Entr'acte from Elizabethtown: A Musical Western



 

 

This is a medley of tunes from the show that will be performed before the second act. It includes, "Marshall Law," "My Love, Departed," and "A Pound of Flesh." When compared to the Overture from this musical, this piece is much darker and comes off with a bit more force. I think that it sets a nice tone for the plot turns that Andy Brown has written into the second act. A friend of ours, theater pro Scott Conley, jokingly called it "Sweeny Todd meets the OK Corral!" In any case, this is a midi realization of the score for this piece. You can find more selections from "Elizabethtown" on my YouTube channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/SpragginsMusic?feature=mhee. 

Rufus Wainwright- "Jericho" live

Fantastic new song from Rufus' new album, "Out of the Game."

Interview: Judge Sam Amirante, Author of John Wayne Gacy: Defending a Monster

By Jason Spraggins

*This article was first published as Interview: Judge Sam Amirante, Author of John Wayne Gacy: Defending a Monster on Blogcritics: http://blogcritics.org/books/article/interview-judge-sam-amirante-author-of/

THE BACKSTORY

In December 1978, a young Chicago lawyer named Sam Amirante was starting his own practice as an independent defense attorney. He had recently left a job at the Public Defender's Office where he'd spent the previous few years "cutting his teeth" and was now eagerly preparing to strike out on his own. Just after moving into his new office, he received a life-changing phone call from a man who would become the first client of his new private practice.

"Sam, could you do me a favor?"

The man on the other end of the call was John Wayne Gacy,a gregarious and boastful 37-year-old who owned a successful contracting business (PDM Contractors) in the Northwest Chicago neighborhood of Norwood Park. Gacy complained that he was being harassed by the Des Plaines Police Department about a missing teenager named Robert Piest. He claimed to know nothing about the boy and insisted that the unwarranted police attention was damaging to his business and image. He needed the cops off his back.

Sam knew Gacy, if only as a passing acquaintance. Gacy, an overweight man of Polish descent, was a minor figure in local Democratic politics, a volunteer clown for children's functions, and a tireless worker who provided jobs to an ever-changing clan of young boys. Sam thought of him as being "nice enough"-a harmless, self-important, braggart. Sam needed clients, so he agreed to help Gacy and thus became his lawyer.

Over the next several days, what started with a seemingly innocent phone call snowballed into a true-crime nightmare of unprecedented proportions. On the evening of December 20, 1979, a haggard and drunken Gacy spent the night in Sam's office talking with his new lawyer. Over the course of several hours, Gacy confessed to murdering more than 30 young men (most of whom he had tortured and raped) and burying many of them under his house at 8213 W. Summerdale Ave in Chicago's Norwood Park neighborhood. Sam was horrified.

Gacy was arrested the next day on a minor drug violation. Meanwhile, policemen armed with a search warrant scoured his house and discovered human remains buried in the crawlspace. In all, 29 bodies were found buried on Gacy's property, and four more were pulled from the Des Plaines River. Most had been victims of strangulation (by a tourniquet method that Gacy would later call his "rope trick").

Gacy was charged with murder, and Sam became the defense attorney for one of the most bizarre and prolific serial killers in American history: John Wayne Gacy, The Killer Clown. The case went to trial in 1980, and Gacy, who pleaded insanity, was convicted of 33 counts of murder (the most in American history) and sentenced to death.

Sam Amirante, who later became a Judge, has now written a long awaited book about his experiences on the case entitled John Wayne Gacy: Defending a Monster. The book offers chilling insight into one of the worst crime sprees in history and also serves as a testament to Amirante's unflinching dedication to the American justice system and to defending the rights of the accused-no matter who they are.


Judge Sam Amirante

 I was fortunate enough to speak with Judge Amirante by phone as he drove home from the offices of his current law practice in Chicago. We spoke about his book, his love of our country's judicial system, and his involvement with Gacy. The following is the complete transcript.

THE INTERVIEW

You are passionate about the American justice system and the fact that every American is entitled to a fair trial and a capable defense in court. You are so passionate about these things that you defended the most notorious serial killer in American history - placing you in a very controversial role. How did you develop such an intense passion for the law?

No one's ever asked me that question. I'd say it started with, and was inspired by, my dad who served in the Navy during WW2 in the island-hopping campaign. He was always a very patriotic guy-was so proud to be an American. My grandparents came over from Naples, Italy and were the type people that helped build America.

Dad was hard-working and taught me to be the same. He talked a lot about statesmanship. Ironically enough, he was also an Archie Bunker kind of guy. So aside from inspiring me, he was also one of these old-fashioned Italian kind of guys who didn't like lawyers and didn't trust the system. In fact, he wanted me to be a doctor.

