My third album was recorded while I was playing regularly as a member of Culture Shock. My attempts to present my songs to the band had (with one exception) been met with indifference or hostility, so I was still channeling my creativity into my homemade recordings. The songs I was writing tended toward the bleak, as I was still ensconced in a deep-seated depression. It was the season of grunge, so fortunately downer songs were in fashion. My guitar and keyboard chops were improving through frequent long gigs. I would say my writing was still uneven, but the proportion of good songs to mediocre was improving. And I was getting more ambitious—the album closer was a suite of songs that I titled “Music Boxed Man”, a step on the way to the later “Machine Dream”.
My songwriting output was prolific around this time. Not only did I have enough for an album, I had quite a number of works in progress that would end up on the next album, Nth Floor Elevator. Also, I recorded basic tracks for two songs that would not be completed for a looooong time. “Funhouse Mirror” was complete with lyrics, but I was dissatisfied with them and the arrangement I had recorded. Nearly 30 years later I would revamp the lyrics and the arrangement and re-record it for Postcards From the Whirlwind. The other song remained untitled and lyric-less for even longer before being resurrected as “Un Sueño del Mundo” for Number 9. I guess the Muse was waiting for me to learn a little Spanish.
I was able to borrow a bass this time around, so I dispensed with the keyboard bass once and for all. However, I was unable to borrow a digital delay, a device which added some extra polish to the first two albums. Additionally, I encountered some tape recorder issues which caused the sound quality to degrade. I was very dissatisfied with the sound of this album as a result. Not an auspicious start for Van Hearlen II Studio.
One of the songs was titled “Why?”, so I decided the album should be called Why Not? I again struggled to come up with an album cover; I guess it was desperation that led my to photocopy one side of my face at work for the cover, but I kind of like it. The album was finished sometime in 1993.
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