‹ Prequel: Changes
Making the Album
Audtion2.
"I loved it." Joe Elliot said with a huge smile.
"Same here."; Tom Hamilton agreed in a gravelly voice.
Tony's knuckles were white on her guitar, but her smile was growing bigger and bigger. Robert stood still in breathless anticipation of Steven Tyler's opinion. Billie crossed his fingers, praying that the rock god would have been awed by Robert's performance.
"You're a very young man." Steven Tyler began, drumming his thin fingers on the arm of his chair.
"I'm going to be twenty in October, sir." Robert replied uncertainly.
"I was far younger than you when I began performing." Tyler told him, a kind smile on those famed lips.
"I know. I've read your band's autobiography." Robert's voice lost the stiff formality as the young singer recalled why he loved the band. "I read the entire thing in about two days. Then I spent the next two months learning how to hit all the notes in 'Dream On'."
The three respective lead singers burst into laughter. Their bands chuckled, watching as their friends recalled their own youth.
"You really spent two months stretching to hit my high notes?" Steven Tyler asked him, smiling. Robert nodded.
"But that's nowhere NEAR how long it took Tony to learn all the bits to Armageddon It. Her fingers BLED from all her playing."
Tony flushed and kicked him. No one missed her action, and the three bands began laughing again.
"Tell you what." Joe Perry said, putting a hand on Steven Tyler's shoulder. "You give us a performance of 'Dream On', and we'll not only give you permission to cover our song, but appear on the album."
Robert grabbed the microphone. Blondie and Tom scrambled for their instruments, as Tony took a nervous sip of water, and then chucked it into the backroom. Robert closed his eyes until he heard silence from his bandmates. In his head, he imagined each individual note, spinning himself a perfect web of song. And he knew that for the brief minutes he was singing, Billie wasn't a threat to him. Billie wasn't out-singing him, out-romancing him. Billie wasn't in charge of their studio time, wasn't in control. Robert was in control the second he began to sing.
And being in control of at least one aspect of his life was something Robert desperately needed. He counted them off, and their performance began.
Every time that I look in the mirror
All these lines on my face getting clearer
The past is gone, it went by like dusk to dawn
Isn't that the way?
Everybody's got their dues in life to pay
I know nobody knows where it comes and where it goes
I know it's everybody's sin
You got to lose to know how to win
Half my life's in books' written pages
Live and learn from fools and from sages
You know it's true all the things come back to you
Sing with me, sing for the years
Sing for the laughter, and sing for the tears
Sing with me if it's just for today
Maybe tomorrow the good Lord will take you away
Robert realized that The Note was coming up. He could switch it. He could bring it down a notch or two, make it just that much easier. But looking at Steven Tyler's face, something in him needed that note. A nagging voice inside his head knew that Billie couldn't have hit it if the punk rocker tried. Hitting that note, he would be better.
And he knew he had to go for it.
Dream on, dream on, dream on
Dream yourself a dream come true
Dream on, dream on, dream on
Dream until your dream comes true
Dream on, dream on, dream on, oh, dream on
Dream on, dream on, dream on yeah
For a brief, breathless moment, he wasn't sure he could hit the note, let alone hold it. But then it exploded from his throat and he held it as Tony's guitar blared alongside him. It was a single, perfect, breath-taking moment where the song took on a life of its own. But then it came time to continue, and Robert let the note fade.
Sing with me, sing for my year
Sing for my laughter and sing for my tear
Sing with me, if it's just for today
Maybe tomorrow the good Lord will take you away...
"Amazing. Amazing." Mick Jagger clapped politely, smiling at them. Steven Tyler was nodding. Joey Kramer drummed his fingers on his knee, grinning like a wild man.
"You've nailed it. Have your agent call us with the times for recording."
The usual formalities were exchanged. And then the three bands were gone, vanished out the door, leaving the Dolls star struck.
***
Afterwards, Tre insisted on buying them all drinks. Mike politely declined, aware of Jay's eyes on him.
"No,Tre, I said no. I'm tired, and I want to work on some bass tabs while there's some semblance of quiet."
Mike then picked up his bass and began tuning it. Tre shrugged and said, "Whatever, Mike. But you're missing a wild time."
Mike smiled to himself as Jay stretched and tugged off his jacket. He could guarantee Tre that he wasn't missing a thing.
***
The second they'd gone, Mike's bass lay abandoned on the couch. Jay kissed the bassist furiously, with a passion that shocked both of them. His hands skimmed down Mike's body and lifted off his t-shirt. Mike tightened his hands around Jay's waist. Jay's hands slipped into Mike's pants.
Jay kept kissing him, catching each breathy little moan. They would have stayed there, standing against the kitchen counter. But Mike shoved Jay up against the wall and began planting soft, feathery kisses down his neck. Jay arched his back, sighing.
"Mike... Mike, I..."
"Shh. Later."
Thinking back, Mike couldn't think of why he'd shushed Jay. But at the moment, all he'd wanted was Jay on the floor. And words, they just didn't seem that important.