I ended up following my father's footsteps and serving in the armed forces as a Marine, which also helped strengthen my sense of patriotism. After law school, I'd planned on being a prosecutor, but I couldn't get a job in the State Prosecutor's office. I ended up working in the Public Defender's office where I met a guy name Nunzio Tisci, an Italian American like my dad. He was a very passionate lawyer. He would fight so hard for clients - clients who were already convicted.

We were working in post-conviction appeals, writs of habeas corpus, violation of probation - basically, the worst of the worst. He [Tisci] would go in there and fight to win every single case. I learned so much about being a lawyer from him. He would come up with creative thoughts, creative ideas, and creative motions. He taught me to think like a lawyer - to think on my feet - and to really appreciate the system that we have, the presumption of innocence, and individual rights and liberties. I think I've maintained that passion throughout my years of practicing law and even when I served on the bench.

You waited many, many years to publish a book about your experiences with Gacy. Why?

Well, for a number of reasons…

Number one, I would have never done it while any of the issues in the case were still pending, because I certainly didn't want to interfere with the judicial process and issues. I didn't want to do it back then. A lot of people asked me to, but I didn't want to. Then, as history and time went on, you see all of the rumors and all the different innuendos and speculation about what happened-different things that really corrupted history. 


Amirante at the time of the Gacy trial

I had retired from the bench, and I was looking for things to do after retirement. I was practicing law again; in fact, I'm quite busy doing that again. I waited to retire from the bench to do it [write the book], but I always felt that it was a story that had to be told. I wanted to wait until everything was said and done before I proceeded.

When I initially looked for people to help me write the book-I did think about doing it a number of years ago with Bob Motta [the lawyer who assisted with Gacy's defense]-we could never really find anybody who was able to demonstrate that same kind of passion [for the justice system] that you talked about earlier. Most writers and ghost writers that I talked to had the attitude that I represented Gacy begrudgingly-that it was something I had to do. That wasn't the case, and I wanted to show that.

Finally, I happened to run into Danny Broderick, whom I hadn't seen in a number of years. He had been a young associate of mine when he got out of law school. He knew the kind of passion that was involved in my practice and how I felt about things. He was a passionate lawyer in his own regard when he was practicing. He knew the courtroom. I knew that he had written a book, and I thought that maybe he might be able to write the book the way I wanted it.

Sure enough, he did. So, I think the timing was right, and having Danny Broderick to do it was very important.

Your book opens like a novel. It details the frightening story of how Gacy lured his final victim, Rob Piest, to his home and strangled him. As you point out, Rob was very different from Gacy's other victims. Rob was a popular and well known kid, and Gacy took him from a public place, eventually leading to the arrest. Why, in your opinion, was Gacy so bold or careless in the case of Piest?

One of two reasons: Number one, the most compelling reason: I truly believe in my heart to this day that, subconsciously, Gacy wanted to stop the killing - he wanted to be caught. I think he broke the mold at that point. He was dropping all of those hints to the police. He was doing different things. There was a last bit of sanity he had-sort of like the Jekyll and Hyde from the novel. The evil was completely taking over the good in John Gacy. I really think he broke his MO at that point. It was almost like he wanted to get caught. He did everything differently than he had in the past.

Another thought in that regard is that he was just becoming so… Evil was taking over, and his insanity was becoming so enraging that he couldn't control himself anymore. He did this to Robert Piest. He'd been "smart" in concealing his crimes before that.

I think he was coming to a point, as defined by law in IL, of insanity when you suffer from a mental disease and cannot conform your conduct to requirements of the law or you cannot appreciate the criminality of your acts. I think he was getting to the point in his mental disease - -which we believed he had-that he couldn't conform his conduct or appreciate the criminality of his acts.

The argument of the state was, of course, that he could. It was our argument that he was progressively getting worse and worse. So, I think it may have been a combination of really wanting to stop it with the good side of him and not being able to control himself any more-his illness was progressing. 

Gacy as Pogo the Clown

The murders were becoming more and more frequent, and he was being less and less careful with each one. He was going out to the Des Plaines River with the last four bodies and throwing them off the bridge on the highway. Anyone passing in a car could have seen him.

As Gacy's defense attorney, you spent countless hours sifting through the horrific details of his crimes - all the while having to work with him on a very intimate level. How did you manage to remain professional and keep from being overwhelmed by emotion or revulsion?

I don't think it's that difficult when you are a lawyer or a physician who believes in the oath that you take. A physician takes the Hippocratic Oath; a lawyer takes an oath to protect the constitution. You focus on the issues. You focus on the matters at hand. You don't think about the type of person you are representing. You are not a psychologist or a social worker-you are a lawyer. You are the person protecting that individual.

Just like a doctor, who might treat a person like Gacy at any given time, you're going to treat that person the best that you can, with the best medical research you can, without considering who the person is. It's not a difficult thing. It's a thing you develop.

John Gacy was a man of contradictions. He could be extremely friendly and caring at times, and as we know, he could also be dangerously dark, angry, and violent. Did you ever witness that dark side of his behavior, or did he keep that side of himself hidden from you throughout the ordeal?

