"Stephen Fell Asunder" was a song I wrote toward the end of high school. I was to enter a statewide talent show in May of 1993. I wanted to write something really "kick ass." I had just finished reading Joyce’s A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man for my English class. It had a profound affect on me, to say the least. A few passages from the book inspired the song. I was awakened to some new ideas and I took advantage of them. Also, I was fairly angst filled for a few months near the end of high school. I had worked really hard for four years to get a full scholarship at UNC. I made it to the final interview and then blew it. Everyone told me I was a "shoe in." Unfortunately, the committee didn’t select me in spite of my doing everything that needed to be done. I had credentials out the wazoo. My numbers were near perfect. And yet, that scholarship was not my path. I didn’t realize this until years later, but if I had gotten that ride, I would have become completely different person. I guess the hardest thing about it at the time was that I realized I would have to "make it" my own way. And, you know, life is so much more rewarding when you don’t have it all spelled out for you. "Stephen Fell Asunder" comes from a place that hadn’t realized this lesson. I’m obviously dealing with it in this song. I think it really shows on the recording, too. Oh, and I won the talent show by a land slide. That was a great feeling.