Instead of these recurrent agonies, I began to honor the rough in early versions of my own work. He argued that writers begin their work with standards that are too high, and when the early drafts fail to meet their fantasy versions, the writing grinds to a halt. This is what leads to writer’s block, according to the poet William Stafford. ![]() Writers I know, really good ones, say they suffer from the imposter syndrome - the fear that good readers will see the cracks in their writing and come to learn that these bigshot authors really suck. I caught those feelings - like the boogie woogie flu - from other writers, the ones who testified as to their “vomit drafts” and, with a good pun, their “offal drafts.” I used to have bad feelings about the flaws in my early drafts. The early versions of work, if we can even get our hands moving, come out rough. Most writers, I would guess, would like to be able to create fine pieces of writing, and do it nice and easy. Simply stated, it helps me appreciate the rough. As I listen, I am inspired to think about my own writing. So we’re gonna take the beginning of this songĮvery time I watch her performance, I am stunned by the athleticism of her dancing. I think you might like to hear something from us This change is so pronounced that it eventually earns what I might call a prologue, spoken by Tina, with a low soulful beat in the background. In a version produced by Ike, who sings harmony and bass, Tina and the band start things much slower than the original, but they end it much faster. The most obvious revision is a radical change of tempo. What magic, then, did Tina perform with “Proud Mary”? Otis did it with Bing Crosby’s “Try a Little Tenderness.” Aretha did it to Otis, taking his manly version of “Respect” and turning it into a feminist anthem. In this space, I will focus my remarks on Tina’s rendition of “Proud Mary.” It is not unusual for one artist to take ownership of another’s hit, in the same way that writers learn to take an assignment and make it their own. ![]() There is much to write about Tina: her dirt-poor childhood in a Tennessee town called Nutbush her discovery by Ike Turner and his subsequent abuse of her her escape from him to reclaim her independence and inspire others her forging a musical legacy that has few equals. ![]() I would ask those residents of rock and roll heaven to please step aside to make room in the choir for the Queen of Rock ‘n’ Roll ( sorry, Richard) Tina Turner. Otis Redding, Aretha Franklin, Ray Charles, Little Richard, Jerry Lee Lewis - all have inspired me. When a favorite performer dies, I often write a tribute, drawing writing lessons from their musicality. ![]() As a writing coach, one of my favorite sayings to reluctant writers is this: “If I can sing, you can write.” It is her version I have in my head as I pound the keyboard.īecause I write almost every day, and because I also play music daily, it should not surprise you that I can’t help but connect the two. It is a great song, but I would argue it was made greater soon after in 1971 by Tina Turner. The song is “Proud Mary,” written and sung by John Fogerty in 1969 (the year I met my wife Karen) and recorded by Credence Clearwater Revival. For the record, the piano is in better shape than I am. It is a Saturday morning and I have just finished playing a song on my 100-year-old upright piano.
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