This Is My Story, This Is My Song: My College Experience

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Well, what a crazy “beautiful ride” (Dewey Cox, 2007) it has been. I started this journey in a roundabout way, but today I will finally graduate from college and be a True-Son of old Missouri. Some of you know my story like you know some of my songs and I’m so grateful for all of the love and support that I have been given over the years with my musical endeavors and recently with going back to school to further my education.

The one big question you always get asked when going to college is what do you want to do with your life, what’s your dream job? Most of the time when people asked me that question they were under the assumption that I was a “normal” college kid between the ages of twenty -one or twenty-five. Almost every time I was asked that question though I would respond by saying, “I don’t know, I’ve already had my “dream job” in many ways at the age of 23 so it’s kind of hard to say…” Strange looks would usually ensue, and sometimes I would tell my story, but the majority of the time I changed the subject or just kept to myself. To this day though, it still blows my mind that most people think songwriters sell their songs to artists for a flat fee.

Today is truly a full circle moment for me. I feel so blessed to have had so many wonderful opportunities in my short thirty years on this earth and continue to have as I move forward. Earning my degree from a great institution like the University of Missouri gives me a great sense of joy, pride, and accomplishment and no one can take that away from me.

Some say there are two paths in life, one being the road less traveled and the other being paved. Well, I can honestly say that I have experienced both of these paths and have learned so much from both, which are equally valuable. I am forever grateful for all of the knowledge I was able to soak up like a sponge while working as a singer/songwriter in Nashville. I got to learn from some of the best at Big Loud Shirt and from so many other amazingly talented folks on the creative side and the business side of things on a daily basis. I didn’t know it then, but so many lessons I learned from growing as a writer and a person during that period of my life really gave me the tools to be a better student once I returned to school.

My experiences at school were more by the book/paved, figuratively and literally. There definitely was a big adjustment period, but once I got going I felt I couldn’t be stopped. Being an older student mixed in with younger students is truly an interesting and eye opening experience. Your priorities at eighteen and nineteen are a little different than when you are 29 or 30, understandably. Needless to say, I felt like I always could learn something from my younger peers and they could always learn something from me too.

As I am reflecting today, I really did learn a lot from my time in college. Sure, I learned how to solve polynomial functions in college algebra, I became decently fluent with Spanish, memorized a ton of flashcards for physiology, and learned countless communication and sociological theories…all of these things are very important. However, the most important thing I learned from my college experiences and my musical experiences have been within myself — who I am and what I am capable of as a person and a human being.

I learned that I am and will always be that dude who can entertain a room full of people with a couple of chords on a guitar and a sweet melody, but I can also be the guy that enjoys writing a ten-page paper on Mass Media Theory or debating political or social issues. Some of the most valuable lessons we learn in life don’t come from books, they come from living life and figuring things out as we go. I’m sure I will continue to figure things out as I go and that should be an exciting thing for all of us. I am thankful for all of my life experiences both good and bad, they have brought me to where I stand today…diploma in hand and still plenty of songs left in my heart. I’m not exactly sure what my next move will be, but you can bet I will be determined, passionate, and optimistic about the future and all of its possibilities. Sometimes we don’t choose our path, our path chooses us. MIZ…ZOU!!!  -CC

Whatever - A Poem by Clay Cumbie

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Whatever

Simple are the words thrown around

All while complicated corners of the mind yell

The heart drops, splits, and pours out to every distal part of the body.

The abstract becomes more conscious and clear

And the amusement of easiness becomes the new bore

Your whatever you want to call it is always whatever,

And your never is always whatever it is…

Whatever it is that moves us to where we are supposed to be;

scratch that one or two times, and test your sense of humor

  against his

Get a drink and sit in a chair and see what hits you

  in the face.

Maybe you’ll feel the guilt of never saying

whatever it was you needed and wanted to say.

Maybe a religious experience will oddly occur during an

  awkward prayer

And you’ll stumble across something you were never even

  Looking for.

Or maybe you never find whatever it is you were looking for

  in the first place.

It has been a long time since our last assignation

And I fear that whatever you felt for me is no longer

  there.

There is no way to romanticize this moment we casually and

  constantly find ourselves in

Trying to repel the distance between the brokenness which is

shared

 Only to return to the recklessness of despair and selfish repair

The telling is in the touch, while the touching will always tell

If nothing could be something or if something could be dead.

