"First of all, let me say that I was really impressed with the material I read yesterday. Before you know it, your titles will evolve into singer/songwriters. And even though I have the material in front of me, we’re here today so that I can get a little feedback and hear exactly what you want from this song. So, who’s first?"
Silence ensued as uneasy glances met each other across the room. 1 p.m. Tuesday. And Indigo was at the end of her rope. One of her newest clients had rushed into the office earlier that day and demanded that she chuck the 5 songs she’d done 3 weeks of work on to start all over again. She’d tried for over an hour to change his mind but he’d have none of it. Insolent tone-deaf bastard. Indigo raked her hands through her hair and inhaled a shaky breath, "Look, guys, I haven’t exactly had the best of days. I’m not in the mood to be diplomatic. In fact, I’m in the mood to be quite bitchy."
Nick snorted, "What’s new?"
She rolled her eyes and turned to the others, "As I was saying, I’m really not in the mood for this." She stood up, "So, if no one feels like talking we can just screw this session and leave it all up to the individual meetings."
Howie was not normally the first person to volunteer to speak up. He’d much rather observe first and then add his own opinion to the mix. His first instinct was also to immediately write Indigo off as being rude. But then he looked in her eyes and saw weariness and stress. And because of that, he started things off. "Well, uh, from what we heard of your work, we thought that we could maybe do an edgier track with you." As everyone turned to face him, Howie soon realized the meaning of the phrase, all eyes on me.
"Define edgier," Indigo pressed.
"As far as I’ve heard, you’ve been working mainly with up-and-coming rock acts. Driving guitar rifts, high intensity percussion. I’m thinking something in that direction."
AJ watched Indigo slowly reenergize as she became increasingly interested in the meeting. Suddenly, he wished he would have been the one to initiate the conversation. He wanted to make the stress lines furrowed above her brow disappear. He wondered if this meeting was what had bothered her or if someone else had ruined her mood. Either way, Howie’s comment must have been like salvation for her. Now she was starting to look like the angel AJ always thought she was. AJ silently laughed at his own comment. "Never thought angels pulled that midnight runaway shit," he thought derisively. The sound of her voice brought an abrupt end to his contemplation and took him back to reality.
"Okay, any other thoughts?"
"I liked the raw sound of your tracks. What I mean is that, what I heard on the CD sounded a lot like what I would probably hear live."
"So, you want to step away from the synthesizers and the simulated harmonies, right, Kevin?"
"Yeah, I think it would be cool to have the record sound like us. Something that fans could come to the concerts and not go like, ‘Wow, it sounds completely different on the album!’ You know what I mean?"
"I got you." Indigo smiled graciously. ‘Thank heaven for Howie and Kevin,’ she thought. "What else? I’m hearing guitars, I’m hearing drums, I’m hearing raw. But what kind of song do you want? Something for the clubs? A wedding song? A get-the-hell-outta-my-way-or-I’m-gonna-run-over-you-with-my-4-by-4 song? What?"
The lighthearted joke eased the tension a bit and coaxed Brian into talking.
"I’m not really partial to a particular type of song. I just know that I don’t want to sound like *N SYNC or LFO or whoever else is doing our thing. I want us to separate ourselves as a more mature, more experienced group. I want to take it up a notch without making it seem like we’re trying to imitate Eminem or Kid Rock."
"Is everyone on that same path or do you want to take things in a different direction?"
AJ added his two cents to the conversation, "Personally, I’d really prefer to do a kind of all purpose song. Something like what Lit did with "My Own Worst Enemy." It was PG enough for the Top 40 stations, club-worthy enough for the dance stations and guitar-heavy enough for the rock stations. But I think it’s most important that we make good on the material we have. So, if that means doing a slow song, then so be it. But whatever we do, I really want this track to make people wake up and realize that we’re not some manufactured studio project."
Indigo nodded her head, "Well put. But from the songs I read yesterday, we’re not gonna get anything like "My Own Worst Enemy" from this set. You might have to go to an outside writer for something like that. I’m not even sure you want to venture that far into the rock world. But I do think you can establish yourselves on even firmer standing with this record." Brian nodded his head slowly, "Well, what kind of song do you think we’re gonna end up with?"
