Remember that famous quote, “A crisis is a terrible thing to waste.”? Stress. Limits. Eno. Deadpool. Frankenstein. Marie Kondo.

Roger CortonLast time you said you had various strategies for practicing creativity. Improving creativity the same way you practice scales. OK. Some specifics, please?

JCHThe word ‘strategies’ is something I ripped off from Brian Eno. He had this whole system of things to do to be ‘creative’. There were playing cards.

that’s why I’m such a believer in Crisis. Pain. Suffering. I know it sounds creepy, but these are often the biggest catalysts for profound change. Or failing that, at least a burst of creativity. So much of the reason we don’t improve is because we do things the same way over and over. And it seems like, for most of us, there is something about something ‘breaking’ that unleashes the mutant gene

RCI remember that. When you were stuck, […]

It Might Get Loud. Schickele Mix. Can you teach creativity? How does one practice developing your own style?

JCHYou know that opening to “It Might Get Loud” where Jack White makes a guitar with a nail and a board?

RCKnow it well. I love that. I don’t like The White Stripes that much, but I love that opening.

JCHRight. It’s the classic rebuff to everyone with G.A.S.

RC Gear Acquisition Syndrome for the unenlightened.

JCH Or those who don’t play a musical instrument.

JCHIt’s a challenge. It says that you have this ‘thing’ inside that is gonna get out, whether you use a guitar or a trombone or a nail on a plank of wood. You have something to say. And sadly I think that very few of my students, or even people I […]

Vancouver. July 2, 2016. Just when I thought I was out? They pull me back in again. Again. Trains are healthier than planes. Is a one show tour really a tour? Solo arrangements.

Roger CortonYou’re going back on the road!

JCHLike you said last week. I keep getting pulled back…

RCJust like Al Pacino…

JCHLet’s not start that again. But yes, we’re doing a show. English majors will note the use of the singular article.

RCWe’ll get to that, but it’s great to see you getting back on the horse. Let’s get some details.

JCHIt’s a solo show at a private home. There are one hundred seats available so it will be intimate but still have enough bodies to make it feel like a real ‘show’, if you take my meaning. Now if readers have an account on this here site…

RCAnd everyone should.

JCH…they’ve already been notified. If not, they should contact me immediately as […]

Just when I thought I was out? They pull me back in. Is working on two projects at the same time cheating? Is re-using material in another project ethical? Pacino. Rossini. The Lone Ranger. A Clockwork Orange. Laziness. Michelangelo. David. Trailers?

Roger CortonSo after last week’s digression into finance, we agreed to get back to ‘music’. How’s the new record going?

JCHWell, I keep getting pulled back…

RCLike Al Pacino

JCHUh, yeah. Just like that. I keep getting pulled back and forth between the new record (Progress) and the new opera.

RCWhich we keep meaning to discuss.

JCHBut something keeps pulling us…

RCYeah, yeah, yeah. But let me get this straight. The new record is due this winter. The new opera isn’t supposed to be for a couple of years. Doesn’t this […]

New shopping cart. Same old whining about being an artiste. Outrageous French Accents. Fulfillment costs. More on Versions and Lord Of The Rings.

Roger CortonSo you have a new shopping cart, I see.

JCHYes, if you’ve tried ordering in the past few days, you might’ve noticed some (cough) ‘technical difficulties’. I had to change the entire order processing system as I started ranting about in here.

RCWell, I’m glad it’s fixed, but it also looks a lot better. I found the whole ‘digital’ versus ‘cd’ versus ‘songs’ thing confusing. My question is, “Why wasn’t I asked to beta-test?” (laughs).

JCHIt’s hard to get dis-interested testers. People who don’t know what they’re doing. But I made a ton o’ changes.

RCSuch as?

JCHWell, the first thing is that I finally shifted to SSL.

RCIt’s a rocket ship?

JCHThe https thingy. Everything is now encrypted. Not to get all geeky, but every site that collects yer data […]