Paul McMahon

The title refers to Adult Children Of Alcoholics, a program I attended at the time. Much of the material is consciously about healing within the context of dysfunctional family dynamics. COME ON was written walking to the subway after a therapy session. I wanted to write songs, even country songs that didn't glorify co-dependence. I wanted to celebrate my search for my real feelings. Ironically more of the real 'adult child' songs come in MR. PAUL McMAHON, as the healing process was more mature a year later and had had time to digest.
This was an extraordinarily flexible ensemble. ADULT CHILD is perhaps the most eclectic album, considering the songs were all contemporaneous. It reflects my interest in writing jazz standards (COME ON), early alt. country aspirations (YOU'RE THE ONE), hard rock (FEEL THE PAIN), romantic gypsy (TELL ME TRUE), acoustic thrash spew (YOU KICKED ME IN THE STOMACH), Jimmy Buffett vehicles (I LIKE THE WAY I FEEL TODAY), and there's a barrelhouse blues (NOBODY KNOWS). I've always been interested in all things eclectic because of the word itself. Does any other word have three hard 'c' stops in it (eck-cleck-tick)? The intention to write a jazz standard must have partially succeeded because SUNNYSIDE was playing on the house tape at Funumbules on Ludlow St. The proprietor, Aaron Beall, insisted that it was Chet Baker and refused to believe it was me.
This album is all about healing and I was experimenting with several modalities. One day I came to a mixing session at the little Times Sq. studio after a guided hyperventilation experience and my electrical charge was altered. When I touched the recording console there was a loud distortion noise, which didn't happen when other people touched it. The engineer couldn't explain it.
Like PROPHECIES, ADULT CHILD could almost pass for a Christian album. Did I say that out loud?