Things You Never Thought You Had
The Preparation
“You okay?” She asked me.
For a second I didn’t know if I should answer, because I wanted this moment for just a little longer. I know it’s a bit pathetic but I do really like Sparky. I’ve know her for roundabout 5 years, not a day goes past when I want to tell how I feel but there’s always something holding me back.
“Hello? Dude, you’re scaring me now.” she actually did sound quite scared and when I answered her finally, she jumped.
“Shit. Hey, hum yeah I’m great.” I smiled with embarrassment; I didn’t notice how long I was just staring at her. Fuck.
“What you up to tonight then?” I asked trying to forget about what just happened
“What am I doing tonight? Don’t you mean what we are doing tonight?” She seemed quite surprised that I was asking.
“What you mean?” She looked at me as if I had forgotten my pants at home or something. I tried not to look too confused. But I think my stupid emotions got the better of me.
“Oh my god nobody’s told you have they!?” She was sounding exited now. “Ha, well I know your going to love this! Gilman tonight! It’s been three months! Adam finally got us in, and you’ll never guess who we’re supporting!” She had the prettiest smile in the whole of Oakland. But then excitement came from nowhere. From the bottom of my ripped old cons.
“No way! You shitting me?” She smiled even more. Not only was the girl of my dreams telling me we got to play with Green Day again, but she was smiling at me as I jumped up and down on the grass outside.
“The dude at Gilman phoned Mike last night. ‘Cause apparently Mike, Tré and Billie told...” she paused “...Tim Yohannon, is it?” She looked really confused. But I just smiled and nodded, and she carried on. “Yeah well the guys told Tim if we were playing again, he was to call him without delay and make them room!”
That had made my day! Before Sparky had the chance to say anything, I ran off screaming my head off. I knew that the jocks were looking over at me but I couldn’t give a fuck, I was going to be supporting with the 1st best band that ever came out of Oakland!
“YO DUDE!” I looked back it see who was calling me. It was Adam. I ran over to see what was up. He really didn’t seem as happy as I was, I had a feeling that something was going to hit me harder than the time Tater dared me an alcoholic bong with him (the next day I couldn’t move I was so hung-over!). “Right dude, we have one huge problem and you need to do something about it now”.
“What is it? And why do I have to do it?”
“Well not only you. We’re going to have to work something out. Taters broke another arm” Fucking hell he’s always breaking things!
“Fuck!” I said louder than I wanted, every one was here now apart from Tater.
We all sat down after that, we were all thinking so hard about what to do but then it came to me after around 5 minutes, but I really thought this would be the best thing the band had done in ages! “What if, this is only an ‘if’ so don’t go biting my head off now, but what it we didn’t support Green Day tonight.” Both of them looked really shocked. “But what if, we played with them to night.” Adam looked disgusted.
“You sick, sick, sick bastard!” looking at me as if I had actually meant play with them in the sick way that he heard it.
“Shut up! You knew what I meant!” Or did he? “I mean we could like have a night when we just play with the guys, like two bands put in to one. ‘Cause that way all we need is one drummer, and Tré is like one of the best? And plus that way Billie can play lead, I’ll play rhythm. Sparky you play bass with Mike” She blushed; we all knew Sparky had something for the notorious Mike Dirnt “Is that okay?” I looked at her as if to encourage her to go on with him. But really it was killing me.
“Yeah that would be great!” She blushed even more.
“Well right then, we’re done. Or are there any problems with this absolutely awesome plan that I have come up with?” No one said, anything so I was proud! “Right then, Adam phone Mike D and see if that’s all good and tell them to meet us at my place at five. What time does the gig start?” he put up 10 fingers (meaning ten o’clock). I nodded and said “Right, well you bring your amps and shit to my house tonight and we’ll run threw every thing. Don’t for get to tell Mike to tell Billie and Tré to bring what ever they need for tonight and maybe we will be able to come up with a set and every thing.”
Everybody smiled with excitement and ran off.
Five couldn’t come any faster! The second I got home I set up the new pearl export. My dad found it when he was making a delivering to Queens, he found it in a warehouse and nobody wanted it so he took it.
As I started to finish setting the kit up, out of the side of my eye I saw something move outside as the sun started go down. I stopped walked over the window of my four walled living room. The window was behind the kit, slowly, very slowly past the drum kit. Slower than a snail going up Everest, I opened the window. I stuck my head out, there wasn’t anything. I sighed and pulled my head back. BANG! I shat myself, the window came back down; I turned back over to open it. Then the, second, I turned back around. BANG! Tré was there poking his tough out, with me on the floor (just missing the kit I had just put up) shitting my self!
Then from behind me came the sound of, a load of people pissing themselves in laughter.
I got up turned around and saw that every one had just came in, and dumped there things around the place. There right in my living room stood five of the most awesome people ever; Sparky, Mike Dirnt, Billie Joe Armstrong, Tater, and Adam. It would have been six if Tré hadn’t done the whole thing of giving me a heart attack.
“Aww, baby did the big scary Tré scare you?” Adam asked as if he was talking to his baby sister.