"Same here."; Tom Hamilton agreed in a gravelly voice.
Tony's knuckles were white on her guitar, but her smile was growing bigger and bigger. Robert stood still in breathless anticipation of Steven Tyler's opinion. Billie crossed his fingers, praying that the rock god would have been awed by Robert's performance.
"You're a very young man." Steven Tyler began, drumming his thin fingers on the arm of his chair.
"I'm going to be twenty in October, sir." Robert replied uncertainly.
"I was far younger than you when I began performing." Tyler told him, a kind smile on those famed lips.
"I know. I've read your band's autobiography." Robert's voice lost the stiff formality as the young singer recalled why he loved the band. "I read the entire thing in about two days. Then I spent the next two months learning how to hit all the notes in 'Dream On'."
The three respective lead singers burst into laughter. Their bands chuckled, watching as their friends recalled their own youth.
"You really spent two months stretching to hit my high notes?" Steven Tyler asked him, smiling. Robert nodded.
"But that's nowhere NEAR how long it took Tony to learn all the bits to Armageddon It. Her fingers BLED from all her playing."
Tony flushed and kicked him. No one missed her action, and the three bands began laughing again.
"Tell you what." Joe Perry said, putting a hand on Steven Tyler's shoulder. "You give us a performance of 'Dream On', and we'll not only give you permission to cover our song, but appear on the album."
Robert grabbed the microphone. Blondie and Tom scrambled for their instruments, as Tony took a nervous sip of water, and then chucked it into the backroom. Robert closed his eyes until he heard silence from his bandmates. In his head, he imagined each individual note, spinning himself a perfect web of song. And he knew that for the brief minutes he was singing, Billie wasn't a threat to him. Billie wasn't out-singing him, out-romancing him. Billie wasn't in charge of their studio time, wasn't in control. Robert was in control the second he began to sing.
And being in control of at least one aspect of his life was something Robert desperately needed. He counted them off, and their performance began.
Every time that I look in the mirror
All these lines on my face getting clearer
The past is gone, it went by like dusk to dawn
Isn't that the way?
Everybody's got their dues in life to pay
I know nobody knows where it comes and where it goes
I know it's everybody's sin
You got to lose to know how to win
Half my life's in books' written pages
Live and learn from fools and from sages
You know it's true all the things come back to you
Sing with me, sing for the years
Sing for the laughter, and sing for the tears
Sing with me if it's just for today
Maybe tomorrow the good Lord will take you away
Robert realized that The Note was coming up. He could switch it. He could bring it down a notch or two, make it just that much easier. But looking at Steven Tyler's face, something in him needed that note. A nagging voice inside his head knew that Billie couldn't have hit it if the punk rocker tried. Hitting that note, he would be better.
And he knew he had to go for it.
Dream on, dream on, dream on
Dream yourself a dream come true
Dream on, dream on, dream on
Dream until your dream comes true
Dream on, dream on, dream on, oh, dream on
Dream on, dream on, dream on yeah
For a brief, breathless moment, he wasn't sure he could hit the note, let alone hold it. But then it exploded from his throat and he held it as Tony's guitar blared alongside him. It was a single, perfect, breath-taking moment where the song took on a life of its own. But then it came time to continue, and Robert let the note fade.
Sing with me, sing for my year
Sing for my laughter and sing for my tear
Sing with me, if it's just for today
Maybe tomorrow the good Lord will take you away...
"Amazing. Amazing." Mick Jagger clapped politely, smiling at them. Steven Tyler was nodding. Joey Kramer drummed his fingers on his knee, grinning like a wild man.
"You've nailed it. Have your agent call us with the times for recording."
The usual formalities were exchanged. And then the three bands were gone, vanished out the door, leaving the Dolls star struck.
***
Afterwards, Tre insisted on buying them all drinks. Mike politely declined, aware of Jay's eyes on him.
"No,Tre, I said no. I'm tired, and I want to work on some bass tabs while there's some semblance of quiet."
Mike then picked up his bass and began tuning it. Tre shrugged and said, "Whatever, Mike. But you're missing a wild time."
Mike smiled to himself as Jay stretched and tugged off his jacket. He could guarantee Tre that he wasn't missing a thing.
***
The second they'd gone, Mike's bass lay abandoned on the couch. Jay kissed the bassist furiously, with a passion that shocked both of them. His hands skimmed down Mike's body and lifted off his t-shirt. Mike tightened his hands around Jay's waist. Jay's hands slipped into Mike's pants.
Jay kept kissing him, catching each breathy little moan. They would have stayed there, standing against the kitchen counter. But Mike shoved Jay up against the wall and began planting soft, feathery kisses down his neck. Jay arched his back, sighing.
"Mike... Mike, I..."
"Shh. Later."
Thinking back, Mike couldn't think of why he'd shushed Jay. But at the moment, all he'd wanted was Jay on the floor. And words, they just didn't seem that important.