Fallen Idol

I just unearthed a song I’m going to use for my next album, that I wrote about the late Amy Winehouse. I wanted to publish the lyrics here. They’re unaltered, and exactly as I wrote them on 19th.May 2008. Reading them again, I could clearly see it coming, as I’m sure those nearest and dearest could too. What I’ll never understand, not being a drug addict or alcoholic or having to deal with one, is how they could not prevent it. But , as always in these cases, we can rest easy knowing someone, somewhere is getting very, very rich.

FALLEN IDOL

Turns to stone if she’s, on her own
Photo flash, then she’s golden trash
A modern-day Medusa bent on taking her own life
Pity all the people that had prayed that she would survive

She’s a fallen idol, she’s a fallen idol to me
No-one to rely on, maybe you could try one and see

Nature’s way, or, so they say
Worldly-wise, but with those, vacant eyes
A world of self-delusion in her celebrated state
Her tattoos tell the story – an illustrated fate

Not so long ago we’re told, all the streets were paved with gold
Everybody young and old, warmly welcomed to the fold
Damaged hearts repent in haste, always leave a bitter taste
No more wishes left to waste, you can see it in her face

She’s a fallen idol, she’s a fallen idol to me
No-one to rely on, maybe you could try one and see
She’s a fallen idol, she’s a fallen idol to me
No-one to rely on, maybe you could try one and see

Freshly dead, newly wed
Had to die to see those sales go high
A universal profit on the back of her demise
International webcasts drown the sounds of a mother’s cries
(yes they do)

She’s a fallen idol, she’s a fallen idol to me
No-one to rely on, maybe you could try one and see
She’s a fallen idol, she’s a fallen idol to me
No-one to rely on, maybe you could try one and see

Lyrics © Kev Moore May 19, 2008

Strange Costumes – 2 – Draped in Strange Feathers

The “Altered Book” project by my friend, American writer and artist Shelley M House has infused my own songwriting with a fresh sense of originality and imagination. Her words are original and thought-provoking, and by forcing myself to follow her text to the letter, I present myself with a series of interesting obstacles, from a musical perspective.  This means I let her words dictate the flow and the mood of the piece.  The dichotomy here is the fact that I have always written my own lyrics, so although I’m faced with a challenge, I’m also freed from my own preconceptions. I can’t “tailor” a line to get me out of trouble. I have to make the music fit. If that means taking an unexpected left turn, that’s where it goes. If it means the second verse is phrased differently to the first, that’s what happens. There may be a chorus, there may not, and it certainly won’t be repeated.  So…by following the one rule: Faithfully reproduce Shelley’s lyric – the piece emerges – seemingly having conformed to no rules whatsoever! It’s a fascinating and addictive way to work, and I think this project will grow and grow! © Music Kev Moore/ Lyrics Shelley M House 2009

The Philosophy Sketches Project

It’s a busy but interesting time for moment, with ideas flying thick and fast around the Internet meeting place we like to call Cafe Crem. It’s a little corner of Cyberspace where like-minded artists, musicians and writers get together over a coffee and enjoy and support each others ideas and goals. As we’ve come to know one another better, various collaborations have taken place. Miki and I have done many together as you might expect, and I’m currently working on a soundtrack for an art video by Californian artist Susan Cornelis, and the “Altered Book” project with Shelley House is ongoing. But the video I present here took me in yet another direction. I had to conceive of a way to “perform” the thoughts of our friend, Canadian writer Michael Pokocky, and compose accompanying music to complement his wonderful “philosophical sketch” series.  I tried to cresate a piece of music that was very simple, very repetitive, but with the scope to become epic in proportions, and I tried to identify the more contemplative statements and the more assertive ones, arranging them in some kind of order of intensity, to build the dramatic effect. in harmony with the music, I hope I’ve achieved what i set out to do, ending on a positive high, which is what we all hope for, don’t you think? Enjoy the video!

© Music copyright Kev Moore 2009

Sketches and words by Michael Pokocky

Strange Costumes – The Video

It felt like a natural progression to create a video to accompany this joint project between myself and Shelley House, an American artist/writer and friend. It features a host of images I felt appropriate to the wonderful lyrics, plus a few shots of me thrown in, plus a painting of me by Miki, plus some of Shelley’s bird illustrations, morphed and tampered with in iPhoto and Windows movie maker!

I enjoyed working on this, part of Shelley’s “Altered book” project, and the good news is….Part two coming soon!

© Kev Moore 2009: Lyrics and bird illustrations by ShelleyMHouse

Painting of Kev Moore & Additional Photo Manipulation by Miki

Strange Costumes – A new Collaboration

Words can’t express how exciting it is to create with my friends in Cafe Crem!  Certainly, from my perspective, it affords me a wonderful new window on my work, and how I approach music making and songwriting. This latest project was inspired by the haunting words of Shelley M House, an American artist and writer who I’ve come to know through Cafe Crem. Her latest piece, shown here, is the beginning of her exciting “Altered Book project” – and I believe it is alive with possibilities. The song you will hear when you click on the link is my interpretation, word for word  – of Shelley’s piece. Enjoy!

Strange Costumes – The Song

© 2009 Music by Kev Moore, Lyrics by Shelley M House

babyboomers

Kev in reflective mood backstage in Berlin....

