Sausage Creative Let Go
Being back in the studio full-time has been incredibly fulfilling so far, it’s highly creative and beautifully chaotic as well. But since I don’t have the same degree of energy as I used to have before my surgery – at least not yet – I need to take a few breaks during the day to help me recharge, focus, and rewire. The rest of the band has been tremendously understanding… That physical and cognitive limitation is as new to them as it is to me, so we try to make something positive out of those momentary breaks as much as possible, like walking around in the church to get my necessary daily steps count, but the most hilarious of all activities is to gather in the green room to taste one of the gifts I received from you guys. That is the real treat of the day.
That being said, you need to understand that Ben’s kryptonite is everything delicatessen, especially sausages. So when he saw that I had brought a package from Virginia that I received from special friends, he couldn’t stop talking about it. “When are we opening that intriguing package, Alex?” “Today is sausage day, right? Please!” “That new part in the song makes me feel like now would be the best time to open your gifts, Alex!” He even sent me a text in the middle of the night: “Bro, what about talking about art while we’re tasting those German sausages?” Or “Your friends would be so happy to know you tasted their gift today!” “What about honoring your friends’ kindness and generosity together?” – Only a few examples. He even set an alarm for 4pm and 10pm, and when it goes off, he turns to me with a smile without saying a word. Anyway, you got the point…! There’s a bit of a psychological taste bud issue going on here! Yesterday, as everyone looked a little tired and a bit stressed with our album producer arriving in 2 days, I stood up in the middle of a studio session and said super seriously: “I heard a voice in my head, that voice is prompting me to invite you all to experience a very significant moment… now!” Nobody laughed or reacted (because that’s the type of thing I could do and say seriously – yes, I also have different types of issues). But when I said it was “sausage time”, Ben jumped from his chair and spontaneously hugged me. “Oh, thank you, Alex! It will be amazing!!!” Maybe I should have gotten with him in the middle of the night after all…!
I texted Stephanie, Momoka, and YB so they could join us and took the opportunity to give everyone some news about the upcoming summer tour, including the gear, and accommodations, but mostly how it would be when our producer would be there in a couple of days… I rarely saw Ben being so focused – on everything on the table. “Ben, are you listening?” “Yes, yes. The album, the tour… You’ll send an email about it all later, right? Let’s zoom in on the true reason we are assembled here.” We all laughed…
That being said, you need to understand that Ben’s kryptonite is everything delicatessen, especially sausages. So when he saw that I had brought a package from Virginia that I received from special friends, he couldn’t stop talking about it. “When are we opening that intriguing package, Alex?” “Today is sausage day, right? Please!” “That new part in the song makes me feel like now would be the best time to open your gifts, Alex!” He even sent me a text in the middle of the night: “Bro, what about talking about art while we’re tasting those German sausages?” Or “Your friends would be so happy to know you tasted their gift today!” “What about honoring your friends’ kindness and generosity together?” – Only a few examples. He even set an alarm for 4pm and 10pm, and when it goes off, he turns to me with a smile without saying a word. Anyway, you got the point…! There’s a bit of a psychological taste bud issue going on here! Yesterday, as everyone looked a little tired and a bit stressed with our album producer arriving in 2 days, I stood up in the middle of a studio session and said super seriously: “I heard a voice in my head, that voice is prompting me to invite you all to experience a very significant moment… now!” Nobody laughed or reacted (because that’s the type of thing I could do and say seriously – yes, I also have different types of issues). But when I said it was “sausage time”, Ben jumped from his chair and spontaneously hugged me. “Oh, thank you, Alex! It will be amazing!!!” Maybe I should have gotten with him in the middle of the night after all…!
I texted Stephanie, Momoka, and YB so they could join us and took the opportunity to give everyone some news about the upcoming summer tour, including the gear, and accommodations, but mostly how it would be when our producer would be there in a couple of days… I rarely saw Ben being so focused – on everything on the table. “Ben, are you listening?” “Yes, yes. The album, the tour… You’ll send an email about it all later, right? Let’s zoom in on the true reason we are assembled here.” We all laughed…
Interesting note: Approximately 90 minutes later, Ben was complaining he had eaten too much: “I feel so weird right now but I don’t care, it was totally worth it. I can’t wait for your friends to send some more. I’m so happy we’ll spend the whole summer in Germany, I feel a true calling to move over there,” while drinking some hot herbal infusion to manage his post-sausage ingestion frenzy…! We finished the evening with Ben playing some heartfelt and odd guitar leads on the second part of the song we were dwelling on. He screamed “That’s sausage power!!!” and laughed right after…! Who said art couldn’t be creatively savory and tasty?!
