on Friday, Steve and I recorded acoustic guitar for a 2 minute track. after about 10 takes, burning fidelity at 15″/second, me swearing into a ribbon microphone, Steve called me back into the control room and asked me to take a pencil from his open palm; I did. he then asked me not to take the pencil; I didn’t. then, “try to take the pencil;” I grabbed at it, and was corrected that I took the pencil, but he wanted me to try. I hovered over the pencil, still, trying and, coincidentally, doing nothing. recording is a process of doing, not a process of trying. so I went back to the studio and played music.

you’ll get the “grab the pencil” take when the lp is pressed.