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Great Writing - Home > Short S. > Untitled : Love, Death and Rock and Roll
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| Untitled : Love, Death and Rock and Roll | |
| By NeilTollfree | ||||||||||||
| 26 November 2007 | ||||||||||||
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Such an over-the-top title, I may even stick with it. Odd one this, I like it very much but a friend of mine doesn't rate it. Thought I'd put it out to everyone else to see what you all think Scott picked at the material covering the corkboard in the rehearsal room. He hated waiting for the band to set up for rehearsal. He was a vocalist so he just plugged in the mike and said ‘check’. Everyone else took ages. Drums need things screwed in and bolted on and not only did the two guitarists have to tune up together but they also insisted on swapping riffs and showing off. It was like two teenagers flirting. Scott lit a cigarette and read the notice board, ‘Influences – Nirvana and Strawberry Switchblade’, he winced. Finally Billy had drum kit up; he was tightening various knobs and moving drums closer together or further apart as sound and comfort dictated. John was showing Gary a new riff, Gary trying to pick out the chords and echo them on his bass. The far corner of the room was empty. It was a new rehearsal room but they’d kept to their old spots. Billy in the right corner, Gary and the John along in the middle of the room and in the left corner, nothing. No keyboard rig, no Jeremy. Billy played a roll across the toms. Everyone stopped what they were doing and gathered round him. Scott was amazed at the authority he commanded, it was like being in a band with your Dad. “Okay, thanks for doing this, it’s difficult I know but Jeremy would have appreciated it.” Scott smiled, Jez would have appreciated too, he loved the band. But then, he made the band. He remembered the review of the demo from ‘Insight’ last year. ‘Noisy fun kept in check by some classic OMD-esque keyboard hooks from Jeremy Holden’ He smiled, ‘OMD-esque’, Jez hadn’t been pleased. Billy continued, “Leigh’s asked us to do ‘Amazon’” Gary’s eyes shot up and darted between the others. “’Amazon’ ? I’m not sure that’s appropriate for a funeral.” “What’s the problem with it?” Scott lit another cigarette. “Scott, the whole song is a metaphor for a vagina; ‘kissing the mouth of the amazon’… you know?” Scott frowned, he’d never realised that. Who’d have thought Jeremy and Billy did metaphors. “Yeah, well... But, you know, it’s a metaphor. It’s not like we’re going to be actually singing about vaginas are we?” “’Touching the basin’?, ‘stroking the delta’? It’s hardly subtle.” “Guys,” interrupted Billy, “it’s fine. Leigh knows the song well, if she’s happy for us to do it at Jeremy’s funeral then I think we’re okay. John, can you take the keyboard riff on lead?” John looked up, a little surprised. “Yeah, I guess I could, but it’s Jez’s keyboard riff. I mean, shouldn’t we have someone playing the actual keyboard. Keeping it authentic and that ?” “John, I’d rather just keep the four of us on stage, you know, it’s our tribute to Jez.” Scott noticed that the pair of them kept glancing at him whilst they talked. “What?” “Well Scott,” said John, “couldn’t you, you know, couldn’t you play Jez’s part?” “Me, of course not.” Scott was proud of his performances, he felt that the rest of the band were a little dull in their stagecraft but he brought everything to life. While Jez was ill, Scott’d sang in a band called ‘Seven Little Dwarves’ and he’d got some new moves he was looking forward to trying out. “Scott, it’s for Jeremy, you know. So we can have a complete sound.” “John, I get all that, but you can’t just assume that because my hands are free that I can play something. My hands maybe free, but there’s so much more that I’m doing while we perform. I’m connecting with the audience. It’s like, you four are the tow truck, the audience is the broken down car and I’m the hook. You need to tow the audience away to fix them but without me there’s nothing for the audience to hang on to. You know what I mean?” “Three,” said John “What?” “It’s three, not four any more. Anyway mate, it’s a funeral. I’m not sure we need you coming on like Freddie Mercury with St Vitus Dance.” “John, this is for Jez. I feel it would be wrong to compromise my performance.” “Christ all-fucking mighty Scott-“ “Behave you two.” Billy stood up, “John, you’re doing the keyboard line. Do four bars and then you all come in with me on the beat.” John sighed noisily and then began to play. “Fucking funerals, eh?” It was actually the first funeral Scott had been to. No-one responded. “Right,” said Billy, “Anyone wanting to pay your respects, do so now. We’ve got to get back and set up before everyone else is there.” Gary raised his eyebrows and John nodded. Scott had never understood that phrase; ‘Paying respects’. How did you ‘pay respects?’ He was afraid he’d get it wrong so he shook his head, “No, I’m good” “Right then,” said Billy, “we’ll go wait in the van.” Billy walked off but Scott stayed where he was. He watched the other two walk over to the grave side. Others were standing at the graveside in twos and threes, no one was saying much. Occasionally someone would give someone else a teary smile. John and Gary stood with their heads bowed. Gary put a hand on John’s shoulder. After a while they turned and back. He got up in the van with Billy. “When are we up?” “Well, the wake starts at three. We leave now then we’re there at half past. We’ll wait for Leigh to give us the nod, but I guess we’re up around quarter past. She’ll want us done fairly swiftly so they can all get drunk and eat their fucking voluvents.” Scott looked round at him. “Billy, what is it? Have you got a problem with Jez or something?” “What? Christ Scott, you can’t half be a knob, I loved Jez, always have. Just not keen on funerals. A lot of show most of the time. I mean, look; most of this lot thought Jez was a plasterer.” “He was a plasterer.” “Berk. Course he wasn’t a plasterer. Alright, he did that job. But Jez was a musician. That’s who he really was. These people didn’t know that. See, people go to funerals for people they don’t know well because they think its good form. But really, it turns the whole thing into a meaningless show, like David Bowie’s Glass Spider tour.” Scott nodded without looking at Billy. “And so we’re going to play ‘Amazon’ at his wake, because that’ll make it real.” “I thought Leigh wanted us to play.” “Behave, Leigh hates the idea… but she understands it. It’s our compromise. I’ll go eat her voluvents and she let’s us play. We both try and deal with it.” The others got into the van. “We good?” said Billy, but started the van before anyone could respond. Everyone at the Wake turned towards the pretty lady in black; Leigh. Scott was surprised by how attractive she was. If circumstance were different then he’d probably try and chat her up, singing in a band was always a great line. Probably a bit weird here though. “As you know. Jez loved his music.” Scott could see she was struggling with tears, seems that any mention of his name would set her of. “For a long time, longer than I knew him. He played with his friend Billy in their band; ‘Woodhouse’. So as a tribute to him they’re here to play you one of Jez and Billy’s best songs. I hope you like it, I know Jez would love the fact there was a band at his-“ But that was all she could get out. Her face crumpled and she began to sob. Another girl in black came and put her arm round Leigh. She was even more attractive than Leigh. Scott could definitely chat her up, there was nothing weird about chatting up a friend of the bereaved at a funeral. It was like going for a bridesmaid at a wedding. The four of them walked up to their instruments. They were set up under a gazebo in the garden. It was a warm summer evening. Scott picked up the mike and was about to announce the song when he noticed that Billy had set up the keyboard. He stared for a while. Why would he do that? No one was going to play it. He looked at it. All he could think of was Jez behind it. He started to speak into the mike but stuttered to a halt. He was overwhelmed by the space behind him, behind the keyboard. He turned to look at his band mates. Gary and John had guitars on, Billy was sat behind his kit. He looked round to the keyboard again. Jez should be there. He loved playing ‘Amazon’. It was the simplest keyboard riff of anything they did but it was catchy as hell and it gave Jez a chance to do his mental Jez-dancing. Jumping high into the air from one foot to the other, he’d let out a high-pitched whooping call of “COME ON” as he did so. “Scott mate. This is your bit, you start this one.” Said Gary softly. Scott came out of his reverie. He was aware of his own tears on his cheeks. He smiled at his band mates as he wiped his eyes. He dragged his mike stand to the keyboard and started to play the keyboard riff of Amazon. He raised his eyebrows to Billy, Billy smiled back. Just before everyone else came in, he jumped as high as he could. “COME ON!” And the band began to play.
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