"It Might Get Loud" and Musical Inspiration

I had a music project session scheduled this past Saturday involving a new singer and a new guitarist, but obviously that didn't happen because travel wasn't much of an option. I practiced on bass and guitar today (I usually do one or the other), but it's just not as much fun as playing with other people. Sigh...

I've recently written a parody song about General Grievous from the Star Wars prequels, a verse and chorus of an original song about Jean Grey (from the X-Men), and a chorus for another Star Wars parody song (Episode IV that time). I wasn't really working on this stuff; it just started coming when my wife suggested the basic idea of the General Grievous song and I couldn't resist finishing it. If enough of this keeps coming, I may have to dip a toe into the world of filk music and see if it's enough fun to keep up. I'd love to do some Lovecraftian parody at some point if I can come up with the right idea.

I watched a documentary called "It Might Get Loud" this past week, which was about the famous guitarists Jimmy Page (Led Zeppelin), the Edge (U2), and Jack White (White Stripes and other projects). I'm not a hardcore guitar guy per se, but felt very inspired afterward. I'm not a particular fan of any of the three, but the Edge unexpectedly impressed me. It wasn't his playing; it was his approach to music. He seemed genuinely interested in what the other two were playing (far more so than the others, though they were all reasonably appreciative of each others' skills), and humble about his musical limits. Jimmy Page is one of the most fluid players I've ever seen; it's as though he's barely trying, and everything sounds great. Jack White had a studious approach to playing that I quite liked at the same time that his stage performances completely abandoned that studiousness in favor of raw feeling. It was a strange contrast seeing both in the same man. Recommended if you have any interest in music and the people who make it.