Music and Writing and Performing, Oh My!

 Where I go, When I go there

No more weeping, anymore

Only in and out your lips

The broken wishes washing with them to shore

Touch me - all silent 

Baby, just tell me please, 

All is forgiven

Consume my wine, consume my mind

I'll tell you how, when I go where I go

Touch me 

Just just try it. 

Now, there that's it - God that's heaven

I'll love your light

I'll love you right

We'll wander down where the sins cry

- Touch Me from Spring Awakening as sung by OBC Cast Skylar Astin, Jonathan Groff, John Gallagher Jr with Lilli Cooper, Brian Johnson, Jonathan B Wright, Gideon Glick, Lea Michele, Lauren Pritchard, Phoebe Strole, and Remy Zaken

How great are those lyrics?! This song is one of the most beautiful - and sexy - songs. And it comes from one of the most provocative musicals out there. The song is from the musical, Spring Awakening, which came to Broadway in 2006. This musical introduced the world ... well New York City ... to the phenomenal talents of Jonathan Groff, Gideon Glick, Lea Michelle, and (my favorite) Skylar Astin. 

Isn't it funny what song lyrics can do to you? The effect that they can have on your mind, your heart, your life ... your soul. And, when sung by someone whose voice just speaks to you on a spiritual level - holy hell, the power! And how weird is it that the same song can be sung by a different artist, yet not have the same effect on you. Not to say that the second artist is bad. Just that they do not speak to your spirit in the way that the first artist does. 

Music is truly amazing! 

Music has always been a part of my life. Sometimes, a bigger part than at other times. You know, when I allowed who I really am to be lost or hidden or stolen. 

But I digress. 

I grew up with music. My grandmother sang in the church choir and played the piano. My mother loved to blast country music. My older sister was into 80's pop music. 

And then there was me. I loved everything. Church music, country, pop, rock, hard rock, hip hop, jazz, even rap music - it all made it into my mixed tapes. And spinning the radio dial was like playing Wheel of Fortune. I was never sure where it was going to land from day to day. 

And for anyone who was not born in the 1900's, sorry if this paragraph confuses you. You guys are experts with Google, right ... 😏

But my real love was show tunes and Broadway. The one genre I had a difficult time accessing. I mean, there were not a lot of opportunities for a girl living in the middle of Ohio in the 1980's to find that kind of music. But when I could get my hands on it, it was like finding Heaven. There is just something so special about musicals. I mean, you get several different genres in one show. And the songs tell the story, usually something that is so relatable in one way or another. It is like tv and movies and radio all mixed into one glorious roll. And people that say they don't like musicals just baffle the hell out of me. 

There is so much more to musicals than The Sound of Music or The Wizard of Oz. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE both of them. But they were the only two that most people - especially low and middle class families in the Midwest - know as they were broadcast on public tv every year. So, if you're one of those people, I promise you - Musicals are fantastic! 

Back to the magic of music. I always find it crazy that the right song can change your mood in the blink of an eye.  Too many times I have been sad or mad or feeling lost and alone. Then I turn to my playlists - usually one that is mostly Jeremy Jordan and Skylar Astin - and those feelings just fade away. Thank the gods for the invention of streaming, iTunes, and Apple Music. 

I single out Jeremy and Skylar because - while I still love all types of music and have many favorite artists and songs - these are two of the performers that inspire me and move me the most. Both men can sing any genre with perfection. The passion and enthusiasm and reality that they invoke in every word - be it a ballad, a dance song, an angry song, or a love song. Their voices and the way they sing just hit my music addicted soul and spirit. It is truly magical. And when I listen to them, I can't help but smile and (sometimes) cry. They make me sing and dance and perform.

Not only that, but they re-awoke my desire to be a part of the performing world. Not as a performer myself. Because, let's face it - in the current climate of the entertainment world - I am not young enough or hot enough to be in the spotlight. No matter how talented I might be. Not to say that I am ugly, because I am not. But neither am I 'Hollywood Beautiful'. So my place is behind the scenes. 

And that is okay. Because my true calling and talent has always lie in writing. I will say that my writing desire did start with song writing. Way back when I was 9 or 10. I still have that notebook of songs - and they are not good, so I have not tried to write a song since then. I can't read music, anyway. 

But writing the book for a play or musical - that feels like something within my wheelhouse. I really think I could do that. When I watch a Broadway show or hear someone singing a showtune (or sing one myself) I always think of the story and what I could do with it. And when I work on my own writing, I think of how they could be turned into a musical or play. This is even a side storyline in a novel I am currently working on. 

I have always felt the draw to get out of this little village and be a part of that world - the world of Broadway and theatre and entertainment. When I was younger, my friend Kelly and I had this whole plan that - after I graduated from high school - we were heading to California to start a band. We even had a name picked out - The Black Roses. We dreamed that dream for years. We spent hours and hours talking about it and what it would be like. But it never came about. Life happened to us both. 

But the dream of being a part of the world of entertainment - writing, performing - has remained a spark in my heart. Now that my life has come to a place where I can focus on myself and what I want for my life from this point on - that dream has become a full fledged flame, again. 

So, if you have a dream - no matter what it is - chase it! No matter your age, when you reach that point in your life when you are ready - go for it! It is never too late to go after what you want. Jeremy said it best when he said "If you feel lost or stuck, from personal experience, don't be afraid to look back to your dreams as a kid for inspiration. Because there might be something there, waiting for you to rediscover, something  that could change your life, forever." 

How beautiful is that? That little speech is one of the first things that fanned the spark of my childhood dream of writing and being a part of the entertainment world. And it has just grown as I dive deeper and deeper into both the worlds of music and writing. 

As far as music goes, don't limit yourself to just one or two genres of music. Get out there and try them all. Don't miss out on something exciting because you don't think you'll like it. Or because you have heard others bad mouth it. It is okay to like many genres of music. 

Look at my favorite performers, they do more than one genre of music. Jeremy and Skylar both got their start on Broadway - and they both continue to perform there when the show is right. But they also have their own styles, now. Jeremy has an amazing rock band called Age of Madness. Skylar has released and been a part of several singles that range from Pop to Alternative. 

From the twelfth episode of the second season of Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist, Max (played by Skylar) tells Zoey - "We gotta get you like a Spotify account or something. 'Cause you're clearly not getting enough music in your life." 

And that is the best advice I can end this with. Music really is medicine for the soul. Cliche, I know, but true. We can never have too much music in our lives. 

UPDATE - Originally posted in August of 2022, not much has changed on this front. Jeremy and Skylar continue to be two of my all time favorite performers, rounding out my top 5 with Dylan O'Brien, Joshua Jackson, and Andrew Garfield. Jeremy is back on Broadway starring as Jay Gatsby in The Great Gatsby. He is also still involved with his band, Age of Madness. Skylar is still releasing his own singles, as he goes. And starring in Season 2 of So Help Me Todd. I continue to work on chasing my dream of being a writer. One of the reasons I am rewriting these blogs and updating them is to put together a portfolio of my writing style and love of many different topics to send out to potential job markets. Things are going well and looking good. And music is still the best therapy and the constant soundtrack to my life.