Drummer turned songwriter shares what he knows -- and doesn't know -- about how we can bring peace and prosperity to all people without trashing the planet.

About me...

Credits

* 2013: "Building a Path", theme song for Peace Paradigm Radio on KWMR in Northern California. The two hosts, Stephanie Van Hook and Michael Nagler, get down to reality about what works and what doesn't in human conflict. Many of their guests have done really brave work, and all are doing really important work.
* 2001: Masters Thesis: Can the Overlearning of Constructive Conflict Management Skills Be Facilitated by Songs?
* 1990: "Solar Car", written for the first annual Solar Energy Expo and Rally in Willits, California, used as a soundtrack for a documentary about a pioneering electric car made by the Solectria corporation (now Azure Dynamics) on the Discovery Channel.
* 1989: "There's a Hush on the Bay", written about the 1989 Loma Prieta Earthquake, performed in a featured spot on ABC News Nightline.


Biography

Here is a thumbnail biography of my life and philosophical influences, decade by decade:

* I grew up during the cold war, watching World War II movies for excitement, and seeing lots of news footage of starving people on TV that I would rather not have seen. So, from an early age, two questions began dominating my life: 1) How do we avoid war without giving in to someone like Hitler, and 2) How do we eliminate poverty without installing someone like Stalin?
* In my teen years, frustrated at finding no answers, I turned my energies to trying to be a rock star. Or, at the very least, a legendary songwriter. Something less ambitious than saving the world :).
* In my twenties, I got tired of all the "egos" in the bands I was playing in (including my own). So I quit music to explore the economic causes of poverty, war, and dictatorships. I got active in the local self reliance movement, advocating for green jobs and community-based economic development. I told myself I would get back to serious songwriting when I had something to say.
* In my thirties, I turned from economics to explore the psychology of human conflict in families, at the workplace, and in communities. I read stacks of books about conflict management. In spite of that, I found myself unable to hold a relationship together.
* In my forties, while pursuing a BA program in Interdisciplinary Social Science, I read a groundbreaking book by marriage researcher John Gottman. He had observed in a laboratory what successful couples actually do, not what they should do. I decided to test songs as a methodology for teaching Gottman's theories in an MA thesis in Social Psychology. It was the best thing I ever did, as I now have a wonderful wife and daughter to show for it.
* In my fifties, I began studying why and how the Marshall Plan was effective in helping countries recover from the famine and economic devastation in the wake of World War II, and why we haven't extended the courtesy to other regions of the world. I began networking with people and groups who are working on poverty issues, at home and abroad.


Major Musical Influences

* The early 60s folk revival, for its spirit
* James Brown for his rhythm section
* The Beach Boys and the Golden Gate Quartet for their vocal backups.
* J.S. Bach, Cream, and dixieland music, for their counterpoint and interweaving melody lines.

Major lyric-writing influences:

* Weird Al Yancovic and Jimmy Buffet for their sense of humor. Jimmy Buffet for his poignancy.
* Kenny Rogers, for pushing a song like "Ruby, Don't Take Your Love to Town" at the height of the Vietnam War. You could relate to the story, no matter how you felt about the war. And, by the way, it got you thinking about the war.
* Bob Geldoff and Bono, as examples of the many musicians, famous and not famous, who have used music to help heal our world.