At any one time I'll have any number of lyrics and melodies in flux. Some individual melodies and lyrics arrive and stay in a kind of holding pattern. They're strong, fluid and have all the characteristics of belonging to a truly great composition but they're waiting. It's like they're waiting for the right union of words or music to join and bond with, to complete themselves.

My song, "Blackballed", was one such union of music and message. Both elements arrived separately and initially I had not envisioned the two being one. Each part struck me as having the strength that I enjoy offering in my songs and melodies but until recently they were each incomplete, two parts waiting to unite with their proper counterparts.

I've been using my time on the street to work out the kinks in my new material and hone my presentations. Some songs take longer than others to work up. They seem to need to take their time in order to blossom into fullness. I can't ever rush that part. I think that by trying to do so you end up losing something in the process.

A couple of days ago, during one of my first attempts at presenting my new song, "Blackballed", on the street at the Market, someone came by and spirited it away via their video camera. They made certain to come up to me afterward, to shake my hand and say, "right on!"

"Blackballed", is the first song that I wrote as a result of all of this nonsense comin' down. It's turned out to be one hell of a song. I seriously doubt that it'll be my last about this experience.