Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1401019
outlet for their imagination and inventiveness. Saying it's a calling might be attaching too much weight to it but I do think on the whole we are drawn to it. Our ranks seem to include musicians, photographers, writers, and others who have a need for more than one creative outlet. I understand there are those who have a creative fire that is unbanked and that they can continue to give their life over to this work or find some kind of balance that makes sense to them. For me, home is now where the heart is. I want to be home for dinner. I want to be a good and present spouse. I want to hang out with my sons before it's just awkward visits at that place in Calabasas. Our dogs and cats missed me. My time left on the planet is finite and I have far fewer years ahead of me than I have behind me. At this age, that lump or ache both have the potential of being something serious flushing your well-laid plans right down the toilet and making everything go sideways. As Jim Morrison said, "I wanna have my kicks before the whole shithouse goes up in flames." The shithouse in this case, being my aging body. This was brought home to me a couple of years ago. I had a meeting with a mixer who was going to mix the next show I was going to cut. We met in my edit room which coincidentally used to be his room. It still had his art and photos on the walls and his welcome mat at the door. We talked about layout, time constraints, all of the usual stuff. We talked about our years in the business, the people we liked, the ones we didn't, the good and the bad. Mostly the good. We talked a lot about music. We shot the shit using the shorthand of our business. It's always fun and comfortable talking with someone who does what we do. No explanations required. We finished up saying how we were both looking forward to working together, shook hands, hugged, and said goodbye. First digital editing system: Soundelux Hollywood 1993. L-R: Chris Assells, director Joe Johnston, Walter Murch, The Wolfman mix stage at Universal 2010 Soundelux, 7060 Hollywood Blvd. 1991