Not personally. I witnessed him have a change in personality-a tremendous change in demeanor. But as far as violent acting out, I never personally witnessed that. We tried to get that out. We had alcohol-induced EEG's done. We had a sodium amatol test done and drug-induced EEG's.

We tried all different kinds of things. We never could bring out that violent behavior in him. I saw his eyes roll back; I saw his eyelids flutter. I saw him go into somewhat of a fugue state sometimes. But as far as violence, I never saw it. I heard about it but never saw it.

It is interesting that you say you used sodium amatol [truth serum] on him. He always claimed to have undergone that test, but many people accused him of lying about it.

Yes, we did use the sodium amatol on him, which is truth serum. His personality was so strong that he was actually fighting off the sodium amatol.

Would society have benefited more from Gacy having been institutionalized and studied rather than executed? Why?

I believed at the time, and I certainly still believe that more positive things could have come out of him staying alive. However, when it comes to just him personally-by the end, at the time he was executed, he was actually in total denial over the killings. 


Gacy in Police Custody

I don't know how much we would have learned from him, individually, as a person helping out. But I think we could have studied his personality type and his disease with hopes of preventing things like this. It still happens in the world. It wasn't a serial killing, but just consider the mass shooting in Colorado recently. We have preventative medicines and theories on heart disease and other physical and mental diseases.
I'm not anti-death penalty, personally, but I don't know how society ever benefits from killing people.

Killing somebody is always a loss to society in one form or another. Here was a guy that had a wealth of information that we could have studied to prevent something like it from happening again. Even if you save one more life of an innocent person by studying this guy, isn't it worth it? Also, it costs more money to impose the death penalty than to keep someone alive, oddly enough.

To what degree do you believe Gacy's shame of his homosexuality figured into his crimes?

I believe it figured largely. I don't know if there would be a John Gacy-like personality today because of society's norms and values today. He was a classic in-the-closet homosexual. He was really killing himself every time he got involved in that activity. He didn't do it every time he was involved in homosexuality activity, but he hated himself so much for it. He didn't want to be that. The one deep, dark secret he held to his death was that. He didn't want to admit that his was a homosexual. He just lashed out every time he found himself in that situation.

Gacy was a perfect storm of the homosexuality that he denied, his dad's treatment of him being the way it was - everything just kind of came together: him going to jail for sodomy, his dad passing away while he was in jail. All of these different things came together and created the perfect storm which was John Gacy.

I think his homosexuality had a lot to do with it. I don't think homosexuality in general did - other than the norms and attitudes of the times in the 1970s. I think him being homosexual and not admitting it had a lot to do with his crimes.

Have you had any contact with family members of the victims since the trial - especially since the release of your book?

Danny and I ran into a few of the victims' sisters and moms at book signings that we had. They were actually pretty understanding about different things. Those that we talked to felt that the story should have been told and that we had treated the victims and the story with respect-which we appreciated. In one instance, out in Vegas, we actually stopped a protest. Some guy was selling Gacy paintings out there, and there was a protest being led by one or two of the sisters of the victims.

Greg Godzik's sister was at one of the book signings and asked a couple of questions. We didn't know who she was until after it was all over and she came over and started talking to us. Randy Johnson's sister, I think, was leading the protest in Vegas. After they heard us talk… We were invited there to speak, and Danny and I spoke about the book and about how we feel about different issues. They actually stopped protesting the paintings, which was a good thing.

We haven't had any serious threats or flack or anything from the victim's families. I was surprised, because I thought that we might hear something. Even Greg Godzik's sister, whose mom was one of the most outspoken critics at the time-a critic not only of Gacy but also of the government, police, and so on. She [the sister] was very, very cordial to us-very respectful and dignified. Any experience that we've had with the families of the victims has been positive.

I remember Robbie Piest's dad even, this was an amazing thing, at trial, he came up to me one day-and you know the fear; he might stick a knife in your throat since you are the lawyer of the guy that he hates. But Mr. Piest came up to me and said, "Sam, I just want you to let you know that I have no malice or ill will toward you. I understand that you have job to do, sir, and I had to express that and tell you that." I thought that was the classiest and nicest thing. It was during a time of… It was in the middle of the trial.

I was never afraid of anything or anybody. The only thing that ever bothered me is that if somebody might have wanted to get John Gacy, I might get in the way of a bullet or something. But any personal threats toward me never bothered me.

The toughest thing about a case like that-any case that involves the victims of horrible crimes-is looking at those family members when you're the lawyer defending someone accused of doing that and sometimes even knowing that they've done it. Seeing the looks on the faces of these people and feeling compassion for them is a very difficult thing to experience. That's much more difficult than representing the person-facing the victims.

When was the last time you spoke with or saw John Wayne Gacy? Can you tell me a bit about that final encounter?

