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SQUARE ONE, AGAIN Winter of 1974.
Addy: Modelling became much more serious for me after I moved back to New York. I did photoshoots every other day, some more important than others. Klara was always there when they were doing my makeup and hair, 'cause I trusted her the most.
Life was easy. I'd wake up, exercise, and do what the company wanted me to do after that. It wasn't exactly fulfilling, but they kept telling me I needed to build my reputation first, then go places. Personally, I thought it was bullshit.
Teddy Price(producer): I was in New York for a family gathering, mid-December in '74. My family moved from London to New York a few years back to be closer to both myself and my brother. L.A. was too rowdy for them. I didn't plan on doing anything. Billy was in rehab, Camilla had just had their baby Julia, the rest of the band's tour dates had been cancelled. It would be some time before they started working again.
Addy: Spending all my time with Klara was impossible. She had to work on other models as well. So I started keeping in touch with some of my old school friends, who'd begun doing these gigs at bars downtown. Janice, Jules (well, Julian, but he hated being called that), and Danny. I'd hang around at night, trying my best not to get drunk.
One time, Jules was sick. He played guitar and sung, so they wouldn't have been able to play otherwise. So I filled in for him. They didn't play a lot of original songs, mostly just covers. The plan was to play Beach Baby, take two audience picks, and Hooked on a Feeling. One of my favorites.
Teddy walked in as we finished up, what was it? Joey, I think. Something like that. He sat near the front, the bartender seemed to recognize him. Me, I'd never see him before.
Teddy: David knew me, I used to come here with my brother all the time. We chit-chat, I make some remark about the music choice, and he tells me, "Addy? She doesn't usually play, but damn, she can sing."
I see this girl — Christ, she wasn't even standing up, she was sitting on the edge of the stage with her guitar — dressed in these clothes that looked too expensive to be so hazardously hung on her frame. It was still very classy, mind you, but she'd tailored it all herself, by the looks of it. You heard her first, then you saw this girl, and your brain took a moment to connect the two of them.
Her voice wasn't gritty, it wasn't rough. It wasn't rock, even. It had a sort of Broadway quality to it, a crazy range. Addy had an uncanny ability to impersonate voices. That bled into her singing, as well.
But when she was singing, just her natural voice, it was entirely her own. There was this husky, almost sultry quality to it even when she was belting high notes. It floated right off the page. A waterfall that never hit the rocks.
Addy: He approached me after I finished. Forty-fifty-ish, I'd say. British. Fatherly. In short, he didn't creep me out.
"You do this regularly, love?" Teddy asked, though I later found out he'd known the answer. He was just testing me.
Truthfully, I said, "no. I'm just a model."
"Huh." Teddy replied. Not judging. I could tell that he was thinking. There was a pause as I set the guitar back on the stage. "You ever think about doing music?"
"Not really."
"You could, you know." And there it was. The gentle coaxing.
I swung my legs, the buckles on my shoes undone. "Sure, I guess."
"I'm usually in L.A., but if you want, I can hook you up with an associate of mine who lives here in the city." I heard the first four words and was sold.
"When are you leaving?"
Teddy: Addy had this refined air to her, even with her messy hair. At first glance, you instinctively knew she was born and raised somewhere respectable. So it surprised me that she'd want to go to L.A.
Addy: I broke the news to Klara. I'd be moving back to L.A. Then she broke her news.
Klara: I couldn't go. I'd left Ford to join Vogue. It was an incredible opportunity. Something like that wouldn't have come up anytime soon again. It was Addy, or it was my career. Truth be told, Addy made you want to do things, sometimes. You wanted to make her happy.
Addy: I cried. She cried. We made promises to meet again.
There I was, at the start of the circle again. With dreams, hopes, and still so horribly alone.
Jonah Berg(rock journalist, Rolling Stone, 1971–1983):There isn't a word for it. There really isn't: you have to see her for yourself. But the first time I met Addy Love, I was struck by how utterly solitary she was.
She wasn't part of the crowd. In fact, it was like there wasn't a crowd. When you saw her, it was just her. Everyone knew her, through her music, through her movies. At least, they felt like they did.
Addy knew exactly what she was doing. She created the Addy Love we know today, and by doing so, sometimes, Addy forgot exactly where her act ended and the real girl began.
🖇 Author's Note: i wrote both this & chapter 1 & most of chapter 4 on the same day, can you tell how excited i am? this is really just a filler to show her origin story. all the drama starts in chapter 4. hang on for a bit longer, please. love you all, hope you enjoyed it !! as usual, feel free to comment EVERYTHING <33
alsooo a lot of the songs might not fit into the timeframe (late 70s) but they have the right vibe so just pretend they do please!
