It’s Wifey-Time Again!
This year (after some resistance) Suzan and I used a bit of ChatGPT to plan our journey. It proved to be a helpful tool but no surprise, it didn’t take the place of good old fashioned human guidance or instinct. He’s merely compiling and consolidating all the opinions of everyone on the whole wide web. So, maybe no Christmas bonus but we weren’t going to fire him either. ☀️🌊 🏰
Messy
I often wonder — if a journey of recovery is indeed part of your brand — your creative force — what happens (what do you write about) when/if you get well? What happens when you overcome that thing that defined you and for better or worse (usually worse) became your brand? That’s a messy question. 😳
Shelly & Kathleen Go To The Movies
Going out is not as simple as it used to be. I wish there were some kind of Theater Concierge who meets you in front of the theater and walks you through the whole process. Tickets, parking validation, popcorn, and then escorts you to your seat. And helps you find your car later. l would pay extra for that. 🍿
Healthcare For Songwriters
SONA worked tirelessly to make healthcare a reality. I was on the board of this amazing grassroots organization for a number of years. I stepped down recently to make room for new blood so I can’t take any credit for the heavy lifting but I’m still proud to have been a founding member and very proud of SONA for this GET! 💪🏽🥁🎶
Jones Beach
It was a Quadruple Threat: Lucinda Williams, Bob Dylan, Wilco and Willie Nelson. That’s rich. Catching performances from senior artists is time sensitive. Let’s just be real. I’m getting older. They are too. Go when you can. Take it all in. Cherish them even when they don’t sing your favorite song. And hugs to Jones Beach — my home-away-from-home — for the nostalgia and for still being there too. ❤️
Let’s Chat
Chat helped me smooth out emails — I could see how they were clearer, more digestible. It allowed me the opportunity to study unfavorable patterns in my writing which I could improve on my own if I chose. So that’s good. But what will AI mean for wonder? Or for kids looking out car windows trying to imagine how the world works?
Grammy Time
It appears that the re-imagining of “What a Girl Wants,” performed by Christina Aguilera and Sabrina Carpenter for Spotify’s 25th Anniversary is ‘nominat-able’ in the category of Best Pop Duo or Group Performance for the 2026 Grammy Awards. It’s a thrill to have had these two powerhouse songstresses from two completely different generations bring the song back into the spotlight with the soulful accompaniment of superb LIVE musicians. 😀😀😀
The Bluebird Re-Re Visited
The Bluebird is an intimate forum. It’s all about The Songs…played acoustically. No tracks or recorded loops. Much of the audience has never been there before and they travel from all over the country and from across the pond to experience the legendary venue. They were excited, engaged and ALL EARS. It’s the best place to play.
Carmy Does Bruce
All things considered, I AM looking forward to seeing ‘Deliver Me From Nowhere.’ Jeremy has his work cut out for him and as much as I’m anticipating the cringe, you just never know. 🍿🍿🍿
Gorgeous Garbage
I’ve been taking iPhone pictures of what I call Beautiful Garbage. See there’s this moment when I’m peeling a carrot or hovering over the kitchen sink devouring a mango, when I pause to contemplate the beauty of what I was just about to toss into the compost. It makes me smile. And I need all the smiles I can get.
Pet Peeves
You can’t copyright a title but you KNOW you wouldn’t have named your product What A Curl Wants if not for my song. So pay me.😡
Tinnitus Update 2025
My body has always been cooperative. Although I’ve had a few mysterious maladies they always retreated as mysteriously as they arrived. Not this one.😵💫
Rearview Mirror
I’ve come to accept with clarity and closure that I’m really a John-Girl when it comes to the tippy top of my favorite tracks. Paul might tap into my ears but John goes right to my gut. His songwriting sense is hotter for some reason. 😳
Pam
My friend (and songwriting-sista) Pamela Sheyne wrote a little song called “Genie in a Bottle.” Christina Aguilera took it to #1 all over the world. Join Pam and I as we go down a little bit of memory lane with “Genie” 26-years-later and hear what she has brewing in her current box of endeavors. 🧞♀️🧞🧞♂️
Elton and Brandi
One HAS to get into bed with other ppl because you never know how they’ll tap into places within you that never got explored. I get it. But I’ll just say this at the risk of being boo’d: It feels like artists are asking themselves with whom they should pair-up in order to stay on the charts, make history, win an award. Does Great + Great = Great? 😳😳😳😳
My Martini
I’m very precise about how I like my martini. I let the server know that if it doesn’t meet my specifications I will send it back. I’m not a bitch about it, it’s just a matter of fact. I wasn’t always so picky when drinks were 10 bucks. But now that they’re $25 I think I should get exactly what I want.
Freeze
I will always love music and make music and listen to music and crave music and believe music changes minds and hearts. I will always be a songwriter but being a songwriter doesn’t completely define me. And so I’ve wondered if I have earned the space to write about other stuff. 🤷🏻♀️
FireAid Meets Grammys
Many recent parties and celebrations were understandably cancelled out of respect for the grief of the people effected by the LA wildfires. But the showing up of countless iconic stars for FireAid, which raised 60 million dollars, was a godsend. And the choice to move forward with a Grammy night that never lost sight of LA strong was hopeful, uplifting and healing. I’m glad they did it.
Cruising
I’m grateful beyond to have these opportunities to pull back a curtain and share what it is to be a songwriter. Whether on land or in this case at sea. To try to explain that our most favorite state is in that zone when everything but whatever it is you’re writing … simply disappears. It’s magical. 🛳 🐠 🌊 🎶
