Melody on My Mind
I love having a melody on my mind! I love shaping it into a song. I've had music playing in my head almost since I can remember, and it continues today. Here's a song I wrote some years ago that explains my feelings in more depth:
God's Cake
I sometimes think about episodes in my life that I might have skipped or done differently if I'd had the chance. But maybe I had to experience these events to get where I am now.
And I'm happy right now.
Here's a story that a friend shared with me. It explains my feelings in a cute way.
A daughter is telling her mother about everything that's going wrong in her life. She's failing algebra; her boyfriend broke up with her; her best friend is moving away.
Meanwhile the mother is baking a cake. She asks her daughter, would you like a taste? The daughter replies, Yes, I love your cakes!
Her mother offers her some cooking oil. "Yuck!" says the daughter.
"How about a couple of raw eggs?"
"Gross, Mom!"
"How about some flour or baking soda?"
"No, those are all yucky!"
The mother replies, "Of course! Those things all seem bad by themselves, but together they make a delicious cake."
God works the same way. Sometimes we wonder why She would put us through such difficult times. But God knows when He puts things all in the right order they all work for good. We just have to trust God and know that eventually all of these experiences will combine to make something wonderful.
Easy Does It
There's an old concrete sidewalk paver that sits by the door leading to the storage units in our apartment building. For years I had been trying to position it with a swift, hard kick to get the door to stay open. It usually took a few tries to get it to hold in place (and maybe a couple of words that I wasn't allowed to say when I was a teacher.)
The other day, though, my wife and I were going to get our bikes. She opened the door, slid the paver over and gently tapped it into place with her foot. No problem.
I gave this technique a try the next day, and tah dah, worked like a charm! I've adopted this method now. Much less fuss and effort.
This little example made me think about life. Sometimes we try too hard. We fail to convince a friend of our opinion because we're too forceful. Or we can't win someone's heart because we overdo it with our attentions. Or while assembling a thing-a-muh-jig, we force two pieces together and break one of them. I've even found that when biking into the wind. easing up on pedaling gives me basically the same results as pushing real hard.
Seems that we are often so afraid of failure that we sabotage our own efforts by overdoing it.
So as you go through your day, propping doors open with a wedge, making a case for vegetarianism, flirting with a lekker ding (I'll let the anglophones figure that one out :-D), or assembling a toy for your child, remember. . .
Easy does it.
Learn Stuff and Then Forget It
The GEMMS were playing at the coolest kroeg (bar/cafe) in the Eastern Hemisphere las week when I had a nice conversation with a young woman about playing music.
She had taken piano lessons as a girl and had learned theory, reading music, etc. She disliked it and eventually quit.
Years later she started taking lessons again. This teacher was different and focused on feeling the music. This was difficult for her because her previous piano experience had been very rigid and formal. She had to unlearn her understanding of piano. It took her about a year to begin to play by feel.
I recognized this dynamic from growing up. I did well in school and had a pretty good knowledge of science, etc. My best friend, Mike, was not as accomplished a student, but he was very creative. He attempted things that I would not have because I allowed my book learning to limit me. My favorite example of this was when sometime in middle school he created an octophonic hi-fi from speakers he’d scavenged from an old stereo system someone had dumped in the woods. I would never have tried such a thing for fear of electrocution.
I play music with a bunch of young men (The Bakkers Band) who have various cognitive challenges. (Most of them can’t read.) It’s so much fun! They play completely by feel. I’m often surprised at how they know the exact right place to sing or play a melody. I’m able to give them structure because I know the mechanics of music. We write songs together. I give them a chord progression and they feel their way from there.
I think this last example is the best guide for life. We need to know things. But knowledge should be used as a launching pad for fun and creativity, not a limiter.
Picasso took this idea to the genius level. He said, ‘It took me four years to paint like Raphael, but a lifetime to paint like a child.’
Picasso is who he is because he could do both.
Dutch Treat
Americans talk somewhat disparagingly about “going Dutch” or a “Dutch treat.” I’ve known these terms ever since childhood.
So when I got to the Netherlands I was somewhat amused/surprised when I found out that Dutch people really do “go Dutch”. We even have an app called Tikkie (kinda like Venmo) that makes it easier to split up dinner bills, etc.
To be fair, Dutch people also buy their friends lunch, dinner, etc., on occasion just like Americans do.
But to many Americans the idea of a Dutch treat seems like an oxymoron. Where’s the “treat”?
