I agree he hasn't much idea how to talk to people, but I know I can come over as a bit abrasive and insensitive at times too. I'm willing to give him the benefit of the doubt. I also favour fairly conventional songwriting where the words and the melody are what matter rather than 'sounds' and decoration. Coincidentally one of the people who has contributed most to my project (described below) is also named Andrew, but I don't think it's the same person!
As some of you here know, I've been working on songs for a stage musical for the last year or so. I've been doing it as an 'open source' project, asking anyone who likes my lyrics to have a go at turning them into songs. It's going pretty well. So far I'm about half way down my list of 20. Here are the completed songs that I've got so far (though nothing is set in stone of course):
https://soundcloud.com/david-gardiner-8 and here is a page where people can read about the project and download all the lyrics and the complete script:
http://davidgardiner.net/EPOpen.html I'll try to indicate which songs I still need. Some of them don't need writing but just performing for the showcase channel on Soundcloud. These are pre-existing folk songs or songs that are either out of copyright or used with permission. I'll include them in case someone who would like to perform them for me happens to read this, but you (Andrew) are probably more interested in the ones that just exist as lyrics.
The songs that I still need are the ones that appear in the script but not on Soundcloud: i.e. songs numbered 4 + 16 (these are really the same song with just minor variations in the words), 7 + 12 (again, variations on the same song), 6 (pre-existing, out of copyright), 9 ('The Last Examination'. This has been written for me and a violin backing track provided by a folk singer named Barbara Korner. It just needs the vocal track added but needs to be a youngish male voice), 10 (pre-existing folk song. Needs a young female voice and a guitar or similar backing track or would be fine acapella), 11 (needs youngish male voice and some kind of accompaniment), 14 ('You Don't Own Me' - pre-existing pop song, female voice), 15 (Pre-existing folk song, female voice), 20 ('The Diggers' Song' - pre-existing folk song, male trio, acapella), 21 ('History Lesson' by Leon Rossellson - the last song in the play. Acapella, young female voice).
When you analyse it there aren't many songs left that need writing from scratch, but several in which the technical quality of the recording or the actual performance could be a lot better.
So if you, Andrew, or anybody else wants to have a go I'll be very pleased.