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Hello, fellow music heathens!!



It has been a bit since my last serious post and I thought I'd share some things, as the title would imply.....a new perspective. In light of a few major life events I have experienced in the last six months, a few things have been cemented in the way I see the world these days. I am now 60 years old (I really need to change that profile picture, it's almost 20 years old now)....and am about to turn 61....and to tell the truth, I am surprised I made it this far. I realized that I have spent a major part of that 60 years creating music, writing songs and watching the whole of the industry and art form change drastically before my very eyes and ears, but THAT is a whole other thread.

My desire and drive to keep creating said music and songs have taken a few hits over the years, but the effects of those hits were short lived because I love doing it so much. Sitting down with my trusty old acoustic, not knowing what was going to spill out of me.....or thin air.....take your pick.......and slowly hearing it form over the span of a few hours has always been amazing enough in itself, let alone fine tuning it and recording a finished piece of work. I used to fire up the 4 track cassette recorder in the old days, 6 to 12 songs lined up and ready. I would PLAY the drum machine (yamaha RX15..for all you nerds) and lay down all 6 drum tracks from memory in one sitting. Then I would do the same with bass lines, all 6 in a row......then the guitar tracks ect......you get the picture. These sessions would typically be on a saturday, starting around mid day and ending in early evening. When finished, I would have 6 or more new songs on tape.......with a success rate of about fifty percent, meaning usually three of them didn't turn out so good.

These "batch" recording sessions were not really the best way to go (in hindsight), but it was always a great way to spend a saturday and I would have my own little listening party at the end, buying a few beers and listening to what I had done that day as a reward. I hear that stuff now and it's hard to listen to, overly noisy, monotone vocals, tape hiss, bad guitar sounds.......it was great back then....but now?....entertaining, but only in small doses.

Given my current circumstances, I sorted through everything I had, in the way of old cassette masters........I threw away 226 tapes........tossed them in the can. They are likely buried in the local landfill at this point. Why did I do that? vanity and legacy. We all have some sort of legacy, good or bad......mine is mostly music. I tossed 226 tapes, for a total of 683 recordings.......all trash. I sat down and really listened, asking myself " was I ever planning to let anyone hear this"?.......if the answer was no.......out it went.....gone. I have about an eighth of that left, recordings just passable enough to keep. I don't recommend this for most people, but there was a lot of alcohol in those old recordings, not exactly conducive to great listening.

I have a friend who routinely bemoans the fact he has no musical legacy, though he has been part of the musical scene for years. The hard truth is, he didn't put in the work. He spent years watching T.V. instead of rehearsing, online instead of writing or practicing an instrument, watching sports instead of recording. Now, 30 years on, he cannot figure out why he has nothing to show.......and though I offer him the truth.....he won't hear it. I write this today, in the hopes that someone will realize that a catalog, a legacy, a song book ect.........is success.

I am a success.

I am not rich from a number 1 song, never toured any bigger than regionally, very very few recognize me when I'm out and about.....but........I just tossed 683 recordings!! Two thirds of which were actual songs or song ideas.....683!!....and I am left with plenty more. After tossing all that musical history, I also realized.......how freeing it was to be able to make that decision, not some asshat at a record label or publisher. I had a conversation with a well known song writer friend of mine about the dump truck load of demos I had held on to for all these years, planning to get into an actual studio and record them proper, or go back and fix mistakes ect...........they promptly convinced me to get over it and let the flood gates open, because at THIS point....there is no time to go back.

Would you say that was successful? If you originally set out to write songs? I would. I think of all the people here who have passed on since my signing up, they left music behind I would bet.....and it's likely that someone may be listening to it as I type this. They are being affected by someone's legacy, good or bad, a mark was left in the music world.......in the listeners world. If the current music business and younger fans have passed you by, who.....cares? I mean really.................who.................cares? We do this because we love doing it!!! If all that sounds like you, and you are still writing and recording songs, despite trends......then what drives you? I would guess the love of it.

I digress....

Six months ago, I was diagnosed with terminal cancer. At 60, I was surprisingly calm about the news. Don't misunderstand me here....like anyone else...I'd rather stick around and not die just yet, and am doing everything possible to extend my time here.....why? You guessed it, I have a ton of songs to write!! Believe it or not, that was the second thought that went through my head at hearing the diagnosis, what was the first?......awww [naughty word removed].

I have always been aware of MY own definition of success, but having death staring you in the face and being robbed of a decade or more of future, it was cemented in a single moment. What am I leaving behind? no big estate for family to fight over, no world charity built from the ground up, no trophies, no authored books (yet)....ect. All I have is a ton of songs, songs I know will be listened to after I am gone, songs that will affect people as they did when I lived.....my legacy. Let me also say that legacy and what you leave behind for the world doesn't have to be tangible, it can be love and the way you treated people, it can be art, it can be something you taught people......and some of those things should be first and most important.

I took my friends advice and am putting together all my works for posting on line, volumes at a time, because if I don't...someone else will after I'm gone. I don't want to roll over in my grave thinking " ohhh noo, they posted THAT one.....ugh". I wrote this tonight for a couple of reasons, yet I have begun to ramble, with no editor looking over my shoulder. First reason being, stop being your own worst critic!!! You WROTE A SONG!!....no matter how good or bad anyone else says it is.....YOU wrote it!! You accomplished something less people are able to do than you might think. That makes you a song writer, if a song writer is what you wanted to be.....guess what.....you are a success. Secondly, and most important.... I leave you with this......


One can chase money, fame, toys, material possessions and a host of other earthly things, but the single most important thing one has is TIME!! Don't squander it!!

What have we learned?

1: Love what you do, others opinions be damned.

2: stop being your own worst critic.

3: Time is the most valuable thing you have, do NOT waste it.

That's about it from here, be safe out there people!

If interested, keep on eye on this space: https://maccharles.bandcamp.com/ .........the whole catalog is being posted over time.