Music Before the Money

Almost every book on writing has the phrase “Write what you know.” I think the reason for this is because beginning writers should concentrate on the familiar to get their chops down. This is pretty sound, and safe, advice.

My problem is that most of what I already know bores the — out of me and my fingers will just ramble over the keyboard to dirty the screen. This isn’t a malady that afflicts me every day I just have to keep searching for new genres to expand “what I know.” If this sounds like a cat chasing his tail you now know me a bit better than you did before you began reading.

I stopped writing to be famous a long time ago. This was a big stumbling block because, even though I was being published, I still had to market my book and I felt like a beggar going to the TV stations and newspapers. I finally figured out that I have to write to rid myself of the pent-up demons that fester my soul and creative pixies who disappear if not put to disk. (See my blog on Richard Bach’s notepad beside his bed)

So, yes, write what you know unless there’s a paycheck involved or unless you are an investigative reporter who is always in the unknown until he finished his research on the story. Or, unless if you’re like me who gets a big kick out of hitting Stumble! a few times each day.

“If you tried to give rock and roll another name,
you might call it ‘Chuck Berry’.”

- John Lennon

There has been so much written about Chuck Berry that I’m not going to rehash his history. But he was definitely an influence on my playing. In fact I do a rather good job of “Roll Over Beethoven.

I first got interested in the mechanics of his playing when I bought Chuck Berry: The London Sessions featuring My Ding-a-Ling which was, believe it or not, his biggest hit. With my Zenith record player I slowed the LP down to 16 speed and copied the licks and then sped it up to get the tonality.

As Keith Richards said when he introduced Chuck Berry at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction, “It’s hard for me to induct Chuck Berry, because I lifted every lick he ever played!” That was a far cry from 1981 when Keith Richards went backstage at a Chuck Berry show in New York to meet him. Not knowing who he was and thinking he was an annoying fan, Berry punched him.

When you open up the cover for the LP there’s a wide-legged Chuck Berry leaned over in front of two Fender Dual Showman cabinets, torturing his Gibson ES-355 stereo guitar. The feeds went into the individual Fenders. On the album he also does a very long version of Reelin’s and Rockin’ with some blue lyrics.

The other trick I learned from Chuck Berry was how to play rhythm guitar. This is an under-rated talent and, to prove my point, listen to a Berry cut like Sweet Little Sixteen. The solo is Jimmy Johnson’s piano and you can hear Berry chunking chords in the background. Johnson, who died in 2001, featured prominently on the majority of Berry’s early songs and took the lead on many occasions.

I still like to crank up - and chunk out - Carol, but the Rolling Stones live version from Get Yer Ya-Ya’s Out.