In our eyes, when friends get together and share ideas, feelings, and laughs over a cup of coffee, a few drinks, or a meal, that’s a real treat!
Cool!
I recently ordered a used book from a Dutch online bookstore called Boek Balie. They gave me the option of having it sent to me in a reusable package. I can return the package to a drop-off point nearby in the neighborhood and get my four Euros deposit back. If you've ever seen how much effort goes into recycling, you'll probably agree with me that we need to switch more to reusable packaging. I hope Amazon, Bol.com, Zalando, Alibaba, eBay, Marktplaats, Temu, Shein, etc. pick up on this idea. One thought: maybe they should charge more for the standard
throw-away packing.
Breakfast
Breakfast
Breakfast
There's a lot to be said for quietly sitting, drinking coffee, and eating breakfast with your wife and your cat.
This Land. . .
Rince was walking through Arnhem with a friend the other day when she saw this written on a wall. It translates to “I don’t need a yard; I share a park.”
This struck a chord with me because it reflects precisely my experience since I moved to the Netherlands.
In the U.S. I lived in three “apart” houses (as we call them here). All three had beautiful yards. I loved them and spent countless hours working outside and enjoying our gardens.
One of my biggest concerns when I decided to move to an apartment here in Rotterdam was that I would miss my gardens and yards.
But that didn’t turn out to be the case, in large part, I think, because the Dutch are much more communal in their concept of property.
In the States it seems as though everything has to be owned by someone. And when it’s not, as in the case of public spaces, in a way, it’s not owned by anyone. So you have this situation where many people own houses and yards. Some people own large swaths of woods, even beaches or river banks. Everybody has his own little kingdom. That’s nice in a way. But it can also feel isolating, everybody is her own little world.
This leads to situations like when I lived about a third of a mile from the James River when I lived in Richmond, but I had to drive or ride about three miles before I could get to the river. The river bank in my neighborhood was all privately owned.
In the case of public spaces in the States, parks and sidewalks in particular, people can use them, but they are very limited as to what they can do there.
In the Netherlands, there’s much more shared space in comparison with private space. All beaches, for instance, are public. Communities and cities have more parks and playgrounds per square kilometer. There are many more hiking and biking paths throughout the country. They pass through public and private lands. This attitude partly comes of necessity. We’re a small country. There’s not a lot of space to go around. Maybe some of this comes from the Dutch “polder model” of society. The Dutch have been fighting the water for centuries. There’s the idea that we’re all in this together. (And because of this everybody needs to be relatively satisfied with the situation. If not, the dissatisfied person won’t be motivated to work hard, and everyone needs to maintain the dike or it will break--sort of a chain is only as strong as its weakest link idea.)
So in the Netherlands people are encouraged to use public spaces and even put a personal touch on them. The sidewalks and quays here feature lots of benches, patio furniture, and flower pots set out by people to make them more homey. One step further, people are actually encouraged to dig up sidewalk pavers next to apartment buildings in order to plant gardens.
Soon after I moved to Noordereiland (Northern Island) here in Rotterdam I came to a realization. I don’t own this island, but it’s MY island too.
I moved almost 4,000 miles to finally realize what I’d sung so many times:
“This land is your land,
This land is my land.”
Design
One doesn’t usually think about design unless it’s bad. Take those doors on buildings with beautiful handles for instance. You go to pull on the handle and it turns out it is a “push” door. Good design is intuitive or even a bit coercive. It’s easy. It gets you to do what you’re supposed to do without thinking about it.
That said, here are a couple of examples of what I consider to be good design.
I recently bought a hand vacuum (literally a “crumb thief” in Dutch :-D ). It’s so easy to use! I push a button and can adjust the nozzle(?). I flip a little plastic switch and empty out the dust or crumbs. And the attachments are already attached! No worries about where to store them conveniently or whether you will lose them. Easy peazy. No reading directions–okay I did have to look in the book to see how to take the nozzle assembly off for washing, but I don’t do that very often.
Another great design: the Fender Stratocaster: double cutaway so that it looks cool and is easy to play high on the neck. Neck bolts on so it’s easy to remove and/or replace. You can set it on the floor and it won’t be knocked out of tune: the tuners don’t touch the surface the guitar is laid on. The input jack is angled so that the cable won’t pull out if you step on it while performing. And my favorite feature: the volume knob is situated right by the place where you strum so that you can very easily adjust your loudness with your pinky while playing.