Oh boy. One of the last times I ever spoke to him, he was down in Menard. We used to communicate, and I went down to see him a few times. He was in Menard Penitentiary in Southern IL. He was executed at Statesville, but they brought him back up to Statesville.

Anyway, he was telling me about this woman he had met - a woman who'd become his pen pal and would come there to visit him. She wanted to marry him. I said, "Oh John, that's good. Maybe you should marry her." He said, "What? Are you kidding? Are you nuts? I'd never marry that fat hog!" or something like that. He said, "She's got two kids in the joint down here. You think I'd want to ruin my reputation by marrying into a family like that?"

That was typical John Gacy. He just had no clue. As smart as he was - almost genius in some ways - in others, he didn't have a clue. He didn't want to ruin his reputation!

He was always friendly. He would sort of mimic what we would say about the issues. For instance, that's how he got the idea that other people may have committed the murders. Bob Motta and I used to ask him, "Hey John, are you sure you did this? Are you sure you weren't stoned or high or drunk or something and woke up with a body next to you - just assumed you did it? Maybe Rossi did it, or Cram did it?" He'd say, "You know, maybe that's what happened." So, he started believing that stuff himself.

We told him that he had to attack us, because in appeals you have to attack your lawyers as ineffective and everything. But the last time I talked to him, we didn't have any animosity toward each other. One thing I wish - I wish I'd had a chance to talk with him before he died and to try to convince him to show some remorse - to apologize to people and go out in some sort of a dignified way. It never happened; his last words were reportedly, "Kiss my ass." Actually, he convinced his last lawyers that he was innocent, I believe. He was a pretty manipulative guy.

As far as your experience with Gacy, do you have any regrets?

If I have any regrets at all, it's not having been able to spend enough time with my young family while working on that case. It'd be on a personal level. I've apologized to my two young boys, who are now grown men, and my ex-wife - that's probably why she's my ex-wife. I didn't get to spend enough time with them. That bothers me to this day.

There seems to be a new Gacy story in the media every week even today. Why is the public still so fascinated with this case?

For one thing, he is a great manipulator. He is still manipulating from the grave. He's got people thinking that there are other bodies to be found somewhere - which there are not. If there were… I would have known about it if there were; I'm about 99.99% sure. And people have a morbid fascination with things like that. It's one of those things that just doesn't seem to go away.

Just recently, I don't know if you read it in the news or saw it online, but his nephew is on trial up in Henry County here. Someone asked me why they didn't ask me to defend him. I figure his mother thought, My brother got the death penalty! I don't want him! [chuckles] He is being charged… He's on trial on a sexual assault case. He was about fourteen years old, I think, when the [Gacy] trial was going on. That's his [John's] sister, Jo Anne's kid, I think.

I saw that. The nephew and his late uncle share a shocking resemblance.

Wow! Don't they? I looked at that, and I was kind of freaked out. Except, he looks a lot better than John. John was only in his thirties, and he looked like he was sixty. This guy is 49 and still looks like a kid. Still, he looks a lot like John - even built like him.

Recently, there have been stories in the media about two lawyers who are suggesting, based on Gacy's own meticulous record keeping, that he may have had accomplices in his crimes, specifically Mike Rossi and David Cram, two young men who worked for his business and spent time living in his house. Having heard Gacy's confessions first hand, what is your opinion on the matter?

We interviewed everybody at the time. Again, it was my idea, and Bob Motta's idea, that Rossi and Cram may have helped him or actually committed some the murders themselves. We asked John about that and, as John called it, "planted the seed" in his head. He used to talk about "planting the seed."

You know, we investigated Rossi and Cram. What they did… They were a couple of kids… They were young kids who were under Gacy's spell so to speak. They were like his little sex slaves, and they would do anything he wanted them to do. He basically had them digging trenches in the basement-in the crawlspace-knowing that he was probably going to use them for graves and telling them that the trenches were for drain tiles because there was always a water problem in that crawl space. And he had them digging down there.


Recovering Bodies at Gacy's Home: 8213 Summerdale

Did they think he was up to no good? Yeah, I think they thought he was up to no good. Did they think he was a hit man of some sort? Because that's what he told them-that he was a hit man for the mafia and that he used to help kill people and stuff like that. Did they ever participate in any murder with him? I really don't believe so. I won't say it's completely hogwash, but I just… There is absolutely no evidence of that whatsoever. Did they help him bury the bodies? I don't think so. Did they dig holes that bodies were in? Absolutely.

I suppose the holes could have been their own graves had things not come to a head.

Absolutely. Absolutely. I'm sure they knew something was going on but sort of turned their heads to it. Because, you know, they got gifts from him. They got items from kids who used to work for him-kids who they thought-who he told them-had run away.

I think they may have suspected something. Even in the end… Well a lot of things Cram told the police are in the book. The night after Gacy was in my office, John went to David Cram and told David-he said, "I was with my lawyers all night, and I told them I killed all these people; I've killed over thirty people. I just wanted to let you know that I might be going away." Cram didn't know what he was talking about other than he was supposed to be a "hit man."