“Oh, shut up dick weed” I said under my breath hoping that none of the others would hear me.
“Right dude? How’s it going?” Billie asked me with a huge smile on his face.
“Fine thanks!” with me smiling back (even though I knew they were smiling at me –not with me- I didn’t know what to do so. I smile back) “You guys okay, Mike…?” every one just kept smiling “Okay I get the point! Come we better start practicing, cause you guys don’t know any of our songs and we don’t know any of yours” Billie Joe took his guitar bag off his back and unzipped it. He took out a Fernandez Stratocaster copy; it was blue and had a lot of stickers and writing on it.
Billie saw me looking at it and said
“Don’t leave home with out him” he smiled
“Him?” I was really confused now.
“Yeah, Blue. I’ve had this guitar over five years; I got it just before my dad died”
My dad knew Andy Armstrong quite well; they worked together when my dad was a working for Safeway. He died around 5 years ago.
“There’s nothing better than the sound Blue gives off. Is there mike?” Truing around to see where Mike was.
“Nope, don’t think we would sound the same if it wasn’t for Blue” he smiled, and took out his bass. Now this was no way near as good as the copy Billie had but mike smiled as he took it out. It was a cheap battered Precision Bass.
“Yeah I know not as good as Billies but hey it’s a bass, and its mine.”
“Right, battle stations guys!” Adam said showing that he did have some what control over us. While I was talking to Mike and Billie I didn’t notice that not only had Adam and Sparky set up their kit, but also Tré had totally moved the kit round. I just let him get on with it. “Right Billie, do you want to make it even? So we play half your songs and half ours or….” Adam asked just to get us started ‘cause it was just turning 6:30.
“Well depends how fast we can learn your songs and how fast we learn yours.” Billie replied.
“Right we’ll do your songs for tonight, I know the words to a few cause ive seen you play at gilman more than twenty times now.” Adam said with a hint of being proud of him self, in his voice. “ I know ‘Dry Ice’, ‘At the Library’, ‘16’, ‘Rest’ and ‘Green Day’
“Right then, well we’ll go through all the chords and shit and see how it goes” Billie said.
The night went on Billie went threw all the chords with me. Mike and Sparky were getting on fine, like I said sparkys a born natural. And well Tré was Tré. It was almost time. Before we left the house we new about 4 other songs apart from the ones that Adam already knew. I couldn’t belive it we might just pull this off, and now not only the fact that we were playing with Green Day had kicked in. May be if i pulled this off maybe Sparky might notice me;
but also I was thinking how this was going to go down for us as a band, we might just get reconized for once.
For a second I didn’t know if I should answer, because I wanted this moment for just a little longer. I know it’s a bit pathetic but I do really like Sparky. I’ve know her for roundabout 5 years, not a day goes past when I want to tell how I feel but there’s always something holding me back.
“Hello? Dude, you’re scaring me now.” she actually did sound quite scared and when I answered her finally, she jumped.
“Shit. Hey, hum yeah I’m great.” I smiled with embarrassment; I didn’t notice how long I was just staring at her. Fuck.
“What you up to tonight then?” I asked trying to forget about what just happened
“What am I doing tonight? Don’t you mean what we are doing tonight?” She seemed quite surprised that I was asking.
“What you mean?” She looked at me as if I had forgotten my pants at home or something. I tried not to look too confused. But I think my stupid emotions got the better of me.
“Oh my god nobody’s told you have they!?” She was sounding exited now. “Ha, well I know your going to love this! Gilman tonight! It’s been three months! Adam finally got us in, and you’ll never guess who we’re supporting!” She had the prettiest smile in the whole of Oakland. But then excitement came from nowhere. From the bottom of my ripped old cons.
“No way! You shitting me?” She smiled even more. Not only was the girl of my dreams telling me we got to play with Green Day again, but she was smiling at me as I jumped up and down on the grass outside.
“The dude at Gilman phoned Mike last night. ‘Cause apparently Mike, Tré and Billie told...” she paused “...Tim Yohannon, is it?” She looked really confused. But I just smiled and nodded, and she carried on. “Yeah well the guys told Tim if we were playing again, he was to call him without delay and make them room!”
That had made my day! Before Sparky had the chance to say anything, I ran off screaming my head off. I knew that the jocks were looking over at me but I couldn’t give a fuck, I was going to be supporting with the 1st best band that ever came out of Oakland!
“YO DUDE!” I looked back it see who was calling me. It was Adam. I ran over to see what was up. He really didn’t seem as happy as I was, I had a feeling that something was going to hit me harder than the time Tater dared me an alcoholic bong with him (the next day I couldn’t move I was so hung-over!). “Right dude, we have one huge problem and you need to do something about it now”.
“What is it? And why do I have to do it?”
“Well not only you. We’re going to have to work something out. Taters broke another arm” Fucking hell he’s always breaking things!
“Fuck!” I said louder than I wanted, every one was here now apart from Tater.
