Egg
Usually, the track on an album I value most highly is the last one. It's the piece that basically tells the story of the album all over again in one concise statement. Unfortunately, that piece is missing from this album. The twelfth construction.
I feel like I owe the listeners an explanation if not an apology. Somehow, this album ends up with no ender. There is a hint on an ender, but it never materializes. The problem is that I never could write one. I did try, but all I can say is that this is evidence of the illusionary nature of composing. Like chickens, we just lay eggs. We say, maybe the next egg will be made of gold, but it isn't. Sometimes no egg pops out at all. Sometimes there is a lack of calcium in the diet and the shell is soft and fragile. I try to pick it up and it breaks under the pressure of my fingers. I have nothing to use to wipe my fingers and the chicken appears ready to peck.
So I gave up. I considered eliminating a couple of tracks and making Codgers one of those 20-minute recordings I actually am very fond of. That way, the need of a more ponderous ending would be reduced. People would think, "It is just a minor work…. We will not take it seriously." But no. I am pretending it is not a minor work, yet I know it is unfinished.
I have other demands on my time. I am writing some arrangements for The Residents and that is more important than my twiddling experiments. That statement comes off as a poorly conceived excuse.
So I leave you with an apology. Sorry.