The kids, Rossi and Cram, were helpful to the case?

Yes they were-to the state. Rossi went and hired a lawyer-a former state's attorney. He kind of kept Rossi's mouth shut after a while. He basically, what they call, "lawyered up". So he [Rossi] didn't help anybody too much. Rossi may have known a little more than Cram, but I don't think either one of them participated in the murders at all or murdered any other people.

Can you tell me a bit about the Missing Child Recovery Act of 1984?

It was 1984. I was running for the state senate. People, you know, didn't like me because I'd been Gacy's lawyer. I was looking for some sort of platform to show the kind of person I really am-I'm compassionate. I had asked the jury to do something-to keep him [Gacy] alive and study him. It didn't happen. No one had ever really done something about the Gacy case and what's happening. I was a lawyer in it.

I happened to be watching a movie about Adam Walsh, the kid who was missing in Florida, it was called "Adam," I think. I watched the movie and went to look at my two young boys who were sleeping in bed. I thought,My God, what would I do if my kid was ever missing like that or like one of the victims in the Gacy case-missing? I'd go crazy. What would I do?


Gacy in custody before his trial

 I was sitting in court the next day waiting for my case to be called. It was a drug enforcement case where they had specialized drug units to enforce drug laws. I thought, "If they do this for drugs-why can't we do this for missing children?"

So, I sat there in court and wrote this entire law which did three things. It ended a 72-hour waiting period. Police used to wait… It was an unwritten rule that police used to wait before they would start engaging themselves in looking for lost, missing, or runaway children. It had always been 72 hours. In that 72 hours kids, could fall through the cracks-literally go into the crawlspace and never be found. So it ended that. I wrote a thing for the legislature to end that 72-hour waiting period-to order police departments to act immediately on missing child reports for people under 21 years old.

Secondly, it started a state-wide, central computer system for all information regarding profiling of people. It might be profiling pedophiles and so forth. It included information about missing kids: fingerprints, photographs, dental records and so on. It would all go into this state-wide computer system.

Thirdly, there would be special units created which would specialize in finding lost, missing, and runaway children. These three things were really needed and answered some of the horrors of the Gacy case.

It was drafted into bill form and passed unanimously in the IL state legislature and became ISEARCH: Illinois State Enforcement Agency to Recover Children. It would ultimately become a blueprint for the national version and the forerunner to the Amber Alert.

Early on [in Illinois], after a couple of years, it was responsible for 3,000 children being located and returned to their families. So, it turned out to be a big success. There was state funding for it until the economy went bad and some funds were taken away. There are still some ISEARCH units available.

That was the silver lining to the Gacy cloud. Even with horrible, horrible cases like that-horrible crimes-something good can come of it. I've always said, "If you can save one person, it's worth the effort." Hopefully a lot of kids were saved and a lot of families were saved a lot of grief by the writing of the law. Ironically enough, the John Gacy case was responsible for that.

Lastly, what does the future hold for Sam Amirante?

Well, there is a documentary coming out in the fall based on the book. I don't know where it is going to be right now. There is a paperback version coming out on October 6. A director and producer in Hollywood bought our movie rights, and they are planning to do a big screen movie. It's not going to really be a horror-type movie. It's going to go into legal history-in the genre of In Cold Blood-a true-crime type thing that carries a message with it but could be entertaining too.

On my front, I'm retired from the bench. I have a young family again; I'm married again. I have a six-year-old daughter who is going to be the first Italian-American president of the United States! Now that I'm older and not involved in a case like that, I'm still working hard, but I'm spending a lot of time with my young family, which is what I should be doing. I'm still going into court every day and defending the rights of the accused.

*Read more about Judge Sam Amirante: http://www.samamirantelaw.com/bio_sam.html

*John Wayne Gacy was the son of an abusive father. In 1968, John was convicted of sodomy against a minor (a young boy) and sentenced to ten years imprisonment in Iowa. He was released early on parole in 1970 - having served just over one year. His killing spree occurred after his parole- during the years that he had originally been sentenced to prison.

Though he confessed to the murders to police at the time of his arrest in 1978, he later denied responsibility and maintained that stance until his death. He was executed by lethal injection on May 10, 1994.

Seven of his victims were never identified. Below is a list of those who were. Included with each name are the victim's age and estimated date of death. When covering this sad case, it is important to remember these young victims of violence.

