Longshot

As Stevie Wonder sang…"I don’t wanna bore you with it”… and I hope I won’t. If you haven’t gotten the memo…The audio version of Confessions of a Serial Songwriter was nominated for a GRAMMY. 

If I didn’t write about it, it would be like the elephant in the blogging room. I hope you’ll stick with me while I share thoughts about my journey of a book which was nearly impossible to find a publisher for without a massive amount of Twitter following and a foreword from a superstar. 

Final voting starts on Wed December 7th.

Here are my thoughts…

1- Do I have time to get a facelift before the telecast? (I realize the accompanying photo may not suggest I need one, but trust me, photo retouching is my friend.)

2- What if it rains? I have super Jewish Hair. There’s no telling what it might do if it does. 

4- Dear God, please don't let me get a cold sore. 

But seriously, here’s the real dilemma: 

How do I lobby for myself when my fellow nominees are heroes who I personally revere, respect and/or worship? Case in point. Have a look at this…a clipping of an excerpt from a Bruce Springsteen interview that’s taped to a gold record in my office.

If you can’t find your reading glasses, here’s what it says: 

“You know, that day when it’s all right there; it’s the world that only exists in pop songs, and once in a while you stumble on it.” 

Umm, that’s my life! Furthermore, I loved his damn book. In fact, there’s a chapter in my book  where I write about how one of his songs ushered me out of my brief first marriage: 

“I drove toward the city in a deluge, with my eyes full of tears and a windshield full of rain, unable to distinguish one from the other. It was all a blur. Bruce was singing “One step up, two steps back,” but honestly, it felt like the other way around.” 

And Bernie? I mean. C’mon. He may not be everyone’s cuppa tea but he’s Bernie Sanders for God's sake. He’s shifted the Universe. He’s widened our eyes and made it impossible not to pay attention too him. 

As for Carrie Fisher…Forgive me...I wasn’t necessarily a Star Wars fan—(although I did fashion Princess Leia double-sided hair buns on occasion). I am however, in awe of her as an actress, a writer, humorist, truth teller, and an outspoken struggler. I sincerely hope she’s resting in peace…and that somehow she was delivered the news of this posthumous nomination. 

Lastly…there's a spring in my step any Friday that astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson is scheduled to be a guest on Realtime with Bill Maher. I love how passionate he is about science  and how he’s awakened new interest in astronomy. I love that he wears solar system adorned neckties.

See what I mean? I’m a huge fan of all my competitors. I wish I wasn’t. It would be so much easier to make a case for myself. 

That said, I will try. It can be done: Here goes:

My book is a voice for the under-represented and most indispensable moving part of the music business: The Songwriter. Without us, there’d be no music business. And after all, this is The Grammy Awards, an institution that revolves around the business of making music. As Clive Davis puts it, I "pull back the curtain on this least understood profession.” We are a vulnerable group and we are at a crossroads.

You may not know my name, but I am somebody. and I dunno, I’d like to believe Confessions of a Serial Songwriter is narrated with humor and heart (or so I’ve been told), and anyone with a dream, not just a  musician, can enjoy it.

To the members of the Recording Academy who voted for it in the preliminary round—I hope you'll consider it again in the final. 

All this said, I truly feel like I’ve already won whether I take home a statue or not, and I’ll be thrilled for any of my category mates who carry it off. But I’d be lying if I said I wouldn’t be even more thrilled if I got to take it home myself. :) 

Here's a link to some excerpts. And if you are a voting member and would like to listen to the book in full, Plz LMK and I will arrange for you to receive a Promo code on Audible. 

Thank you for reading.  Sign up for this Blog! Please give a like to my Serial Songwriter Facebook Page, Follow me on Twitter and Instagram. Check out my whole website. Oh and...buy my book already! :)