The Tribute Drummer

Fighting Words

Time flew by, the studio rehearsals were going great in the beginning.

Paul and John, much to my surprise, from just knowing about the 69-70 sessions, worked really well together. The banter between everyone was great, Linda coming in on keyboards when needed, making the time even better. We girls got to have some interaction and gave as much as we got in the banter across the studio.

"Dear Linda can you please stay in tune" John bemoaned one day causing Paul to shrink in the corner. He was best to know what Linda was going to do, or indeed, say. Linda swiped her blonde hair from her blue eyes and levelled her gaze on Lennon, making sure she had his undivided attention.

"Dear John why don't you go push up daisies again, we need more shit on the garden for fertiliser" Linda smiled sweetly and walked over to John, never once did she run and hide, even when the going got rough. She was tough and strong and I admired her greatly.

"Paul rein in the missus mate. I'm shitting bricks here" John smiled and they hugged and that was the end of it, we all thought. Then he cracked the mouth open and sarcasm fell out over his lips with a smile of course "You can still lavish your love on your favourite Beatle Lin, just fuss and kiss me to your hearts content, luv. We all know I'm your fav.... still"

"If I did you would need to worry like hell John, as my fussing and kissing would be a precursor to my saying goodbye to your bag of bones" Linda walked off and joined me looking over the set list. John retreated mumbling to Paul about women and kitchens or something else totally sexist.

The consensus on what was going to happen for John's re-emergence however was painful and the band-aid just wasn't going to rip off anytime soon.

The FBI shot down every flaming pie John through and basically wanted to run rough shot over everything. John being, well... John, was a fuse lit but not exploding. That fuse gathered speed and shortened daily and so did his temper, his sarcasm. His normal retorts spiked with so much poison we all tried to stay well a way of Lennon when in one of his nasty moods.

As the weeks wore on, John's impatience, with all that surrounded the issue, was at an all-time high and, in the end, steam and bombs were let off in the studio.

"Keep the fucking time Rat!"

"Don't you yell at me Len, you're the one stuffing the lines"

"Rat sit your backside down and focus, stop fooling with Rusty" John tore his amp lead from the guitar and flung it away stalking towards Rusty and I like a lion on the prowl.

"We were watching the drops on the sound bar, its messing up" I walked over to the drum kit crashed my sticks on a cymbal making Paul jump. I sat down, smiling sweetly of course.

"Don't blame that contraption, you're just being a lazy cow"

"John you know where you can go now that you're trying to crawl out?- Back- To that big damn ego of yours, no one would find you for months"

He dragged me off from behind the drums. Cymbals that had only just finished shaking from my strike were crashing over everywhere. Men went every which way, doors flew open and they all disappeared, even Paul was off for fresh air.

Chickens.

Linda strolled out last but before leaving, her eyes checked mine to see if I was ok with the whole stand toe to toe with the wrath of Lennon thing. I nodded ok and she was gone.

"For crying out loud John pull your fingers out of your ears, you've the one not paying attention, just settle down and it will fall in to place"

"What the hell would you know, you're just a tribute band drummer and a nosy drunkard"