I’ve had this song on my mind all day. “The Man Who Couldn’t Cry” written by Louden Wainwright III in 1973—the year I was born—and later recorded by Johnny Cash in 1994.
So I listened to it a few times this morning. Then, while I was making dinner tonight, I put on my headphones and had it on repeat for about an hour nonstop.
After dinner, I went into the studio… aka the Bathroom. 🚻😛 I tried it for the first time, and this is the result.
Some of the coolest and most powerful dreams I’ve had over the years involve lions. They show up often, but what’s different is they’re never against me—they’re with me, for me, protecting and helping me.
Most of my other animal dreams are the complete opposite. I’m usually running for my life from polar bears, tigers, or something else trying to eat me. But not the lions. They’re my brothers.
Here’s the dream I had last night…
I was in a wilderness-type place, deep in a jungle. I was riding in an old Roman chariot, and we were moving incredibly fast. I say we because I wasn’t alone.
The chariot was being pulled by a magnificent beast—a lion. A male, in his prime. Massive, powerful, and absolutely fearless.
I held the reins and gave them a snap. He glanced back at me for just a moment, then surged forward. I was in charge of him.
I wasn’t sure where we were headed, but he seemed to know. He moved with purpose, as though he was on a mission.
The ground ahead was flat at first, but in the distance stood a great mountain with a road leading to its summit. We charged toward it and began climbing with incredible speed and power.
About halfway up, the lion sensed something.
His pace slowed. Then he stopped.
He turned and looked back at me. There was something in his eyes. He seemed concerned… uncertain… even worried. Not for himself, but for me.
It was as if he was trying to protect me… as if I wasn’t ready for whatever lay ahead.
Mike Ness has lived a life most people wouldn’t have survived. He was kicked out of his parents’ house at just 15, and that’s when he started learning guitar. Not long after, the band’s original drummer, Casey Royer, handed him a distortion pedal, and that simple moment inspired the name.
At 16, Mike put together the first lineup of the band. By 17, he had dropped out of high school as Social Distortion started gaining speed in Orange County’s growing punk scene.
But success didn’t come easy. The early years were filled with chaos, drugs, jail, and rehab. By 1984, Mike was the only original member still standing. Everyone else had either quit or been kicked out. In the late ’80s, his heroin addiction nearly took his life.
Somehow, he kept holding on. He never let go of the dream, the band, or the music. He fought his way back when it would have been easier to quit. Decades later, Mike Ness and Social Distortion are still going strong. To me, that’s what makes their music hit a little differently. It’s not just songs—it’s the story of a guy who refused to give up.
Here are two great songs from 2oO4 “Footprints on My Ceiling” and “Nickels and Dimes.”
I also included an early years interview and a short behind-the-scenes video with Mike. I think it’s really cool to see him back then as a rebellious young guy trying to figure life out, and compare that to who he is today—a seasoned veteran who has lived through it all. It’s pretty amazing to see the journey.
One quick note “Footprints on My Ceiling” has the F-word in it. I’m not a fan of bad language in music, but it’s such a great song—and one of my favorites—that I look past it. 😄
There was a season where I was writing about my dreams fairly regularly, but it’s been a fat minute since I’ve shared one. I’ve continued to have them—I just haven’t been writing them.
All my life my dreams have been constant, vivid, and unforgettable. Here’s one from a few weeks ago.
I was lying on a cold, hard floor, staring up at a tall ceiling lined with rows of fluorescent lights. It felt like a large commercial building. I could feel the cold pressing against my back and running all the way down my legs.
I kept thinking, Where am I?
I tried to move. I tried to lift my head, but it took everything I had. After several attempts, I finally managed to raise it just enough to look around.
I was in a large grocery store.
I could see the produce section. Women were shopping as though everything was perfectly normal. Then I ran out of strength and laid my head back down.
I remember thinking, How in the world did I end up here?
About that time, a very pretty woman in her 40s, with long brown hair and kind green eyes, knelt beside me, holding the gentlest smile, and asked, “What are you doing on the floor?”
I didn’t have an answer.
I just froze.
For what felt like about ten seconds, I just got deep into my thoughts as I looked at her, searching for words. Finally I said, “I don’t know… I’m not normally like this.”
She looked at me with such kindness, and in the softest, most sincere tone she said,
“Get up. I’ll help you.”
She reached out her hand, and I took it.
She helped me to my feet, handed me a shopping cart, and together we walked the aisles while she helped me find the things I needed.
In the early 90s, there was a small little place on the north side of Atlanta called Triclops Sound Studios. Most of us locals had no idea what was happening there until years later.
From December of 1992 through March of 1993, Billy Corgan and The Smashing Pumpkins were there recording what would become the Siamese Dream record.
March of 1993 was also when the great blizzard hit the eastern United States. The band ended up snowed in at the studio for days as Atlanta pretty much shut down.
I drove by that studio many times and never had a clue what was happening inside. Honestly, I didn’t even know the place existed.
Courtney Love and Hole also recorded their Live Through This record there, and during that same time, Kurt Cobain was doing secret sessions at the studio. Other bands like Kansas and Matchbox 20 also made records at Triclops.
Today, the building is just an office space and a memory, but the music that was created there still lives on.
Here are two songs from the Siamese Dream record… “Today” and “Mayonaise.”
These are just practice recordings. This is the first time I’ve played “Today” since around 1998 or 1999 and “Mayonaise” is a special song to me. It’s beautiful and one of my all-time favorites.
From 2oO0 to 2oO6, when I was with “The Pond,” I performed it often. But I haven’t played either of these songs in years. So I was just having fun with them, revisiting some old favorites, and experimenting.
Here’s two raw ones from a while back before I started using my current audio editing apps. I did try to clean them up some, though. The second is much better quality than the first.
Thanks for listening. Hope yall have a blessed Sunday.
…
…
With Arms Outstretched Abide
…
…
The Man-Made Forest, Bohol Phillipines 2o19
Colossians 2:8-10 KJV ⁸ Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ. ⁹ For in Him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily. ¹⁰ And ye are complete in Him, which is the head of all principality and power.
🎧 Two Old Cats Like Us • When Something is Good Why Does it Change
So I’ve written several times about how I started playing guitar in 1988, but officially, it started a little bit before that. It was around ’83, probably. I was like 9 years old.
My friend DJ had a drum set and an electric guitar, and that summer we thought we were rockstars. He brought the beats, and I came up with the riffs and lyrics. We wrote our own songs back then. 😄
Those days are long gone. DJ is a pilot today for Delta Airlines, and me? I’m flying high too. 🎸 🥁 🛬
Here’s a great duet with Ray Charles and Hank from around that same time and When Something Is Good, Why Does It Change?
Hope yall have a great weekend, and thanks for listening.
I woke up around 4:30 AM this morning and laid there for a little bit. Lately I’ve been having a lot of creative thoughts shortly after waking up as I lie still in the dark and think… think… think.
Then the 1955 Chuck Berry song Maybellene came to mind just randomly. Haha… how strange, right? Social D does a great rendition of it. The other one is another well-written Mike Ness original, I Wasn’t Born to Follow.
Also, I’m really thinking back on my life today… if only.
Heart of Loia `'.,°~ 