This one is deep. I wrote this song in 2010 and it sat for 16 years on paper and in my mind until it was finally ready to come out. With the recent ice and snow I used some of that indoor time to record it, and then I went down a rabbit hole of AI imagery and created this video for it.
Most of the images are AI-generated, defined individually. The music is 100% human, using a guitar and vocals. For those who care about the details, I just recorded the first track of the guitar and melody, and then used 8 additional tracks for the BG vocal parts and extras. Recorded using an AKG C214 mic, a FocusriteTV Scarlett 2i2, and Apple GarageBand for recording, mixing and mastering. I did them all but one naturally, having to use a pitch transposer effect to get those deep bass notes. Oh, and an Alvarez guitar.
If you’ve read this far, I’m curious to hear your thoughts. Enjoy!
Lyrics (copyright Bootie Cothran) When I was a child my soul was free, nothing in my way But then this world got hold of me, took that freedom away.
It took my heart and froze it cold,made me blind to see That all this world and all its gold, could not set me free.
CHORUS Oh my soul, my homesick soul, wash this world from me Oh my soul, my lonesome soul, set my spirit free.
It won’t be long, this world be gone, so keep your watch and stay For the rain will fall to drown it all, and wash it all away (chorus)
New video alert! Y’all, I first picked up the guitar in college and couldn’t put it down, and always wished I had picked it up sooner. Over the years I have occasionally given individual lessons to beginners, and have also posted a handful of video tutorials of specific songs which have all gotten great responses from viewers. Those comments and their appreciation for my teaching style prompted me to create this video tailored to the very beginning guitar player. My goal was to create a concise, yet comprehensive, and easy-to-follow first lesson for the person who may have no experience at all with a guitar or music, and I am pleased with how it came out. The guitar has brought me much joy over the years and I am rewarded by helping others who want to learn. Please share with anyone you know who may want to learn! Peace, love and music!
What an electric experience!! If you missed the broadcast, I’ve got two versions of my run shared below. One is the version edited for broadcast, and the other is a Behind-The-Scenes style angle filmed vertically on a phone behind the camera line. On that one I have added my own commentary to talk a little about what was going on in my mind while I was running the course.
“Size matters not. Judge me by my size do you? Hmm? And where you should not. For my ally is the force, and a powerful ally it is.” Yoda
I was always the smallest kid in my classes at school. I recall a memory of being in a gym class maybe in 6th grade, in a line of kids taking turns to shoot free throws. As I stepped up to the line, the teacher, noticing my small size, motioned for me to take a step or two in front of the foul line.
I’m sure I looked confused for a moment until I figured out she was trying to give me some extra help. She didn’t think I could do it. Or maybe she just wanted to help me because she felt bad about my “disadvantage”.
Either way, she was underestimating me and my abilities, and I was a bit insulted at the offer. I didn’t want an easier shot or special treatment. I wanted to do the shot by the same standards as everybody else, even if I missed. “Judge me by size, do you?” I could’ve written that line.
Sometime we are underestimated by others, and sometimes we even underestimate ourselves. In both cases it seems we have a simple choice of how we respond to it: You can choose to believe it, or you can use it as motivation for your success.
You already know which one is the right choice.
Wise, you are.
Have I told you lately I’m gonna be on TV tonight? Catch me on an all new Ninja Warrior tonight (July 7th) at 8pm eastern, 7pm central and next day streaming on Peacock TV
Y’all, I wish I could give you a sense of what it’s like to step up onto that platform. The energy is like nothing else I’ve ever experienced. There are no practice runs. You only get one shot at it. You don’t know how any obstacle is going to feel or respond until you actually engage with it and put your weight on it. The cameras are focused on you. The lights, the crowd, the countdown… the nerves and adrenaline are off the scale! A fellow ninja once told me of her first experience, “I thought I was going to throw up.”
I was 44 when I first saw American Ninja Warrior come across my radar. I randomly stumbled upon a commercial for season 4, and I was stopped dead in my tracks. I stood there with my mouth open thinking, “Where has this been all my life, and how do I sign up??” I knew right then I had to find that course and beg for an opportunity to run it. I went straight to the computer and searched to find out anything I could. I learned they were casting for season 5. I figured it was a long shot, but I submitted my application and then forgot all about it. A few months went by and the phone rang with my first callback and introduction into the world of ninja.
