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The Book Of Flame : Michael Manring

© Alchemy Records 1998

While working on this album I found myself thinking about some pretty heavy stuff. In addition to the sorrow and soul searching I felt over the death of my close friend, Michael Hedges, which occurred while I was in the midst of conceptualizing the album, I became fascinated with the kinds of things people believe in, both sacred and profane. I was also interested in the effect those beliefs have on the world around us. I remembered the image of fire as the classic metaphor for life—we burn brightly for a limited time with beliefs and ideas, and in the process we are consumed.

Meanwhile, we leave a story behind us, like a book, of experiences, emotions, successes, failures, dramas, etc. I hoped that this title would reflect these ideas, as well as pay homage to the Jorge Luis Borges collection of short stories, The Book of Sand, which has had a big influence on me. I hoped that The Book of Flame might be a kind of a collection of audio short stories that somehow tied together all of the thoughts and experiences I was having.

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