Hammer Mill Days

Can't hear you. Can you turn it up? I don't know... to eleven, or maybe thirteen. Still nothing. Play harder, faster.... oh, wait. Didn't plug your cord into the console. Sorry. Sorrrreeeee... Oh, hi. Hey ... don't let anybody tell you (in case anybody ever tries) that producing yourself is easy. It's not, man, and I'll tell you why. You are the engineer. And the guitar tech. And the arranger. You get the drinks. And the snacks. It's bloody maddening - I even have to oil Marvin (my personal robot assistant) when he starts to squeak over there on the percussion riser. Anyway... we're elbow deep in production on our next album. Yes, it's a themed piece ... almost a rock opera, except with a lot less coherence. It grapples with monumental themes ... if you understand monumental to mean, simply, mental. It's been busy 'round these parts, I don't mind saying. Busier than we're used to, quite frankly. Recording, of course. Then there...

Lots going on, my friend. I'm just going to blow through a few stories and see what comes out on the other end. Missile Envy. I'm thinking they should declare April international missile month, since we started with North Korea's failed launch of their three-stage Galaxy-3 rocket, which they claimed was intended to send a satellite into orbit, and we've closed out the month with shots in India and Pakistan both. The first incident, of course, had officials, politicians, and commentators practically foaming at the mouth with both outrage and derision, plus plenty of snark when the thing broke into pieces (like many of our early missiles did). There would be consequences! they intoned righteously, joining in near universal condemnation and promises of further isolation. Jump forward about a week. India launches its AGNI-V A5 ICBM, what is indisputably a ballistic missile. Their officials brag that it is capable of carrying nuclear warheads and that it can reach Beij...