Richard Mixin'

Behold, partially in-focus recording equipment!  Well, once again I've neglected to post for quite some time.  I have a good excuse.  I was finishing up with the recording.  This will be my fourth album.  And, as in the aftermath of the others, I usually write a ton of music.  Yes, I've been doing that.  It's a good thing, because my fifth album is going to be recorded in August.  I write lots of music and I want to record it.  I'm feeling the clock ticking.  If I don't get this stuff in the can soon, my efforts will begin to look pathetic.  See, I'm not young.  Sure, I'm still mobile and I've got my original hair and teeth and so forth.  But past a certain age, making pop music is just a ridiculous prospect.  OK, so it begs the question: why didn't you do this when you were younger?  Answer: I did, but I was playing jazz.  I loved every minute of it, but it became unfeasible.  The gigs went away and certain key players moved to greener pastures or otherwise transformed themselves into rock players.  I got the memo a little late.  I tried denying that the landscape was changing, but it did anyway.  Oh well.  Last night, though, the whole clock-ticking scenario was driven home courtesy of The National on SNL.  I had never seen them before.  But man, they looked so old.  Especially their lead singer.  It's weird; he looked almost exactly like Walter White.  It was nearly ridiculous.  Yeah, and he's six years younger than I am.  OK, so I'm not a big fan of theirs, but that one detail really stuck out.  Of course, if I was a sax player, none of this would matter.  I could play till I was 100 and everybody would think it was swell.  Pop music is a different animal.     

I did, however, eventually make the change.  And it has actually been pretty terrific.  It is true that my sales are perpetually dismal, but that's beside the point.  It has to be.  If it wasn't, it would make everything seem futile.  The truth is that recording is just the best thing ever.  Have you ever heard tales of great upheaval and drama when a band records an album?  So have I.  That doesn't happen when I record.  It is always a wonderful experience.  And with each album the feeling becomes more profound.  I'm to the point where words can't really describe what it's like.  I'm pretty positive that vast amounts of endorphins are being released during the entire process, because it's almost like someone is giving me all the very best drugs.  And when everything is done, I want it to happen again.  I'll get my chance again in August and although it's still five months away, I can't wait.  Honestly, I can't wait for this to happen.  All my music is written and I'm ready to go.  Of course, I continue to write music, so some tunes may replace others, but I am really, truly ready to go right now.  

Waiting a year to record an album is exactly that - waiting.  I'm hoping for a bit more positive response with this one.  Maybe I'll get it, maybe I won't.  I'd like to record three albums next year, but the truth is that if nothing happens with these two albums, I might have to modify those plans.  The prospect of recording five albums in two years is almost unimaginably exciting for me.  Just working with the tremendous musicians on this album is something that ranks as one the best experiences of my entire woeful life.  The thought of repeating that four more times in the next two years makes me want to run around the block like a maniac.  Did I mention that I'm old?  By rock/pop standards I am.  But I'm pretty determined to get all this stuff done before I look like I'm trying to recapture my lost youth.  Here's something: when I was young, I wasn't young.  With each album, I feel like the clock has been turned back five years.  Suffering for one's art is for suckers.  It's a myth.  Certainly, nobody buys or listens to my music.  It doesn't bother me, as long as I can keep recording.  Once again, although writing music is at times difficult, it all seems to turn into a magnificent experience.  So there.