I’ve been writing songs for a long time. I’ve written more than 1500 songs in a variety of genres. So what happens now, when AI can write the songs? Are we done?
First, AI is simply a tool. It can be used in many ways. It can help musicians and songwriters. It can also help greedy capitalists make more money.
Chances are fair, that for now, as long as people still want to see live music, that AI won’t replace the songwriter immediately or completely. However, it’s my guess that that may change in time.
It seems that everything business revolves around money, and the less human involvement in any production line, the less money spent. Corporations love that.
So what happens when the songwriter is pushed out of the equation? I’m not sure. But I do worry that the more the human race relies on technology and AI, the more ignorant and incapable we will become as a whole.
That will leave us in a very weak position as a species.
Marshall McLuhan said it years ago, “We shape the tools and then the tools shape us.” What are the tools we’ve made making us into? Honestly, they are making us lazy and ignorant.
Here’s something I posted about AI and songwriting a couple months ago. – dse
My plan was to retire on June 1, 2026. But I’ve learned to expect the unexpected. Due to some unforeseen events, I’m officially retired on December 1, 2025. But I’m no longer working at VolState. It’s all going to work for the better.
Due to what was becoming a toxic environment for me at the workplace, I made an-almost impulse decision to retire earlier than I’d planned. I thought about it for about three days. It’s a bit scary, having to turn to social security and retirement funds to survive. Anyone who’s taken this step understands the concern of “what if I run out of money too soon?”
But let’s get something clear for the record. I retired from a full-time job because I could. That doesn’t mean I’m done working. And today it dawned on me that the timing for social security purposes is perfect. (So much for imperfection.)
If I’d have waited until June 1, 2026 to retire, I’d have made over $20,000 in 2026. As a 62 year old collecting social security, there is a limit for annual income. It’s $23,400. That means if I’d have retired on June 1, I wouldn’t have been able to make much money doing part-time work without getting social security held back.
So, what’s next on the agenda?
For now, I’m just settling into the new mode. I’ll likely move from Tennessee back to Maine next spring when my lease is up. But in the meantime I have some potential plans.
Take on a couple of classes as an adjunct if I can. I’m already in touch with Southern Maine Community College, Nashville State Community College and Belmont University.
Play some open mics and writer’s rounds around the region? Maybe. I have mixed feelings about that whole scene.
Do a little regional traveling. I’ll probably wait on any international traveling until I’m settled into a permanent living situation again.
Get some work done on the condo in Maine.
Read, write songs, and write poetry.
Exercise.
Learn more about my camera, maybe even take a class.
An old garage in Clarksdale MS – Photo by Dan Steven Erickson
If you follow my YouTube Channel you know I’m not a perfectionist. I used to be. But now I understand the power of imperfection.
People who believe they are perfect suffer.
I just retired from my job as an academic advisor. Why? Because although I had no official complaints in regard to my duties, there were a few people who treated me with disdain because I made occasional minor errors. As if they are perfect?
The problem is that a self-deluded sense of perfection creates a disease. A toxicity and animosity grew not only toward me, but toward several others who decided to retire shortly before I did for similar reasons. I watched as people who I looked up to walked away from their positions. I knew there was a fly in the ointment. My sister referred to it as termites in the woodwork. (Expect a future song with that title.)
So when a direct supervisor started pouring on the criticism over petty issues, I knew my time there was done.
As for me, I choose imperfection.
Until my 40s, I was a perfectionist. I’d often leave things incomplete because I didn’t want to fuck them up. But somewhere along the way I came to embrace imperfection. In fact, I might suggest that imperfection, in a sense, is a form of perfection.
Imperfection has power. It creates authenticity, character, and humility. With music, I’d much rather listen to old recordings with imperfect qualities than new music with perfectly programmed beats and bass lines. I’d rather hear an occasional note sung out of key than listen to someone using autotune.
I understand that if one is a doctor, you must operate concisely. However, if one is a teacher, are you expected to give flawless lectures? I don’t think so. As an advisor my crime was not misadvising students, but rather not perfectly understanding the internal operations to a few individuals’ expectations. They expected perfection. I did not deliver. I am human. I am not sorry.
