Co Lab Oration
I think I first played with Tony Lee in like, 88 or 89. We’ve known each other way too long. It’s probably much worse for him than it is for me. And we have a pretty fucked up relationship. Always have. That’s the way we like it. It’s some kind of strange mixture of respect and disrespect. Ha! I don’t know what it is really. He always puts his drum kit too close to me on stage. Egos butt heads. Creative differences punch each other in the lip. Mostly I think it’s about who has the most chest hair (I do) and whose penis is longer (I’ll give that to Tony to avoid visual confirmation – but I will not give him girth. For that – visual confirmation would be necessary). But we sometimes have a hard time communicating. For me – if I could wear a soundproof burqa in public – I would. If I could wear a soundproof burqa and not ever have to go to a public place – I’d do that too. I think I’d just look good in a burqa.
“I got hair on my chest. I look good in a burqa….”
~Tom Waits.
So anyway – none of that has anything to do with 
anything. But we’re trying to work out a sort of digitally collaborative situation. Since we live in different places, we can’t just meet down the street to try to get all creative. And honestly – even if we lived next door to each other- we would never do that anyway. That would just be weird. But for this acoustic record- we’re trying to sort something out where we can be more back and forth before things get finalized. And now that I think of it- it would surprise everyone how much we do go back and forth and talk in earnest about things that are completely meaningless to anyone but us. So there really always has been collaboration, but we’re trying to go for ‘enhanced’ collaboration. Collaboration on purpose with purpose. I could write slogans for the Boy Scouts.
Part of the problem is that when I have a new song, after all – when it’s ready – I record a demo to send to the dudes. And as soon as I do that, things start to slowly firm up for me. There are always tweaks, and changes, and usually there’s a cello part to put in, or whatever. I start listening to the demos in my car- and lots of times right away there are just totally obvious changes or parts that make themselves known. But once I start listening to something a certain way, it starts to become rigid and it starts to sound ‘right’ and once the clay dries like that, it’s super hard for me to change anything without getting cranky. And that’s not good. Although – realizing that something is right and done is something I feel like I know.
So – I sent Tony clean tracks yesterday with the idea that he’ll record some parts at his place and send them to me to put into the demos. And hopefully we can go back and forth like that, talk about arrangement, sounds, instrumentation and the weather.
In other news- there are 10 songs in the Southern Gothic Pro Tools folder on the computer. One must go. And hopefully songs will stop coming for this, or songs will come that can be diverted to Snow White Snow. Something’s going on lately though – every time I pick up that guitar something starts. Which is awesome. But I need that phase to stop so we can polish up these turds and make ’em sparkly and good so we can record the record. I was really hoping this album was going to have a creepy Faulkner / O’Conner vibe. That was the goal. But man – it’s just not gonna happen. It’s not anywhere near creepy I don’t think. Except Knives in the Kitchen – that sort of has it. Maybe Tony will add some creep today or tomorrow.
Will try to put some demos up here to show how things are progressing. Or regressing. Whatever the case may be.