It was while living a year in Vermont that the early melodies for Lovely Jane and Why Are You Free came out of my imagination and into existence, while playing guitar alone in Wild Harry’s living room one night. I was then twenty-two, and another year had passed since my close pal and old Somers neighbor Bud Santori had tragically died while driving home in his ancient Volkswagen bus from a gig. In the past while we were boys, it was Bud who taught me to play the guitar. This was followed by my joining his newly formed rock band. I was so very much impressed and influenced by Bud’s knowledge and passion for music, and in return he thought of me as his rhythm guitar player of choice. Without question he was my guide to Rock & Roll and being in a band. But with that said, turning back to my mid-twenties, I had soon become more inspired by acoustic singer songwriters and the mature realism of folk music. Ten years from that first creative experience in Vermont still writing songs, I began instead to study Environmental Law. It was then, having returned home to Somers after the arduous yearlong academic work at the Vermont Law School that I obtained permission and support from the Somers Historical Society to submit for designation the Mount Zion Church and Burial Ground, for State and National Register of Historic Places. Within a year of this lengthy process, I began to examine the even larger relationship beyond the church to the surrounding historic homesteads of the Mount Zion neighborhood nearby my home. Who would believe that all of that painstaking research could someday lead me to writing George Turner’s Ghost (GTG). And yes, there was something strange and ghostly in the air, but still so wonderful, living in the midst of that historic neighborhood. This would become a deep emotional part of my life, connecting consciously and subconsciously to the past and present cultural landscape within which stood prominently on a ridge an old mystical neighborhood church and burial ground. I also became amazed at my writer’s zone of imagination during this period. For instance, the Tales of Stephentown within the GTG Book came to me quickly in almost semi-conscious dream state.
The next fiction writing project came two years later when I became part of the Schoolhouse Theater’s Playwright Workshop in nearby Croton Falls. Here I created The Rolling Brothers (band story), a comedy with my original Country Rock Music... later produced briefly in New York and Connecticut in special, one of kind venues. I also thought it would make a unique short animation film or radio theater project. At the Playwright Workshop I acted in other plays, as being The Singing Cowboy for Doug Michael’s wonderful award-winning play The Geldings, where I wrote, arranged and sang to four of Doug’s play lyrics.
Next, I followed with my writing of Actor Master Showmen (AMS) for another possible book publication. There I used my accumulated Somers early Circus knowledge obtained during ten years with the Historical Society. In addition to my writing and research over the next few years, I worked at the John Jay Homestead of Bedford, New York interested mostly in Judge William Jay’s life. During this time, I would compose three banjo songs for the AMS story. From an even more dramatic perspective, I decided to live for a year outside Charleston, South Carolina near the Ashley River to absorb the beauty, grandeur and history of the eternal city and historic river corridor for this 1825-27 historic fiction period piece to come.
More recently I have become a screenwriter, as in 'Dancing with Spies', which includes a generous amount of Tango, Ballroom and Blues dancing as part of the story. Luckily, for the prior seven years I had participated in many social dance forms and events along with developing an interest in their origins. Then, I happened to take dance lessons from a fascinatingly beautiful, playful and even funny Russian dance champion! Suddenly inspired; my Olga character came to life in my 'Dancing with Spies' writing, as did all the dancers with their passion and elegance. But as important, I invented a contemporary love story and twist, occurring in exotic and romantic Havana using an international espionage theme for the larger context. I even visited Havana, Cuba, driven as a curious American artist writer. Later, I decided to put my 'Dancing with Spies' stage play and screenplay into a potential book manuscript. After this I decided to adapt the Actor Master Showmen novel manuscript as well, to create the 'Actor Master Showman' screenplay. Next, both screenplays were submitted to film festivals with screenwriting contests where they continue to perform well in winning many competitions.
Interestingly, during COVID and continuing into 2023, I was influenced by modern dance, and completed a musical play adaptation 'David the Anointed' accompanied by my own music & lyrics. And still re-writing 'DAVID' which is a grand experience.