A walk on part in a war

It's appropriate that this issue's theme is war. It's been nothing short of a minor battle to get the current issue of Spare Bricks online, but now that it's online, I hope you find that it was worth the wait. The theme seems like a natural topic as it has been the central issue in so many of Pink Floyd's works. From the earliest Floyd songs, fans were made aware that Roger Waters had something to say about the topic and wasn't going to shy away from it in his music. The topic is never too far away, from the cartoonish "Corporal Clegg" to the moving descriptions of suffering in "Free Four" and "Us and Them" and to more fully developed works like The FInal Cut and Amused to Death. Even Roger's most recent offering, "Each Small Candle" (previewed on his live CD), shows that he will be paying the topic another visit.

The topic of war has a real longevity in the Floyd realm as even Gilmour and Company in the post-Waters Floyd have not been shy about tackling the issue ("Dogs of Wars," "A Great Day for Freedom") in their own way. Some would argue that, at its core, The Division Bell is an album preoccupied with the topic albeit in a more personal way ("so I open my doors to my enemies....")

So, it's appropriate that publishing this issue has been a battle. I've spent considerable time engaged in a life-or-death struggle with the site's new design. That isn't a reflection on Mike Feeney's work (who did the redesign) by the way, which I feel is superb. It was directly a result of my unfamiliarity with Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) which was used to create the new look. It seemed that each time I "fixed" one aspect of the layout, a few dozen other screw-ups would appear and cause me to shout the first obscenity that came to mind. I started thinking of it as Cascading Style... SHIT!

Naturally, I haven't had much time to prepare an editor's note. I sort of feel like those celebrities you see sometimes on award shows who ascend to the stage and profess that they really didn't have a speech prepared.

Well, I can relate. The cameras are on, the audience is listening intently, and I'm not sure who I should thank and I'm dreadfully certain that I will forget someone.

Actually, I would like to thank Mike McInnis, who as always, kept everything together and timely; I would like to thank the contributors to the webzine, who contribute their articles and ideas and know damn-well that no matter how far ahead of deadline they submit their material, they can expect to see it again sometime a week or so after the publication date.

I want to thank especially Mike Feeney. I am totally in love with his new design, even if adjusting myself to it was a bit like trying on a pair of new shoes that were two sizes too small.

Also, I'd like to thank the academy....

Okay, now I'm getting silly, so I won't drag this out much longer. Seriously, thank you, the reader, for being patient with our unpredicatable publishing schedule. I hope the delay in the appearance of the new issue doesn't dampen your enjoyment of it. Hopefully the next issue will be more on track (and by that I mean "less late"). So, until then...

...goodbye.

Rick Karhu is editor of Spare Bricks