An idea came fully formed to me this afternoon. An idea that took over what was actually left of the afternoon. It nearly got away from me a few times but stayed with me long enough for me to make an identikit picture of its face and make a few notes.

It's now 22.42 (not being anal - that's what it says in the corner of the screen) and it won't leave me alone. I'm going to see if I can nail it down as a skeleton over the next 24 hours or so - if I can wrap it up fast, it will be a peach. If it takes longer than five or six days, I fear it will be lost. You don't 'work' on a catchy song - they come to you fully formed and simply need a polish.

This, look and feels as though it may be one of those things. It may involve a man with a box and a boy who finds something important in a river

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Talking of monsters - which I was in my head but not out loud (sorry about that) - today I discovered the work of Michael Sowa and fell more than a little in love. Take a look:

He doesn't appear to have a site of his own - probably because he is too busy actually working - but a search will take you down some very profitable roads.

That wasn't the only the only love I fell in today. I've never done this before here and I guess I should have many times over but I'm always reluctant to reveal anything that I might be working on for the magazine. Today though, I don't much care because this needs to be shared. This man is called Bernd Muss and here he is:

And this - wait a second, let me take my hat off as a mark of respect and sit down - is some of his work...

...which quite honestly, is some of the best work I have seen in years and certainly amongst my all time personal favourites. I think I would very much like this man to work on me and so, I shall see if I can make it happen. To say it was 'fucking outstanding' is an understatement. You can see more of his work here.

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That's all I got today - it's been a long one full of Actual Real Life Work That Needed To Be Done but while I remember - if you're looking for something to listen to, check out Richie Kotzen's new album, Cannibals. Presumably available all over the world at everywhere you like to shop but it doesn't appear to be up at iTunes yet. Here's a link to the album page on CD Baby where you can preview the songs and buy stuff.