Record In Progress!
Shhhhh! Well in progress. Well past the point of no return. In fact, the point of no return is so far back, that when I look in the rear-view mirror, I can’t tell if the point of no return is a cop car or a taxi. Too far back; too dark. No refunds. No reentry. No store credit, deadbeats!
When I work on a record one technique I utilize is the draft title. The working title. This word or phrase or insider combination of letters and or numbers helps keep my mind focused on the premise. A Premise. Premises.
Some working titles so far have been, “The Process,” “The Death of Kings,” “The LP Record’s Last Album,” “First Pull Up – Then Pull Down,” and, “Mode of Zero.” All shortcuts for me to remember my place in this process. All pointing to similar things: probably one of my last “albums” and probably completely inaccessible. Oh well. There will be short pieces and producing and contributions, but the full-length album? Even I don’t know. Probably not my last record, but I don’t foresee many more ahead.
I do like what’s happening creatively, so far. And, I am actually enjoying myself. But, there’s already too much stuff. I’m Axl-fucking-Rose now and I’ve not even approached real mixing or flourish. There’s a natural sense of sequence though, but there’s just more material than any sane mind could process (do you get the feeling that I'm trying to convince myself to stop adding time and start editing?).
I’ve always relied on good sense and spiritual intervention to let me know when it was done. Hello, spiritual intervention hotline? Hello? Dammit! Wrong number! I am, however, on the downhill side of this thing I believe. I hope so.
Also, notably, this is truly a part-time effort. Not necessarily because I have to work in dribs and drabs, but because I don’t want it to shorten my lifespan. Hard to explain. But, yeah, I’ll spend a little bit of time here and there and I’m finding it a refreshing way to make a record. You get more external influence and you approach each segment with fresh ideas. And plenty of time to envy what others are creating and to think your stuff sucks then realize that it's brilliant.
Way too much material. This I know. But, there are elements of all of the pieces that I want to preserve mostly because a “record” should be a “record” of a place and time and series of events. I want to someday say, “Holy crap, that was an interesting place for the brain to have been.” I have ideas though.
What else does one need to know? When will I finish? I’m guessing by summer this year. We’ll see. What does it sound like? Hell if I know.
Too bad that I can't play musical instruments, sing, properly use recording equipment, or write songs. Otherwise, I'd be done, yo!
