My My My! First the Couch Grouch thread and now this! I guess I have arrived with my own THREAD! YOU LIKE ME, YOU REALLY LIKE ME!!!!!! I'd like to thank the academy!!!

Well, thanks guys, I appreciate the words and thoughts. And yes, as Nigel succiently surmised, I don't care for anything on me. There are far more interesting things to talk about. But thank you.

I often think of myself here as the sportscaster color anchor, a Howard Cosell, if you will, a bit verbose at times,but usually there with some information not everyone has looked at. I do my best to be honest, informative and as Niteshift so aptly illustrates, a bit long winded at times,but as all things I do, it is for a reason.

I am here for one reason. Because I did a LOT of workshops all over the country aside from Nashville,and JPF members kept coming up to me and asking why I didn't contribute more to JPF. I even did a workshop at the Orange County California JPF workshop in 2006, Don't worry Brian, it was a freebie. I didn't charge. The coordinator at the time, his name escapes me, was a member of the NSAI group as well and I was out there for a few weeks and had a night free. So I got together with about 20 of them. Was a lot of fun.

I try to provide some very specific information and do it as detailed as I can. I have been told over and over that many people print things I say out so they can have a handbook of sorts. And you are right, there are new people coming here ALL the TIME. I am presently on a membership push for all three of the regular threads I do and JPF is a very good site to advertise for. The more educated writers and artists are,the better the decisions they make.

Actually Sausage, I am very happy when people move to town. I actually will show them around. That is what my 'tours" are. But I like people to be educated first. I like them to make a few trips first and learn themselves, and the town. We love new citizens here. i love this town and the people in it. I love and respect the dreamer at any level, whether it is in some local pub in Dublin, a Karaoke night in Columbus, or starting an open mic or writer's night in Oklahoma City. I just like writers to do what they do best and hit as few snags as they can. And they represent us all. We represent each other and I hope I will always hold up my end of that bargain.

So don't think of me as discouraging.Think of me as pulling back on the reins a bit, showing where some of the holes are and trying to keep you from breaking your legs by falling in them. (Or your wallets.)

We only have us. Songwriters, poets, artists, authors, inventors, etc. all people in the creative arts, have only ourselves to help each other. We need to write the best songs we can, present them as best we can and get them to as many people as we can. From there it is out of our hands.

We are dealing with a totally new ballgame in the music industry. We are all making it up as we go along. hey, you can look at it one way now. Even the majors are having a lot of trouble so we are all kind of playing on the same field. Trying to get attention.

My particular take is that the more you can deal with people who do what you can't, be it an artist, a co-writer, manager, producer, publisher, record entity, the more direct and closer you can get to the source, the better off you are. and that is best done face to face in our respective home towns and villages.

So just crown me the village idiot, the cheerleader and the destroyer of dreams. Take your pick.

I very much enjoy making communicating with you all a big part of my day. Forgive me my long winded rants and hit me back if you need anything. I am generally around.

Thanks for the thread. I do enjoy it.

MAB

Last edited by Marc Barnette; 03/17/11 02:55 AM.