My AI-Fueled Musical Detour

Embracing an absurd new world, with gusto

You might have noticed (or not) that I haven’t been writing much lately.

I’m still casting about—floundering might be a better word—to figure out what I want this Substack to be. The fact that, so far, it is about nothing in particular, may account for my low subscriber base. I can live with that.

Lately, though, I’ve been seized by shiny object syndrome; in this case, AI-assisted music production.

My not-so-secret rock ‘n’ roll dreams were thwarted my whole life. It started with parents to whom music was, at best, background sound while they waited for Paul Harvey to come on the local radio.

My dad had severe hearing loss, so music wasn’t really accessible to him. My mother was worse, though. She declared that “None of us in this family can carry a tune,” which in effect placed a curse on me. Why even try to make music if it was doomed from the start?

I did take guitar lessons at 13, which never went anywhere. As an adult I took up the harmonica and learned to wail some mean blues licks. More recently, I’ve picked up the ukulele. I’ve performed with others, for church music galas, nursing homes and a couple of weddings and birthday parties. I’ve even gotten up on stage by myself at open mics, strumming my uke and singing.

It’s thanks to AI, though, that I can now call myself a music producer.

If you’re a professional musician who cringes at the thought of using artificial intelligence to create music, or perhaps doesn’t consider the product of AI to be real music at all, you might want to quit reading at this point.

I’m having fun with it, and that’s what matters to me.

Specifically, I manage the act you see pictured above, the Homegrown Idjits. Of course, they are not real. Like those fantasy baseball teams, they exist in their creator’s head, and now in computer bits and bytes.

I write all their songs—with a big assist from programs such as ChatGPT and Claude AI. Then I use another AI program to generate the music itself. Finally, I use AI graphics programs to create the art that goes with the videos I post to YouTube.

Does any of this involve genuine creativity? I believe so.

In my case, I attempt to create songs with lyrics that have some meat to them, telling stories about real people, places and events in history. Musicologists call such songs “topicals.”

With each of these songs, I am bringing something new into the world, the essence of creativity. Of course, I get a huge assist from my virtual robot friends, without whom I wouldn’t be able to do this.

Are these songs good? Are they “real” music? You decide. Please. It’s possible I could make a few cents (or more?) from this. So, give a listen, if you will, on Spotify or YouTube. And do all the things: Smash that Like button. Hit that notification bell. Subscribe. Tell your friends.

Here are a few samples for your enjoyment.

From the album, Homegrown Idjits Make History: 1946.

From the album, Homegrown Idjits Make History: 1968.

From the album, Homegrown Idjits Sing About Spartanburg County, South Carolina.

From the album, Homegrown Idjits Sing About Cherokee County, South Carolina.

Single, “Whispers In Bynum.”

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