90 Seconds

The elusive thing an artist takes for inspiration can vary wildly from one to another. In terms of music, I think the best musicians love to listen to music. It seems natural. The trick I think is to truly respect the music of others. I get stoked off of all sorts of stuff. Today, for example I looked up what the top songs were in 1975, my birth-year. It was all over the place. The Captain and Tenille, The Eagles, Doobies, Elton John, The Carpenters, John Denver, Earth, Wind and Fire, ELO, Queen, Bowie, and a string of lesser knowns like Freddy Fender and Linda Ronstadt. There was a grip of disco, soul and funk tracks. I am really loving the great keyboard, guitar, and vocals. Crossover hits like I Can Help by Billy Swan are amazing. And sometimes I think people forget how deeply funky the songs of that time were. One Of These Nights by The Eagles has an unreal funk bassline. They got terribly played out, but I never fell in line so their stuff is relatively fresh for me. I always remember the scene in The Big Lebowski when he pleads with the cab driver to turn off The Eagles. “I’ve had a rough night. And I hate the fucking Eagles, man.”

The Stranger: There’s just one thing, Dude.
The Dude: And what’s that?
The Stranger: Do you have to use so many cuss words?
The Dude: What the fuck you talking about?
The Stranger: Okay, Dude. Have it your way.