Timothy McCoy (15) January 3, 1972
John Butkovitch (17) July 29, 1975
Darrell Sampson (18) April 6, 1976
Randall Reffett (15) May 14, 1976
Samuel Stapleton (14) May 14, 1976
Michael Bonnin (17) June 3, 1976
William Carroll (16) June 13, 1976
Rick Johnston (17) August 6, 1976
Michael Marino (14) October 24, 1976
Kenneth Parker (16) October 24, 1976
William Bundy (19) October 26, 1976
Gregory Godzik (17) December 12, 1976
John Szyc (19) January 20, 1977
Jon Prestidge (20) March 15, 1977
Matthew Bowman (19) July 5, 1977
Robert Gilroy (18) September 15, 1977
John Mowery (19) September 25, 1977
Russell Nelson (21) October 17, 1977
Robert Winch (16) November 10, 1977
Tommy Boling (20) November 18, 1977
David Talsma (19) December 9, 1977
William Kindred (19) February 16, 1978
Timothy O' Rourke (20) June 16-23, 1978
Frank Landingin (19) November 4, 1978
James Mazzara (21) November 24, 1978
Robert Piest (15) December 11, 1978

*John Wayne Gacy: Defending a Monster will be available in paperback on October 6, 2012.


Buy the book:
http://www.amazon.com/John-Wayne-Gacy-Defending-Monster/dp/1616082488

More resources
http://www.amazon.com/John-Wayne-Gacy-Defending-Monster/dp/1616082488

"There's a Light"

Here's a song that I'm working on with my old pal, Brad Warren.  The lyric is rough.  I'm sure there will be changes as the song comes together.  In any case, I thought I'd share this first draft from early on in the process....

 

-There's a Light-

 

Refrain :

There's a light in the distance; it's burning through the night.

There's a light up ahead that lies just beyond the sea.
I'm a drift on these waves, floating, lost, and aimelss.

But there's a light in the distance, and it's giving hope to me.

Verse 1:

In my time, I've climbed a million mountains-

a fugitive just running from his fears.

I've kept myself away from those who love me.

Now I've grown tired and old beyond my years.

But...

Refrain :

There's a light in the distance that fights away the dark.

There's a light up ahead that lies just beyond these hills.

In the prison of night, I move across this desert

towards a light in the distance that despair can never kill.

Verse 2:

I got lost along a hidden highway

I left behind the life I once pursued.

A broken compass keeps me in the wasteland,

and blinded by a love of solitude.

But...
 

Refrain:

There's a light in the distance that fights away the night.

There's a light up ahead that I'm keeping in my sight.

There's a light in the distance that leads me to tomorrow.

Oh, there's a light up ahead that I'm moving toward tonight.

-Spraggins, June 2012

"My Love, Departed" (Instrumental Version) from "Elizabethtown: A Musical Western"

"My Love, Departed" began as an instrumental piece that I wrote in early 2010.  When Andy Brown and were working on the musical "Elizabethtown" last year, he decided to write lyrics for the instrumental piece and add it to the show, thus creating this song.  It is the next to last song of the musical and is performed by two of the shows male characters- after both have just experienced great loss.

The artwork featured in the video is by acclaimed songwriter, author, and poet Leonard Cohen.  You can view (and purchase) prints of these works and more by Mr. Cohen at this link:

http://www.hambletongalleries.com/dynamic/artists/Leonard_Cohen_CC_GOQ.asp

Andy's lyrics to the song are below.

"MY LOVED DEPARTED"

WHY NOT BLOT OUT THE SUN?

WHY TURN THE NIGHT TO DAY 

WHEN THE ONE I HAVE KNOWN FROM 

THE TIME I LEARNED 

HOW TO LOVE 

WENT AWAY?

WHY TAKE ANOTHER BREATH? 

WHY TAKE ANOTHER'S LIFE 

WHEN THE PAIN THAT IT CAUSES 

CAN CUT YOU IN TWO

LIKE A KNIFE?

MY LOVE, DEPARTED, 

MY HEART YEARNS FOR YOU.

AND I WILL TRY TO GO ON 

THOUGH I DON'T WANT TO. 

MY LOVE, DEPARTED, 

I WOULD STOP THE WORLD AND THEN 

I‟D BUILD IT AGAIN 

WITH YOU BESIDE ME...

GOD, GRANT HER TO YOUR CARE. 

GOD, PLEASE SAGEGUARD HER SOUL. 

THOUGH I THOUGHT I WAS FAR FROM 

THE SAVIOR'S GRACE, 

THROUGH HER LOVE, 

I WAS WHOLE.

GOD, MAKE YOUR JUDGMENT SWIFT. 

GOD, GUIDE ME THROUGH THIS FIGHT. 

MAY THE GUILTY BE PUNISHED. 

JUST STRIKE THEM DOWN WITH

 ALL YOUR MIGHT.

MY LOVE, DEPARTED, 

MY HEART YEARNS FOR YOU. 

AND I WILL TRY TO GO ON 

THOUGH I DON'T WANT TO. 

MY LOVE, DEPARTED, 

I WOULD STOP THE WORLD AND THEN 

I‟D BUILD IT AGAIN 

WITH YOU BESIDE ME STILL.