So, finally the day has arrived when my first completed song leaves The Indalo Cave! I’m pleased to say this one is credited thus: Music by Kev Moore, Words by Susan Cornelis and Kev Moore.

Following a post in Susan’s blog,  I was inspired to use an evocative paragraph she wrote as the springboard for a new song, and instantly wrote a “stream-of-consciousness” lyric to accompany it, with a view to using Susan’s words as the chorus. I set myself some limitations, in order to have the lyric “force ” the song structure. By that I mean, I wanted to make the fewest changes possible to the original text, and see where it took me. You can see in the lyrics below where I’ve changed or added pieces where it was absolutely necessary. All changes are in red, words I had to edit out are in brackets. The eagle-eared (?) among you may notice in the chorus I’ve replaced “to” with “and”, simply because it scans better when singing. I’ve also tried to sprinkle in a little 60’s imagery, chiefly with screaming crowds, Timothy Leary soundbites, and some eastern flavour on the fade. Initially, I had a completely different idea for the feel of the music. I was going to opt for a Steely Dan sort of vibe, but my renewed involvement with Christie inspired me to go more in the direction of the classic Christie Country rock feel. (Bob, apropos a discussion on your blog, the Steely idea is tucked away for later use!)  I’m very happy with this, the first song out of the new studio, and happy too, with the collaboration with our dear friend. Hope you like it Susan! And to the rest of you, i hope it gives an insight into how I (sometimes) work.  Just click on the title to hear the song.

babyboomers

Oh my! What would they say
To that Boomer in me, who is ever ready
To get up and go to take that magical mystery tour?
Mom and Grandma, want to come along?

It was the high sixties
Boy, was it hot that day
We slid through the decade
On a doobie and a prayer

Feelin our way
Throwin’ away the rules
Made up new ones as we went along
A whole new constitution in a poem and a song
Ohio, Vietnam,
The Electric Kool-Aid acid test
Ken Kesey’s Merry pranksters want to
(a hundred new ways for us to)
stick it to the man

Oh my! What would they say
To that Boomer in me, who is ever ready
To get up and go to take that magical mystery tour?
Mom and Grandma, want to come along?

I take those rose coloured glasses from the dresser by the door
Look back with fondness to the freak I was before
Am I the same?, hey you’d better believe it sister
Just older and wiser, if not a little bit bitter

But I hang on to that ethos like a drowning man a straw
Cruise in Janis’s Mercedes- Dance to Sly’s four on the floor
But hey Ray, I don’t need no J to recall our optimism from 40 years away
So I’ll pray so hard
Just wait and see
to whatever God you throw at me,
That all this peace and love will keep recurring throughout history
And all and all that’s meant to be will fall and be at one with me
The sense and sensitivity the flower child that’s within me
…remains
…remains

Oh my! What would they say
To that Boomer in me, who is ever ready
To get up and go to take that magical mystery tour?
Mom and Grandma, want to come along?

© Copyright Kev Moore and Susan Cornelis 2008

Ideas Frenzy

You put your left arm in......

One of the things I love about our interaction on the blogosphere, and Cafe Crem and its members in particular, is the way we seem to support and inspire each other. our good friend, the American artist Susan Cornelis, recently posted a piece evoking her youth, and illustrated it with a phrase that just got my creative synapses firing. I decided there and then that I would write a song that incorporated MY perception of HER time, using her phrase as the chorus. I wrote the lyrics straight off without thinking in a stream of consciousness kind of way. I wasn’t going to share any of this until the song was completed, but since starting this Mooremusic blog, I think it would be interesting to share the process with you (however long it takes!)

A Ceiling, incomplete...

Obviously, as my studio is not ready yet (it’s coming along, see pic) I won’t be recording it any time soon, but I thought I’d share the lyric with you. you will see, as I post subsequently about this, that the lyrics may change to fit the tune, or perhaps, the lyrics will dictate the measure of bars. I have no set way of working, So it will be interesting to see where this takes me. Susan’s original lyrics are in red.

Oh my! What would they say
To that Boomer in me, who is ever ready
To get up and go to take that magical mystery tour?
Mom and Grandma, want to come along?

It was the high sixties
Boy, was it hot that day
We slid through the decade
On a doobie and a prayer

Feelin our way
Throwin’ away the rules
Made up new ones as we went along
A whole new constitution in a poem and a song
Ohio, Vietnam, a hundred new ways for us to stick it to the man

Oh my! What would they say
To that Boomer in me, who is ever ready
To get up and go to take that magical mystery tour?
Mom and Grandma, want to come along?

I take those rose coloured glasses from the dresser by the door
Look back with fondness to the freak I was before
Am I the same?, hey you’d better believe it sister
Just older and wiser, if not a little bit bitter

But I hang on to that ethos like a drowning man a straw
Cruise in Janis’s mercedes- Dance to Sly’s four on the floor
But hey Ray, I don’t need no J to recall our optimism from 40 years away
So I’ll pray so hard to whatever God you throw at me,
That all this peace and love will keep recurring throughout history
And all and all thats meant to be will fall and be at one with me
The sense and sensitivity the flower child thats within me…remains

Oh my! What would they say
To that Boomer in me, who is ever ready
To get up and go to take that magical mystery tour?
Mom and Grandma, want to come along?

Lyrics Copyright 2008 Kev Moore & Susan Cornelis