god damn

i wish i could write songs like Jackson Browne. he had more influence on my early songwriting than anyone else, and yet i still can't even come close. it's been 20 years since i was unselfconscious enough to emulate his storytelling style. it's too honest. there has to be a sardonic twist, a cynical note, a self-deprecating wink to what i write. it has to be angled just a touch away from face-forward, just enough that i don't have to look the audience in the eyes.