Refuge ...

Over the years I've come to appreciate my car more and more (ha ha, for reasons other than transportation). Oh ... don't get me wrong, I do depend on it to get me to and from work but more than anything, it's the one place where I can actually be alone with my thoughts and my music! I've always loved my own company and the fact that I now have my own family (a wonderful wife and lovely 8 year old daughter) means that my privacy has been compromised! As important as my family is to me ... a working, composing musician like myself needs a bit of alone time, hence my appreciation for my car! Living in Klang also means I have at least a half hour drive to work and most people cringe when they find that out. Little do they know that I really do enjoy the 30 min drive to and from work. It gives me time to relax and just listen to the music I like (most stuff from 60's to the early 90's ... there are very few bands after that period which appeal to me but that's a discussion for another time). I remember when we were in the midst of mixing my solo english album (yes I do have a solo album out called 'A SLICE OF THE PIE' ... hence the title for this blog of mine). We (the sound engineers & I) would get into my car and check all the mixes to the songs there. Because of the amount of time I spend listening to music in my car, I've gotten so used to the 'in car' sound system that I needed to listen to the production of the album there to be really sure if I was satisfied! However the best time spent in my car is and always will be the drive back home. After literally 'A HARD DAY'S NIGHT', I always need to unwind before I get home to bed. Nothing like a cool 30 min drive to the sounds of your favourite bands (ROBBEN FORD or STEELY DAN for me) to settle the mind which has been hyped up after three 45 min sets of performing to a lousy crowd that prefers to watch football! Hmm ... that's not a fair statement I guess, sometimes they do listen (on truly rare occasions). By the time I get home I'm so relaxed that I'm in bed, comatose ... immediately after my shower! After the way I've been ranting about the quality time I spend in my car, you would probably think I drive one of those fancy models. Ha ha ... I actually drive a Proton Waja 1.6 (manual) and you can say whatever you want to say about PROTON, but I happen to love my car! It helps me cling on to what sanity I have left and DARE I SAY IT ... my privacy! 

Cheers,

Gerard