The record I made for Edie Brickell was rejected by her management following me bragging how inexpensively I steered the project. Ten thousand dollars instead of one hundred and fifty thousand. Guns n’ Roses recorded one song from Use Your Illusion II in the same studio with the same engineer (L. Stu Young), didn’t matter to the manager’s official explanation “sounded inferior to things done in Los Angeles”. Maybe that’s true or maybe I threatened his world.

In Zen and The Art of Motorcycle Maintenance by Robert Pirsig, there is a moment where his buddy, drummer John, who owns of a very expensive chopper, realizes some loosness in the handle bars. After exploring a fix utilizing Pirsig’s wide experience, he is told a shim will solve the problem. He asks what’s a shim and where can he buy one? Pirsig holds up his empty beer and says I happen to have one right here. As the friend grasps this example, he staunchly rejects the idea. Pirsig realizes if he only walked away, cut the empty aluminum can and returned with the circular shape and said I happen to have one shim left, that that would have been more effective. He realizes his friend’s world crumbles if faced with the idea that an inexpensive solution could repair the thing that cost him so much money. Plus at that time, unknown Ron Sexsmith did all the background vocals, just to further prove the manager’s point.