We all sat down after that, we were all thinking so hard about what to do but then it came to me after around 5 minutes, but I really thought this would be the best thing the band had done in ages! “What if, this is only an ‘if’ so don’t go biting my head off now, but what it we didn’t support Green Day tonight.” Both of them looked really shocked. “But what if, we played with them to night.” Adam looked disgusted.
“You sick, sick, sick bastard!” looking at me as if I had actually meant play with them in the sick way that he heard it.
“Shut up! You knew what I meant!” Or did he? “I mean we could like have a night when we just play with the guys, like two bands put in to one. ‘Cause that way all we need is one drummer, and Tré is like one of the best? And plus that way Billie can play lead, I’ll play rhythm. Sparky you play bass with Mike” She blushed; we all knew Sparky had something for the notorious Mike Dirnt “Is that okay?” I looked at her as if to encourage her to go on with him. But really it was killing me.
“Yeah that would be great!” She blushed even more.
“Well right then, we’re done. Or are there any problems with this absolutely awesome plan that I have come up with?” No one said, anything so I was proud! “Right then, Adam phone Mike D and see if that’s all good and tell them to meet us at my place at five. What time does the gig start?” he put up 10 fingers (meaning ten o’clock). I nodded and said “Right, well you bring your amps and shit to my house tonight and we’ll run threw every thing. Don’t for get to tell Mike to tell Billie and Tré to bring what ever they need for tonight and maybe we will be able to come up with a set and every thing.”
Everybody smiled with excitement and ran off.
Five couldn’t come any faster! The second I got home I set up the new pearl export. My dad found it when he was making a delivering to Queens, he found it in a warehouse and nobody wanted it so he took it.
As I started to finish setting the kit up, out of the side of my eye I saw something move outside as the sun started go down. I stopped walked over the window of my four walled living room. The window was behind the kit, slowly, very slowly past the drum kit. Slower than a snail going up Everest, I opened the window. I stuck my head out, there wasn’t anything. I sighed and pulled my head back. BANG! I shat myself, the window came back down; I turned back over to open it. Then the, second, I turned back around. BANG! Tré was there poking his tough out, with me on the floor (just missing the kit I had just put up) shitting my self!
Then from behind me came the sound of, a load of people pissing themselves in laughter.
I got up turned around and saw that every one had just came in, and dumped there things around the place. There right in my living room stood five of the most awesome people ever; Sparky, Mike Dirnt, Billie Joe Armstrong, Tater, and Adam. It would have been six if Tré hadn’t done the whole thing of giving me a heart attack.
“Aww, baby did the big scary Tré scare you?” Adam asked as if he was talking to his baby sister.
“Oh, shut up dick weed” I said under my breath hoping that none of the others would hear me.
“Right dude? How’s it going?” Billie asked me with a huge smile on his face.
“Fine thanks!” with me smiling back (even though I knew they were smiling at me –not with me- I didn’t know what to do so. I smile back) “You guys okay, Mike…?” every one just kept smiling “Okay I get the point! Come we better start practicing, cause you guys don’t know any of our songs and we don’t know any of yours” Billie Joe took his guitar bag off his back and unzipped it. He took out a Fernandez Stratocaster copy; it was blue and had a lot of stickers and writing on it.
Billie saw me looking at it and said
“Don’t leave home with out him” he smiled
“Him?” I was really confused now.
“Yeah, Blue. I’ve had this guitar over five years; I got it just before my dad died”
My dad knew Andy Armstrong quite well; they worked together when my dad was a working for Safeway. He died around 5 years ago.
“There’s nothing better than the sound Blue gives off. Is there mike?” Truing around to see where Mike was.
“Nope, don’t think we would sound the same if it wasn’t for Blue” he smiled, and took out his bass. Now this was no way near as good as the copy Billie had but mike smiled as he took it out. It was a cheap battered Precision Bass.
“Yeah I know not as good as Billies but hey it’s a bass, and its mine.”
“Right, battle stations guys!” Adam said showing that he did have some what control over us. While I was talking to Mike and Billie I didn’t notice that not only had Adam and Sparky set up their kit, but also Tré had totally moved the kit round. I just let him get on with it. “Right Billie, do you want to make it even? So we play half your songs and half ours or….” Adam asked just to get us started ‘cause it was just turning 6:30.
“Well depends how fast we can learn your songs and how fast we learn yours.” Billie replied.
“Right we’ll do your songs for tonight, I know the words to a few cause ive seen you play at gilman more than twenty times now.” Adam said with a hint of being proud of him self, in his voice. “ I know ‘Dry Ice’, ‘At the Library’, ‘16’, ‘Rest’ and ‘Green Day’
“Right then, well we’ll go through all the chords and shit and see how it goes” Billie said.
The night went on Billie went threw all the chords with me. Mike and Sparky were getting on fine, like I said sparkys a born natural. And well Tré was Tré. It was almost time. Before we left the house we new about 4 other songs apart from the ones that Adam already knew. I couldn’t belive it we might just pull this off, and now not only the fact that we were playing with Green Day had kicked in. May be if i pulled this off maybe Sparky might notice me;
but also I was thinking how this was going to go down for us as a band, we might just get reconized for once.