Ziggy breezed in about twenty minutes later. “I have something for you,” I said, knitting my eyebrows together.
“Oh fuck, did I miss her?”
“Miss who?” “Miss Carmen DeSoto.” He held out his hand while giving me a conspiratorial eyebrow double-raise. I handed him the key. “Thanks.”
I didn’t ask.
Around seven o’clock we got together with Christian and dicked with the set list like usual. Christian did the roadie thing, writing out copies to tape up on stage. I was digging a marker out of my case when I heard a heavy step behind me and a familiar chuckle. “There you are.”
Remo took the tan cowboy hat off his head, then eyed Christian and put it back on and offered me a handshake instead. “Remo, this is Chris. Chris, Remo.” They shook and then Christian went to get tape.
“New roadie?” Remo asked.
“Might be our new drummer,” I said. “He’s sure racked up a lot of brownie points tonight.”
Remo nodded one of those knowing nods. “So, how the hell have you been?”
We sat on a couple of road cases backstage and I filled him in on our indie label plans, even though I’d told him most of it over the phone. “Figure if we’re going to get a drummer we better get one now.”
“Yeah, makes sense. But Daron, how are you
shrugged. “What do you mean?”
He shrugged back. “I dunno. I mean, I came to visit you, not your band.” His eyes were on the two bouncers handing out backstage passes to the headlining band, Gargantua, across the empty room.
“Is it too much of a cliche to say the band is my life?”
“Well, no, I guess not.”
“Like, what else is there? You don’t want to hear about how exciting restocking the shelves at Tower is. How the hell are you, Remo?”
He smiled a little. “Yeah, point taken. I guess, I dunno, what do other people talk about?”
“Families,” I said, almost daring him to mention Digger.
He only nodded. “And girlfriends and things like that. It won’t be long now before some supermodel and you are on some tabloid cover together.”
“God, I hope not.” I was sure my aversion sounded sincere, I just hoped it wasn’t too vehement.
“Me, too.”
I stood up as the security guy came toward me, saying “He with you?”
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Daron's Guitar Chronicles: Vols 1-3
General FictionDaron’s Guitar Chronicles tells the story of Daron Marks, a young gay guitar player, from about the time he is eighteen onward. He arrives at RIMCon (Rhode Island Musical Conservatory) in the mid-1980s, desperate to leave behind a dysfunctional fami...
51 Who Can It Be Now
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