‹ Prequel: Changes
Making the Album
Jamming.
"Hey, Rabbit."
The younger man looked up from the guitar. Billie noticed that Rabbit had long, strong fingers, and the black nail polish Rabbit was wearing was chipped. The kid was practically designed to be a guitarist, he decided.
Rabbit had an interesting look. It was two parts Sid Vicious, one part Billie Joe Armstrong in the early years, and one part Axl Rose. The kid's hair was an astonishing shade of blue, and he had beautiful silver eyes. His clothes were ragged, a throwback to Kurt Cobain. And he'd cut the fingers off his gloves, which seemed to be a growing trend.
"Can I help you?" His voice was icy. Billie almost took a step back, but he didn't.
Rabbit returned his attention to the guitar. Billie noticed that it was probably his own guitar, and Rabbit had no business touching it. But Billie would deal with that later.
"What's your fucking problem?" Billie asked. Rabbit raised an eyebrow.
"Excuse me?"
"You've been nothing but rude ever since I met you. And I can't think what any of us did to offend you, so it'd be nice of you to enlighten me."
Rabbit strummed the guitar, then looked up at Billie, his eyes angry.
"I used to worship[/]> you. I spent hours in front of the mirror, trying to come close to your...look. Dyed my hair, took up guitar. I learned to fucking sing. I read every last article, watched every fucking video. I was in a fucking covers band...we called ourselves 'the Nimrods'."
"Nothing I haven't heard." Billie said coldly.
"Your music got me through life. When..." Rabbit stopped himself, switching tracks abruptly. "You made my life just that much better with your music. And then-"
Rabbit waved a disgusted hand towards Billie's clothes. He gave Billie's tie a jerk, a sneer twisting his lips.
"You sell out. You guys look like My Chemical fucking Romance. Great album, American Idiot. But you..." Rabbit shook his head. "You lost it."
"I haven't lost anything, except maybe the time I've spent listening to you."
"You really think so? You sold out. Took a break, came back and sold your souls to the teenie-boppers of the MTV generation. The pond scum of the music business. Nothing dangerous or fun or edgy about you guys anymore."
"Our real fans don't think so."
"Heh. So, what I am? A fake fan? Just a kid who waited in line for days to get tickets to your concerts. Who danced in the mud at Woodstock? Who bought two copies of every album so I'd have one in my car and one in my room? Who got the warning sign tattooed on my shoulder because I fell in love with the album? Who got the lyrics from 'Redundant' tattooed on my back because they were so damn awesome?"
Billie was silent, taken aback. Rabbit put down the guitar, and looked at it sadly.
"Maybe a year ago, I'd die to be standing here, talking to you. But now...now you're just another client with too much money and not enough talent."
The door clicked softly as Billie left. He slipped into the sound booth as Rabbit picked up the guitar again.
For a minute, it looked like Rabbit was going to smash the guitar against the wall. But then he magicked a pick out of thin air, and began to play.
It was genius. It was probably the best rendition of 'Holiday' Billie had ever heard. And when that song finished, Rabbit launched without hesitation into 'When I Come Around', into 'Redundant', into Platypus (I Hate You) and then into '2000 Lightyears Away' and then into 'Panic Song'. It was a medely of Green Day's past, of Billie's past.
And somewhere along the line, the lines of reality blurred. Rabbit became Billie, back when he was young and innocent, dreaming about becoming a star. And Billie forgot to be mad at Rabbit, he simply walked into the studio, picked up a guitar, and started playing.
***
Billie took the kid out for some food afterwards. He noticed that Rabbit's fingers were red and raw, but the kid couldn't have looked happier.
"You know, I used to pretend I was jamming with you...whenever my band was onstage."
Rabbit looked surprised at himself. Billie raised an eyebrow.
"You're pretty good. Better than most of the guys who play with us."
"No, I'm not."
"Yes, you are. You do your own thing...but you're not-"
Rabbit suddenly stood up.
"I gotta go."
He was almost out the restaurant door when he turned back.
"I never hated you."
***
"So...you're gettting married in a church?" Robert was laid out on the bed, watching as Tony rummaged through her suitcase. Tom snickered.
"What was the point of packing?"
"Shh. I didn't plan this."
"Tony...is this the end of it?" Blondie asked quietly.
Tony looked up from the suitcase.
"What?"
"Well, you're going to get married...where do we fit in?"
The entire mood changed. Tony sat back on her heels, looking at them seriously.
"I'm not giving up this band. We're just starting to get recognition...why would I leave?"
"It's a bit of a pattern...someone gets married and the group falls apart." Robert said.
Tony bit her lips, twisting the hem of her t-shirt in her hands.
"I can't tell you guys the future...I can't predict anything..." She looked up at them and smiled. "But I can tell you that I would die before leaving this band."
