The transition from rehearsals to the recording went easily. The studio has a distinct old English feel to it; old maps, paintings, the Magna Carta ( it might even be the real one), tapestries, etc. adorn the walls; there are Gothic touches around, and the ceilings are high. The standard is also high, the staff impeccable. Our assistant Chris is always on the ball.

The recording is going very well. I won’t go into details as they are yet evolving but we have made great progress. I will say, however, that my pasta with Glover sauce has made the greatest progress. I have also made soup, prepared salads, shopped, chopped, cooked and cleaned, not to mention laundry .and even ironing! A man’s work is never done. You think we have it easy but it’s hard, damned hard.

We are housed in blocks of apartments like ordinary people. I don’t think they’re ordinary, really; why should I be any different? The apartments are nice enough though; two rooms, bathroom, kitchen, towels, sheets, pots and pans, openers, all the basic requirements for a perfect life are provided, provided you are not too eccentric. What’s wrong with a snooker table anyway? Parking is a drag. In December, Ian Gillan and I lived in a different block and parking was easy. I mentioned this to IG one night as we were returning from seeing Catch Me If You Can, now there’s a great movie. I recommend it. Hanks and DiCaprio are both superb, Christopher Walken at his best, fantastic music by John Williams. And it’s a true story. The opening sequence is not to be missed. Classy stuff. Where was I? .Ah yes, parking is a drag – we were driving through the labyrinth of winding roads around the various blocks when we found ourselves passing the block we used to live in. I said to Ian, “I miss parking there, it was so easy.” His reply was immediate. “You can still park there if you want.” Therein lies the man. Clear thinking.

The studio is a short hop from where we live. Actually it’s a long hop. I haven’t tried it, yet, but I believe it can be done. It would certainly cause a stir, not for the eye-catching hopping motion per se but for the fact that you’re an actual human being standing upright on your hind legs right there on the street .without a car. I’ll let you know how it turns out, the studio hop.

We work in the studio each day, except Sunday, starting at elevenish and finishing anywhere between six and nine. It is a good regimen. There are those visions of the band sweating it out all night, recording take after take, to get it just right, losing the groove, taking a break, going back in to try again, changing the arrangement, learning the new bit, breaking a string, losing your temper, taking another break over a warm Chinese meal delivered by a dodgy looking teenager with tattoos and fangs, go back in and get as good a take as the night will allow before starting to write, record and mix the B side. Yes, it’s been like that. But why choose it?

Los Angeles is, well, what is Los Angeles? A small town with big town muscle; a dream-world on the edge; a saucepan of soup. There is a strange feeling that all is well but you know something’s going on somewhere. Anyway, whatever it is, it is the backdrop to our efforts. NAMM was an experience. I’ve been once before but the enormity of it astounds still – all the music manufacturers under one roof. Good to see Patrice Vigier and my friends at SWR.

Bands even perform in LA, some of us have seen a few; old pals Vanilla Fudge with the ever irrepressible Carmine Appice; phenomenal bass player Victor Wooton and his band; my mate Pete Thomas (Elvis Costello and The Attractions) has a trio called Jack Shit (great fun band – country with an attitude, his daughter has a band called The Like); and a killer gig at The House of Blues by The Dixie Dregs – their version of Shapes Of Things had me jumping.

None of this you want to hear. What about DP music? I am smiling, is that enough? Michael is a joy to work with – professional, witty, quick, decisive, nurturing, hungry. He has a great appetite, I am in awe of the guy. He is an excellent player and writer, does all his own engineering, runs the computer, and laughs a lot. He and the band have a genuine mutual respect. He had a birthday last week and we celebrated in the studio by listening to the stuff we’ve done so far over a superb bottle of malt whisky, and it was good to the last drop.

RG

January 31, 2003