My First Song - "I Wish I Was Him" (1992)
This is the song that kickstarted my career at 14 years old, and bizarrely catapulted me out of my bedroom onto stages around the world...
When I was an awkward, pubescent, guitar-strumming 14 year old, there seemed no better goal in the world than to be like Evan Dando - the alternative rockstar Lemonheads singer who all the girls adored.
One day, I sat down and wrote this song. Its pure hero-worship, albeit with tongue firmly planted in cheek. I kinda new how silly it all was too.
But people connected with it. It started a process that has continued for 25 years, of writing, sharing, being thoughtful, and always a tad cheeky, in trying to construct little 3 minute dissertations on whatever is crossing my mind at that particular moment.
I hope you dig it.
@benleemusic
I WISH I WAS HIM (lyrics)
It may sound stupid when I say it out loud
Like I'm just jealous of his silver cloud
He looks real good he drinks diet Coke
He gets his NME's sent by air not boat
I wish I was him
He gets the girls at his feet
With all his cool friends
He gets his records for free
I wish I was him
He has no enemies
I wish I was him
i was 12 and it kickstarted my career as well ;) thanks for all the inspiration and motivation, ben! here's to 25 more years!
Its a wild adventure!
Haha, awesome! "He even understands the words of Pavement songs" totally made my day! When Mrs. Robinson came out (which was kind of huge here), I felt like the only person who had known the original long before :) I liked their cover, though, but your song is just the best!
Thank you!
This is great! I wouldn't be surprised if Evan Dando starts covering this but singing it in reference to you:)
Hah! Makes sense:)
What a moment this must have been for you :-D
I picked up a guitar because I wanted to be like a guy I watched around a campfire one time, but then put it down when I realised you needed to be talent :-P
haha awesome :) :)
@benleemusic Imagine what the world would have missed out on without your “go get ‘em” attitude. I love reading about the start of peoples lives! @steemsausage
Ha well some would have preferred to have been spared! But thats not my problem :)
Well I for one am glad not to have been spared!! You’re right Evan Dando, all us girls loved him!! What ever happened to him?
He's made a bunch of cool solo records. I worked on one called "Baby I'm Bored" thats worth checking out.
Will do!!
So cool you have a recording of this from so young .
Yes its funny having my whole development documented for better and worse!
Yes I cant imagine !
How did it spread, Ben?
I know Sandi Thom was one of the first artists to go viral online and see subsequent mainstream success, but I remember '92 well enough to know the internet had nothing to do with your breakout here.
Did it just land in the right hands and end up on Countdown or Rage?
Did Molly Meldrum, Red Symons, Daryl Somers or Richard Wilkins have anything to do with it?
I'm really just name dropping to show my age now.
Its interesting - I sent it to a local record shop in Sydney called Waterfront and they gave it to a local promoter named Steve Pav. He ended up playing it for Sonic Youth and the Beastie Boys when they were in Australia and those bands then offered to put it out on their labels. And it kinda went from there...
Do you think you still would have pursued music without that early success?
You were an excellent guitarist for your age.
That is a really interesting question. Hard to say. I definitely got the "proof of concept" thing as it connected pretty early. But I would have been creative and adventurous whatever the case!
I'm with you. It was going to come out. It came out as music, but it could've been any sort of self expression.
I'm not even remotely musical; I love to imagine new concepts.
Not so much an inventor, more of a creative problem solver.
I'll dissect a problem for months; assessing different, novel solutions to find the most efficient.
Happily, continued success here will mean I can explore some of these possibilities by pulling them out of my head and trying them for real.
Very exciting :)
Zoh my gosh I love this!!! How fuckin cute <3 the melody alone is very very impressive. There was a show I used to watch called unfabulous, and it was about some girl that would write songs with her guitar every episode. The melody is so similar, it made me smile. Thank you for sharing this adorably awesome video. I don't think the lyrics were really all that stupid I found it cute and mostly impressive (: Glad you're still going at it (:
Oh yeah I think Jill Sobule (whose last record I produced) wrote the songs for that show!
No shit! That's crazy cool!((:
Hahaha, I Love it! In a way you did become him. BTW your daughter looks just like you when you were young :)
Very nice post @benleemusic
Thanks you very much @benleemusic
I like your music