It all came at a time in my life when I was in somewhat of a mid-life crisis. I was still in pretty good shape for my age, but I found myself looking back on my youth with a great deal of regret for never having gotten involved in a high school or college-level sport. Small as I was, I had always been athletic, doing swim team, playing church-league basketball and softball, and intramural flag football in college. But I never had a sport to truly call my own, and I had never tried competing on any kind of real stage. Now I was aging out. I felt as though I had missed, and even squandered, the opportunities available to me in my youth. That was hard to swallow. And people just don’t get involved in high-level sports in their mid-40’s. That’s when those athletes retire.
But I felt like I still had something left, and something to prove. And I sure didn’t want to live with the regret of not trying. I knew my skill-set. I grew up playing in the woods, climbing trees, swinging on vines, and hopping across logs and rocks in the creeks. So anything that involved agility, balance, climbing, or swinging… well, that was right up my alley. And there, my small size is a great asset. I had finally found my sport. Better late than never. And I love that it’s a solo sport, because it’s all on me. If it goes south, I’ve got no one to blame but myself.
Sometimes I wonder, if I had never sent in that application, what I’d be doing now, and how my life would be different. I don’t know, but I’m certain I’d spend a lot of time in regret for not having tried. As they say, you miss 100 percent of the shots you don’t take.
I feel like I got a second chance at my youth. I’m eternally grateful for that and feel so lucky. It’s like a winning lottery ticket, but instead of something worldly, like money, you get something priceless, like time. A second chance. A do-over. Imagine that feeling. That’s what it’s like. And that explains the look on my face.
I’d be honored if you’d watch THIS Monday night, July 7th, on NBC at 8pm eastern, 7pm central (or the next day on PeacockTV).
One day back in 2018 I was walking in downtown Greenville when a man passing by recognized me and asked if I was Bootie. Of course I said I was, and he introduced himself as Clark. We chatted for a minute, I happily obliged his request for a photo together, and then we went our separate ways. It was just a random encounter, and I had no reason to give it any other thought. I certainly had no reason to think I would one day sing at his funeral.
At some point after our meeting on the street, Clark happened to add the photo of us into his online dating profile. And through that dating site, he happened to reach out to a longtime friend of mine, Nancy. Nancy saw the photo of Clark and me together, figured he must be okay, and a common connection was made! After some time dating, Nancy and Clark got married. This was a second marriage for each of them, and it was the happiest time of their lives. I got to reconnect with Clark a handful of times, all too short.
Two weeks ago we were all shocked to learn Clark had died in a tragic accident at home.
Nancy asked if I would sing at the funeral. They both enjoyed the old hymns. I’ve been away from these old tunes and enjoyed reacquainting myself with them. The first is “Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing”, and also a short instrumental medley of “How Great Thou Art” and “He Leadeth Me.”
My heart breaks for Nancy and everyone connected to Clark. These kinds of moments are awful, painful reminders of how precious Life is for all of us, and each new day. Peace and Love.
From Clark’s obituary: “Clark was a certified public accountant with a career spanning over 45 years. He was a senior tax accountant at Price Waterhouse, a partner with KPMG, and the CFO of TriVergent Corporation. He was the CFO and a partner of First Sun Management Corporation since 2002. His work at First Sun provided joy and fulfillment in his daily life, as well as the friendships and bonds he developed there.
He had a deep connection to nature and raised livestock, including Tunis sheep, on the family farm in Gray Court. Later, he loved spending time outdoors with his wife Nancy hiking, biking, and traveling across North America, Europe, and the Middle East. An avid fan of the TV show “Top Chef,” he relished seeking out new culinary experiences on their travels.”
This one was fun. Listen with your good earbuds or headphones on sometime to get the full mix. You’ll miss a lot on a phone or built-in speakers.
I was around 20 years old when I watched Pink Floyd’s “The Wall” for the first time. I was fully-engrossed. There’s a lot of great stuff on that album and in that movie, and this song has remained one of my favorites. Enjoy!
Bootie Cothran 