Recording - July 2014 - 63

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efits of the songs I had cut in the '90s. Even if
you get a lot of songs cut these days, there are
more people [writing] on it, there is more sharing of the wealth if you're in a camp that's
gate-keeping the project. But I have to say, I was
with a small publishing company in the late
'90s-they were under the roof of
Warner/Chappell when Judy was there-and I
remember a meeting we had, because every
month we had meetings. I feel like nobody's
talking about how hard it is now. I'm just starting to hear conversations about it. But I hear
publishers now and they don't want to talk
about that it's become so difficult. We came into
that meeting and Judy said, "OK, everybody,
let's just say it. What can we do? It's really hard
to get cuts right now." It was a time when
Grunge was at its high point; there was an exodus of songwriters who were taking off to
Nashville; everybody was throwing up their
arms. And you [Judy] played a great song to
inspire us. But you know what happened? We
felt really good, because we came in and she just
said it. It was like therapy, because nobody was
talking about it, and Judy just said it, and everybody didn't feel so alone. And what happened in
the next year or so was that the pendulum
swung, and all of a sudden Grunge was sort of
like not so big anymore, Ron Fair started needing songs, and everybody started needing songs,
and it came back. So times are tough now, like
you say, but I hang in because I love what I do.
But I think that the pendulum can swing back.
Especially, may I say again, with artists like
Lorde, who I think are getting writers to write a
little bit more outside the box. I just have a good
feeling about it.

to Genghis Cohen or Hotel Café to see. And if
you were looking for an artist like Lorde or
someone like that, you would probably have a
better chance finding them in places where people are expressing their art, you know, and you
would want to go hang out and be inspired. You
pray that some of them are really good, but they
need some help songwriting-wise, and see if you
can co-write. I mean, that's probably what I
would do nowadays. But I'm coming from a different perspective, because I've been doing it for
a long time and I know that what works for me
is a little more enjoyable. But you have to have a
certain amount of low self-esteem to want to do
this. I think it kind of keeps us rolling and wanting to do things that move you. There was a
time, when I was [signed] with Judy when I first
started writing in my first year, you were sup-

posed to turn in 10 songs, right? And I think I
turned in close to 60-something songs, just
because I liked writing so much. I really enjoyed
the process. But at the end of the day when I
started doing demos, the amount of work that
was involved... You start cutting back, and it
takes just as long to demo a bad song as a good
song. So if you're gonna choose one, go for the
good one. Spend your money that way. That's
what I would do. I would go and try to be
inspired by people in clubs and check out poetry
slams; check out anything that's gonna kick your
ass and make you expand your mind writingwise; and try to remember to be fearless. Try
things that are different.
Check out Part 3 in next month's issue of the TAXI
Insider!

I share your optimism. Jamie, shortest question of
the day: How did you go from being somebody on
that side of me to somebody on that side of me
[pointing to the audience]?
Jamie: Golly, if I knew that, I would probably
hook my nephew up. But, you know what? I
think it really kind of works the way it's always
been done. You get out and you try to write as
good of songs as you possibly can, try to work
with people who you recognize as better than
you are, then kick your butt and learn as much
as you can. I've kind of changed my approach in
the last few years, primarily because writing
songs just to pitch nowadays I don't find as
interesting. I have fun doing it, but I don't find it
as interesting. So what I try to do is develop
artists and sign them, and if everything works
out right, get a record deal, and write the record
with them, and then I'm on to the next project.
That has been more fun for me, and that's probably what I would do if I were just starting out.
Let's say you knew an artist, who you guys went
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Recording - July 2014

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