Rebel Yell

So I reserved myself to believe that for the past twenty four hours, I had gone mentally insane for a brief period and now, regained full mind stability of not thinking my boyfriend had been a, moonlighting promiscuous call boy by the name of ‘Candy’.

Instead, I treated myself to a shot of southern comfort and a well reassuring, relaxing evening of watching Green Day play on stage. They honestly did look shattered; sure they played their songs like it was the first show all over again but the effects of it was beginning to show. Billie’s eyes had become swallowed up nearly by a dark mist that never faded, whilst Mike’s prolonged agony of his girlfriend had begun to strain him to the brink of tears and although Tre looked hyperactive than ever on stage, his more dominant personality never appeared. We were falling apart at the seams and although I was selfish to want to stay on tour, a little voice inside, was thankful it was nearing the end.

“who can sing ‘who wrote Holden Caulfield?” Billie shouted into the packed venue, to which 90% shouted back at him, in all sorts of weird noises, acknowledging they did, in fact know how to sing it. “can you sing it?” he pointed to a guy who nodded his head frantically, “give me a few lines then” he asked, to which the boy blushed “come on” he encouraged him, whilst Mike walked around the stage, checking out the scenery and talking to a very tired Tre, who played a repetitive beat. The boy in the crowd sang a little, although inaudible and was constantly prompted by the surrounding fans. “Get your ass up here then” he pointed to the boy once again and a group of stage security pulled him on stage.
He looked rather nervous but found the courage to hug Billie Joe and gasp at Mike, as he made his rounds around the stage, once again. “What’s your name?”

“Eddie” he spoke back meekly to Billie Joe and patted him on the back as Billie handed him the microphone. I looked behind me as Debbie slowly appeared around the corner, smiling mischievously.

“What’ve you done?” I asked her, to which she simply shrugged her shoulders, I eyed her up suspiciously and she sat down next to me on one of the drum cases.

“That was kind of Billie Joe” she acknowledged back to the nervous kid and Billie on stage, who despite his best efforts, spent most of his time prompting his fan to sing the correct words.

“yeah, however at least it wasn’t like the time back in Houston, where the guy nearly raped Billie on stage” I chuckled, remembering how shocked I was towards it but how I still found it highly amusing, due to the sour relationship we had.

“Poor Billie Joe” she sarcastically added “but at least he came out with you in the end”

“So you must be the infamous, Marci Madison, the lady who is taming the three greatest punk stars at the moment” a voice broke our conversation and I turned around, to see that pretty reporter again, what was her name, Cheri Rigby, looking stunning as ever.
“Who the fuck are you?” Debbie asked, stunned at this sudden intrusion.

“Don’t mind her, she has hormones flying around all over the place” I
apologised quickly for my friends rudeness, “This is Cheri Rigby, if I’m correct” she smiled and bowed a little at me,

“I’m so sorry for the late intrusion but I was just wondering if I could later maybe“ she battered her eyelids and I looked back to the boys, who were now contending with organising two fans to play the drums and strum a bass on stage.

“I’m sorry Cheri but they aren’t doing anymore interviews, till after the end of the tour. I still have your name in my organiser and you will definitely be a priority phone call interview but this evening, it will be impossible” she pulled her bottom lip out and tapped her clipboard.

“Shit, my boss if going to kill me” she sighed and I felt sorry for the girl but I really couldn’t do it to them and really I didn’t want to even bother asking.

“I really am sorry but they have to get to a show in Illinois tomorrow and so we really do have to set off as soon as they finish” she nodded her head, reluctant to say anything else.

“It’s ok, I understand but if you could keep my number that would be lovely, I’d love to hear off them” I smiled, hoping that she would disappear, so that I could go shout at some security guard for letting her get this far. “It must be hard and everything being on tour for so long” she sat down next to Debbie, to which Debbie budged over to me, obviously out of dislike of her.

“We can cope, I wouldn’t put the lad’s through it if I thought they couldn’t do it or even enjoy doing it” I turned back to my sheets of paper, hoping to give her the cold shoulder to get lost.

“What about the band coping and you know, their personal life, that must be hard. I heard that the lead singer, thingymibobby?” she thought for a moment and my patients grew thin, I knew what she was doing from the moment she walked in.

