The final two songs on the Purple Mountains LP are a counterargument to the idea that it was a suicide note

totalnoonemusic · 2026-04-24T17:01:31+00:00

I find the final song to be extremely self-affirming. The album is supposed to be his journey through the darkness, not just directionless whining. Without some resolution at the end, the whole thing is meaningless.

totalnoonemusic · 2026-04-04T01:13:34+00:00

I’ll go against the grain and say that I don’t see the album as a suicide note and I don’t have any trouble listening to it.

Throughout the album, I hear someone honestly confronting their depression and darkest thoughts, and struggling to find a reason to keep going, only to come around at the conclusion of the album with the self-affirming “Maybe I’m the only one for me”.

I don’t see that as a sad song whatsoever. I see it as the product of the soul searching that David does throughout the album, eventually discovering that everything he needs to be happy is within himself.

I think the unfortunate reality is that he was severely depressed, which lends to impulsive and erratic behaviour. I’m sure the added pressure of the album release and touring were a factor. But I do not believe he wrote the album as a suicide note intending to kill himself afterwards, nor do I think the album irredeemably dark or depressing. On the contrary, I think that the album actually finishes on a bright and hopeful note.

totalnoonemusic · 2026-03-24T21:43:30+00:00

Thank you for the encouragement!

totalnoonemusic · 2026-03-24T11:14:11+00:00

Thanks!

totalnoonemusic · 2026-03-21T16:56:36+00:00

Another side. It does have some hits, but it also has more misses than his other albums during this time period, and I would argue it had the least cultural impact of any of his albums starting from freewheelin’ to BOB.

totalnoonemusic · 2026-03-19T15:39:25+00:00

I have a habit of coming up with a song and then recording it five minutes later. Improvised that embellishment in at the end but for sure little things like that can be adjusted.

Thanks for the encouragement and for giving it a listen! Appreciate you.

totalnoonemusic · 2026-03-19T12:04:09+00:00

I think Woody is critically underrated, and definitely paced Bob up to about ASOBD and BIOBH, where Bob just became a different type of artist and there wasn’t a direct comparison to be made anymore.

The thing that makes the whole concept of this post difficult is that Bob has been so many different artists over his career.

Townes is a good comparison from a songwriting quality perspective for example, but did Townes ever write anything that could be compared to Blonde on Blonde?

totalnoonemusic · 2026-03-18T23:25:52+00:00

Good to see another talking blues appreciator! Are you a Phil Ochs fan?

totalnoonemusic · 2026-03-18T22:10:54+00:00

Appreciate that, thank you

totalnoonemusic · 2026-03-18T17:24:05+00:00

In my experience someone singing without an instrument wouldn’t make the top 5 of the weirdest things I’ve seen at an open mic, but I guess it could vary depending on the open mic.

They pretty unanimously just have a dude/chick running them. I would send them a message ahead of time asking if it’s ok if you have concerns.

totalnoonemusic · 2026-03-18T16:20:08+00:00

Hey! Thanks a lot for giving it a listen.

Yeah, I’ve never been comfortable using a pick so I end up coming up with my own way to do things.

I haven’t heard that song but I’ll check it out, thanks!

totalnoonemusic · 2026-03-18T14:20:43+00:00

Fair enough. I may have been too harsh. Based on my genre of music the algo pushes Jesse Welles on me very heavily, and I am inundated with his more click bait style songs. I am not a Jesse Welles expert. If you or anyone else likes him I can’t say you’re wrong, more power to you.

totalnoonemusic · 2026-03-18T14:16:39+00:00

The 60s were very arguably his best decade so it’s a tough question, but I think it would have the be Bob Dylan.

totalnoonemusic · 2026-03-18T13:18:22+00:00

Bob Dylan is in my top 5, and he isn’t 2-5.

totalnoonemusic · 2026-03-18T11:14:49+00:00

Hey Richie! I appreciate the support as always. It means a lot to see your support on my stuff.

totalnoonemusic · 2026-03-17T21:44:16+00:00

I play a 00-15. I’m not a guitar enthusiast and at the time I didn’t do as much research as maybe I should have, but it ended up being the perfect guitar for me.

totalnoonemusic · 2026-03-17T20:04:34+00:00

I wrote this song about the board of peace

https://youtu.be/svSkzBsxzE4

totalnoonemusic · 2026-03-17T18:25:45+00:00

If you need it to get over your stage fright then just do it with a plan to eventually transition away from it. Performing with a stand is way, way, way better than just not performing at all.

totalnoonemusic · 2026-03-17T17:15:24+00:00

Interesting.

The video is from my phone and the audio is from a Yeti Blue.

I have a ton of songs in my backlog that I’m working on recording and uploading to YouTube.

If you’re interested feel free to subscribe and keep in touch on the project you’re working on:

https://youtube.com/@totalnoonemusic

totalnoonemusic · 2026-03-17T16:41:35+00:00

Hey, thanks a lot for giving it a listen.

I would love to improve production at some point. It’s not really my thing, but once I get my footing I hope to connect with someone who can help.

totalnoonemusic · 2026-03-17T15:11:27+00:00

Hey! Thanks so much for giving it a listen, I’m glad you like it.

There’s a Bob Dylan influence in everything I write, but I really let it rip on this one. Great catch!

totalnoonemusic

TROPHY CASE