I prefer Wabi-Sabi to finely curated art.
What is Wabi-Sabi? Simply stated, it’s a Japanese aesthetic concept that finds beauty in imperfection, impermanence, and simplicity. It embraces the natural cycle of growth and decay, seeing beauty in humbled, rustic, and weathered things.
I like old guitars better than new ones. I love a weathered home by the sea more than the new shiny ones popping up all around the suburbs of Nashville. In ambient music there is something called disintegration. It’s music that feels like it’s falling apart. It feels both fragile and beautiful. I think that might be considered a form of Wabi-Sabi.
Practice imperfection and carry on.
For those of you who believe you are perfect, or who condemn others for minor mistakes, go ahead and continue to suffer in your lonely worlds 0f perfectionism if you please.
But for those who understand the power of imperfection, don’t worry about the perfectionists who throw you under the bus. But rather, simply do your best and greet imperfection with joy. – dse
Most people start thinking about the new year in late December. Not me. I often start considering goals and updating my website in October or November. It’s that time of year.
If you’ve followed me since my minimalist days, you might remember that I made an annual post every December. I’d offer a list of resolutions and goals and cross my fingers. About half of my goals were not easily attainable and I’d miss the mark every year. Then about six or seven years ago I said fuck it. No more specific goals.
I still need to hit the reset button.
So, I’m kind of done with setting specific goals about social media, book writing, money, exercise etc. Instead, I tend to occasionally hit the reset button and make general observations about what I’m doing and where I’m going in life.
Of course, life is uncertain, and I like to remain open to spontaneous opportunities, so none of this is written in stone. But here are a few things I’d like to do in the coming year.
10 things I hope to do before the end of next year.
Give my website a simple remodel.
Continue writing and recording songs and music.
Write poetry and consider short story.
Keep walking regularly and participate in other physical activities.
Monitor my health and see experts on my blood condition.
Read on a fairly regular basis.
Consider a second piece of real estate in Kansas or Missouri.
Retire from my current job and move back to Maine.
Create a YouTube Studio in a different location and focus on a few strategies to promote the channel.
Travel and work on becoming a better photographer.
Sounds like a lot, but it’s actually simple.
I’m sure I might think of more, like get a dog or get rid of extra stuff, but that’s the basic list. And here’s the thing. I wrote this list in about five minutes and everything on the list is very doable.
I will likely accomplish at least 8 or 9 things on this list, maybe all of them. Why? Because they are primarily extensions of what I’m already doing. The plans have been set in motion. Number 7 is likely the least certain, but note I said, “consider.” I did not suggest I would definitively buy a second piece of real estate.
So there you have it, an early list of things I hope to accomplish in 2026. I encourage you to make your own list, but keep it relatively loose. – dse
If you follow my YouTube Channel, you know I’ve been having some issues with my one-year-old Gibson L-00. The glue between the binding and the body started to melt and come out. That leads to the question:
What’s the problem with Gibson Guitars?
If you do a Google search on Gibson quality and customer service, you’ll likely find a lot of negative feedback about their modern products and service. Many people have had trouble with quality. The newer Gibsons have been said to be overpriced for what you get.
In fact, if you do your research, you’ll also discover that the younger generations, (most anyone below boomers), are turning to other brands. They say Gibsons are overpriced and for old people. I might agree.
I’m a boomer/generation X crossover baby, and I’m seeing the light. Unless you own an older classic-era Gibson, which I do, new Gibson products have lost their appeal and their value.
I’ve owned cheaper guitars for 10 years without having any issues.
First, I’ve probably owned around of 25-30 acoustic guitars over 40 years. I’ve owned Fender, Ovation, Martin, Breedlove, Tacoma, Larrivée, Yamaha, Seagull, and others. I’ve owned some guitars for as long as 10-15 years. I’ve owned new guitars and guitars dating back to the 1940s. My 2024 Gibson L-00, with a $3000 price tag, is the most expensive new guitar I’ve ever bought.