"It’s really leaning towards a ballad. But it’s probably not gonna be another ‘I can’t live without you’ kind of song. We’re looking at a song that will express real feelings from real people. Just looking at the selection, we’ve got lyrics that express anger, pain, joy, fulfillment and so on and so forth."
"Indi, let me ask you a question."
"Sure, Kev, shoot."
"Okay, now you’re hearing us say the directions we’d like to go in. But I want to know what you think. I understand that you’re giving us a lot of control over this track, but a lot of rising artists have gotten where they’re at because they worked with you. So, personally, I value your opinion. Do you feel we need to change directions? What do you think we’re doing wrong? And what do you think we can do to fix it?"
Indigo whistled, "Well, if I’ve ever heard a loaded question! First of all, I think we need to be wary of this term ‘changing directions’. I don’t think that’s something you all need to do. What I feel you should do is focus on adding to the mix. Just by looking at New Kids on the Block and MC Hammer, it’s easy to see that changing directions often alienates the people who made you big in the first place. It’s also the first signal for the people who were criticizing you in the first place to label you inconsistent and desperate."
"So, what are you suggesting we do?"
"Like I said, add to the mix. It’s fine to have the cheesy pop song on the album as long as you have other, more credible tracks that display your talents as singers, writers and maybe someday, producers. Get yourself involved in every aspect of the business as much as possible. Michael Jackson is possibly the most successful artist of all time. When he was small, he watched Berry Gordy, he watched his producers, his directors. Then, when he was older, he could do exactly as they did. Simply put, monkey see, monkey do, monkey watch, monkey cool."
Even Nick had to reluctantly join in the laughter following her cheeky comment.
AJ brought everyone’s attention back to the matter at hand, "Okay, Indigo, other than offering your own version of kiddy games, specifically, what should we do?"
"Well, first of all, something that you’re obviously doing, use new producers. I’m absolutely flattered that you came to me, but there are some other great people I’d love to hear you work with. Desmond Child could probably give you the pop/rock edge you’re looking for, Dallas Austin and Shak’speare can slip you some urban beats and Richard Marx or Lionel Richie could give you the wedding song that I’m surprised a group of your stature doesn’t have yet.
"Second, I think you guys need to sit down and have a talk with Max Martin. Do not abandon him completely. I understand that in retrospect, some of the songs he created for you were the ones that were criticized for sounding like everyone else. However, I think he’s done some great things for you as well as other artists. ‘It’s My Life’ by Bon Jovi, is my personal favorite song on the radio right now, and Max was the one that did it, live instruments and all. It’s definitely an ‘all purpose song’ and I’m sure he can do the same for you. I think you all need to be clearer with him about what you want, what you expect and what you eventually allow on your album. But I think you only need to use him for two or three tracks and work with several other producers and writers on the others. Remember, variety is the spice of life.
"Third, I suggest you make a duet and pressure Jive to release it. Now, that doesn’t mean for you to work with any and everybody. Be very selective about who else is going to be on your album. Make sure it’s not just someone you like, but someone whose music and style will mesh well with yours.
"Ummmmm…what else? Oh, yeah! Get out there! The fans are there, waiting to be near you…take care of them! I think doing Men Strike Back was a big deal for you. Do more events like that. Just pop up in some places; overall, just be accessible."
Indigo took a quick glance at her watch. "Sorry guys, but we are out of time for today. Before you go, let me give you the individual appointments I mentioned earlier. Tomorrow, I’d like to see Kevin at 8 a.m., Nick at 10 a.m., and Howie at 1p.m. The following day, Thursday, I have Brian down for 11 a.m. and AJ at 2p.m. If anyone can’t meet me at those times, call at least an hour ahead and speak to Lucy. That will be all for today. Don’t forget to look over those songs. Beginning next week Monday, we’re gonna start eliminating and selecting so be ready to make choices and defend them. I’ll see you all soon."
*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*
Dear Diary,
Whew! That was one hell of a whirlwind week! I want to slip into a hot tub and into oblivious bliss. Oh, the meetings! Kevin was great. He asked questions about everything and he got answers for some of them. I had his support going into the other meetings, and that helped my confidence a lot. It’s just plain good strategy to have someone influential helping you from the inside.