Looking out the window as the sprinkler hits the glass

I am reminded of how circular it all really is in the scheme of

  things

The new becomes old but the old never becomes brand new

Like recycled shoes that end up in a third world country

You begin to realize how important whatever it is –is

The clock suddenly moves in accordance to things of

  importance

Yet the irrelevant intrigues the slightest suggestions of

  comfortability

You find yourself dwelling on the nonsense that only drags

  You deeper into the “whatever it is”…

You begin to witness life in freeze frame images that quickly

  pass you by

Taking in every breath with a new thinking as to where the

  ocean meets the sky

Every step becomes softer, and every word becomes a dessert

  that you wish you would have had twice…

The empty willingness to wake up to a new day still surprises

  the strongest of minds

As we long for a new wind to blow in and rescue us from

  whatever it is we try to escape

The cold room we find ourselves in today, is telling to all

  who came to hear the message

As the eyes of many focus on a stone which carries the

  familiar last name,

You begin to realize the “whatever it is” didn’t pass you by,

  But is waiting for you to make it what it will be.

                                                -Clay Cumbie (2010)

MU Football: Pinkel Pushes Fans - To Travel or Not To Travel? You Make The Call.

Today I was listening to 610AM, a Kansas City sports radio station as I was driving north on good ol' highway 63. Bob Fescoe had Missouri head football coach Gary Pinkel on to reflect about the season and what possible bowl game the Tigers could be going to.

Pinkel told Fescoe that he would be pleased to go to any of the four bowl games (Alamo, Insight.com, Cotton, Holiday) because all four of these bowls are "comparable" due to the "restructuring" of the bowl games, and all are carried by ESPN. Pinkel said, "any of those would be a win for us, we just need our Missouri fans to show up."

Pinkel also told Fescoe in accordance to the MU fanbase, "You go root on your Missouri tigers, that's what they do in Nebraska, that's what they do in Oklahoma, thats what they do at Texas A&M, and I think our fans will get better and better with that."

Ultimately, Fescoe gave Pinkel the floor to make a hard sell to MU fans to get off their tails and travel to go see the hometown team regardless if the bowl game was in the lonestar state or out west in sunny Arizona.

I listened in as the two went back and forth, talking about how Missouri fans are always quick to complain about bowl selections, and even more how we seem to "not travel well". Both Fescoe and Pinkel agreed that there is more to a bowl selection than what just happens on the field, and how money plays a huge role in these bowl selections, which is frustrating but true.

While Pinkel was quick to mention stats of the 6th winningest program in the BCS for the last four years at Missouri, and getting 40 wins in the last four seasons. Pinkel definitely has plenty to be proud about as the head football coach at the University of Missouri.

But, not so fast my friends...

As I listened to this interview, I almost felt like I was being scolded as a Tiger fan and that the head football coach was displeased with my lack luster effort as a fan. Let me say this, and go ahead and get this out of the way - I believe Gary Pinkel has done one hell of a job at the University of Missouri, and I believe he is a tremendous coach and has the program moving in the right direction. I also believe that the 10-2 record for this year is nothing to glance over, and him and his staff along with the players should be thrilled with their great record and all of their hard work.

Fescoe made the comment and challenge to Missouri fans, "If you want to be considered a top notch school, then you as fans have to do your part and show up."

I completely agree with many of the points these guys were making, but I personally believe there is one major reason why the majority of Missouri fans don't just pack their bags to go watch MU play in a mediocre non-BCS game, and that is simply because they haven't arrived yet.

Do you know why Oklahoma, Nebraska, and Texas fans travel near and far to see their team? It's because they did arrive, or have proven they can make it to the big boy stage and win. Those three programs have a much more deep winning tradition in football than Missouri, and it is because of that winning tradition that their fans dish out cash or their hard earned money to root on their team during bowl season. Sure, Missouri fans do bitch and complain about bowl selections, a ton of fans do across the country for their respective schools. Just as much as the coach wanted to scold me through the radio about dishing out my money to go to Arizona, I wanted to say, "Coach, I would if I could - But I'm running short on money this month, and maybe if you guys would've beaten Nebraska or didn't lose that game to Texas Tech I'd be there rooting you on in a big daddy BCS game when the chips are really on the line."

