And EVEN IF we had a keyboardist -- which we do not -- and even if you're going to request a Genesis song -- which you shouldn't, because as much as you may love Genesis, you are not the only person in the bar -- WHY, OUT OF ALL THE SONGS IN THE UNIVERSE, WOULD YOU ASK FOR "SQUONK"?

It's *insulting,* is what it is. Proposing that Jimi Goddam Hendrix, in all his creativity and originality, a science fiction freak who saw and heard the world in ways unlike anybody else, would resort to mining his own life for inspiration instead of using his imagination? How DARE you

Waking the ghosts

AND it help me get out of my head just be in the pocket. Dissociation as a pathway to groove. It's a weird combination of stagecraft and self-directed cognitive behavior therapy, but it works for me.

I started doing this in an intentional way because otherwise I tend to look down at my left hand as I play. Closing my eyes and playing blind is a way to get better/more confident on the instrument, and it lets me raise my head, which gives the *appearance* of eye contact to the audience

I've had people in real life tell me they get a bad vibe from the Outfield's "Your Love," a brilliant piece of pop songcraft that happens to be a sharp pen-portrait of a sweaty cheater. To me, it's obvious that it's a character piece -- but some people just can't listen to it. It gives 'em the ick.

It's a song in first-person *about* a murderer. The scenario is fictional. The real person who sings for the the Toadies is not a murderer! When you buy the record or listen to the song, you're not giving money or support to a murderer, any more than you would by watching a horror movie!