Creeque Alley as heard by a musician
I always had a weakness for VH1 Behind the Music: almost all bands have similar beginnings, and I've always been fascinated to see myself in the early lives of legends. I'm happy with my career and have no desire for fame, but it's a thrill to see my story reflected in the origins of bands that I love; I've found this also extends to music written about the music business.
The best of the lot is Creeque Alley, also arguably the best thing ever done by The Mamas and the Papas (my father and I agree on this point, a rare occasion when it comes to culture). I can see my friends and I in its lyrics, and I want to let you know what I hear in this song.
"John and Mitchy were gettin' kind of itchy / Just to leave the folk music behind"
Almost every band hits this point eventually, whether it's a folk band who wants to expand or a cover band that wants to write original music.
"Zol and Denny workin' for a penny / Tryin' to get a fish on the line"
I'm very fortunate in my career that I've moved beyond this point, but I remember well the days of making 50 cold calls to try and get a "maybe".
"In a coffee house Sebastian sat / And after every number they'd pass the hat"
This is a bit of an inside reference to anyone who hasn't performed for tips. Frequent hat passing will maximize giving, but at the expense of audience goodwill. People will give more but resent you for it, and is usually a sign that you're hurting for money.
"Zolly said 'Denny, you know there aren't many / Who can sing a song the way that you do, let's go south' / Denny said 'Zolly, golly, don't you think that I wish / I could play guitar like you'"
This is common in show business, and is one reason performers are famously insecure. We wouldn't be on stage if we didn't seek external validation, and it's easy to get intimidated by the strengths of our friends and colleagues.
"When Denny met Cass he gave her love bumps"
This is everywhere: show business is a very incestuous little dating pool. People tend to crush on people they work with, in general, and there's even a word for it: "showmance"
"Make up, break up, everything is shake up
Guess it had to be that way"
I've lived this: when a bandmate calls and says "we have to talk" it's just as scary and portentous as when a lover says it.
"Broke, busted, disgusted, agents can't be trusted"
There's an entire genre of breakup songs written about agents, from Queen's Death On Two Legs to Sara Bareilles' Love Song.
"Duffy's good vibrations and our imaginations
Can't go on indefinitely
And California dreamin' is becomin' a reality"
And there's always a point near the end of a project when it seems simultaneously that there's nothing more to give at the same time that it's surreal to have made it to the final push.
The best of the lot is Creeque Alley, also arguably the best thing ever done by The Mamas and the Papas (my father and I agree on this point, a rare occasion when it comes to culture). I can see my friends and I in its lyrics, and I want to let you know what I hear in this song.
"John and Mitchy were gettin' kind of itchy / Just to leave the folk music behind"
Almost every band hits this point eventually, whether it's a folk band who wants to expand or a cover band that wants to write original music.
"Zol and Denny workin' for a penny / Tryin' to get a fish on the line"
I'm very fortunate in my career that I've moved beyond this point, but I remember well the days of making 50 cold calls to try and get a "maybe".
"In a coffee house Sebastian sat / And after every number they'd pass the hat"
This is a bit of an inside reference to anyone who hasn't performed for tips. Frequent hat passing will maximize giving, but at the expense of audience goodwill. People will give more but resent you for it, and is usually a sign that you're hurting for money.
"Zolly said 'Denny, you know there aren't many / Who can sing a song the way that you do, let's go south' / Denny said 'Zolly, golly, don't you think that I wish / I could play guitar like you'"
This is common in show business, and is one reason performers are famously insecure. We wouldn't be on stage if we didn't seek external validation, and it's easy to get intimidated by the strengths of our friends and colleagues.
"When Denny met Cass he gave her love bumps"
This is everywhere: show business is a very incestuous little dating pool. People tend to crush on people they work with, in general, and there's even a word for it: "showmance"
"Make up, break up, everything is shake up
Guess it had to be that way"
I've lived this: when a bandmate calls and says "we have to talk" it's just as scary and portentous as when a lover says it.
"Broke, busted, disgusted, agents can't be trusted"
There's an entire genre of breakup songs written about agents, from Queen's Death On Two Legs to Sara Bareilles' Love Song.
"Duffy's good vibrations and our imaginations
Can't go on indefinitely
And California dreamin' is becomin' a reality"
And there's always a point near the end of a project when it seems simultaneously that there's nothing more to give at the same time that it's surreal to have made it to the final push.