The Birth of STD For the Holidays
by Brett Duesing

It was right after harvest when I had the idea for the compilation.

It hit me as I was grooming Petunia -- one of the colony's two Afghan yaks -- and chatting with Our Leader.

"Sparky the Dog Studios should put out a Xmas album," I giddily interjected. The Leader shifted in chair slightly, but my words did not disturb his absorption in a B.F. Skinner volume.

"With the proceeds, we can repair the Old Mill," I continued.

"Old Mill?" Our Leader muttered.

"That way, we can grind our own corn."

"Grind...our...own...corn..." Our Leader eyes widened as if a new variable had been introduced and his mind was quickly solving all the equations at once.

"Yes! Of course!"

He ordered work on the album to commence at once and retreated to his private quarters for days, drawing up flowcharts and plans.

Such is the eternal dedication of Our Leader. Our work soon increased, too. We had to hurry through all our chores at the colony, whatever our specialization -- yak currying, blacksmithing, pottery, face painting -- and get to down to the arduous labor of sound recording.

And such is the inspiration of forming a new utopia. Sparky the Dog Record's utopian vision is rooted in the belief one should create stuff for the challenge and pleasure of it, regardless of whether the usual conditions -- personal talent , monetary gain , or even an audience -- actually exist, or not.

Often we continued our tunesmithing and songstressing long into the night; interrupted only by the occasional “Kool-Aid drill” (Our Leader tells us we must always be vigilant against the Enemy). The sirens you can hear in the background on only a couple of the tracks, anyway. Despite its recording flaws, the message of STD for the Holidays comes shining though: "Have a spirited holiday season." I hope you enjoy the album.

The Compound

Christmas 2003