by DaNeo Duran
Not having fathomed his feelings for Linda himself, he didn’t appreciate Christine exaggerating about her being old enough to be his mum no matter how well-meaning the intention. And he didn’t know why since their trip to London, Christine’s feelings towards their agent had downturned whilst his had gone stratospheric.
He scowled at the twenty-three year old Christine but couldn’t blame her for his bad mood.
Like Mazz, Christine wore a black figure hugging dress with heels. With the effort she made before gigs, Johnny found her as attractive as any woman he’d ever known. The same went for the eighteen year old Mazz who, since America re-raised its legal drinking age, pretended nightly to be twenty-one.
While Johnny and the brawny but pretty-boy Stu brought masculinity to the stage, the girls gave their audiences something else to remember The USed Wonz by.
‘Are you going to answer the question?’ Christine asked in her adopted American accent.
‘What?’
‘Why d’you phone Linda?’
‘I thought that was rhetorical.’
The door swung open. Dane stuck his spherical head in the room. ‘Showtime guys; place is rammed.’
Christine thanked their pudgy tour manger then to Johnny said, ‘Why?’
‘Look, I phoned Linda because I felt like it. Do I have to explain everything?’
Dane sniffed and pushed his glasses up his nose. ‘Johnny, how many times, Linda is our agent and a thousand miles away? I am the manager. Any problems; bring them to me.’
Weeks earlier much to Johnny’s annoyance, Christine had seen Howie, their last tour manager sacked. Johnny felt no warmth for their newly positioned manager. Competent in only the most trivial of matters, Dane had been an office jockey dumped on them against his will by their record company.
As leader of the band Johnny snapped to it. ‘Let’s take the roof off this place. Everyone out.’
Christine knowing she’d already pressed too far turned her attention to Mazz giving her an encouraging hug.
Dane retreated and the girls past Johnny who held the door.
Finally Stu stood up from the counter he’d been leaning on. He walked but stopped in the doorway. With his face inches away he searched for clues in Johnny’s expression.
‘I know you too well,’ the drummer said gripping his shoulder with compassion.
Johnny said nothing but followed him out to where his troubles evaporated in the heat of approaching cheers welcoming the USed girls to the stage. The nearing lights then silhouetted Stu’s lean frame.
In the wings Jack, the guitar tech, handed Johnny his unique dark dusty-blue and grey Stratocaster. Johnny took it and felt a million bucks again.
‘Small in size massive in spirit,’ Jack said about the venue. Then about the guitar, ‘She’s good to go.’
Striding on stage Johnny gave the strings a chop and received confirmation from his amplifier.
‘People of America,’ he declared into the mic whilst swigging cold tea from a Jack Daniels bottle, ‘thank you for welcoming us to Wichita.’
The USed Wonz had enough UK and US experience to know what needed doing. If English audiences didn’t like you they might face front wearing miserably bored faces. In America they’d look happy enough but plain ignore bands who failed to grab them early. With singles, video and album, The USed Wonz had their feet under the table but Johnny didn’t take chances at the start of gigs in the country they hoped soon to call home. Everything had to please the rabble.
‘You guys invented Rock ‘n’ Roll,’ Johnny said. Stu’s drums kicked in from behind. ‘You gonna show us Brits how to make noise?’
Long before they’d left England, Johnny wrote lyrics praising the US correctly trusting Americans would love it.
Into the first song he sang, as usual making them wait for the guitar. When it came the proud Americans joined the whole band singing the chorus, Let’s get to the heart of this right now, You with us we are go, go, go.
To his right, Johnny heard fumbled bass notes. The audience didn’t notice so he didn’t look over but knew Mazz would be kicking herself. He kicked himself too knowing his bad mood had stressed her into the mistake.
At the back, now overly familiar with the songs Stu’s limbs automatically beat out rhythm after rhythm. Stu loved America and had been grateful when none of the band objected to starting the second US tour right off the back of their first. Linda had booked them into fresh towns, placing them into America’s seemingly endless supply of venues. But his mind had grown musically bored of their songs. He thanked God they’d be back in the studio soon working on new material – even if that meant temporarily returning to England.
