Look. It is Septembruh the 22rd? I think? and it's Tuesday. And it's 4:45 PM, thereabouts, an' I'm at Chatfield Manor and we're planning.

Listening to "Thrillington." Do you know about this album? Are you, like me and Joe Travers, a major fan of the album "Ram" by Paul and Linda McCartney? "Thrillington" is very groovy collection of arrangements, for a largish studio orchestra with rock rhythm section, of all of that album's songs. It was originally released in 1977, and it's simply utterly lovely and fun. And makes me smile as I sit and type to you and sing along: "Ram on...give your heart to somebody...sooooooon! Right away! Right away!" Not bad advice.

Been listening to a lot of Neil Young in the car. Been digging on the Beach Boys rarities/alternate takes/live doodad collection "Endless Harmony": get. Checked out the FZ "Mystery Disc" CD last night, nice to have the stuff collected. Still some inaccuracies/incompletions in the liner notes - OF COURSE Ray Collins is there on the studio "Agency Man," no "perhaps, even" is required, it is obviously he who makes the "rance-a prance-a" inquiry, and again FZ is not credited for bass on "Wedding Dress Song/Handsome Cabin Boy" (when Frank played me and Scott Thunes the completed master for "Lost Episodes" I took the opportunity to ask him if it was indeed he playing bass on that track, as I'd suspected since hearing it on the vinyl "Mystery Disc 2" - Frank had a very distinctive bass sound, always used a pick and compressed his tone heavily and sounded like he was using [to quote Thunes] "all upstrokes" - and Frank confirmed that it was he, and when Ryko released "Lost Episodes" and credited Estrada for bass on that track, I posted to the FZ newsgroup informing the world that Frank was the culprit, and here the Rykonians have ignored me! How unfortunate!). And lawdamighty you surely do need to hear the new Firesign Theatre thing, "Give Me Immortality Or Give Me Death," the wisest and funniest thing they've produced in at least 27 years, and I say that having only heard the first ten minutes or so.

OK, "Saving Private Ryan." Let's talk about that one when you see me on the road. It sure made me think about my father a lot.

As you've probably seen by now, there are new tour dates upon the main page. And many are tentative but soon, perhaps with your help!, they won't be. And I want again to thank you for your assistance and love and great, informed enthusiasm, because I'm doing these tours for YOU, you know, I'm surely not raking in the dough. Oh God am I not ever doing that. At this point it looks there will be around 12 or so additions to the repertoire for the next leg, nine or so of which are drawn from earlier albums, plus three songs I've been chipping away at for the last couple of weeks. They don't have words yet, I may have to write them on the road or make up new ones every time we play them (a la "Bob Dylan's Nose") until a final destination is reached.

And when I think about going out to play for all of you again I become happy and strangely calm and I look like this:

I'll write again soon.

Love,

Mike

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