absorbed then another company and Clear Channel picked them up when their critical mass became too big to ignore. I apologize for the brevity, as most people won’t be interested, but they conducted surveys for radio stations across the US.
They condensed the song – ALL of the songs you would likely hear on commercial radio decades ago – to a 5 or 10 second “hook“. Whatever it was that identified the song to listeners was the hook. They conducted thousands of live – in – person paid surveys across the country to get listener’s opinions of the NEW artist or POTENTIAL new hit. These are not for sale and not available at the stores. My people know I can still use vinyl and other technologies but more importantly I can take care of them.
This brings me to another tangent I cannot avoid. So many of the treasures I have been given are no longer operable or salvageable. A little more thought in storage would have turned so many of these treasures into true gems. Rust, mold, misuse – no use, all take their toll. My stuff still works. From the time I was in high school forward. I bought good equipment and accessories and I took care of them because I knew I could not afford to replace them.
I finally get to the point to this post. I have hundreds of records. My wife worked for years watching literally thousands of bands and their best efforts to make it big. Yes, I heard many of those as well. Some were interesting, some were cool and most were painful. But the thing I am getting to after listening to each 45 record after the other is a simple but powerful message if you are trying to ‘get a deal’: Don’t spend all your energy creating the GREAT HOOK. I hear failure after failure after failure trying to be something you are not. Maybe you have to be cute or edgy to get noticed. Just make it your own edge.
ANY of these bands produced records and demo’s that are much better than my in-home singer/songwriter efforts. They have money and backers and investors looking for the next best thing. But the great hooks are organic and time-locked so you are chasing a dream. So much potential dedicated to making your band sound like someone or something else already out there. Tofit the cookie-cutter rather than make the cookie shape. It could be said I make the cookie shape and I am not famous. Mine is not a formula for success.
There are famous artists in this small collection so many do succeed, though I see so many failures because they are trying to find the magic lamp. Stop looking for it and create one for yourself. If it was that easy I would not be sitting here, lol. In the future I will share some of these records. They are not for sale, but I am not sure that means they are not for share.
Here is a record by Gipsy Kings I thought was pretty cool.
MidiMike 