Metabolism, Part I

I’m currently working on an album titled Metabolism.  I have always titled my projects long before they are complete. And long before all of the songs for the project are complete.

Here’s how it happened.

A few years ago, I was dealing with some minor, but persistent, health issues that caused me to dive heavily into the concept of metabolic healing.  I was desperate for answers, and I looked up the definition of metabolism in hopes that something as simple as the well articulated meaning of a scientific concept would help me crack the code to these health issues.

The definition of metabolism is “the chemical processes that occur within a living organism in order to maintain life”.

My response when I read this was, “Are you fucking kidding me?”

It was a gift.

Let me explain.

The songs start coming before I know that I’ve got an album in the works - before I know what the album concept is.  Along the way, something always hits me, and the thread and genetic makeup of these songs emerges as one idea - a family.  And then I add to that family with additional songs.  Eventually, I know when the family has hit maximum capacity, and then it’s time to start making the record.

At the time, when I was learning about metabolic healing, I had a few original songs that were complete or in process.  And, like most people, I was dealing with many other obstacles in my life besides my health issues.  I have always written songs to process my thoughts and emotions.  You could say that I write songs in order to understand myself and also to heal myself.

I wasn’t yet comfortable with the idea that whatever I was going through and dealing with was necessary.  In fact, I spent a lot of time figuring out how certain things could have been avoided if I’d made different choices.  But isn’t that always the way?

To me, metabolism was a perfect metaphor and a vehicle to help me appreciate that every experience - painful or joyful - was necessary for me to become whoever it was that I was going to be. The way is through, not around. The obstacle is the way. (Thank you Ryan Holiday.)

Here’s the poetry: the metabolic process is what our body goes through - and it’s also what we go through as humans, living our lives - having our experiences - breaking things down - building things back up - becoming who we are. These processes are necessary, not optional.

What does a person need to go through in order to become who they want to be?

Who do you need to love?

Who do you need to fight?

What obstacles do you need to overcome?

What do you need to build?

What do you need to destroy, dismantle, take apart…?

What do you need to hold onto? What do you need to let go of?

What failures must you experience?

What, if any, successes must you achieve?

And when you are done, you aren’t done.  We’re never done.

This new album, like all my projects, tells the story of the last few years of my life.  I couldn’t make it before I was ready, and also - no one is ever ready.

(To be continued.)