The younger man looked up from the guitar. Billie noticed that Rabbit had long, strong fingers, and the black nail polish Rabbit was wearing was chipped. The kid was practically designed to be a guitarist, he decided.
Rabbit had an interesting look. It was two parts Sid Vicious, one part Billie Joe Armstrong in the early years, and one part Axl Rose. The kid's hair was an astonishing shade of blue, and he had beautiful silver eyes. His clothes were ragged, a throwback to Kurt Cobain. And he'd cut the fingers off his gloves, which seemed to be a growing trend.
"Can I help you?" His voice was icy. Billie almost took a step back, but he didn't.
Rabbit returned his attention to the guitar. Billie noticed that it was probably his own guitar, and Rabbit had no business touching it. But Billie would deal with that later.
"What's your fucking problem?" Billie asked. Rabbit raised an eyebrow.
"Excuse me?"
"You've been nothing but rude ever since I met you. And I can't think what any of us did to offend you, so it'd be nice of you to enlighten me."
Rabbit strummed the guitar, then looked up at Billie, his eyes angry.
"I used to worship[/]> you. I spent hours in front of the mirror, trying to come close to your...look. Dyed my hair, took up guitar. I learned to fucking sing. I read every last article, watched every fucking video. I was in a fucking covers band...we called ourselves 'the Nimrods'."
"Nothing I haven't heard." Billie said coldly.
"Your music got me through life. When..." Rabbit stopped himself, switching tracks abruptly. "You made my life just that much better with your music. And then-"
Rabbit waved a disgusted hand towards Billie's clothes. He gave Billie's tie a jerk, a sneer twisting his lips.
"You sell out. You guys look like My Chemical fucking Romance. Great album, American Idiot. But you..." Rabbit shook his head. "You lost it."
"I haven't lost anything, except maybe the time I've spent listening to you."
"You really think so? You sold out. Took a break, came back and sold your souls to the teenie-boppers of the MTV generation. The pond scum of the music business. Nothing dangerous or fun or edgy about you guys anymore."
"Our real fans don't think so."
"Heh. So, what I am? A fake fan? Just a kid who waited in line for days to get tickets to your concerts. Who danced in the mud at Woodstock? Who bought two copies of every album so I'd have one in my car and one in my room? Who got the warning sign tattooed on my shoulder because I fell in love with the album? Who got the lyrics from 'Redundant' tattooed on my back because they were so damn awesome?"
Billie was silent, taken aback. Rabbit put down the guitar, and looked at it sadly.
"Maybe a year ago, I'd die to be standing here, talking to you. But now...now you're just another client with too much money and not enough talent."
The door clicked softly as Billie left. He slipped into the sound booth as Rabbit picked up the guitar again.
For a minute, it looked like Rabbit was going to smash the guitar against the wall. But then he magicked a pick out of thin air, and began to play.
It was genius. It was probably the best rendition of 'Holiday' Billie had ever heard. And when that song finished, Rabbit launched without hesitation into 'When I Come Around', into 'Redundant', into Platypus (I Hate You) and then into '2000 Lightyears Away' and then into 'Panic Song'. It was a medely of Green Day's past, of Billie's past.
And somewhere along the line, the lines of reality blurred. Rabbit became Billie, back when he was young and innocent, dreaming about becoming a star. And Billie forgot to be mad at Rabbit, he simply walked into the studio, picked up a guitar, and started playing.
***
Billie took the kid out for some food afterwards. He noticed that Rabbit's fingers were red and raw, but the kid couldn't have looked happier.
"You know, I used to pretend I was jamming with you...whenever my band was onstage."
Rabbit looked surprised at himself. Billie raised an eyebrow.
"You're pretty good. Better than most of the guys who play with us."
"No, I'm not."
"Yes, you are. You do your own thing...but you're not-"
Rabbit suddenly stood up.
"I gotta go."
He was almost out the restaurant door when he turned back.
"I never hated you."
***
"So...you're gettting married in a church?" Robert was laid out on the bed, watching as Tony rummaged through her suitcase. Tom snickered.
"What was the point of packing?"
"Shh. I didn't plan this."
"Tony...is this the end of it?" Blondie asked quietly.
Tony looked up from the suitcase.
"What?"
"Well, you're going to get married...where do we fit in?"
The entire mood changed. Tony sat back on her heels, looking at them seriously.
"I'm not giving up this band. We're just starting to get recognition...why would I leave?"
"It's a bit of a pattern...someone gets married and the group falls apart." Robert said.
Tony bit her lips, twisting the hem of her t-shirt in her hands.
"I can't tell you guys the future...I can't predict anything..." She looked up at them and smiled. "But I can tell you that I would die before leaving this band."