B:
After years of delays and difficulties and distractions, ROX #96, “Life & Death on the ROX,” is complete.
As the title suggests, there is a double dynamic at work here, which is very much a part of the reason this episode took so long.
Just as we were putting the finishing touches on our previous episode, ROX #95, we got word that our friend and collaborator Helen Hill had been murdered in her home.
The reverberations of that tragedy were many and profound. We knew that our next episode would have to account for Helen's death in some way.
And so the delays began. Personally, I didn't feel up to the task. If this was to be a tribute to Helen, it would have to be actually good, dammit. Too much pressure. I focused my energies elsewhere.
But there is no stasis. Things continued to develop, as things will. Time went by, and soon there were other deaths, but also new lives. Eventually it became clear that our next show would have to take on a broader scope.
So, in March of 2008, we concluded principle videography.
Then we ran into technical problems, not just one but a series of them. Also, some of those new developments in my life also carried new, time-consuming responsibilities. Watch the show and you'll see what I mean. And so five years has slipped away.
The program is probably too long, but I couldn't bring myself to cut it any shorter. However, we divided it into three segments for online viewing, so perhaps that will help.
I have to wonder: Is this our final episode? That's not the plan. In fact I have the next three shows mapped out in my mind already. But if making ROX #96 has taught me anything, it's not to take anything for granted. There are any number of reasons why this might in fact be the terminal point. If so, it would not be a bad way to end.