I writing this on a Mac, and, of course, Steve Jobs was the master of intuitive design.
Good People
yDespite what we read in the media, there are lots of good people in their own small way quietly going about their business of making the world a better place. When you start looking for them, you might be surprised at how many of them you find. Look in the mirror too. You're surel one of them!
A couple of shout outs in this regard: The people at Cultuurwerkplaats Tarwewijk (where the GEMMS played last Sunday). They've created a very pleasant, attractive gathering place for the neighborhood. Inge Schippers arranged the concert series in which we participated. She's been doing this sort of thing for years, creating opportunities for locat musicians to perform. Gilbert van Drunen is another do-gooder. His cafe, Koffie en Ambacht in Charlois, is just about the coolest place on Earth. Not only is is cool, but the coffee and the other drinks are fantastic. On Wednesdays he serves an delicious, affordable dinner. K en A is also a "gezellig" third place where neighbors can gather, chat, shoot the bull, exchange ideas and listen to great music--Gilbert is an alternative roots music maven. He's spinning the tunes every Friday and Saturday, and often hosts live music special events, giving local musicians (as well as world-renowned ones) a super cool podium with great sound. The GEMMS are thankful to be able to play at the hippest, happenist spot in town this Sunday, 20 September from 16:00-18:00 .
17 September 2026
Ironic?
I've recently been playing a friend's Fender Mustang IV modeling amp. Cool amp! What I find ironic, though, is that my favorite modeled amp is called "Basic 60's Thrift." In other words, all that money and technology went toward recreating the sound of a low-tech, cheap amp :-D .
15 September 2026
Playing with Your Friends
Musicians worry too much about being good. I think the focus should be more on fun. If the musicians are having fun, the listeners will too. And what better way to have fun than to play music with your friends?!
Cultuurwerkplaats Tarwewijk
Cultuurwerkplaats Tarwewijk (1 Cillerhoekstraat 1, Rotterdam) is a very cool place with a beautiful garden, a woodworking shop, and meeting rooms. They sponsor computer, sewing, drawing workshops, festivals, and more. I'm super happy that The GEMMS get to play there Sunday from 14:00 - 16:00 . Hope to see you there!
Let Gravity Pull You Uphill
What Happens When You Sing Every Day
I was recently walking in San Francisco. Boy, those hills are steep! But I let gravity pull me uphill. (When walking or running, using the correct lean, gravity helps to pull you along.) Sailors also use the forces of nature counterintuitively. As a result, they can sail INTO the wind.
Now don't get me wrong, I had to do some work walking up Nob Hill, but it was much easier because I leaned into the hill. (The lean starts at your ankles, not your waist.)
This made me think about life. The going is much easier when we "lean" into it. Let the power of Life help pull you along.
5 September 2026
What Happens When You Sing Every Day
What Happens When You Sing Every Day
Everything I Know
As one who has been an adult (legally at least) for some time now, I find myself wanting to give advice to those who are just beginning their journey into adulthood (especially musicians). This reminds me of what my father used to tel me: I taught you everything I know, and you still don't know nuthin!"
2 September 2026
My First Time Singing on a Ship
The Guys are at Maritiem Museum Rotterdam.
13h · Rotterdam · Zondag 6 september: MARITIEM MUSEUM15:15 - 16:00 en 16:15 - 17:00Kom aan boord van de Zeemeeuw en geniet van The Guys, een Rotterdamse band rondom de van oorsprong Amerikaanse singer-songwriter Guy Gorman. Hun sound is folky, bluesy en rocky, met een breed repertoire vol eigen werk en bekende nummers. Van Johnny Cash tot David Bowie en van The Waterboys tot Bob Marley.
https://maritiemmuseum.nl/activiteiten/wereldhavendagen
The Guys are at the Maritime Museum Rotterdam.
1:00 PM · Rotterdam · Sunday, September 6: MARITIME MUSEUM 3:15 PM – 4:00 PM and 4:15 PM – 5:00 PM Come aboard the Zeemeeuw and enjoy The Guys, a Rotterdam-based band led by the American-born singer-songwriter Guy Gorman. Their sound is folky, bluesy, and rock-inspired, with a wide-ranging repertoire full of original songs and well-known hits—from Johnny Cash to David Bowie and from The Waterboys to Bob Marley.
https://maritiemmuseum.nl/activiteiten/wereldhavendagen