Bruce: Wow. Rowley's mansion up for sale. I've always thought of that as a town monument. I've been it it - the floors tilt.

Tim Smith: Glad to have been of service. Lucinda liked that one.

Tom Semioli: 'How about the fabulous RANT band re-recording Overnight Angels stripped to the bone. Could do it in an afternoon!' As much as I love playing with the Rant band, I couldn't go through that again.

Joe F. has a problem - me or drag racing. Me when I'm racing - racing when I'm dragging.

Judy: 'Turned an old friend onto IH and got a trip to the Carribean.' Nice one.

Roxette: 'When are you coming to the West Coast and playing somewhere you don't have to be 21 to get in.' Actually, I may be coming as a co-headliner on a bill in March. I'll know more soon. I think these places are theatres, so you'll get in. OK?

Bucks Burnette: 'Dylan #1!!! At bloody last!

Krister saw 'All of the Good Ones' video on youtube. I agree the song isn't the greatest. The groove is better on the 'Strings' DVD. Somehow we lost that groove originally. Sometimes groove is the difference.

Diane: I think they took it down.

Amanda DeAngeles: Amanda's a novelist from Liverpool. She also does reviews. She says check out Amsterdam (an up and coming Merseyside band). Says I'm not bad - not bad at all - in fact an inspiration - blush!

Marty G on weight. Well, it's simple, don't gain it and then you won't have to lose it.

Chris: We went down to Paul Colby's 'Other End' in NYC one night and Dylan walked in with Bobby Neuwirth and sat down and played the whole of 'Desire' to Bobby. The place was empty except for Mick and me. I lived in NY State at the time and Mick was living in the village. It went on over a couple of days. Dylan had got up on stage at the 'Other End'. Word got around and before long Rambling Jack was there and I think Joni Mitchell at some point. It all sort of took off like a gypsy caravan. Mick rang me to come down, but I didn't want to push it. I saw them at Hartford. First half was sloppy, but the second half was magic. Chris says the Bowery show we did a few years back was one of the greatest he's ever seen. It was good. 'Ill Wind'.

Reuben Reynolds: Bristol. Do I do local BBC's? If time permits, yes.

Bruce: (i) If you were kind - what would you do? Abdicate (ii) What changes in the music industry would you make? Get rid of the corporate friendly creeps and replace them with music lovers. (iii) What would you do to help society? Adjust its outlook.

Russ W: Now that' a big deal. Willie Randolph's heard of me and MTH!!! I'm serious. Willie's a class act - watched him for years and it couldn't be happening to a better man. Russ says 'one minute Ed Coleman's talking about Beltran - the next he's going on about MTH. Go 660 FAN !

Wayne: 'Ian, ever met Drew Carey?' Drew took me to lunch at Universal and was incredibly funny. We hen took a tour of the soundstage, but we couldn't get in - the door was locked! He said, 'There are three Careys - Mariah the diva; Jim the genius; and Drew the lucky fat bastard.

Nick Barnes: Good luck with it. Tommy's the man! Harpo with Chords.

Eric Taylor: That's the street and that's the house.

Stano: I saw that! Everton 3 the pool 0. As you may know or not know, I keep well clear of these situations - having to play there now and again, but it was a shock and evens things up a bit. Good team this year.

Andy: 'Andy York played Neil Young's Bridge School benefit concert with Mellencamp last year. Have you ever been asked?' Nope.

Mark Silverstone: Re: 'You Stepped Into My Dream.' Never done it live. I don't think it's on anything else. I can only remember the first line. Willie was on about 'The Debt'. I hardly remember that one either. Memory's full.

Andy again: Jerry Lee Lewis did it last year as well. I'd have liked to have been on that one.

Jim McLennon: Already I'm a friend of Willie Randolph's! Howie Rose, on the air with the METS on September 9th. No. I don't know Willie personally. Watched him enough though. Brilliant. Used to sit above third base at the stadium for years.

Joe S: Howard Stern singing 'Dudes' for his entry in a Kareoke contest? Hey Howard - leave it to the pros!

