« Songwriting: A Demanding Art | Main | Snoopy Knows What Really Matters »
May 07, 2009
The Wisdom of Austin Church
Sheryl and I went out last night to hear a concert by our good friend Austin Church. He is a masterful songwriter and an uplifting performer.
I will always remember the first time we heard him play. It was at a now-defunct place called the Wacky Hut, and he was playing outside on a beautiful Florida evening. He sang one song that immediately became my favorite, “Know It All.”
The chorus hit home with me:
“All I know is that I know how little I knew
When I knew it all
I used to be a know it all
But now I know, I know nothing at all.”
He didn’t know it at the time, but he wrote that song about me.
It seems the older I get, the less I know, and the wiser I become.
It’s the same when I go out and play live. When I was young, I played an awful lot of notes. I had to let my listeners know how skillful I was. Now I’ve found that the less I play, the better it sounds. The more carefully I choose what to play, the more impact it has.
Amazing. But why did it take so long to figure this out? What am I doing and saying now that I will be ruefully shaking my head over when I’m 80?
By the way, if you ever have an opportunity to “go to Church,” go!
Words from the wise.
Posted by leonolguin at May 7, 2009 10:27 AM