Hi all,

At the moment I'm sitting at home on the Sunshine Coast after being banished from the studio for, from what I can interpret, "having too many good ideas". What really happened was, I stopped letting other people take credit for my ideas (eg. Cogs: "Hey Bern/Dz/Hoggy/JC, can you mention that vocal idea for this song's outro to Nick (producer) when you go into the control room?"...next thing I know Nick says to me, "Hey Cogs, Bern/Dz/Hoggy/JC just had this great idea for the outro") and I started claiming some points. No, it wasn't for the sake of racking up credits on the sleeve of the CD, it was because I'd gone too long without warranted recognition. As a great Australian one-hit-wonder band of the seventies once said, "What about me, it isn't fair, I've had enough now I want my share". But now I stand banished so I've started shooting my new reality show tentatively titled- 'The Amazing Me'. First episode coming soon. You wait til you see the Cogs wakes up and washes his face scene...brilliant television.

But seriously, young Darius, Bern and the Hog are in Sydney mixing the new album at the moment. They started on Monday and yeah baby, I could feel the world lift when the final mixes of the first two tracks were dropped on to quarter inch. JC and I (otherwise known as Australia's finest rhythm section) are home tending to family commitments and trying to reduce the amount of cooks in the control room. We're hoping to get there next Monday. I talked to Bern through his lawyers yesterday and he said that all's going well. The stylish and laid back Daniel Denholm (Composer, Producer, Arranger and Engineer) has arranged strings that will be recorded on Friday. Yes, you may feel the world lift then as well. Bern's main dilemma though was: should his birthday on the 15th be celebrated in pirate fancy dress or 18th century classical composer fancy dress? You may agree, and sorry Bern, but I can't really see the difference. A pirate is an 18th century composer who has lost a leg and an eye from drinking too much. But, let's give him some credit. He is a perfectionist. You'll find out in a few months when the album comes out.

Anyway, hope you're all well out there in non-rock-star world. As Jeff Fenech once said, I (we) luv youse all.

Catch you soon.

P.S. thanks for all the Splendour-goers who sang for us the other night. It sounds amazing in the track. You wait til you hear it, you'll be loving yourselves sick.

Luv,
Cogs