Ep. 110 - STEVE SESKIN ("Don't Laugh at Me")

The San Francisco folkie who became a Nashville hitmaker with "Life's a Dance," "Don't Laugh at Me," "I Think About You," Grown Men Don't Cry" and more!  IN THIS EPISODE: PART ONE The guys discuss Paul's 2019 Grammy experience and Scott's recent revelation about the importance of Steve Seskin. PART TWO -   9:08 mark Steve Seskin sits down with Scott to talk about the lessons he learned busking on the streets of San Francisco and how they’ve informed his songwriting instincts; the way he learned to write songs he was proud of but didn’t want to sing; the way he managed to avoid burnout as a songwriter; how Morgan Freeman inspired one of his biggest hits; the reason his future was altered when his publishing company ran out of coffee cups; what every writer should do to prepare for a co-writing session; which of his songs made him feel creepy when he first started singing it, and song he wrote that changed the course of his life more than any other. ABOUT STEVE SESKIN

One of the most successful Nashville songwriters who never actually moved to Nashville, Steve Seskin has written songs for a long list of artists that includes Kenny Chesney, Toby Keith, Peter Frampton, Waylon Jennings, Alabama, Ricky Skaggs, Peter Paul and Mary, and others. He has written seven #1 hits, including the Grammy-nominated “Grown Men Don’t Cry” by Tim McGraw; the John Michael Montgomery hits “Life’s a Dance,” “If You’ve Got Love,” and “No Man’s Land;” The Neal McCoy singles “No Doubt About It” and “For a Change;” as well as “I Think About You,” which earned Collin Raye an Academy of Country award for Video of the Year. Seskin’s song “Don’t Laugh at Me” was named the NSAI Song of the Year after it was recorded by Mark Wills. The anti-bullying anthem became a children’s book and was the impetus for the Operation Respect/Don’t Laugh at Me project, a curriculum designed to teach tolerance in schools. Through the program, Steve regularly performs in school assemblies and has launched related programs that help teach kids how to write songs of their own. Working from his home base in the San Francisco Bay area, Steve is additionally an active keynote speaker and songwriting instructor for the West Coast Songwriters Association, the Nashville Songwriters Association International, the Kerrville Folk Festival, and other organizations. Though best known for writing hit songs for others, he is also a successful performer and recording artist who has released more than 20 albums of his own material. Perhaps the best way to experience a Steve Seskin song is by hearing it performed by the man himself.