The few years he’d known Johnny had been intense. Of course, Johnny’s whole life had been intense. Stu believed only he understood Johnny’s stoicism but as songs passed he tried but couldn’t guess what had spooked his pal so badly.
* * *
Wichita had sent so much love on stage that back in the dressing room the band felt like their normal selves and wanted to hit the nearby bars.
After the venue emptied of fans they mucked in with their punitive crew packing their equipment away.
Shortly afterwards they jumped off the bus that dragged them town to town, state to state and headed into a bar where none of the middle-aged patrons cared to recognise them.
Johnny gave the waitress their order whilst Dane prepared to pay.
‘It still amazes me how important we are to those who see us on stage and how irrelevant we are to everyone else,’ Mazz said.
She wondered if that would still be true of Little Spirit over the Atlantic. She’d kept an eye on the UK charts so knew of Little Spirit’s extraordinary debut single achievement.
Though The USed Wonz gigged tirelessly they’d chosen America, a far bigger animal than Britain to slay. So far they hadn’t made the same dent Little Spirit had in Britain.
She looked at Christine who, having washed her face of makeup and hidden her curves beneath T-shirt and jeans looked but a memory of the voluptuous stage goddess she’d been earlier; holding chords and twisting knobs on her synths.
Mazz herself had also stripped of the dress and heels that kept musos attention on her body and off her left hand. She never relaxed sensing people scrutinising her bass technique.
Though Johnny looked good, only Stu maintained his impeccable image. Mazz figured it made sense nobody would pay them heed after their performance.
‘Go easy guys,’ Dane said, ‘Kansas is only three hours away but you’ve got radio interviews and I’ve booked a rehearsal.’
‘Right,’ Johnny said. ‘That’s good. I wanna try some new lyrics.’
‘What time we up?’ Christine asked.
‘Eight too early?’ Dane looked at Johnny.
‘Eight’s great,’ Johnny said. Then, thinking of Linda flying to see him added, ‘But you drinkers will have to drink twice as fast. Can’t stay out too long.’
* * *
Two hours later back in a cheap motel’s family room the ever sober Johnny readied the pull-out mattress whist Stu converted the lounge seats. The girls flopped into the double bed; a routine so well practiced it didn’t require discussion.
Nearest the door Johnny put the light out lay and down to wait for Stu’s beer and the girls’ cocktails to send the band to sleep.
He’d never normally encourage them to drink before, or after shows but tonight required an exception. Soon breathing patterns changed.
Checking his watch around 2am Johnny crept out the room and pulled his jeans on in the corridor before heading to the lobby.
The dozing night porter jumped at his arrival. ‘Can I help you?’
‘It’s okay, I’m expecting someone. I’ll wait.’
When the porter looked suspicious Johnny said, ‘It’s alright she’s a woman. I mean she’s a friend; she won’t be staying.’
Johnny lay on the blue furniture that clashed with the grungy wooden floor and s
uddenly doubted Linda would show. The thought depressed yet focused him. He felt himself descending into a familiar sensation but, resting his head lost himself to sleep.
* * *
Sometime before 3am Linda found Johnny. He murmured and wrapped his hand around her fingers when she touched his shoulder.
‘You came,’ he said retrieving Tic Tacs from his pocket.
‘Of course.’
She sat and resting his head in her lap looked down at the young man rubbing sleepy eyes. She stroked his blondy-brown hair whilst he chewed mints.
‘I’m extremely cross with you,’ she said. And then asked, ‘Are you smiling?’
‘You’re cross, but you came.’
‘I came because this isn’t just about you,’ she said with irritation but knew she would have anyway. ‘The USed Wonz are …’
‘What?’ Johnny said becoming more lucid.
‘I’m losing acts.’ She continued stroking his hair as his smile faded to concern. ‘I’m glad I moved to the smaller office but I can’t afford to have you guys go down.’
