I zoned out during the press conference and luckily nothing was asked of me personally. When, on the few occasions, we were asked anything it was asked of the group and usually Howie or Kevin stepped up to the task to answer the reporters. AJ. Brian and I took the morning off behind the microphones. It would only be fair that the next time Howie and Kevin were allowed to hit the snooze button but they weren�t like that. They were way too professional. Brian was professional too he was just a little distant about the whole press thing. AJ and I were the only ones who liked to be immature enough to blow off media duties every once in a while.
Use and abuse. Those who use you will most definitely abuse you. We didn�t ask to be apart of this special, they asked us because they knew we would bring a certain amount of fans. How do they thank us? They have us at the press conference with artists like Norah Jones, Billy Joel, Ben Jelen and Lenny Kravitz. Now, how much respect are we really going to get surrounded by the ever under-appreciated singer-songwriters? That was part of the reason I didn�t bother to listen and take part. It would have been a press conference filled with trying to figure out which rude comments were meant to float over our stupid heads while praise is given to everyone who is at the press conference except us.
Sometimes I hate the music business. I really do. I never treat any artist as if they are less than me no matter how many more albums we�ve sold, concerts we�ve sold out or money we�ve made. How can I? I came from dirt poor nothing. Every day I�m shocked by the snobby attitudes of musicians. Artists who think because we dance, don�t play instruments on stage or don�t write all our songs that we are beneath them and would make them look bad to be around us.
And they are the most �real� group of people I�ve ever run across. These fake rock groups who have the same fan base as us. Has anyone ever stopped and listened to them? They don�t sing about a damn thing. And anytime it is about something they consider deep and kids say they can relate to it�s about nothing more than not being popular. I guess I swim in a different direction because I don�t want to hear about some guy getting his ass kicked on the playground. I got over being poor and haven�t looked back. Don�t see me singing sad songs about what it�s like to be poor and not get the latest and greatest toys and shoes. Get over it.
�Thank you everyone, that will be all for this group as they prepare to rehearse their respective sets. Please stand by for Mr. David Bowie, Ms Beyonce Knowles, Ms Bonnie Raitt, and Matchbox Twenty.� I shook my head as I stood up. The second group wouldn�t have been any better for us. Hell, if Dreamstreet, 3 Play, Triple Image and my brother were on stage with us we wouldn�t get more respect. We would just appear to fit right in with people on our same talent level.
Norah, an overrated lounge singer in my opinion, was up first and Freddie, our ever prepared tour manager, took the time to show us where we would be sitting. Hmm, sitting behind Pamela Anderson. I could think of worse places to be. AJ, who apparently can�t get a person�s attention by using words, smacked me on the back of the head and pointed,
�Look, that�s where vamp is sitting. We should move her picture next to me.� She was sitting across the walkway a couple of rows ahead of us near the aisle. I went over to where she was sitting to see if the asshole was going to be there but I didn�t see a blank chair. She was sitting next to Jessica Simpson and her husband Nick from 98�. It has to be said they weren�t that good. If you�re going to try and be Boyz II Men instead of New Kids on the Block you have to have more personality and style than those four guys. Talk about boring and that Nick guy wasn�t even that good of a singer.
�When is she getting into town?� To say he is obsessed with Brehan is an exaggeration but he does like her plenty. I pulled out my cell phone and rolled my eyes at him as the mysterious recorded message began to play,
�Hi, it�s Nick. I�m here in Vegas, been here since yesterday. Where are you? Call me when you get this message. Bye.� I snapped the phone shut and asked,
�Satisfied?� He shook his head,
�Not until she gets here and I see her. She�s hot man.� He hasn�t even come close to a kiss. I don�t think he�s comes close to a hug but if you listen to him she�s as good as in his bed.
�You act as if she is the one and only woman on your mind. You�ve been with other women since Brehan, not saying you shouldn�t have, and you�re not trying to be good. What�s the deal?�
�She�s hot. She�s meant to be had man.� He acted like she was a piece of meat. Although I�m pretty sure she wouldn�t let herself be used up and thrown away by AJ. �Oh don�t get that holy roller attitude on me. I know you weren�t alone last night. You had that Monica Lewinsky chick with you. Did she bring cigars as props like Bill and Monica?� He could be so crass but I so could and he was so much better at it than me,
�No, I have my own props.� He laughed,
�Bet you do. Quick! What was her name?� Now that was a question that didn�t cause an answer to pop up in my head immediately. He laughed at my sexual partner amnesia as I continued to think as hard as I could. Man, she just left this morning.
�India. See? I know.� He wouldn�t let me get off like that. It was clear I didn�t remember her name.
�You are, my friend�� He said as he put his arm around me, �A true rock star. Now we just need to get you a porn star and it will be complete.� He seemed to have a thing for them. For porn stars. He replaced alcohol and drugs with women. Of course he didn�t abuse them the same but he always had a woman some where close.
�Nick AJ let�s go. We�re heading backstage to one of the warm-up rooms.� He and I looked at each other and laughed. I was one breath away from screaming out, �Ok dad.� Naturally it was no one but Kevin shouting out directions. He just couldn�t help it.
The whole sound check, run through thing was a breeze and our performance took a few people by surprise which made me one smug bastard. We had already rehearsed our version and knew the harmonies. For us it was more about making sure the microphone volumes and the band were on the same page as us. I guess they thought we couldn�t sing and needed studio magic to make us sound good. It took less than fifteen minutes. The producers were satisfied so they told us we were free to go unless we wanted to stay. We could have been out of there in ten minutes but sure enough Kevin wanted to do it one more time because the harmony in the first part of the second chorus was off and blah, blah fucking blah who knows.
Kevin, AJ, Freddie, Daniel, the other publicist, and I were sitting around a table in Monte Carlo Pub and Brewery without Howie who had something or other to do. AJ said something about exfoliating but in a way he might have been right. I think he said something about going to some spa before the party tonight. Brian was on his way to the airport to pick up Leighanne who was going to stay for the rest of the Vegas trip. At least it wasn�t double trouble; I didn�t have to deal with Pollyanna too.
The family thing is really hard for me. Mainly everyone else�s family. Brian and Kevin�s families were fine and so was Kevin�s wife. But Leighanne, Howie�s family and AJ�s mom just weren�t very comforting for me. Howie�s family always made me feel like they were looking down on me. They were the perfect family full of love and I was from dysfunction. Never mind the fact that his brother used our fans like his own personal dating service. AJ�s mom, Denise, well that was hard to explain sometimes but basically I feel like she was bitten by the same success bug that attacked the shit out of my mother.
Chapter 110a