Remote – Song and a Chat

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Episode #81: Remote (Song starts at 7:02)

I’ve changed things up a bit this week: here’s a lively, slightly edgy sort of a pop song from a while back.

The word ‘remote’ is a bit of a pun in this song. There’s a line about me not having a remote to turn off the incoming creative inspirational visions that are pretty much constant for me. Best I can do is get out into remote nature, away from things made by humans.

I did that by going fishing this week. I recount a misadventure I had with a beautiful gannet. He got a bit tied up with my fishing lure and I had to do a bit of a catch and release. Poor old bird (by the way, it seemed completely unharmed and immediately resumed his patrolling up and down the beach, looking for his dinner).

My hands were a bit pecked. Not too badly though, as I still manage to play the piano on this episode, demonstrating aspects of the song musically.

It always amazes me, where the songs come from. In this case, back in 1998, I was lying in bed, thinking about buying a ticket to a Bob Dylan concert ticket. Good old Bob – even when I’m not listening to his music he inspires me. I’m a big, big fan.

It was a fun song to dig up today. One of 14 songs which we (Paul Dredge, Earl Pollard and myself) recorded in an afternoon. In the recording studio, I love working quickly. I get inspired and it all a happens. I like to keep moving. It’s the same with songwriting. I to make a start and just carry on with it there and then and finish it – quickly.

I write my songs diligently in my song books and then I flick through them randomly from time to time playing and singing at the piano. When I do this I honour what’s been done so far, go what comes to me naturally, and I’ll edit them, add riffs, alter the melody, etc. So there’s, in effect, 700 odd songs with a lot of pre-production thinking and work already done.

Incidentally, Remote will be released later this year on an album of 14 songs. I’ve re-recorded the vocals and remixed the songs we recorded back in 1998 .

Ok. sit back, I’ll talk you through where the lyrics came from, talk about the music – and a couple of excursions at the beach.

Enjoy.