Johnny sat up and fluffed his hair. ‘Hang on, if The USed Wonz are keeping you afloat how can you afford to bail us out?’
‘Because, I owned the other office. I bought it for a song years ago with money I inherited from my stepdad. It was too big and because its value rocketed I figured time to sell. I’ve still got the proceeds.’
‘Any money you give me you’ll get back plus expenses.’
‘I believe you,’ she said. But the statement hung as the pair looked at each other.
‘You’re wondering how I could lose so much money,’ he said. ‘Linda, I’m a damn good poker player. I know what’s what at the table and I know for damn sure I had the best hand.’
She looked away. ‘Johnny.’
‘What?’
‘When you turned the cards over the other guy had the better hand.’
‘Not before the cards went over.’ His raised voice startled the porter.
Linda smiled towards reception. The porter closed his eyes.
‘So you’re telling me you’ve never lost money?’
‘At the poker table? Of course but I know how to minimise losses. I never would have bet that much against someone like that unless I was sure I had the strongest hand.’
‘But it was still a gamble.’
‘Not when you know the odds. I even know about cheating. One of the first proper games I played was an elaborate scam.’
Linda’s expression dropped. ‘I’m not impressed.’
‘Look, even if I misread the game, and I assure you I didn’t, the whole thing was a setup. The second the cards went over the door opened and in walked two heavies – right on cue.’
‘Sounds like rough justice but it’s senseless that you were gambling that sort of money.’
‘Yeah well, desperate times and that.’
Linda knew she must look incredulous. ‘What are you on about, you’re doing great?’
‘Are we? You won’t want to hear this given you’ve just told me your companies losing acts but, Vanquar are shuffling bigwigs at the top. Apparently someone up for promotion doesn’t like us. Whispers in the corridors say if he gets the position he’ll cut the live feed.’
‘Stop you touring – why – how d’you know?’
‘Dane told me on the quiet.’
‘That’s crazy.’
‘Can’t escape the fact that every day with the bus costs money.’
‘Smaller gigs like tonight’s are brilliant earners.’
‘But Vanquar control the initial outlay and want their share of the returns before we get ours.’
‘And they’re getting them aren’t they – you’re still turning over plenty of money?’
‘Not compared to bigger bands, but we making some because there’s an album to promote.’
‘So what’s Vanquar’s problem?’
‘That this is the second US tour on that record. We need album two in order to justify carrying on.
‘But as far as Vanquar are concerned you’ll record album two the minute this tour’s over. They don’t know that GMD already advanced you its funding; and you blew the lot at the poker table.’ Linda stopped herself saying more.
Johnny took a deep breath. ‘So GMD pay for album two, but Vanquar still have to fork out to market and distribute it. Without album two there’s no tour investment and no point anyway.’
That didn’t explain why anyone at Vanquar would want The USed Wonz off their books. To lighten the mood Linda said, ‘We always knew GMD giving you the advance early was risky.’
‘Well now I wish they’d kept it too,’ Johnny said sulkily. ‘Look, the point is Vanquar aren’t contractually obliged to do anything with future USed albums. If the fella that doesn’t like us gets promoted, he’ll ditch any future involvement with us. If I hadn’t lost GMD’s funding we’d still get a second album but we’d have to find another record company to get it in the shops and advertise it through tours. And, even though it’d be in GMD’s interest we can’t rely on their help to find us another major record company because they’re so wrapped up in England with Little Spirit. Can you see how useful some extra cash would be?’
Linda finally saw his point. It didn’t seem fair, none of it did. She thought of her British friend Trudie who worked for Vanquar-UK. Seconded to Vanquar-USA Trudie had temporarily relocated to America and generated a heap of useful business for Linda’s booking agency.
Trudie had brought her The USed Wonz and if it hadn’t have been for their success and Trudie’s help, Little Spirit would probably still be stuck with GMD and no Vanquar-UK or any other major label to make them as massive as it seemed they’d become.
‘And Trudie’s too wrapped up with Little Spirit, as GMD are right now,’ Johnny said as if reading her mind.
