Out For A Walk

Truth Comes in Different Shapes & Sizes

I'm just a Bruce fan with an Iphone voice memo app

Bruce Springsteen Medley

It took a long time to write this song, perhaps 6 years or so.  I just could not figure out what the song was about.  I lived in New Jersey for a while.  Many sources speak of residents of the Boroughs, New Jersey and Connecticut all longing for Manhattan.  Seeing the Empire state building across the river, and yearning to be there.  How anything but Manhattan was just a place to live, while Manhattan was well… Manhattan.  I still dream of living at the Cole Porter Suite at the Waldorf Astoria, as a song writer in residence.  Manhattan has a unique magic for song writing.

Also when Barack Obama was elected, I was caught up in a spirit that America had come together somehow, “learned that a wound could soothe.”  But I was really stuck on the rest of the song.  The song was waiting for me to go through some personal growth.  It was not until 2010 that I even knew that something called “self-reflection” existed.

My daughter’s mother had kicked me out.  A co-worker of hers’ suggested I go see a rabbi named Mordechai Finley http://www.rabbifinley.com at Ohr Hatorah http://www.ohrhatorah.org synagogue in Mar Vista, CA.  I was game for anything at this point.  I walked in to a talk rabbi Finley gave at 9:00 am on a Saturday morning and was totally blown away.  The guy had nailed me to the floor.  I had no idea that I could go inside the depths of my personality, my soul and change things for the better: change the way I communicate with my loved ones, co-workers, everyone in general and especially my inner most thoughts.

I am now addicted to the moral psychological teachings of rabbi Finley.  He has shown me a depth to the Torah and the ancient Hebrew texts that I never knew existed.  The painful growth I have gone through has brought me great joy and a major sense of accomplishment.  The growth also helped me finish this song.  Thanks for reading.  I hope is well.  Take care.  


From The Oranges

Circa 1995, I was going out with a beautiful girl.  We were very passionate together.  But I was a struggling musician who was not making very smart economic choices.  I was pretty unstable at the time.  So the relationship was pretty doomed.  But boy, she had a kiss that would be “ripping through my flesh with the greatest of ease.”  I was working with a very nice producer out of Oak Park named Jeff Deeth.  Jeff was the real visionary behind the song.  He is the one who really fleshed everything out.  Jeff always would have Matt Walker come out and lay the drums.  He was very expensive, but worth it.  Tom O’Gorman, my old buddy from high school and former band mate played that great bass.  I also happened to be friends with the mighty Winston Damon who lay down that awesome percussion!  Andre Groft was also a friend of mine.  He was a brilliant musician who did all of the cool ethereal guitar work.

Gun Shot Kiss

Circa 1998 / 1999 I had the honor to work with the legendary Chris Jones.  Man, was this guy brilliant!  Chris was friends with my good friend, old band mate and song writing partner, Robert Charde.  Well I always wanted to work with Chris.  Who wouldn’t?  But the guy was a pro: composing for film and TV.  Chris did the theme song to the Rock ‘n Roll hall of fame induction ceremony the year Isaac Hayes was inducted.  I was just kind of not in his league.  Well anyway, I grew up with a girl who just happened to be the roommate of one of the Back Street Boy’s fiancé.  This girl said to me “hey Andy, why don’t you give me some of your songs to pitch to the Back Street Boys.”  I managed to write some songs and somehow I convinced Chris to collaborate on a couple.  Well Chris went to town.  I was like a kid in a candy store watching Chris work his magic.  Robin Danar did a re-mix of the song and put it on his album, Altered States with Holly Palmer.  I think he renamed it Fool.  Robin and Holly did some nice stuff to it.  But I have always been partial to the original one though.  Here is the original!  Enjoy.

andydl007ContradictionKid

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