And then there was Nick. I had purposely scheduled him between Kevin and Howie so that he wouldn’t be my evil wake-up call, or my dirty work to bring home to my daughter. I’d even had the meeting outside of the office so that if things got too intense, there’d be some distracting influences. Good thing, too. That little bitch, I mean talented blonde, came this close to ruining my day. I mean, we did come to an agreement, but I’ll tell ya, it was like pulling teeth.
***Flashback***
Silence. That was practically all that Nick was giving her. If it wasn’t a one word answer, it was this. Silence.
"I’m tired of this. Might as well get it out of the way. What’s the problem here, Nick?"
He didn’t even turn from looking at the passing cars, "What?"
"Two years ago, we were best friends. Now, you won’t speak to me unless it’s absolutely necessary."
"That was two years ago."
"So? It’s been two years since I spoke to the others, but everybody else is still trying."
"That’s because they don’t have a clue."
"Oh, and I’m guessing you’re thoroughly informed," she scoffed.
"To say the least."
"Well, then, enlighten me, please."
Nick turned and sat forward in the park bench to look Indigo directly in the eye. After staring for a few moments, he leaned back and sighed. "Simply put, you left. For some reason, you packed up and left without explanation. You didn’t spare us, the people who loved you, a moment’s thought."
"How do you know that?"
"Because if you had, you wouldn’t have left like that. You would have called someone, let them know that you were okay, give us some indication that you were alive. You would have told any of us why you left. You would have left like a dignified woman, not a fugitive."
"You don’t understand."
"Then make me understand!"
The pigeons near their feet flew away as quickly as their wings would take them.
"I can’t!" Indigo yelled, her voice then dropping to a whisper, "I can’t."
"Why not?"
"I just can’t. No one can know. Not even you."
"Then I can’t forgive you." He paused a moment and put his head in his hands. When he sat up he had a derisive smirk on his face. "I was never one to hang around sluts that fuck ‘em and leave ‘em." Quickly, Indigo stood and backslapped him across the face. Nick almost fell from the force. "Don’t you ever, ever, refer to me like that ever again. I’m no slut and you have no idea what happened that night."
Nick rubbed his cheek and stood to face her, "Yes I do! AJ told us everything. You set that night up, and you were gone before he could even wake up to thank you."
"Well, aren’t we just one hell of an enlightened son of a bitch!"
"Look-"
"No! You look! I am sick and tired of this shit. I won’t tolerate this anymore. I don’t have to like you. You don’t have to like me. And I damn sure don’t have to work with you. So, you can either check your attitude and rude comments at the door, or never set foot near me or my studios again."
"Fine by me."
"Good, then we have a deal?"
"We do."
"So if I see you on Monday, it’s a whole new ball game. And I’ll tell you now, I’m not afraid to eject anybody."
***End Flashback***
After that there was Howie. Precious, glorious Howie. Sometimes I have to stop and wonder if he’s too good to be true. Everything was so relaxed because nobody was trying, we just acted as we were. I didn’t bother telling him or any of the others about my incident with Nick. I figured they would find out eventually. Plus, it wouldn’t exactly strengthen my rapport with Nick to tattle-tale. I need all the brownie points I can get with that jackass, I mean financially secure client.
I had a great time with Brian on Thursday. He filled me in on his life since I left Orlando. He and Leighanne are still married, though they’re trying to work through some tough times right now. And he had at least a million pictures of his daughter, Jessica. I haven’t seen that girl since she was a year old. Adorable little thing.
And last, but never least was AJ. The whole thing was really weird at first, but we smoothed it out and even came to a few decisions. I can still call him Alex, he can still call me Sky. We can hug, we can talk about things we did as a couple. And most importantly, we’re gonna take things slow. ::Exhale:: And maybe we’ll even be friends. And thus the tattooed knight saved the princess producer from the fire-breathing blonde dragon.
Tune in next week for the continuing saga of the Adventures of Midnight Rose.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
"Nick, come over here a second."
By following the sound of the voice, Nick found Brian sitting languidly on the couch. "What’s going on, Rok?"
"Nothing much, I just wanted to talk to you for a sec."
Nick pushed Brian’s legs off the couch and sat down. "Sure, what’s up?"
