And then there was TiVo.

I realize two things as I sit on the couch: 1) I would have missed Crossroads (The show on CMT, not the movie with you know who) featuring Dave Matthews and Emmylou Harris tonight had it not been for the lovely graces of TiVo, and 2) Emmylou Harris is strikingly beautiful, and even more so when she picks up the guitar to play "My Antonia." I am wondering what the song has to do with Willa Cather's book by the same title, or if it's related at all. The only thing that could make this better would be, say, if Ryan Adams and Emmy Lou Harris were performing together like they did on Heartbreaker.

They have a time for questions from the audience and a nervous girl asks Dave about he and his wife's wedding rings being made of pennies. "Her's isn't made of pennies," Dave says, "It was a family heirloom--that wasn't too expensive, just some repairs. Mine was made of pennies." I like that Dave wanted his ring to be made of pennies because he didn't care for the idea of spending a lot of money on one. I have heard that about him before, that he drives a station wagon and gives most of his money away. He's more human this way. One of the gods stepping down from the mountain. And I don't rejoice about his humanity because of spite or jealousy, but because he is just a man who writes really, really good songs. And Emmylou is just a woman who writes really, really good songs. I find this comforting.

There are thousands of songwriters, many not good and some extraordinary. And I am among them trying to find my place, a voice, an audience. If I'm honest I'd admit that sometimes I'm afraid I'll never write anything worthwhile. I can either let the fact that Daves and Emmys and Ryans are out there intimidate me into silence, or I can remember that at some point they too sat somehwere listening to someone play songs that were far superior to their own. I'm sure any one of them have a list of songs they think are better than theirs. I'd like to see that list...

posted by Cameron Lawrence at 23:59