Timothy B. Schmit is the heart and soul behind some of the greatest hits from The Eagles, Bee Gees, Poco and several other iconic bands.
While he’s had a long career with rock royalty, the bassist’s life isn’t one of a stereotypical rockstar.
“My kids would meet people who would find out who their dad was at school and they would want to come over to get a little hit of the ‘wild life.’ We were probably more conservative than their own family,” he laughed to KTLA 5’s Dayna Devon.
The “I Can’t Tell You Why” singer has been in the music business since the late ’60s but still considers himself a “developing songwriter.”
“A lot of songwriters, especially in pop … have their heyday when they’re quite young and I wasn’t there yet. I’ve said this several times, and I’ll say it again, I think I’m starting to get the hang of it,” he explained. “I love the process of writing songs and with my solo stuff, I can do whatever I want. I don’t have to bounce it off of anybody.”
The “Playin’ It Cool” artist even revealed what his songwriting process is like.
“I usually just pick up the guitar and see what happens. A lot of times I might come up with a melody and start singing nonsense syllables to kind of develop it,” he said. “Sometimes a line might cut, and sometimes I don’t know what I’m going to write about. It’s really nice to have a title, then you can develop sound.”
Sometimes an idea will hit Schmit while he’s out and about. Before the advancement of technology, he’d be forced to remember the idea or write it down. Now, he utilizes his phone.
“I remember once in New York, I was walking down the street and something came to me and I knew I would forget it if I didn’t record it. I just ducked into a doorway and sang into my phone and it eventually made the album before this.”
Schmit’s new album “Day By Day” is out now and is available on vinyl, CD and on all streaming platforms.