"The thing is, when you walked around yesterday telling everybody that the red mark on your cheek came from sleeping on one side for too long, I believed you. But when said red mark has turned slightly bluish the next day, it makes me wonder how all that happened sleeping. Unless, of course, you sleep standing on your head, which I imagine would be a bit uncomfortable."
"So, uh, what’s your point?"
"You see, I find it highly coincidental that someone, who shall remain nameless, has a big bruise two days after a big meeting with someone they resent very much, who shall also remain nameless. So, what I’m wondering is if there was some sort of altercation between these two nameless people."
"That was one hell of a roundabout way of asking if she hit me."
"Did she?"
"Of course she did, the little bitch."
"What did you do?"
Nick immediately got defensive, "Why do you automatically assume that it was my fault?"
"Oh, Nick, please. Indigo is generally understanding and patient. On the other hand, you…you don’t exactly have that great of a track record when it comes to making an ass of yourself."
"Well, what if she was having an off day?"
"You’ve got to be kidding me. ‘Having an off day’? Nick, that was weak. Now what the hell did you do?"
"Nothing."
Brian sighed, "What did you do?"
"Nothing!"
"Nick!"
"Okay, okay, I called her a slut."
"You did what?" Brian turned away for a moment, ran his hand across his cheek, and half-smiled, only to turn back to Nick with a slightly desperate look on his face. "Please tell me you’re joking."
"No, I called her a slut."
"To her face?"
"No, to her pinkie. Of course, to her face."
"You had it coming."
"What do you mean I had it coming? What ever happened to standing by your friends?"
"The song is ‘Stand By Your MAN’ and fortunately, you are not my man."
Nick flashed a grin, "What, I’m not good enough for you?"
"No, I’m saving myself for Howie."
"Really? I always thought you would go more for Kevin."
"Eeeeewwwww! He’s my cousin!"
"Hey, you know what they say about you Kentucky Rednecks."
Brian gestured heavenward only to look back ominously at Nick. "Look, can we forget about Kevin and forget about Howie for just a minute?"
Just then, Howie walked into the room and heard Brian’s last comment. "Forget about me? Now, whoever would want to deprive themselves like that?" He grinned at his lighthearted joke.
Nick whistled and sashayed over to him, "Yeah, baby. I mean, you being so sexy and all, who could resist?"
"I know I sure as hell could," Brian muttered under his breath.
Nick began to stage whisper in Howie’s ear, "Don’t worry, he’s just shy. He told me just a minute ago that he wants to be your lover."
"Nick!"
He flopped back on the couch, "Oh, relax, Brian, I was just joking."
"No, Nick, it’s not that, I just want you to stop avoiding this issue and tell me exactly what you plan to do about it."
Howie suddenly got the feeling he had missed something, "About what?"
"Well, it hasn’t even been a full two weeks and already Nick’s picked a fight with Indigo."
"Oh great, Nick what’d you do?"
Genuine shock passed over his face, "Why does everybody automatically assume that I did something?"
"Wait, you’re kidding, right? Nick ‘Say-It-Loud-I’m-an-Ass-and-I’m-Proud’ Carter isn’t really asking me this question, is he?"
Brian nodded his head in agreement. "You wanna know what he did?" Howie sat on the floor Indian-style and leaned forward, eager to gossip,
"What’d he do?"
"Let me tell you, this idiot called Indi a slut."
Howie looked shocked, "To her face?"
"No, to her pinkie. Of course to her face."
"So, what’d she do?"
"You see that bruise on his face?"
He turned to Nick, "She punched you?"
"No, she backslapped me."
Howie smirked, "You had it coming."
"Why does everybody keep saying that?"
"You told her she was a slut."
"I was calling it like I saw it. A person shouldn’t be abused for telling the truth."
"Keep in mind you were calling it as you saw it. You may not know what the real deal is. And I don’t know what you expected her to do, anyway."
"Howie, I’ve given up on reasoning with him. I mean, knowing him, he was probably waiting for her to get down on her knees to thank him for giving her a chance to become a better human being."
"Hey, I’m still in the room, you know."
"Well, since you’re still in the room, what do you plan on doing about this?"
"She said that if I come back on Monday, everything changes."
"Changes how?"
"She said that she won’t be taking anymore of my quote-unquote ‘BS’."
"I don’t blame her."
