PARKED OUTSIDE
Q What first inspired the idea of exploring the subconscious mind in “Whispers of 1000 Dreams Ago”?
I think it has a lot to do with experiences I have had in my life as well as the influence of my actual profession. I have been a massage therapist in Hollywood for close to 40 years. I work with people in a unique way in that they are usually in a deep state of relaxation which I help them facilitate. Being in that environment full time makes the dimensional boundaries of consciousness more permeable. Having said that this door opened for me when I was young and had been in a car accident. There were no references for me at the time in terms of understanding NDEs (near death experiences) but I quite literally had a consciousness altering event when that occurred so with those combined experiences it seemed like ripe territory for me to write about.
Q The lyrics create a very dreamlike atmosphere. How did you approach writing words that feel both mysterious and emotional at the same time?
I don’t plan anything, the words just make their way into my head and I transcribe them. I have always done this. Just free form channeling with very little in the way of me trying to control the flow or get in the way of it. I play the harp as a solo artist outside of my involvement with “Parked Outside” and compose music the same way. I am so right brained I am probably handicapped in some way but I have figured out how this is just how I exist so I just let it happen.
Q Many images in the song involve light, color, and daybreak. What role do these visual elements play in the meaning of the lyrics?
In spite of a lot of gloomy evidence of mankind’s shortcomings I remain still somewhat of an optimist. Light, color and daybreak all empathize a willingness to see hope shining through this present darkness. Even the lines at the end of the song about “fire” are meant to see fire as a cleaning and rebirth stripping away old and broken notions of existence that no longer work and giving way to a rebirth of evolved consciousness in general. There’s a great line from the movie “The Pope of Greenwich Village” which goes “if you don’t have dreams you have nightmares.” I always liked that line because it shows the choice for hope remains a worthwhile objective.
Q The song presents isolation as something peaceful rather than negative. Was that perspective intentional when writing the lyrics?
Yes, the vulnerability required to be able to cast off the parameters that we are stuck in often require the concentration off isolation to avoid the multitude of distractions that imprison us.
Q When you wrote the song, were you thinking about a specific personal experience or more about universal feelings that anyone can relate to?
I did have an experience I alluded to earlier which changed everything for me. I was driving home one night in Texas and a large truck came barreling at me in a two lane blacktop in the middle of nowhere. My car spun into a ditch where I spent a few hours sideways, stuck and unconscious. I left my body, went to a beautiful place and had to come back. This was a long time ago and I have since read many other people who have had similar experiences. That was my beginning reference point for this. Trying to use that experience as an index of possibilities others might relate to became the impetus for the song.
Q The title suggests memories from very distant dreams. What does the phrase “1000 dreams ago” represent to you?
I have a very vidid recollection of my dreams so much so that I can remember in detail dreams I had 40 years ago. I think dreams can teach us a lot about ourselves and out journey in this life. We use so little of our subconscious mind in navigating this life that to be open to the notion that we have a vast amount of experiences from the untapped resource of our dream life seems lie and interesting thing to explore. Jung certainly understood this as his autobiography “Memories, Dreams and Reflections” so accurately describes.
Q Dreams seem to play an important role in the message of the song. Do your own dreams influence your songwriting process?
Oh yeah 100%. I often wake up in the middle of the night and scribble down a dream or a lyric or a song melody that appeared in my dream that I did not want to forget. It happens all the time for me. When I wake up whatever I scribbled down or spoke into a voice memo takes me right back to the place was in the dream that inspired me. I often speak to people who never even remember their dreams and I always feel so sad of them. Our dreams are a rich and fertile place for us to have a better understanding of our place in this universe and of our relationship to others and ourselves.
Q There is a strong theme of inner discovery throughout the song. Do you see music as a way to explore deeper parts of the mind?
Yes absolutely. I will give you an example, as a massage therapist who has done tens of thousands of healing sessions I utilize music as an adjunct healing modality. I create elaborate playlists from a huge library of healing music I have collected over the years and not client has ever heard the same playlist twice. Music evokes emotion, it evokes reflection, celebration and even helps us deal with sorrow and loss. Music is just the coolest human thing, it’s a language that can transcend boundaries and often bring people a shared catharsis. Music is a great gift to be celebrated and to inspire a deeper understanding of ourselves and others.
Q The imagery of windows that breathe through the mind is very striking. How did that metaphor come to you?
I am so glad you caught that line. I really like it. It is like describing a portal through which we free ourselves and any avenue to freedom means there is hope that there is a freedom and a hope that we can transport ourselves to from whatever binds us both literally and figuratively. Again, it was a channeled lyric that just showed up in my head. Often this happens and I have no idea why and often the meaning isn’t obvious until I roll it over in my head a few times. This one just rang clears as a bell upon inception.
Q At certain moments the song feels calm and reflective, while other parts feel intense and powerful. Did you plan this emotional shift while writing the lyrics?
Yes, a quiet and reflective moment often gives way to an explosion when critical mass gives way to a burst of new realities and unknown pleasure that manifest upon that release.
Q When writing lyrics like these, do you start with a concept or do the images and ideas appear naturally as you write?
It’s all channeled. I just step aside from whatever source within me is attempting to communicate and I let it flow and almost 100% of the time I do not change a single word.
Q Your influences include bands like Joy Division and The Doors. Did their lyrical styles influence the way you approached this song?
Not consciously, I think it is more the fact that we are delving into the same source for our inspiration. The source that does not shy away from exploring the shadow side of the mind and staring past fears as an opportunity for a greater understanding of our place in all of this.
Q The lyrics encourage listeners to look deeper into their own thoughts and emotions. Is inspiring reflection something you aim for when writing?
Yeah, although I don’t want to seem preachy or didactic in my lyrics I do wish to encourage a playful awareness of things beyond the mundane and superficial which we often get stuck in.
Q Was there a particular line in the song that you feel captures the heart of its message?
Yes, “think I’ll free myself and fly away.” I think if we free ourselves of limiting mindsets we open up our existence to some really beautiful possibilities. There is a great line in Richard Bach’s book “Illusions” that goes “argue for your limitations and sure enough they’re yours.” I see the challenge as divesting ourselves of our preconceived limitations and being truly remarkable in our choices in life because if we don’t what’s the point of it all?
Q Do you see “Whispers of 1000 Dreams Ago” as part of a larger theme that might appear in future Parked Outside songs?
Maybe, maybe not. Our next single which is coming out in few months is called “Sex Cliche’” and it is so far removed from the notions of “Whispers of 1000 Dreams Ago” that there is no thread at all in terms of a connection. It’s about a jerk trying to pick ups chicks in a bar. It’s just a fun tongue firmly planted in cheek song and it’s really fun and lighthearted.
Q How do you hope listeners feel after spending time with the lyrics of this song?
I hope it inspires them to not be afraid to think about their life and existence in a way that perhaps they haven’t thought about before.
Q Looking back now, what part of the lyrical journey in “Whispers of 1000 Dreams Ago” are you most proud of creating?
I am just proud of the fact that we created an atmosphere not often explored in music that is in some ways ubiquitous and universal and in others ways often invisible and indecipherable. Thank you so much for giving us the platform to go deeper into the lyrics of this song. I so very much appreciate it!
