Magic

Dianne · Posted: Sun Nov 18, 2007 8:37 pm Post subject: Inspiration and 'dark side'

Hi Tim,

I am very passionate about my work and think about it 24/7, even dream about it and find it difficult to switch off. This can be a good thing but can also be stressful and you can get down when you are home alone and you do not interact with your audience (in my case, children)...

So here is my question;

Where do you get your inspiration? Is it a 24/7 happening, and do you see or hear things and make mental notes all the time, or actually write them down as they occur? Or do you actually sit down and decide to 'write' material for the next few hours and then switch off? Is it different when you are on tour when your family is not with you and after the theatre lights turn off and the applause dies down, can you switch off?

It is well known that many comedians have very 'dark sides' (no pun intended), and often suffer from (manic) depression. Garry McDonald (Norman Gunston), Chonda Pierce (who wrote an excellent book about it, 'Laughing in the Dark.' ), Ruby Wax, Stephen Fry, Jim Carrey and probably many more...

Break a leg when you are in L.A...

D.
_________________
~It is in your moments of decision that your destiny is shaped~

Zahs · Posted: Mon Nov 19, 2007 2:39 am Post subject:

Yeah, I would love to know how Tim goes about writing his material too.

(hopefully this isn't off-topic, it's sort of the same question, just more specific) I would also like to know if he writes lyrics and then puts them to music or vice versa or at the same time. And how does he decide on the style of music for particular lyrics?

**happyboy** · Wine Princess Joined: 27 Aug 2007 Posts: 25

i'm certainly not "on" 24/7. i do write ideas down, but i only am inspired to do so once every week or so. when i'm actually aiming for something (a new show or a writing job or a radio thing), i have more ideas, cos i've got the relevant filter on.
i am extremely motivated by deadlines. as we all are i think.
this question is sort of hard to answer without writing an essay on it.
let me jump around a bit:

- i don't have any problems with depression. i get grumpy and stressed at times, but not to a problematic level. i work very hard to keep my brain feeling ok. i try to sleep and exercise and eat and have good relationships with people. i know, boring huh.
- i work a lot, but am not massively prolific. and i am not always inspired to write comedy. recently, i've been having a lot more ideas for non-comic songs than comic ones.
- re lyrics v music: i tend to start with a lyrical idea, find music to enhance that idea, then fill in lyrics after. i very rarely start with a musical idea, but once the first lyric (usually the hook - although i might find a hookier hook later) is written, the music takes over for some time before i go back to fleshing out the lyrics.
in some cases, ('if you open your mind too much' for example) the lyrics are all that matters, and they are written in their entirety away from the piano.
- a lot of the comedy in my songs comes from the music-lyric juxtaposition. the decision on whether to support the mood of the lyrics with the music (eg the various bits of dark side) or to contrast them (pigs / canvas) is probably the most important one i make. i don't really know what contributes to that decision - it's sometimes an instinct, sometimes a more thought out choice.

i don't know.
t