Listening Is Making Music
Everyday Music Every Day #9
When Stephen King talks about writing, he says you’ve got to be a reader. You need to be reading all the time — have a book in your car, in your pocket. Devices make that easier now, but his point still stands: if you’re waiting in line or doing nothing, you should be reading. You fill yourself up with material, let it sink into the subconscious, and then it comes out later, naturally.
That’s its own idea, but it connects here. The issue is when you hear someone who doesn’t make very good music say they don’t really listen to music. That should raise a flag.
Like when Van Halen wasn’t great later on and Eddie said he didn’t listen to music — that’s a problem. You’ve got to be listening, all day if you can, full albums when possible. That’s what keeps you sharp if you really want to make a lot of music.
For me, if I’m not making much music on a given day, I’ll give myself a break by just listening. One or two full albums — that’s the beauty of carrying this thing around all day. You can line up good stuff and fall into it.
Today, for example, I’ve been building a playlist of ’70s music for a DJ set next week. It’s a free event for friends, a good chance to test ideas. Listening through all this, you find gems.
Today’s digging theme turned into “off-disco” — not the usual hits, but things like “Shakedown Street.” And who doesn’t love “Do You Think I’m Sexy?” That led me to “Young Turks” by Rod Stewart — which, funny enough, is the base of “Blinding Lights” by The Weeknd.
All that comes from simply sitting down and saying, I’m going to listen for an hour or two. If I’m not feeling the spark to make something, or if I’m just dragging my feet over coffee, listening is absolutely equal to making. It fills the well. I know I’m taking it in for later, letting it work in the background, and eventually, it finds its way back out.