Well, figuring this one out was quite a journey. I had the assignment right there in the notebook from early July 2021: Refrain first, strive for Beatles form (verse, verse, bridge, verse), but the free-writing material in the notebook was not at all familiar. 

That is, apparently, because in the writing of this, the song went from an aggressively angry song about being left by someone to a something that is somewhere in between passive-aggressive anger and a genuine attempt to behave well in spite of a painful parting and see one's way through to the moment when one is able to wish the other well. I think the sentiment just gets confused, and the recording is at a much brisker tempo than I remember it being. That may be because this, too, breaks the 3-minute mark, and that always makes me nervous.

Hope You Know - 5:10:22, 4.08 PM

Craig and Carla welcome special guest Paget Brewster to discuss Billy Wilder's 1950 classic Sunset Boulevard, as well as peplums, Rod La Rocque and how tough it is not to have bubbles when you're pretending to be dead in a pool.

Craig's List

Craig's List Episode 74: #27 Sunset Boulevard

Family storytelling/interview with Mom and Dad

Mom & Dad 001

We were given an assignment in class to write about something we were hopeful for. I was having a rough week, and this was as much hope as I could muster. I rather like how it came out, though. 

Still Breathing

This was FAWM 2019 song number 4, but it took me a couple of weeks to get it re-recorded after incorporating some of the feedback I got in songwriting class.

Red-Winged Blackbird

I wrote this while I was at the Rocky Mountain Song School in August, and had the immense privilege of performing it on stage there with eight of my favorite people singing harmony. Sadly, it appears there’s no audio recording of that, so this is just me singing it alone in my apartment.

This one goes out to all my fellow LGBTQIA+ loves.

Together We Will Rise

Another favorite from FAWM 2020. When I sat down to write this one, it was a struggle. I’m glad I stuck with it, though. I rather like it. 

I had a chorus with lyrics, but I cut it in favor of a very simple harmonica part. I think it was the right choice. It does drown out the guitar a bit on the recording (the perils of doing these as voice memos on my phone), but you get the idea.

Hope You Know - 5:10:22, 4.08 PM

Matilda T. ZombieQueen

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