Getting political

I have never been much of a political composer, but tonight I was inspired to write a piece about drug addiction.

The beginnings of this sketch

I am writing about a lot of personal things that come up... anything from difficulty with friends through to dealing with childhood scars. This residency at Gallop house has really allowed me to come to terms with some of the things I have inside - whether that be stuff about my past that I'm working on reconciling (when I'm ready to record "She stood there, helpless", you'll hear what I mean), or things that I'm newly confronting. 

But drug use has been a part of my life, sometimes, I felt, to the point of addiction. Alcohol has been prominent, nicotine has also been (and gone), I've used hard drugs recreationally at (amongst other times) parties, and I've been prescribed substances to help me float away from anxiety. Many artists throughout history have used drugs - marijuana, opium... 

I used to think that this was bad... indeed the laws in Australia reflect that sales and use is illegal. However other countries (like Portugal) have legalised drugs (even hard drugs), and look at a psychological healing approach to the problem of addiction, rather than a punishment approach. I recently read a book called "Chasing the Scream" by Johann Hari that really spells it out beautifully.

So, "Meth Song" starts with "I could be funny, but I'm not. I could be joyful, but I can't crack a smile"... yeah, the protagonist is depressed, severely - I've been there a number of times... to feel good it is often easier (and more acceptable) to pop a pill or light up a pipe than to reveal deep feelings and engage with the (sometimes socially difficult) ramifications of working through them.

I'll perform "Meth Song", along with others, next month at Gallop in a small gathering - testing them out for more shows later this year...