Common and Extraordinary

It’s been about a year and a half since we released the Regretting Almost Everything concept album featuring the glorious Beth Leavel and inimitable Jeff Blumenkrantz. Because of Beth, Jeff, and our producers Kathy Sommer and Matt Anthony, the album is wonderful. And I’m proud of the songs Danny and I wrote. And the show, too.

William Finn told me to write what only I could write: The story of a long marriage. A story of extraordinary moments masked by the mundane.

I believe there’s a tendency to confuse what is “common” with what is “ordinary.” What I mean is, I think people reflexively assume that what is “common” is, by definition, also “ordinary.”

But that’s so, so wrong. Falling in love is common, but it’s not ordinary. Having a child is common, but not ordinary. Sex is common but, when done well, not the least bit ordinary. In fact, falling in love, having children, and sex are among the most extraordinary things we experience as humans. And that’s what Regretting is about.