Bottom Line: If you've got the money and the time and you want to go root on the tigers regardless if its the Rose Bowl or the Toilet Bowl - Do It! It's your prerogative! I believe Missouri has a great fan base in all sports and we all love our tiger sports and want to see them do well. But I honestly believe, if the Tigers made it to a big BCS game and did something like I dont know maybe win a Big XXII Championship then the masses would follow. Pinkel wants us to be at our best and be top notch fans, well how about let's get the Missouri football team over those last couple of hurdles that have been clobbering us the last few years. Like I said previously, I believe in Gary Pinkel, and believe that the Missouri Tigers will leap those last few hurdles before we (the fans) know it - and it will definitely be something for all MU fans to cheer about. But in closing I'll say this - I've heard Gary Pinkel say this more on one occasion, college football is a "business" - well it is a business, and it is unfortunate that some fans don't want to do business when it comes to making the trip to go see the Tigers play- but that is life and there are too many factors that sometimes go into making that decision over, to travel or not to travel? However, as a fan you look at it from a business standpoint too - Would I be willing to lose out on some money to go see MU play in the Insight. com bowl and beat a decent team? Maybe? Would I pick up a part time job to make extra money to see them play in a major BCS Bowl Game against a great team? Absolutely! Get there, then I'll get there...I Promise.

Here's the link for the Bob Fesoce/Gary Pinkel Interview on 610AM out of Kansas City, MO-

http://www.fileskcsp.com/fescoe/1201bfhourthree.mp3

Cam Cam - In Trouble Again?

Here’s the deal: A few weeks ago the entire sports nation was mesmerized by an SEC quarterback who was running over the competition on the plains at Auburn University. That was a few weeks ago, however now everyone is talking about Cameron Newton’s dirt off the field, instead of the dirt he has been kicking up on the field for the 10 – 0 Auburn Tigers.

Newton’s troubles found him when an ESPN article made news about a possible soliciting scandle involving Newton and a “recruiter” who was willing to give Newton to the highest bidding school. According to espn.com - offers ranging from $180,000 to $200,000 were being thrown around in order to get Newton to come play for their school.

Now there are reports about Cameron Newton being involved in academic cheating while he was a student at the University of Florida, not once, or twice, but three times. Allegations of Newton also knowingly buying a stolen laptop while attending the University of Florida have also surfaced as recent as today.

I personally think its very unfortunate that this young man is being held under a media microscope, as if he were Lindsay Lohan on TMZ. Without a question this kid has put Auburn back on the national map, and is probably the top ranking candidate for this years Heisman Trophy. Like anything in today’s society, allegations are thrown around and fingers are pointed with plenty of judgement and blame before a person can even begin to plead their case.

Ultimately, most of these allegations have to deal with Newton’s past and not to his current eligibility at Auburn University. In many ways it makes the media look bad for beating up a kid who might have happened to make a few mistakes in his past, and I can certainly see that side of this story. However, the media is just doing their job and are reporting on each one of these stories to the best of their ability, with the information that is available. Plenty of people are filling up message boards about conspiracy theories and “it’s sad that a bunch of old reporter guys are beating up on this kid.”

All I can say is, I hope the allegations are not true. I want to believe that this kid is a good kid, from a good family, and see him not wind up in any type of trouble. However, if the allegations are true, it’s nothing to just sniff at and some type of discipline action should be taken. At the end of the day, I see this kid possibly leading the Auburn Tigers to a BCS championship then bolting to the NFL, where he will escape all of these troubles that have found him lately.

Leaving Thoughts- Reporters are just doing their jobs, if Newton is guilty of any charges, then he should have to face some action or the University or Universities involved should face some type of disciplinary action. But we shouldn’t throw the book at the kid until all the facts are present, until then enjoy watching him on Saturdays. Hell, I’m an Alabama fan and I even want the kid to have a fair shot when it comes to these allegations, but not so much during the 2010 Iron Bowl in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.

CC

Dear Taylor...(Swift)

Dear Taylor,

Well it looks like John Mayer said, "NO" to being Taylor Swift's fairytale prince. A recent interview article written by Chris Willman from, "Our Country" is filled with behind the scenes thoughts from Swift about her new album "Speak Now" which will be released on October 25th.

The young country star discusses her new material and divulges information about the story behind some of the songs on her up-coming release...

I came across this article randomly through a yahoo page and decided to give it a read, as I was curious about Swift's new project and the songs that are slated to be on the new album. I was hoping to get something different from the young country crooner, but unfortunately all I got was the same ol' same ol from country music's latest and greatest superstar.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not here to just bash Taylor Swift and write her off as a no-talent. In fact, I think she is a really talented young artist who has done a lot not only for herself, but a complete genre of music. Swift along with label mastermind Scott Borchetta have done an incredible job of creating the, "Taylor Swift" brand and marketing her to the masses across multiple genres of music. Swift has also done a real nice job of selecting and writing songs for her albums and radio singles, which all go hand in hand in creating all of the "Taylor Mania."

