The Muse

[HoGung]

There are times when just I can't seem to let the Muse come in and insperate my inner program. What do you all grownups here do for inspiration? Drive 150 MPH? Mota, Zen, Underwater photography? The electromagnetic spectrum? Geologic time? Pleasure? Toxic pleasure? Help me out, here. I need cheap, non destuctive inspiration. No fat girls.

[dragonworks]

change

[gibs]

dragonworks is right...get outta yer routine...do something you woudn't normally do, read something you wouldn't normally read.....give up on trying to conjure it up...the muse only bites me on the butt when I've given up trying to will it into appearing, and have moved on to something else.....invariably, the tooth marks appear on my ass like magic just to show me I'm the media, not the message.....then invariably also, it stops showing up when I think it's me that's in control again.....endless but logical cycle and true for anybody who writes music from their own experiences, rants,dreams or philosophies.....gibs

[Dougie Johnson]

Have a glass of Zima & listen to Kenny G.
Or just enter a completely quiet room, download your brain on things that have been hanging in it for too long...
DJ

[jvasey]

I usually try to take on another point of view.
I pretend I'm someone I've read about in the news, or a character in a book or movie, and try to put myself in thier position. Try to feel what the feel in thier current situation, and try to evoke that feeling in others by telling what I'd imagine to be thier story.

Jeff

[Rocinante]

I keep an acoustic guitar in the bathroom, and play with it (the guitar!) while I perform my doody's, so to speak.

Just noodle around and once in a while something will come to you, and you'll get ring-around-the-butt from sitting there so long, working it out (the melody!).

It's one place where you are not often "distracted", it's usually "quiet" (aside from random gaseous anomolies), the acoustics are pretty decent as far as reverb goes (at least my bathroom is anyway) and it's a great way to use up that otherwise "wasteful" time.

That's what I do, and it's worked for me a few times, Just don't try to force it, I heard you can get hemmroids that way.

My apologies for the bad puns.

Ciao

[Edited by Rocinante on 09-13-2000 at 13:42]

[istyle]

they come to me all the time
especially when i travel on moving vehicles
like bus ,car

[LI Slim]

What lights you up, makes you feel clear and good about yourself?

Do that.

Let yourself be.

[Roktuk]

Hearing something new that's REALLY good gets me going.
On some internet radio station I heard a song by Mr. Bungle
called None of Them Knew They Were Robots. It's just insane.
Songs that really grab me just get me reved up to go do my thing. Your mind always works better when your not lookin.
And if your smilin your probably not lookin.

[smirky]

When I have a lot of time to write, I usually can't write anything (just sit there for hours and hours with no results). When I'm busy, on the other hand, my mind's flooded with good and fresh ideas, and I finish a couple of songs in just one or two days (although I would have other things to do). That's why I also curse songwriting, as my exams suffer from it :-(
the "now I'm gonna write a song"-thing does hardly work, I wish it wasn't so!

smirky

[Tucci]

I find that when I work really hard on a song it usually turns out mediocre.

Don't try to write anything great, just try to write and not worry about what happens. I've also found that it is fun to try and copy a song but still make it into a new song. I did that with the Beatle's song "Rocky Racoon" today. I was trying to write a story song like that but the way it came out probably no one would catch the link but me.

good luck

Tucci

[Ginzoo]

READ! Its amazing what ideas reading can bring forth.
Go to the library,pick up some books on a variety of subjects.Even if it is something that seems boring.
You cant get any "cheaper" than the library!Out-of-the-norm things opens your mind.
Good luck ...Ginzoo

[Pirateking]

I get a lot of my ideas from weird phrases that catch my ear or pop into my head. A couple of weeks ago it was cooler outside, like autumn, and I thought to myself, "Oh, it's sweater weather." Then I realized that was a cool name for a song (Sweater Weather), so I used it. So go somewhere where there are lots of people and eavesdrop. It's fun and cheap.