QOTSA's Like Clockwork Recording Timeline
QOTSA's ...Like Clockwork is a fascinating comeback album born out of a dark time (sic) for Josh Homme and his band.
This is an attempt, by cross-referencing interviews and deep online searching, to make a comprehensive timeline of this record's creation events and dive deeper into great music.
Disclaimer: This comes from an old, rough note, missing sources will be added in later edits.
2010
July 30 - last TCV show at Fuji Rock Festival.
Autumn - Surgery incident (MRSA!! / Not from knee surgery) spends two weeks in hospital, and gets bed-ridden for 3 (4 in 'WTF' podcast) months, leading up to December.
"Homme said that he got cleared by doctors in mid-December to get back involved with normal life again, and this month has started work on the band’s new studio album." (NME - January 2011)
December 3 - Josh "went to see Louis CK last night"
2011
February 21 - Kicks off S/T reissue tour, until August.
March - Rehearsals - Bluesy robot etc..
August - Plays Glastonbury, tweets - “band practice see you soon”
September - Plays PJ20 festival
November
12 - In studio w/ Alain Johannes, says the following day "We had a late night with Queens again…"
17 - Motorcycle accident
2012
Early 2012 - Joey recording @ Rancho = "demos" (had maybe 5 songs)
January
2 - recording w/Joey => Preproduction
24 - Tweets picture of Alain, Josh and Dave (Sound City movie ?)
March
10 - Josh Homme & Scott Reeder issue statement on suing Kyuss Lives reunion
30 - Antiquiet reports that Joey Castillo stated "“ultraviolet robot” will blow our minds." starting speculation that this would be the new album name.
April - Florence + the machine collab
June 25 - Troy interviewed by Fender "Yes we went out to the desert to get started on before the holidays, wrote a "bunch of stuff" during the first sessions (...) looking to hand the record in november"
August
8 - Session started (cf. Troy twitter), Troy tweeted from August 8th to Sept. 5th.
Mark Rankin shipped in for a three weeks trial, and stayed “for 7 months” [that'd be March 9th, 2013].
"On the first day we started and recorded ‘Keep Your Eyes Peeled’".
Mentions requesting Gersh (Joey’s drum tech) to tune the snare lower (source).
9 - Recording announced thru Facebook
“I’ve asked them to come into the fog with me” says Josh.
10 - Troy tweeting about Jon Theodore (jamming in each other garage?)
24 - Joey still in the band (proof from Troy)
September
2 - picture w/o Joey (but its Joey's drumset…?.?.?)
3 - "The shit I've heard from the new Queens is so badass" - Jesse Hugues to NME
Soundboard session - pic w/o Joey (Josh, Troy, Dean)
5 - End of the session (probably)
29 - Dave ends touring with Foo Fighters
October
11 - picture w/o Castillo??
Boneface called
25 - Troy tweeting about jamming with drummer Kelli Scott (auditions?)
Still recording..
"Heraclitus got it right" and "Déjà vu" says Blank
31 - Joey fired??
November
2 - Dave joining the project? "something about when a window closes a door is opened" @ Blank
3 - Jon/Dave/Joey?? "that's only 1/3 of it" @ Blank
4 - Elton was in L.A. "last week" (date??) to record "I drove three blocks and went from Engelbert to Queens of the Stone Age, which was a bit of a mindfuck."
Jon joins the band?
6 - Dave Grohl announced
Joey Castillo announced fired (Dave Grohl announced) @ Zane Lowe interview.
7 - Elton John has recorded
"Helping Josh out on a new QOTSA Track" => TR working on Kalopsia
13 - Trent Reznor announced
28 - Nick announced
Early December - Jon touring w/ Life Coach, joins officially?
December 20 - Jack Shears announced
2013
January
Jon already in the band
26 - Mark Lanegan announced.
February- Elton John announced.
March
6 - Stan Freese (J. Freese's father) recorded trumpets at pinkduck
9 - End of recording
28 - Still tweaking the record? ("like clockwork" troy tweet => recording w/ Jon?)
31 - First show w. Jon
April
1 - Album mastered "Just completed work this weekend on a new "Queens Of The Stone Age" record. Damn, those guys are good. In an age... "
17 - Video "Cutting ..Like Clockwork" posted
June 3 - Album released.