(Music and Lyrics Copyright 2012 Spraggins and Brown)

My Phone Interview with John Wayne Gacy's Defense Attorney

I was fortunate to have the opportunity to conduct a phone interview with former Chicago Judge Sam Amirante.  Amirante served as John Wayne Gacy's defense attorney during his murder trial.  Gacy was convicted of killing 33 young men and was sentenced to death in 1980.   He was executed in 1994 by lethal injection.  Amirante has written a book about his experiences on the Gacy case called John Wayne Gacy: Defending a Monster. (http://www.amazon.com/John-Wayne-Gacy-Defending-Monster/dp/1616082488). 

The book is a fantastic read and is sure to become a classic in the true crime genre.  Amirante has devoted his life to the American Justice system and is passionate about every man's right to a capable and fair defense.  Aside from the grisly subject matter, his book is an inspiring tale of a young lawyer who is devoted to the justice system and the individual rights of all people.  I will be writing up a couple of articles based on my interview with the former judge that will be published at BlogCritics.com and on Yahoo.  For now, here are recordings of my phone interview.  It's a very fascinating conversation about a case that continues to stir interest around the world.

PART ONE:

PART TWO:

"Riding With the Prince" New Demo

"Riding with the Prince" was recently listed among  the "Best of Song U" at SongU.com, a site for songwriters that is based in Nashville.  To date, I have five songs on this list!

Goodbye Levon...

I was driving late last week and listening to a live boot-legged version of Elton John performing Levon.  What a song!  When I got back to work, I found out the sad news that Levon Helm, the man who inspired the name used in that song, had finally lost his long battle with lung cancer.  The world has  lost another musical giant.

Levon Helm was an incredible drummer, vocalist, actor ("Coal Miner's Daughter) and human.  His style has shaped every good drummer that I hear working today (Jim Keltner and Nigel Olsson, for example).  His style of music lives on in the likes of Ray Lamontangne ( and a handful of others that give hope to the ailing music world) and of course in our old recordings of his classic work.     We've lost another musical giant.  We should really appreciate the ones that we have left!

Take a moment and enjoy Mr. Levon Helm with his group, THE BAND, and other friends.

Not surprising, one of Levon's biggest fan, lyricist Bernie Taupin, was quick to eulogize him via a blog post.  It's a well written and heart felt tribute.
Check it out:  http://www.berniejtaupin.com/index.php?page=blog&b_id=459670

"This Room" Demo

This is a song that I wrote with an old high school buddy, Brad Warren.  (see earlier post).

Brad's a fantastic musician.  Check out his blog:  http://newnashvillemusician.wordpress.com/



Jimmy Webb Describes Songwriters...

#1

Jimmy Webb gives an answer (beginning at the five minute mark) that I can really relate to.  He has written some of the greatest and most influential pop songs in history.  He also wrote one of the best books on writing available (called "Tunesmith 2").   If you don't know Jimmy Webb, do some research and listening!

#2

"Something True" New Demo

"Something True" is a song that I wrote back in 2007. It has been on the shelf for a long, long time. I was in sort of a blue mood this morning until I checked my email and found this vocal demo that Jon Statham has produced. It brought back memories of a time when I wrote this song, and it made me smile. Jon really brought this memory to life. I'm so pleased with this demo and happy that this song was finally recorded.

The art in the video is by Dali, and the moving images are of New York City- the city that inspired the song.

"This Room"

This is a song lyric that I had written (in another form) for a musical project a few weeks ago.  I ended up deciding not to use it in the show, so I've reworked it a bit to make it less specific to that story.  I'm going to pass this one along to an old high school buddy to set to music, I think.  I'll keep you posted on what comes of it...

This Room

Verse:
You left a candle burning when you locked me in this room,
my love all torn and stretched across your broken, antique loom.
And what it is that traps me here, tonight I cannot tell.
My senses are held captive, still enchanted by your spell.

Verse:
This room, it has no windows, and the door cannot be seen.
The floor is bare and frozen, and the ceiling’s painted green.
The candle light casts shadows that are feeding on my fears.
The walls are creeping toward me, holding secrets you can’t hear.

Chorus:
This room is one of many that you’ve hidden in your heart-
a place to store the damaged dreams with which you cannot part.
I live a life of service in a cold and vaulted tomb,
just praying you’ll remember me and free me from this room.

Verse:
The candle’s burning low now, and the darkness wants control.
I could have had salvation, but instead I sold my soul.
I hear you crying through the walls but dare not call your name;
this room requires silence, and for that I am to blame.

Chorus:
This room is one of many that you’ve hidden in your heart-
a place to store the damaged dreams with which you cannot part.
I live a life of service in a cold and vaulted tomb-
just hoping you’ll reach out to me and free me from this room.
 
J.S. / 2012

New Track from Rufus Wainwright's Latest Album...

Rufus has a new album coming out later next month.  As always, I'm excited about anything new from this guy.  He's one of my favorites!  Check it out...