Thinking of anything Linda said, ‘Can’t Dane get someone down from Vanquar’s head office to see how you’ve grown?’
‘You don’t need me to tell you how useless Dane is,’ Johnny said. ‘I just wanted to keep the USed account plump and for a moment back there I thought I’d be leaving the poker table happy. I never meant to risk the next album’s advance. Things got out of hand.’
‘I’ll say.’
Johnny stayed quiet a beat. ‘Some guy came in halfway through the game. The atmosphere frosted.’
‘Some guy?’
‘The other players might’ve known him. I don’t know if they expected him though.’
‘How come you were there at all?’
‘It was after the Bottleneck gig in Lawrence last night. Three guys found us in a bar. I recognised them from the gig. I’d even signed their T-shirts.’
‘What, and they said, d’you wanna play poker?’
‘Nah, they said they were off to play in some room above a business. When you don’t drink and you’re in a bar with the same people you’ve spent every moment with for weeks on end you fancy a change. I invited myself.’
‘Doesn’t sound like a setup.’
‘Not yet. But they must have known something. It’s no coincidence they were in the same bar as us.’
‘Did you trust them?’
‘Initially. We got to playing and everything was fine till the next guy arrived; some silver-haired fella; old before his time. He sat down and the stakes went up.’
‘So he intimidated you?’
‘I wouldn’t have said so though he had that bad tempered Yul Bryner look about him.’
‘And you couldn’t just leave?’
‘No.’
‘Why?’
‘Psychological reasons partly. But by the time my instinct started scratching we were well into a round of no-limit Hold’em. If I’d have folded I’d have lost what I’d put in, which was plenty, and by that time I knew I had the strongest hand.’
‘So you say.’
‘Linda, you’d be amazed how I know what players are holding and the only way that guy could beat me is if the pack had th
ree black aces. He had one, the table had one facing. But, I’d seen one in the deck.’
‘Then heavies appeared?’ Linda said not knowing how he came to be sure about the third ace.
‘Immediately the cards went over. But weirdly the game stopped right when we reached my limit. GMD gave us a recording advance of seven-thousand pounds. That’s just under ten-thousand dollars. The guy knew when to stop. He didn’t give me the chance to raise. He just said, Let’s see.’
‘So why didn’t his heavies just beat the money out of you?’
‘Because they knew I didn’t have it on me. I’d written an IOU. Plus if they’d kicked my head in I’d have gone to the police and done them for assault.’
‘Can’t you go to the police now?’
‘And say what – I’ve been cheated?’
Linda looked away. ‘Good point. I’m still not convinced.’
Johnny let the remark pass. ‘Well, the convincer for me was when one of the heavies pulled out our tour schedule.’
‘Tour schedule?’
‘Pulled it from an inside pocket. I mean why? He must have known I’d be there.’
‘I see.’ Linda thought for a moment picturing the towns she’d booked for the period. ‘Maybe it is suspicious. The geography is perfect.’
‘It’s been planned and from our schedule they gave me till Monday to get the cash. I’m to meet them in Kansas City.’
‘You think they’ll come back for more?’
‘Doubt it. They know we’ve nothing left.’
Linda reached into her handbag. ‘Who do I write the cheque to?’
‘He wants cash, which just makes things sound dodgier. I’ll put it through my personal account.’
She looked up. ‘That won’t work. You haven’t funds to cover this size of un-cleared cheque.’
‘Dammit.’ Resignedly Johnny said, ‘It’ll have to be The USed account. The advance is still there ready to pay the studio.’
Linda watched him slump. ‘How bad would it be to tell Dane?’
‘Well I’ll have to now. I really didn’t want him of all people to know. Dane could be part of the whole scam; he’s only been tour manager a few weeks. I mean, who else knows we’ve been given the advance?’
Linda thought for a moment. ‘Richard at GMD knows.’
‘He gave us the money and he’s in England so that rules him out.’
‘I know about it.’
‘You’re bailing us out so it can’t be you.’