“Billie Joe, his name is Billie Joe Armstrong. What kind of reporter are you?” Debbie scolded her and I had to try to stop myself from laughing from the pure embarrassment on her face.

“long day, sorry” she simply disregarded what Debbie had said and carried on, her hand now noting down notes “but yeah, I heard that Billie Joe was once a ladies’ man, who was known for getting around a lot. How do you deal with that?” I bit my bottom lip and held my best friends hand still because I had to keep my composure and a professional stance.

“that is all a myth, don’t listen to what anyone else says but I know Billie Joe enough and I know he isn’t like that” I smiled at her cheesy as she sighed. Ding Ding, round one to Marci!

“But maybe you might have seen a little neediness on tour from him. Maybe you have seen or been involved in inappropriate comments or actions being made by such a high profiled man with other women, due to the loneliness and unfulfilled needs on tour from just one person. Obviously we all know what goes through a mans mind, it’s obviously not a relationship they need when they have girlfriends waiting back in California” I felt myself getting wound up inside, there is no way, any of this was true what she was saying and she really did need to go before I did something, that could possibly have me arrested.

“I think you need to go now, we need to start packing up and you might get in the way of some off our grumpy roadies” she held her hand up, as I stood up to usher out of the stage entrance.

“ok, I’ll go but word on the journalist street is that, Mr Armstrong is sleeping with a member of your crew, is that true? The poor soul having to deal with that prima donna daily, must be awful and plus, she is going to get dumped as soon as she lands back in Oakland. Anyways avoire, I must get going but please get in touch with me,” She waved at me and I nodded falsely, pulling a seriously pissed off face. How dare she speak like that and about Billie Joe when clearly, she doesn’t know who he really even is. Silly cow. I watched, as she wondered back out of the stage door and past security.

“Seriously, you should have just hit her hard in her pretty little face” Debbie announced and I turned back to her, picking up my dropped pad of paper and sitting down next to her again,

“Then why didn’t i?” I asked her, still mad at the stupidity of the security guard and at my own reluctance to knock the reporter straight in the jaw. Debbie shrugged her shoulders and flicked again through the baby catalogue in front of her.

“Hello, you don’t mind if I wait here for Mike do you?” a voice, unfamiliar shouted across to us from behind and I grimaced at the pure incompetence of the security staff tonight. I threw my pad of paper back onto the floor and swivelled around to try my best in persuading the fan otherwise.

“I’m sorry, fans can’t wait in this area but if you go on straight through the back exit, they’ll usually come out to meet -“I spoke calmly to the heavily tattooed girl, who stood in front of me and she giggled a little at me.

“I think you have got me wrong babe, I’m Adeline Thomas. Mike’s girlfriend” she walked up to me, her hand, out stretched as the name rang a familiarity from one of Mike’s many conversations about the love of his life. “I’m not some weirdo who fancies the pants of my man. Ok, maybe I am, in some ways but I’m definitely no, Mark David Chapman” she chuckled again and I grabbed her hand tightly, shaking it.

“I’m Marci Madison, please to meet you and this is-“ I was about to introduce Debbie but she pulled me in tightly, squishing my lumpy body and sighing heavily into my hair.

“I have heard a lot about you Miss Madison and a certain rock star” I gleamed at her, feeling a little proud that I was worth the talk between Mike and his girlfriend. She bent down to pick up my dropped pad of paper, as the guys began to tie up their show.

“Are you staying on tour or just visiting Mike today?” out of curiosity I asked her, knowing full well that she’d be bunking with Mike if she was staying, similar to my own sleeping arrangements.

“Hopefully I’ll be able to stay on till the end but, it all lies with you, boss lady” predictable but I was not bothered by her slight late notice. I nodded my head slightly and looked towards Debbie,

“Three girls to three boys Debbie, I think we have a chance of making the bus look finally presentable” Debbie chuckled and picked up Tre’s towel from the floor, preparing for his departure of the stage.

“Brilliant, you are so kind. Thank you for fitting me in at last minute, Mike will be so grateful much like myself” I smiled again, as we heard Billie say his goodbyes. One more show down............

“Adeline?” Mike’s curious voice could be heard,

“How do you do Mr Dirnt” Adeline sexily added,

“I’ve fucking missed you” Mike screamed, running up to her and grabbing her waist. Thank God it actually wasn’t the second coming of Mark David Chapman, I thought, as I watched them, kiss madly.