Do you start from scratch once the band goes into the studio or do you use some of the tracks you've laid down here in Hampton Bays?

RD: The guys really don't like to work like that. They'd sooner we'd just played fresh tracks, and they're probably right, you know. There were just a couple, that I felt the tempo was so right on and everything, that I felt that we should just build it up again with the real rhythm sections and stuff.

Which songs were those?

RD: There is a song called "Slow Motion," which is the title track. There is another one called "Broken Hearted." They were both done to original tapes here, and then we built them up again.

You've been recording with non-linear equipment this time, as opposed to the past, with digital or analog tape. How do you feel about this new technology?

RD: Well, thanks to my guys - I mean this guy Jason who has his own gear and is just like a whiz, a real whiz kid with the computer, and so fast and painless to work with. It's been absolutely great, and I think with everybody being so far away from each other, I'm not sure we could have done it any other way and so it worked out perfectly. Then again, of course, if there are any problems you can nudge things one way or another and you can get things where you want them. You've got to be careful not to overdo it, I guess, and then it starts to become too mechanical.

There are two recording studios on the album credits; one in Los Angeles and this one on Long Island. What did you record in each place?

RD: We went to Los Angeles to record basically the rhythm section - bass, drums, maybe guitar, some keyboards - but not much. Any keyboards that were done there will probably be replaced. The main reason, because the guys were all there and we could get studios for reasonable rates [laughs] and a pretty good sounding studio. That was the main reason to go to LA and then bring it back here to finish it off, because overdubbing is usually a long, long process. I mean, you can take a lot of time trying different ideas, which when you have a studio time clock running it puts a lot of pressure on. Whereas, when you are at home, you can just mess around when you feel like it.

How do you incorporate music into your everyday life?

RD: I'm one CD away from the studio. [laughs] I have a fairly big collection of stuff, and when I drive over, it's - I usually - I'm a pretty big jazz fan, I usually put something like that on and it gets me over here.

Does that journey help you out, give you some clear time for yourself?

RD: Yeah, I suppose it does. It can be a little tedious. If you want to just suddenly "pop down" and jot something down, it's not so easy, so from that point of view, I'm looking forward to getting a situation where I'm close to my work, as it were.