Why Writing, etc?
Backstory
In March 2020 I was made unemployed.
Quite an achievement considering I was, and I remain self employed.
Such was the impact of the COVID pandemic.
My family were locked down for two years. Long enough to probably bankrupt us.
Alternate income streams were needed.
I created a Patreon page.
We didn’t go bankrupt.
My initial idea for the page, my only idea, really, was something I’d been mulling for quite a while - The Notebook Project - a visual history of my songwriting from the actual notebooks I used, and continue to use. That’s right, every entry on every page, leading to every song, photographed and presented, one song at a time.
The Notebook project led to The Cassette Project - its audio counterpart.
And then there were basement concerts and guitar lessons on video.
Electronic explorations in my attic.
Memorabilia.
Live concert recordings.
Photography, even.
It became a sort of multimedia self portrait / memory palace. The closest I’ve come, thus far, to a memoir.
The Patreon model was ideal for that moment which lasted two years.
Substack, despite its nomenclature still being based around the newsletter, is a better fit for me, today.
I’m migrating here.
It will take a while.
If you’re a subscriber to my Patreon page, you will still have access to the entire archive, until all of it (that I see fit) is over here. No need to cancel your subscription. You won’t be charged again.
What will you get for your $5/month here?
Pretty much the same thing, better presented, for less money.
The Attic - that’s my studio. You’ll get photo and video updates, and (synth nerd alert) the substantial archive from the last 4 years.
The Basement - the entire Lockdown video library will be imported, it’s already begun. There will be new guitar lessons.
The Study - where I write. Not just songs. I will spout forth from time to time, like this, last week.
The Notebook Project and The Cassette Project will continue here (1996 Notebooks are next). The archive will be organised and imported.
There will be chats, and I will be a part of them from time to time.
Whenever there is breaking LC news, my subscribers will hear it here, first.
There will be a Substack Discount at our shop, just like the Patreon one we had.
If you’re new to my page, welcome.
If not, welcome back.
LC, November 2024.
How to navigate Writing, etc
Being a Renaissance Master Of None is a complicated business.
Where do I file everything, and what goes where?
Well, I’ve had to make some arbitrary decisions.
Writing, etc is divided into sections. You access these from the menu at the top of the page.
Study is prose.
Stage is live performance, on stage and backstage.
Attic is my studio.
Basement is where I filmed the lockdown concerts and where I continue to make guitar lesson videos.
The Notebook Project and The Cassette Project should be self explanatory.
The Archive is everything.
Each section (Archive excepted) has its own mailing list and you can unsubscribe from any, or all of them. To do this go to the Manage Subscription page. I’d probably recommend keeping your Writing, etc as that’s the one that houses everything that doesn’t go in the others, this will include breaking news, updates, special offers, etc
Down the right hand side of the front page are the Search Tags.
These are not just hash tags, but actually have their own pages, so everything to do with Rattlesnakes, or everything tagged Electronic can all be accessed from these tags. The list of tags began with all of my albums, and I’m trying to keep it as concise as I can. Memory Palace is memorabilia, etc.
I’m sure I’ll be updating this more often than I’d like.
Umbrella shot by Peter Anderson.