There was a short moment of silence before Howie asked, "What do you mean, if you come on Monday?"
"If I’m a no-show, she drops the project."
"Well, then you’re showing up. You promised."
"No, I promised to give it a try. I gave it a try, and I still don’t like it. So, according to the deal y’all made with me, I can quit whenever I please."
"Making rude comments behind her back and to her face does not qualify as ‘giving it a try.’ The only thing you seem to be trying is her patience, and I hope you’ve learned that that’s the last thing you wanna do."
"You people don’t quit, do you?"
"Nope. So you better show up on Monday."
"Fine, I’ll be nice."
"Do what you have to do. But whatever you do, don’t let AJ find out."
By some stroke of fortune, (or misfortune depending how you look at), AJ walked into the room. "Don’t let AJ find out what?"
Eyes darted around the room until one of them could find a plausible excuse. Brian was the first to think of one. "That he lost your Lenny Kravitz CD."
AJ turned to Nick confused, "Didn’t you give that back to me, like two weeks ago?"
Nick feigned surprise, "Hey! Well, that’s probably why I couldn’t find it."
"Nick, sometimes I wonder about you." He paused to look at Brian and Howie,
"All of you."
(*(*(*(*(*(*(*(*(*(*
Dear Journal,
You aren’t going to believe this! We’ve spent this whole week trying to pick a song that everyone could agree may be a good track. And today, we picked the lyrics. *Drum roll please* And the winner is…"After Tonight," by none other than…ME! ‘Thank you, thank you, thank you…Yes, I mean YOU! And for me, the best part was that Sky fought for my song. You see, some of the guys were a bit skeptical because there’s no chorus. But Sky fought and told them that it would be quite easy to pull off and we’d be very original. So, because there are six verses, each will sing one of the first five; there’ll be a break between the third and the fourth; we’ll all sing the sixth and then take turns singing the very last line. But then heads started to roll when somebody mentioned that the whole reason we came to Indigo was for electric guitar backing. She came back again and reminded them that "Everything I Do," and "From This Moment" were slow and romantic and they had electric guitar. So now the break will be a guitar solo. We may even make an electric and an acoustic version.
Oh! Mind my manners, you’re probably dying to know what the song sounds like. Well, for your reading (and future listening) pleasure, here it is:
After Tonight.
Do promises stay the same after dark?
Do they stay the same when night falls?
When the magic is over
And stars of truth begin to shine
What is love after midnight?
Is it just as strong?
As deep and as wide?
As willing and as fearless?
Hold me close
Let the moon light your way
The flickering candle flame
Is the symbol of this bond we share
A promise made on the night
Carried on the wind
Past hopeful hearts and through trees
Will never die into the breeze
As the stars shine
As time lives
So does the promise
Of after dark love so sweet
And after dark
Into tomorrow
Under blazing sun
And clouds milky white
Will you love me after tonight?
So, do you like it? I hope so. If things work out the way I want them to, you’re going to be hearing this song a lot. A whole lot.
The vibe in the office has been kind of weird lately. It seems like Nick did a total 180. But it doesn’t feel like he’s trying to be nice to Indigo. It seems more like he’s trying not to be mean. Same thing with her. Before she tried to be nice to him but now she cringes at the sound of his voice and avoids him as much as possible. Whatever. As long as they’re not hitting each other, I don’t really care.
I’m getting suspicious though. Things started getting weird after the individual meetings. Nick’s even been avoiding me – he actually canceled on our plans to go clubbing on Friday. I don’t know what it is. And whenever I ask Brian or Howie if they think something’s wrong, they start getting kind of closed mouthed. Even Kevin has noticed the change. You think after knowing people for almost half your life you’d be able to figure them out. Not with this bunch.
On a more positive note, Indigo and I seem to be getting along well. We’ll actually talk and joke and laugh now. It feels so great, almost like we’re reconnecting. But there’s this barrier between us. I have a feeling it’s gonna be there until we’ve cleared the air. Completely. I have to watch myself. I feel myself noticing the wonderful things I noticed about her when we first met and were just friends for about 4 months. I have a girlfriend that I care about very much and who was there for me when Sky ran away. She’ll be here in a few days and everything will be okay. Until then…God help me.
)*)*)*)*)*)*)*)*)*)*
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