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This page has been moved. For lyrics to “Soul Food” from the album Mixed Vice Work EP, please click here.

Greetings!

This is the first of a series of five brief essays reflecting on my process of writing the new EP, Mixed Vice Work. In order to help make sense of the project and in an effort to further include listeners in my process, I’ll be sharing four more in the coming months – each in reference to a specific song from the EP.

As you may know from having watched the promotional video for the new EP, Mixed Vice Work is an ambitious project… reflecting on themes previously explored and turning old ideas entirely on their heads.

Each essay will contain two sections: the 1st – a brief history of the old song from The Art of Fully Being that is being referenced and the 2nd – the story of how the Mixed Vice Work reflection song emerged.

Here is the story of “Grab a Pen.”

(as I write on each song, I will post that song online. Please feel free to listen along at www.myspace.com/jonwattsmusic)

“This is Just a Song.”

In the Winter of 2006-2007, I completed recording on Plateau, the album that I produced for Joshua Shelton and Bull and Mouth Records. Afterwards, I was left with my recording studio in a neighbor’s empty house, minimal instrumentation and a good deal of angst in reaction to my transitioning role in my family and my feelings of being undervalued and my work underappreciated.

In a particularly angsty moment, I retreated to my studio and layed down a dark bassline and quickly wrote a song around it, sarcastically rapping about the meaninglessness of the work that is my passion and focus.

“It’s just my voice. It’s just the core of me. It’s just as deep as you’ve ever heard me speak. It’s just some beats on a screen.”

The song was difficult and raw and I named it “This is Just a Song.”

“Grab a Pen”

In my process of reflecting on “This is Just a Song.” it occurred to me that there is a real playfulness to my tongue-in-cheek self-dismissal. There is a background vocal two-thirds of the way through the song which follows a concertina melody, in which I turned on the microphone and brazenly shouted the melody, not caring who heard me.

I began the process of writing “Grab a Pen” by focusing on this raw and unburdened noise. As I re-arranged the rest of the elements of the song, it took on a new energy. Instead of hating or trying to change the darkness that sometimes emerges when I open myself to the muse, I focused instead on celebrating the opportunity to open myself and pour out whatever I am holding.

The first verse of “This is Just a Song” hinges on the phrase “It’s not”:

(“It’s not: everybody living in the same space. It’s not: one thing you said or did that brought me to this place.”)

so I began my parallel poem by dancing around a phrase with the opposite energy,

“This IS”:”This is: an interfaith dialogue. It’s intergenerational. This is on the internet. It’s personal, sensational. This is individual and group consciousness. It’s emotional and logical, abstract common sense.”

And off I went. Given the opportunity, I gushed about the power of what I do.

“If you’re broken, this can heal you or help you heal yourself. This is spoken word and song and it’s only here to help.”

Looking back at “This is Just a Song.”, I wasn’t giving my ability to affect my own situation enough weight. While I wasn’t serious when I said “It’s just some beats on a screen,” I was dedicating my resources (my voice and my art) to focusing on the external messages that were causing me to falter in my confidence.

In “Grab a Pen,” I have adjusted my response to be more healthy and productive – dedicating my energy to giving my self the support and affirmation that I was bitterly waiting for when I wrote “This is Just a Song.”

What a powerful and insightful process! I give thanks for the wisdom and love that this piece of art has bestowed upon me.

An Invitation…

In our counter-cultural reaction to the egotism of the mainstream, we shy away from anything that could be construed as bragging. And yet we all know that verbal affirmation and reinforcement are at the foundation of a peaceful, calm and confident human being.

How often do you allow yourself to say out loud that you are good at something, or that you are important? Are you able to let go of fear that people won’t percieve you as humble and tell them that you are great and your work in the world is powerful and meaningful? (Are you able to tell yourself that?)

So I invite you, friend… affirm yourself. I expect it matters a lot to you what you think of yourself, and it is in everyone’s interest that you feel loved.

in peace
Jon

A week ago I got this email from a Meeting in Pennsylvania who had some questions about the song “Friend Speaks My Mind” after I performed for them this past April. Their questions were not uncommon, and so I took the time to respond carefully and in depth and am re-posting the response here. Hope it is helpful.

Here is the original email:

Dear Jon Watts,

Sadsbury Friends Meeting enjoyed your time with us in April. Thanks for that!

In the time since then some of us are wondering about a line in a refrain from one of the songs you sang for us.

“I’m not a Christian
I’m a Quaker
I live a Christ-centered life
But Jesus is not my saviour”

Some of us are curious as to your definition of “Christian” in the context of that refrain. (We plan to discuss this at an adult forum in a few weeks.)

Thank you.

Sincerely,
Connie
Sadsbury Monthy Meeting

And my response:

Hi Connie!

Sorry to take a while with this response… I have been busy in the recording studio.

The song that you’re referring to is “Friend Speaks My Mind”, which is available to listen to for free at http://www.myspace.com/jonwattsmusic (and can be downloaded for a dollar on itunes or http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/wattsjon). The chorus begins:

“I’m not a Christian
but I’m a Quaker
I’ve got Christ’s inner light
but he’s not my savior”

I’m am very glad to hear that the lines have sparked discussion in your Meeting. I am pulled into conversation about the topic often, as it deals with a somewhat touchy subject in FGC Quakerism.

My process for writing the song was to think back to my adolescence growing up in Young Friends in FGC and other Quaker organizations and to try to capture the attitude towards Christianity that – though rarely spoken this brazenly – is pervasive.

Judging from the number of Quakers from across the generational spectrum who approach me in solidarity with these particular lines, I would venture to say that I hit the nail on the head.

Thus – and I hope it doesn’t sound like I am dodging your question – the song is not about me, but rather, it’s about modern FGC Quakerism and a relatively common FGC approach to Christianity.

So what might be perhaps more valuable than asking me how I define the word “Christian” in the song is to create a space for members of your Meeting or discussion group who identify with those lines to explain their personal connection.

“What makes a person a ‘Christian’?” is a great question to start off with! Some other queries that might be valuable to explore are:

• What is your inward reaction when someone asks you if Christ is your savior? (or says that Christ is theirs?)
• In your practice, what is the relationship between the Quaker concept of the “inner light” and Christianity? (if there is one)
• Can Quakerism thrive without Christianity?

…and we’re just getting started! Again, this is a very valuable discussion and I’m glad to see you engaging with it. Please let me know if there is anything else I can do to support your process.

in peace
Jon Watts