This has been my lyric-writing mantra for decades now. The idea is, if you get stuck, ignore everything—rhythm, rhyme, syllables, “voice”—and just say the truest thing you know how to...
Last year at this time, I talked about an alternative to resolutions: A rubric of personal accountability. This year I want to go in the opposite...
I got my first “happy holidays” of the year today, and that means you get to hear my yearly exhortation on the matter, which is this:...
Let’s talk about time. First, so we’re all clear: time is made up. To be sure, we experience life in sequence, with memories that separate past...
NOTE: This is a reprint of a blog post I made four years ago. I get asked about it each year at this time, so I...
I started this column by typing this exact sentence, as you are reading it, without any idea of what the topic would be this month. In...
I initially thought of calling this monthly column “A New Yorker in California.” There are multiple differences in communication style between the country’s two farthest edges,...
I am writing this on Easter Sunday. I don’t celebrate this holiday, or any religious observance, but the spirit of the day has me thinking about...
I use this phrase often with my private students. In musical terms, what it means is, you don’t have to do a lot for the new...