Music from The Lambuth University Jazz Band...

Here are a few mp3 files that I had on my computer from the Lambuth Jazz Band's 2001 spring tour and one from the fall of 2000.  Mr. Dick Brown was directing at this time.  I was playing 1st alto sax.  Dr. Derek Jones was in his first year at Lambuth and was playing tenor sax with us, and Dr. Ross Bernherdt, the choral director, was playing trumpet.  Those are two of the most talented musicians I've ever encountered.  My cousin, Steven Lumley, was also playing trombone in this group, and my KA brother, Dustin Smith, was on drums (he's fantastic).  I loved my years at Lambuth, and the Jazz Band was a highlight of my time there. I can't believe it's been over ten years since we made these recordings! 

"Channel One Suite"

"Children of Sanchez"

"Oh When the Saints"

"The Suncatchers"

"In the Mood"

"I Feel October in the Air" (from fall 2000)

Alto Sax Solo by Jason Spraggins

"Look Beneath" from "BENEATH THE SURFACE"

Here is a demo of a song from "Beneath the Surface", the musical (based on the Gacy murders) that Matt Glickstein and I are writing.  This is the first song in the musical.  It takes place in 1979 in the prison hospital where Gacy is being held.  It has been one year since his arrest, and his defense team is preparing for his trial by having him evaluated by Dr. Helen Matthewson (fictional), a psychiatrist.  The defense is hoping that she will declare him insane, as they are basing their case on an insanity plea.   The song includes two characters: Dr. Matthewson and Mr. Morretti, the defense lawyer.   Matt sings both parts in this demo...

"LOOK BENEATH"

Mr. Morretti: 

How could they think he's not insane-
that something's not terribly wrong in his brain?

The things that he's done, no sane man could do,

but what makes him different from me and from you?

We must dig deep; we must find the source.

What leads him to kill and show no remorse?

Please understand, his life's on the line.

I will prove his illness excuses his crimes.

You must look beneath the surface

of this troubled man's charade.

You must sift through all of his secrets-

buried and decayed.

You must resurrect the memories you find

as you look beneath the surface of his mind.

Dr. Matthewson: 
I understand the trouble he's in.

He's standing on ice that is dangerously thin.

If he is insane, it could save his life,
but he must go under psychology's knife.

I will look beneath the surface

of this troubled man's charade.

I will sift through of his secrets-

buried and decayed.

I will resurrect the memories I find

as I  look beneath the surface of his mind.


Lyrics by Spraggins/ Music by Glickstein

Youth Group Trip to Florida (2005, I think)

Nice memories of fun times with great people.  These kids are all grown up now, and I miss them.  Sadly, we lost Chris in a car accident a few years ago.   I'll cherish memories like these forever...

(back row l to r) Me, Jeric, Chris, Elliott, Jordan, Brittney, Kristina, and Lauren

(front row l to r) Ryan, Matt, Joey, and Liz.

Miss Jody and I overseeing the loading of the bus.

A very tired me consulting with Claydawg about the next activity.

Relaxing and having some Pizza with Clayton on the balcony.

 Me wearing shorts that are a few sizes big.  I don't remember why!

Go cart time!

My uncle Greg, the enforcer

At the beach

SongU.com

www.SongU.com is a site for songwriters that I have been using for about a year now.  In fact, it's how I was connected with Hawaiian composer Matt Glickstein, with whom I've written a number of songs that you can find on this blog.  

SongU provides song writing courses developed by award-winning writers, song feedback, mentoring, one-on-one song coaching, co-writing, un-screened pitching opportunities and more. 

I've learned a lot from taking part in the site and have gotten some helpful feedback on my work. Since I joined, I've had several of my song designated as "The Best of SongU" by the professional coaches who evaluate new material. I've also had a record company contact me about using two songs that I co-wrote with Andy Brown on country artist's upcoming album.

This is a helpful site, and I'd encourage any one interested in the craft and business of songwriting to check it out...

Songs Designated as "Best of SongU":

"Ghosts" (Matt Glickstein/Spraggins)

http://themadmusingsofahopelessdaydreamer.blogspot.com/2011/06/ghosts.html

"The Garden" (Spraggins)  

http://www.spragginsmusic.com/spragginsmusic/featured..html

"Two Worlds" (Spraggins)

http://themadmusingsofahopelessdaydreamer.blogspot.com/2009/03/two-worlds-verse-we-have-seen-neon.html

"Yours" (Spraggins/Andy Brown)

http://themadmusingsofahopelessdaydreamer.blogspot.com/2011/07/yours-vocal-demo.html

"Something True" (Spraggins)
http://themadmusingsofahopelessdaydreamer.blogspot.com/2012/04/something-true-new-demo.html

"Riding With the Prince" (Spraggins)
http://themadmusingsofahopelessdaydreamer.blogspot.com/2012/05/riding-with-prince-new-demo.html