An intense day in the studio today, figuring out arrangements, style, and execution. Each song has its needs and those needs need to be imagined. Then they need to be tried out, played and analysed. Does the idea work? Are we on the right track? The wonderful thing about making records is that any system of doing things works, you just have to find yours.

Today I was playing the pink Strat that Olivia said is orange until we all agreed that it was actually coral but I started recording with Jim Moginie’s Les Paul, which led to the 1961 Gretsch that we borrowed, the Gibson J 50 acoustic and then the sitar guitar, I think it was a Dan Electro. This range of guitars makes the whole experience of making a record a sonic pleasure.

It’s hard to report on what you are doing because you’re in a room for eleven hours and although a lot is happening with your playing and the song is evolving, everything is internal. It’s coming from inside of you. DC and Tony contribute, play, write, engineer, and co-produce but ultimately you are “locked inside these four walls” until dinner time. This dinner time, I stayed in to do languages on Duolingo, Spanish and Swedish today, I also listened to sessioneer Jeff’s Soundcloud before we speak tomorrow morning. So I didn’t get out to see what the world was doing. I was immersed in the project and happy for it to be that way, concentrated, working with everyone to uncover magic moments that are lurking in the room, invisible but present.

It’s a big week this week, I have sessions every morning till next Monday and studio all weekdays. We are hoping to go on a sightseeing trip one weekend day, there are so many places to see if you haven’t been here before and so many places worth revisiting if you have. Koalas and kangaroos are high on the visiting list as well as echidnas, emus, the legendary duck-billed platypus, bandicoots, and any other fascinating marsupials.

Today I ate dragon fruit. It was there in the shop looking red and exotic, so I had to try it. I bought two so I have another one for tomorrow. They are a beautiful colour inside and you scoop out the middle, seeds and meat. Isn’t it strange to call fruit meat?

I have to go to bed now, long day today, long day tomorrow. Olivia is already in bed as is the rest of the house, even Buddy has turned in. Nelly is on the bed and I’m going to have to move her, it’s so hard, haha.

Music today has been Ride – This Is Not A Safe Place (2019).

Music Of The Daze