This is coffee-out-the-nose hilarious, because if you've seen Alan's vids, you know he means it! Of, course, not all of his stuff is twisted. He can also bring one to tears on occasion - the sign of a truly gifted writer. For me, if there's too much thought at the start, nothing happens. That's the sign of an average writer, I think. I usually come up with things when I'm just noodling around and
not thinking. This is why I don't have a ton of stuff of my own. This is true for me especially with lyrics. So many times it's while driving, in the shower, or dropping off to sleep, when something pops into my head. That's the trick. To be able to turn things off that need to be turned off in order to let the creative side of the brain wander freely. That's what any great artist has the ability to do.
I heard Willie Nelson on Larry King recently say that a good songwriter should be able to write on command. It may not be great when he does that, but he'd be able to write something on the spot when asked. That's what the Brill Building writers were all about. Back in the day, Mac Davis (I'm dating myself here...) had a variety show where he'd take made-up song titles from the audience and write a song right there, and they were usually pretty good, witty little rhymes he'd come up with, much like a rapper would be able to "spit out" on the spot. I used to work with a guy who found a Mr. Microphone (battery pwr'd mic w/built in amp/speaker) at a thrift store. He'd walk around all day asking people to say any word that popped into their heads, and off he'd go on an amazing rap. He was a great song songwriter, too, very inventive lyrically and musically.
So I guess for me, I'll quote one of the best, if not
the best:
Turn off your mind / Relax and float down stream