As I write this from State-imposed "lockdown," it strikes me how much I know of this particular drill: the insecurity about food and the very real possibility tomorrow's workday will be my last, the gnawing feeling that a world of possibilities is inaccessible to me. What *is* completely new to me is the knowledge that mine is no longer an exceptional situation, but the possible fate of billions planet-wide. That, it itself, is no more of a consolation to me than the old "things can always be worse" as told to a chronic depressive. However, the contrarian impulse in me seems to be kicking in and, for once, leading me to a kind of optimism which is out of lockstep with the rest of the population. As of now, I have the luxury to think and to create at a rate much greater than at any time in the past few years, and I am going to take advantage of this in order to provide some small glimmer of light for others feeling the life-numbing effects of the coronavirus and the economy-destroying response to same.
One of the first things I did in quarantine was to write what I hope will be a useful article for those wondering how to stay creative, and not give in to despair. Some more of these should follow in the coming days, perhaps a little more finely honed than this broad overview.
Meanwhile: at the urging of good friend and sonic co-traveler Colin Sheffield (who has put together a fine mixtape at ToneShift featuring yours truly, I've begun to pad up my personal Bandcamp pages, an enterprise that has laid dormant for too long. I'm going to be posting definitive versions here of not only previously released material, but much of my music that never managed to get an adequate hearing the first time around. I have had a woeful history of composing contributions to compilation albums / book projects that get cancelled, or spending months on editing a work which is then submitted to a netlabel whose commitment to a high quantity of releases makes it impossible for that work to find its audience. Not everything I have done over the past two decades or so is worthy of a new coat of paint, but there is a surprising amount which is, and I hope to make much of this free to those who are now staring down the barrel of prolonged unemployment.
I will hopefully have more to say in the coming days, and will have a greater articulacy in saying it as the crisis deepens. For now, I encourage any friends or fans who need help to please get in touch with me, and I will do whatever I can to help. Fight on!
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