There is always something that you wish you can improve upon. I tried writing a take-off on the Eagles' song Hotel California, to poke fun at a lifestyle of rock & roll excess. The piece is Hotel Arizona and is based on the life of Howard Hughes who was at one time discovered roaming the desert in the middle of the night, and was picked up by a truck driver named Melvin. Howard was a notorious drug user, so this song has many drug references, mostly couched in the lyrics of other songs (Eagles, Beatles, America, etc). What makes this song a near-miss? 1) The drumbeat doesn't change throughout the piece. I was lazy and now it shows. 2) Some pictures are not right -- the wrong vibe or colours. And I should have introduced Stevie Nicks a lot earlier. 3) Could have spent more time on the guitar lines. Some parts are not as tight as I would have wished. 4) I'm not sure if to sing or simply narrate the song. It's kinda in no man's land.
So this is a rough sketch, a work in progress. Whether I will improve it and ultimately finish it, remains to be seen. But I think it has great potential, and it touches on a lot of other interesting stories and myths that were circulating about the desert in Arizona.