Yesterday I had a Skype session with the Clemson University orchestra, courtesy of Dr. Andrew Levin. They are playing “The Blue Chevrolet”
What totally surprising questions! One question that a cellist asked: “What are your thoughts on translating memory into music?” He was not referring to songwriting or anything with lyrical content, He was talking about the completely abstract orchestral piece that they are playing. A far more difficult question. Yes, “The Blue Chevrolet” is unabashedly autobiographical. But I have never been so confronted by the clear evidence of this process, and my nearly complete lack of understanding of how I do this. There is probably a very good doctoral thesis in just that one question. Maybe abstract painters have a better handle on this? I wish I could have come up with a slick answer to this. As it is, I will be thinking about this for the next three years. I will get back to you on this.
I wish I could be there to hear the performance. Good luck to the orchestra and thank you again to Maestro Levin for playing this.