However, this article was disappointing to read as a fan of music in general and as a fan of songwriters as well. The article, while focusing on her new album, primarily focuses on a song off the new project entitled, "Dear John"...

Swift who led her talents to John Mayer's last album (Battle Studies) on the song "Half of My Heart" was linked romantically to Mayer months ago on supermarket checkout stands, which Im sure sold like hotcakes. Of course now, Swift is releasing a new album and wouldn't you know the boy bashing queen had to get her two cents in about her relationship woes with notorious womanizer John Mayer.

As I read the article I began to see any hope that I had of Taylor swift moving in a mature direction towards her songwriting was immediately crushed like Taylor's poor heart from all of her apparently "bad" relationship experiences. Here is an example of some of the lyrics from "Dear John"...

"Dear John/I see it all now that you're gone/Don't you think I was too young/To be messed with/The girl in the dress/Cried the whole way home/I should've known." A second version of the chorus includes the lines: "It was wrong/Don't you think nineteen's too young/To be played/By your dark, twisted games/When I loved you so."

REALLY!?!? It's not like these two are 14 years old getting their hearts broken after a bad date at the local movie theater. If Taylor is old enough to make her bed, then she's old enough to sleep in it! Quit crying and writing about it in such am immature fashion, or better yet don't put yourself in a relationship with one of the biggest players in the entertainment industry. You're mom was right, you were an idiot to mess around with Mayer. Obviously, there are millions and millions of people who love and pay to hear Swift's young relationship woes, but I can honestly say I don't have one single Taylor Swift song on my ipod, and I definitely won't be caught waiting in line at the local Best Buy for Swifts new release either. I would have liked to seen Swift take a page out of Miranda Lambert's playbook and cut a song like, "The House That Built Me." But no, that would be wishful thinking. Trust me, I know Swift is laughing all the way to the bank, and good for her, she deserves it, but all I'm saying is none of those dollars will be coming from me.

Sidenote: And as far as John Mayer is concerned, dude might be a d-bag to the ladies, but he has more talent in his pinky finger than Taylor Swift could ever dream of. Maybe Taylor should go listen to Mayer's "Battle Studies" or better yet "Continuum" and see how a real songwriter crafts a breakup song. That is all...

Here is the link to the yahoo article :
http://new.music.yahoo.com/blogs/ourcountry/62996/taylor-swift-confronts-mayer-laments-lautner-in-new-album/

GameDay in Columbia, MO

The other day I was listening to sports talk radio like I always do and flipping back and forth between a few channels, when I came across a sports talk show talking about ESPN's College Gameday coming to Columbia, MO. There is quite the buzz going around town with Gameday coming in, along with the possibility of Missouri knocking off the #1 Oklahoma Sooners.

As someone who has grown up in Columbia and has seen some of the best and worst of Tiger athletics over the years, I truly believe right now is no better time to be a Mizzou fan. Mike Alden has done a tremendous job in bringing in great coaches and improving many of the athletic programs, however Mizzou has still yet to really hit the big stage in football.

Which brings me back to what I heard on the radio yesterday. As I listened in the DJ was ranting about how Missouri fans are already talking doom and gloom, and here we go again, another huge stage set for a big disappointment by the Missouri Tigers. Making his point that Mizzou has already hit the big stage by getting to this point(6-0) and having College Gameday come to Mid-Missouri. His point was basically, if Mizzou loses 55-0 we should still be proud and know that we have "arrived"...

As I said previously, right now is a great time to be a proud Tiger fan and an exciting time for Mizzou athletics, but I couldn't have disagreed with this DJ more than when he was making this point on the air yesterday. Mizzou has proved to be a pretty good team so far this year, but what makes good teams great is winning the BIG games, which is something Gary Pinkel and the tigers have not been able to do since his tenure as the the Tiger's coach. Sure, we have one some pretty big exciting games, but no BIG XXII titles, and definitely no big bowl games have been won so far...My point is, this game has HUGE implications for Mizzou, by winning it could change the face of the program from good to great. You don't play athletics to win the mediocre games or the somewhat challenging games, you play to win the biggest game on the biggest stage, and until Mizzou does that I feel like there will always be the, "Oh here we go again feeling coming from the dejected townies who walk out of Faurot field after a disappointing big game." But, for this hometown kid, I hope they finally get the BIG W' and reach that big stage!! MIZ