Keith: 'Was there ever a legit recording made of the Aylesbury gigs with either MTH or you and Ronno?' No.

Pat: Have you heard the new Dylan album. I had it in my hands at Borders, but the queue was too long so I gave up. Trudi's getting it today. I heard some of I at Andy's the other night. Drawn like a moth I was; I liked the traveling Wilburys.

Larry Butti: The Beatles left Hamburg around 1964. I turned up a year or two later, but the place was rife with stories. Got to play with Roy Young who'd been offered the keyboard gig and had turned it down. Lots of stories - lots of other people played there too. It was a community of musicians having a great time 24 hours a day. Hung out with Tony Sheridan - he'd been the singer with the 'Silver Beatles' before they became the Beatles. Tony was a strange guy prone to moods, but I got on OK with him. All in all, crazy - in the original sense of the word.

Jim: NYC in '07? NJ? OK

John Mac: 'Just wait - wait - it was a long while between 'Picasso' and 'Rant'. It's worth the wait.' Now I appreciate this, but don't set me up for the big come down! 'Shrunken Heads' is just the latest in a long line of albums illustrating where I was at the time. I'm very happy with it, but it's not like 'Rant' and it's not like any of the others, either. It's just the latest and I hope it won't be the last!

Bucks Burnett says there's a new radio format in the works where they edit songs. 'Like a Rolling Stone' becomes a three minute song etc. The idea being you get a rough idea and your attention span's crap anyway - so you get the idea and they can play more (edited) songs in the allotted time. Great! I take years to come up with a song that I've already edited in my head to its correct length and it's saying exactly what I want it to say. Then some guy who I don't know, and doesn't know me comes along and proceeds to chop it up. 'God take 1/8'.' Just the latest in a long run of stupid radio tricks.

Mick McKenzie: Re: Pet Peeves. He says in the UK they have people who shout loudly at you in the ads. 'If somebody did that to you in a pub you'd thump 'em.' They do it in the U.S. too, 'but you've got to ring this number NOW!!!' Same on the radio, 'NOW'. Do people actually fall for this tripe? I guess some do or they would keep doing it. And I guess the 'now' thing is to get them right on the ad or they may wake up and realize they're buying rubbish or debt. I don't watch ads - never did. That's why women hate men with clickers. How many channels are there - and they still try and get the ads on at the same time so you can't avoid them. TIVO my friends!!! It's brilliant - heavy movement afoot to try and stop it. NO ads - ever!

Greg Cromosiak: Did I see 'Dudes' on CBS Rockstar Supernova? I don't watch any of that stuff. Did Ozzy and I sing together on the covers CD? Nope. I did my bit at the ex- Power Station in NY; Ozzy did his in LA.

Craig Russell: Hey - we'll be there. Glad it was fun, anyway.

Peter Jordan: 'How long does a new record excite you and feel like it's the best you've ever done?' Well, obviously, every record has to feel like it's the best when you're doing it, otherwise the attitude wouldn't be right. When it's done - you come down - and the best thing to do is not listen to it. I've listened maybe three times since we left the studio. You can listen something into the ground. I f you want to keep it fresh - avoid it at all costs until it come to touring. On the odd occasion I've had to listen, it feels right with itself. Peter ends by says, 'take the mick outa Top of the Pops - we lasted longer than they did.! Nice one.

And that's it for now …

IH

P.S. Trudi went into a record store at the mall (fye) to buy the new Dylan CD and couldn't find it anywhere on display. She finally had to ask an employee if they had it. The guy went to the back of the store and got it out of the general rack. Trudi asked why there was no display or why it wasn't at the front of the store where all the best sellers were touted - after all, it was number one on the charts. 'Not on our charts it isn't'. Trudi clarified that Dylan was number one on Billboard's chart and got, 'We don't follow Billboard - we have our own charts.' (ah the glorious mall charts). 'Who is #1?' 'Justin Timberlake' came the robust reply, - 'going outa here like hot cakes.' Well it would be, wouldn't it.