But after almost exactly one year of ownership, the glue between the binding and the body started coming out. I’ve never had that issue with any other guitar, even the vintage models.
Shit happens.
I understand that it’s not a perfect world and guitars may have issues due to weather and wear. I get that. But what I don’t get is a company that seems to be making it hard for people to address their issues and get quality customer service.
I emailed Gibson the day I took my guitar out the case equipped with an internal humidifier in a climate-controlled apartment and found glue melting. I mentioned it had been only a year since I bought the guitar and that I’d owned many guitars of lesser value that had no issues like this over 10-year time periods. I requested either return, exchange, or repair.
The Gibson representative asked for photos of the damage and my original receipt. I could easily photo the damage, but I bought the guitar in Maine and my receipt was still up there. I currently live 20 minutes from Nashville, home of Gibson Guitars. I thought maybe, for a guitar that’s only a year old, they might make an exception about the receipt. Nope. I get it. It’s corporate America.
I went to Maine for the receipt.
So, I had a trip to Maine scheduled and I got the receipt. “Now it should be simple,” I thought. Nope. They want me to ship the guitar to them even though I live 20 minutes away from their facility. Sure, they said they’d provide a label, but there was nothing said about packaging. Not only that, shipping guitars is a nerve-racking event for any guitar owner. Gibson knows that.
I called the company and they hid behind “policy.” So, I asked to speak with a manager. I’m waiting for a callback.
That’s my story, but there’s a greater message.
I own a Filson coat. After 20 years the cuffs started wearing out. Filson repaired the coat at no cost to me and no questions asked. A shirt I ordered from Filson recently was lost in the mail. Filson reimbursed me and resent the shirt at no cost. That’s the kind of company loyalty I can buy into. And guess what? I bought another shirt form them yesterday. Gibson might learn a lesson from this.
I know guitars and clothing are different products. I understand that there are many factors involved with damages to guitars. But I had hoped that a $3000 product with about one year of mild, in-home-only use might be a no-brainer for a company that might want to uphold their dying reputation. Apparently, they are not very concerned.
So, what’s next?
I suppose I’ll wait a week to see if I get a call from a Gibson manager. If not, I’ll likely trade that L-00 in for another brand of guitar.
So, back to the question at hand: What’s the problem with Gibson Guitars?
From my humble view, the company is too full of itself. They once made some of the best guitars in America. They were a staple of Rock & Roll. But sometime in the 1970s they started mass producing instruments of a lower quality. They traded their soul for a buck. They had to declare bankruptcy more recently. Younger artists have started turning away from the brand.
It’s sad to say, but perhaps Gibson is just dying along side of its beloved bedfellow, Rock & Roll. – dse
Here’s a song I wrote and recorded same day about three months ago. At the time I said it was a work in progress, and so it may be. But the words still feel pretty true in these times we are facing. Here’s Going Downhill Fast. – dse
Don’t look now but we’re going downhill fast
Don’t look now but we’re going downhill fast
When a government breaks its own constitution A democracy will never last
Don’t look now but we’re becoming a police state
Don’t look now but we’re becoming a police state
When a country’s people don’t stand up against abuse
They’re just sealing their own fate
I can’t believe the things I’m seeing This isn’t the America I’ve known
You voted a convicted felon into office
Now he wants to lock you in a dome
Don’t look now but we’re going downhill fast
Don’t look now but we’re going downhill fast
When a government breaks its own constitution
A democracy will never last
He’s raising tariffs instead of taxes That just comes back on you and me
He’s got the police abusing power
And you think that we’re still free
Don’t look now but we’re going downhill fast
Don’t look now but we’re going downhill fast
When a government breaks its own constitution
A democracy will never last
Now, it’s only a matter of time before
These policies spread throughout the land
Y’all better reconsider
Before it’s too late to take a stand
Don’t look now but we’re going downhill fast
Don’t look now but we’re going downhill fast
When a government breaks its own constitution A democracy will never last
Words & Music Copyright 2025 by Dan Steven Erickson
