OK this will be one of the rare times when I'll write the title early, rather than halfway through. Why is that, Rich? Because I heard this phrase 'He thinks he's gonna get it, but he's not' in the context of a party when some food fell on the floor and the dog went over, ready to eat it up. Two different people said the same thing, and it struck me as a perfect song lyric, a perfect sing along chorus line.
It didn't hurt that some musicians were playing a minor blues in the next room of the party, something about 'there's nothing like a woman' over top of an E minor bluesy thing. I wasn't too interested in those lyrics.... not my tune, but it didn't take much to start imagining a minor blues tune called 'He thinks he's gonna get it ...(but he's not)' over a similar progression. It's one of those things that comes into being out of real life and hearing things that roll off the tongue... and the funny bone.
It also didn't hurt that I had taken a toke and a little bit of wine and was therefore in that creativity zone that is ever looking for the next thing to write and laugh about, in a good way. It's one of those kind of songs that can almost write itself, as I had ideas for verses two and three within about 10 seconds.
First verse is about a dog thinking he was gonna get some tasty treats off the floor
Second verse is about a dude who acts like a dog, thinking he's gonna get some 'tasty stuff' maybe even on the floor....Third verse is about some of the other ways we start counting our chickens, maybe the guy expecting the bonus or the promotion, not entirely sure there, but it will emerge in the process of writing the lyrics. And quite likely there may be some autobiographical piece in there too. Oh wait a minute there already is... see verse two...
What a great object lesson this evening, as I stopped watching the Blazers playoff game at halftime, and went to a friend's birthday party. There was a big musical gathering there that wasn't my particular scene, too noisy, not enough dynamics or room to move, so I ended up jamming with a few folks in the kitchen, playing baby boomer hits like Dream, Born to Be Wild, So Happy Together, singing in harmony and having fun. After each song, we'd stop and let people pass through on their way outside, as it was a narrow kitchen we were occupying. Big fun when the music is flowing.
I ended up sharing some of my originals later in the evening when the party cleared out, and I also got a very interesting offer from my friend who is about to launch a social networking website. He's been following my blog and is interested in having me be a contributor to the new project. It's an unpaid offer at present, which doesn't matter to me, but the idea of building an audience, getting out there, diving in to the social networking scene, this is exactly what I've been missing, so of course I'm intrigued. I'm ready to collaborate and learn. I feel like I have exhausted this particular chapter of the journey, and I'm ready for the next one.
Everything was coming out funny tonight. At one point this joke emerged from an improv: 'My baby's got big feet. I call her DeeDee' (like the shoe size, get it?) People laughed when they heard it. I think it's 'between-song patter'
Another joke line was for Jeff Foxworthy and his 'You may be a redneck' shtick. Our hosts had made this incredible ham for the party, had cooked it themselves, and I asked how the hell they did it, it was so delicious. Robert said he used a can of Dr Pepper in an oven bag with the ham. Here's the line: "If you think Dr Pepper is a marinade..... you may be a redneck" What the hell, it seemed funny at the time. It's all in the pronunciation, and I'm guessing that if someone got the line to Foxworthy, he'd use it in his act.
The best part of the evening was spending quality time with friends, rather than alone time with a basketball game. Make a mental note of that, richard. It's better to be out there in the real world (such as it is)((he said parenthetically)). Now I have to write that song. It's on the front burner... He thinks he's gonna get it but he's not...
