Long before A Resonant Skin became a fully realized concept, I’d proposed the idea of a candid—ongoing—interview series between myself and A. A. Rosetti many times. For over a decade, I insisted that the nature of our communication would perk up adventurous ears, even in the face of uncertainty with regard to un—or, mis—guided conversation. And, for over a decade I was met with one thing: resistance. In the midst of a solid project—supported by a promising, resource enriched new platform—the stage had been set with a focused topic of exploration. Sadly, my soft-boiled arm-twisting was for naught, and I continued to slam my head against a wall of disinterest.
After nearly six months of activity with A Resonant Skin, I broached the subject once again, this time with a brand of trepidation reserved for those in one’s life that spare nothing by way of outward displays of heated frustration—and, for a very brief moment, I believed I’d cracked the nut. Then, the unimaginable happened… Los Angeles erupted in a sea of windswept flames, which traumatically removed my closest friend—and, best/worst enemy—from his home, his studio, his sacred space. The absence of certainty throughout the course of this event was replaced with a substitute, albeit one that has been described to me as “An aimless spiral of hopelessness and unbridled fear.” In spite of the surreal insanity he endured over the course of four nights, while tucked away at a La Quinta Inn, thirty-five miles from the home he reluctantly left behind, we were in constant communication. Fortunately, a monumental bullet had been dodged; his home and studio were spared from the path of destruction, and when word of the news was relayed through a neighbour, we celebrated our relief in complete disbelief. Shortly thereafter, our subsequent stream of messages trickled into a calm, uneasy silence. It had been two days without word when the following message appeared in my pocket:
With careful consideration of the circumstances, I let the message ride, free from any amount of digitally transferred jubilance; internally, I was ecstatic! And, while I may not have been entirely convinced that the reconsideration would stick once life returned to the tracks, the cogs began to turn as I meandered through the days that lead up to this: our first conversation “on record.”
In this episode of Liner Notes we discuss our humble author’s initial reservations regarding the podcast as a viable format, Steve Albini as catalyst for this publication, the undeniable importance of fatherly encouragement, a childhood disdain for Led Zeppelin, and much more.
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