When inspired by real life events, an artist has to place their work somewhere between two extremes: journalism on one end or poetic license on the other. When something difficult happened in my life, it reminded me of other real people deeper in my past. Writing about their difficulties felt cathartic. But the first draft of “God Only Knows” was too close to the truth, almost tabloid; “tell all” in a way. But with the help of friends, I decided to revise in the direction of poetic license - changing details and introducing fiction - for the final version. But when performing it, I can still feel the identification and catharsis. Our conversation with Mike continues as we unpack the song “God Only Knows,” by Tom Adamson and the Automatic Rhythm Section. https://www.tomadamsonmusic.com