I really want to get to writing Who Invented Punk?, given the very satisfying assembly of the heavy duty Who Invented Heavy Metal? monster project. The thrash book... the plan is to get accepted to speak at the next awesome heavy metal conference, after now doing Helsinki with the metal book. So cool that was.

Currently embroiled in a coffee table book that propses to tell the story of punk in 125 t-shirts! On the film front, my last project o’er at Banger Films was Rock Icons, but now I’m back with the gang working on the official and authorized ZZ Top doc.

Simultaneously, it's back to a few other simmering projects, one being a book of record collecting stories that many of my book-reading buds have contributed to (Thanks, love you guys!). There’s also a memoire about growing up a Kiss fan. Let me know if you like this idea—I need some encouragement. Dream project... me and my buddy Bill Baran have something we've been working on around all those record ads you know I love and can't stop raving about and sticking in all my books.

I'll try to get Ye Olde Metal: 1980 done sometime in 2016, although it'll happen quicker if I can include 1981. But on that front, please check out my 98 cent eBook chapters, or eRiffs, of which there's 48 or so, available in most of the workable formats at zunior.com. Folks dig 'em.

Erstwhile, going to try keep up some editing, review writing and interviews for bravewords.com and Goldmine, but the output had obviously dropped due first to the TV and movie gig (Rush: Beyond The Lighted Stage and Metal Evolution—two years of my work life right there) and now more secret books in the pipeline. I'll see how much more I can do, but once I'm into the guts of writing a book, I try to stay focused so I don’t have to re-learn things because of periodically putting a project aside, ya see?

And in the back of my mind, I'd really like to climb that Maslow's Hierarchy Of Needs and get back to painting more often, and possibly even just drawing, illustration, wiv pencil. The regular flight path of guys I aspire to in this respect (well, essentially Nick Tosches, a god, essentially the meat puppet on which I base my future life—except for the drinking!), is a move into non-music related non-fiction first, but hell, I'm really feeling that I better skip that step, given impending mortality. Seriously, rock critics move into film criticism and fiction, don't they? Well, not me. If, when, it will be into art. Although me an' bud Allan Grusie have talked about making stoner rock concept albums, on which I'd be drummer and probably lyricist. We’ve now jammed on covers and originals, and it’s just a case of getting back to it. Jerry’s got a bunch of cool songs as well as all the recording gear... and a Hammond and a Leslie!

So yeah, if you are wandering around the top floor of Maslow's ol' House of Needs, and happen to spot me there, I'll either be painting or drawing, although I think my heart's with the painting. By a country mile, I feel that my greatest work accomplishments ever, in any field, are my favorite ten or 15 paintings from what I've done over the years. I've sold a bunch of them—in fact now all of the ones I'd be willing to let go—and I think I can be a success at it. You want to see a driven individual... if I could slide into that position for my last working years, I'd be on fire.