There weren’t any bottles around, we could see he was having a hard time getting around. We knew that years on the road, or at least what we were told, had taken its toll on him. But when he actually came into the studio, he was there to work. And when he was no longer able to work, when he just felt too much pain, was exhausted, or his voice couldn’t get there, we shut down the session. There wasn’t any erratic, drunken behavior off-screen… He seemed convinced dementia was his problem.

Producer John Marks

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The doctors wanted to do more tests, they did see some signs that there could be an issue, but they weren’t comfortable issuing anything, like a diagnosis. So I think David came out of that appointment… feeling hopeful that maybe it wasn’t as bad as he feared or maybe it could be dealt with. Was he hiding the truth artfully or lying to himself or in denial about what was really wrong with him? That is something I don’t know. We never really had a chance to talk about that. It’s a bit of a mystery.

Producer John Marks

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I think in general David wanted to celebrate his father, but he did not want to conceal the truth about that relationship either, … One minute, he’s talking about how he idolized his father from the first minute he saw him. But at the same time, he wanted to make clear that his father had not been much of a dad. And that he had been an abandoned child. I also think there was unfinished business with his dad. And part of what he was doing with those [new] songs was saying, ‘I couldn’t have that final conversation with my father, we couldn’t hash it all out. But what I can do is offer this warts and all tribute to him.

Producer John Marks

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