It was a pretty darn good morning until the Lamborghini. I came awake slowly, tiptoeing into consciousness as if trying to get on its good side. When I made it all the way, I reached down and turned off my CPAP. I stowed the mask and hit the remote’s memory…
Music
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Why do so many musicians become alcoholics and addicts?
#1: Musicians are human beings. All people have the potential to become addicts. Witness the people who’ve had no trouble with substance abuse who are prescribed painkillers later in life and become addicted to them. #2: Some people are genetically predisposed to addiction. They tend to have certain personality traits:…
Writing
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How to Be a Better Writer Fast
Write a play. Playwriting is a shitty career but an excellent teacher. Start with a one-act. You’ll have roughly 30 minutes to take your audience on a simple journey. You’ll need to bring characters to life using nothing but their observed behavior. (Dialog is behavior. Interesting characters rarely say what…
Rob
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Update 12/28
So I’ve sent out the book to every musician who’s open to reading it. Now comes the hard part. Waiting. It’s ridiculously ironic that I’ve been putting so much effort into getting people to read the book only to feel anxious about how they’ll respond. I’m doing my best to…
Music
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My Top 15 YouTube Music Channels
If you grew up loving music in the 70s, 80s, or 90s, then you know that this is a fantastic time to be alive. There is so much useful music-related content available on YouTube. Interviews with the artist who made your favorite songs, analyses of what made each song work,…
Writing
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Write Like Your Brain is ChatGPT
As fiction writers, the first time we played with ChatGPT seriously freaked us out. The tenth time not so much. Yes, it can write a “story” that makes sense, but if a human wrote it, you’d toss it away after the first few paragraphs. It’s like the Russian proverb: “The…
Rob
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My History
I wrote my first play when I was 14. I got the neighborhood kids to put it on in the basement and invited everybody’s parents. When they actually laughed at my lines, I was hooked. From there, I kept writing. At the same time, I was in love with music…