It wasn't an arrogance as much as that's all I do. My identity, people do come to hear me sing my songs as no one else sings them. I like to hear good original songs I've never heard before. I do lose interest hearing the cliche overplayed covers, maybe as they are never normally done justice to. I'd rather hear an original "good" song even if it wasn't performed as well. I guess that's because great songs are strong enough to stand up on their own. I do sing other folks' songs.
I'm not good enough to copy anyone else I don't have the technical skills required or the time to be bothered trying anyway. I just sing and play my own songs mostly, that's all I do. It's the telling of the story that's important to me, communicating the emotional content of my story. I taught myself the bad habits I play with! I'm not that kind of interpretive singer. I just do what I enjoy and that is my secret, not pretending to be a black blues man or American country singer etc. I can be stubborn sometimes, it comes from my dad telling me what to do maybe, and me defiantly going my own way. I came bottom in music at school so maybe I had something I had to prove. Sometimes, I might make up a pretty tune but it doesn't always suit the subject or voice in the song/story. Even though I might
like the melodic idea. It distracts from the idea of that song. It might be too clever, or too sophisticated with too many chords for the voice in that song, i.e. 'The Farming Woman's War', has just 3 chords, simple but stronger for the voice of that white farming woman. The melody for my song- making springs out of the words and rhythm, but there are no rules to the creative process. Songs and tunes get constructed in completely different ways. Most of the work can be in editing, distilling, you might get too many ideas, details, images, words and then have to prune things away to get to the essence and focus.
Sometimes I'm the laziest person in the world, Other times I am so busy I can't do any one thing right, and spread myself too thin.
Competition is divisive. I'm not a race horse! I'm not competing, there's room for everyone. I have, at odd times, felt from other singers or 'moothy' (harmonica) players there was a slight element
of rivalry, they never felt
comfortable with me playing harmonica too, or anyone else for that matter!
Also after supporting a singer (no names mentioned) some years ago and going down better with the crowd. He sacked his manager for putting us on the same bill.
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