Another Goo Story
By: Rebekah Parham
-4-
I made plans to meet with them the next day to discuss some things, most importantly their name. I was good at my job and I could convince people of almost anything; but I knew that it would be nearly impossible for me to book them in some places with a name like Sex Maggots. They were not too thrilled when I told them that I thought that they would have to change their name. If fact this just gave me and John another chance to fight.
"I thought you were suppose to be this hot shit girl that could do anything," was John�s response before I could even tell him why they need to change there name.
"The clubs and the bars are fine with the name, but if you guys ever have any intention of making it big then you are going to have to change your name. You need to do it now, while people don�t yet really know who you are," I said trying to keep my cool.
Robby was the one that came to my defense. He seemed to understand what I was saying, but John just was not convinced. He seemed to think that I was trying to make them into something they weren�t. Finally they said they would tell me there new name tomorrow. They were going to come over to mine and Reagan�s apartment to rehearse. We had a very lenient land lord. She didn�t mind the noise and all of the other tenants were out during the day.
At 9:00 the next morning the door bell rang. Three very drunk musicians stumbled through my door. Reagan came out of her bedroom just in time to see George miss the couch and fall on the floor. "Oh yeah, you can tell that these guys are a real band already," Reagan said helping George up.
I was in no mood for her sarcasm right now, "Don�t you have to go to work or something, Reagan?"
"Nope this is my day off remember," she said thoroughly enjoying the seen before her. "And don�t you go getting all self righteous on them either Kayla. How many times have I been the one to sober you up after you would come home three sheets to the wind?"
It was true. Reagan had always been the one I would go to when I had had a little to much to drink at a party and couldn't go home. She still was the one that held my head when I threw up after I got the urge to go out partying and drink a little.
John walked over and put his arm around my shoulders, "Looks like I may have misjudged you after all. Would you care for a drink now?" he said putting an almost empty beer bottle in my face.
"Thanks," I said taking the bottle from him and pouring the contents that were left down the sink. Turning to Reagan I said, "Will you please put on a very strong pot of coffee?" but she was already way ahead of me.
I turned back to look at the three people that were suppose to be my responsibility and sighed, "Well I hope that you guys have had a good night. In about 45 minutes, Zack Sampson is coming here to listen to you guys play. Would you guys even like to know who Zack Sampson is?" I said in a tone that was a little harsher than I had originally meant.
Robby looks up at me from the recliner he was lounged in, "I would like to know who Sam Zackson is." Robby said slurring his words together.
"Zack Sampson is a record executive from Mental Boys Records. He is coming here to listen to you play, and if he likes what he here�s he could offer you a recording contract," I said starting to loose a grip on my temper.
Just when I thought that things couldn�t get any worse the door bell rings. George jumps up to answer the door with an "I�ll get it."
�No you will not. You boys are in no condition to do anything except visit the drunk tank for a couple of hours. If any of you have any desire what so ever to have a music career, I beg of you to sit there and not say a word," I scolded as I headed for the door.
I opened the door of my apartment not at all surprised to see Zack standing before me. We knew each other pretty well and had even been out a couple of times. "Hey," not knowing what else to say.
"Hey, yourself. Listen I know I�m kind of early but I have a meeting in Rochester later this afternoon. Are your boys here yet?" He asked trying to peek around the half opened door.
Groaning inwardly I replied "Yes, there are here but now may not be the best time for this meeting. They are not feeling too well right now."
Smiling, Zack walked right passed me into the living room where Reagan was passing around coffee to everyone. She looked up as he walked into the room. "Hello, can I offer you some coffee?" Reagan replied.
Looking from one to the other Zack just shook his head as in saying �no thank you.� "So you are the band that Kayla has said that I just have to see. Right now I can�t say as though I see why." Zack replied in an bothered tone. Turning toward me he said in a harsh voice, "Kayla, I am a very busy person. I don�t have time to fly three thousand miles to see three drunk men. I can see that back in LA." Robby was now standing beside Zack pulling a snoopy pez dispenser out of his pocket offering Zack one.
He threw his hands up and headed for the door. I stopped him trying to explain, "Zack, listen all musicians go through this faze. They are really so good please come to the show tonight. I promise that you won�t be disappointed." I really hated groveling and these guys were really going to pay for this one.
He looked at me and said, "If it was anyone else you know I would turn them down flat, but I don�t know anyone that could ever say no to you." Turning to leave once again and then turn around he asked, "What is there name anyway?"
I had completely forgotten that they were suppose to have thought about a new name. John was fumbling through some of our old magazines when all of the sudden out of nowhere he says, "I used to have a goo goo doll."
Appalled by what was coming out of their mouths at a time like this I turned to look at him a yelled, "What the hell are you talking about?"
Tossing his hand around his head he said, "You know one of those dolls you stick your finger in their head to make them have really weird faces. I never really saw why people liked them so much they were the ugliest things I had ever seen."
Robby was now intrigued by John�s train of thought so jumping into the conversation he said, "My sister used to have one of those things. I always thought they were a little perverted to me. I mean what do you think about when you stick your finger in one of those baby doll heads?"
John, Robby and George were all in deep conversation now about the sexuality of a goo goo doll. It was all I could not to strangle them myself at that moment but instead I said, "Goo Goo Dolls, that is their name." Reagan and Zack both looked at me like I had lost my mind.
Zack left to go to his meeting but said he would be their to see the show tonight. I walked back into the apartment after Zack left and Reagan said "Couldn�t you have thought up a better name than Goo Goo Dolls?"
I looked at the three lumps that had finally fallen asleep on our floor and said, "Are you kidding, There is a good possibility that they are not going to remember anything about this meeting and the ass they made of themselves and of me, but I will make damn sure that they will have to explain the reason they have this stupid name for the rest of their lives. It will be a souvenir, so to speak, of the day they got their record contract."
Arching one of her eye brows Reagan said, "You seem very confident. Are you sure that Zack will sign them after what he saw just now?"
"They may all be a pain in the ass right now, but one thing is for certain, they can definitely hold their own on a stage." I said, walking into my room.
-5-
"I feel like I have been hit by a Mac truck," Robby complained
"Well it serves you guys right. What the hell were you thinking last night?" I said becoming aggravated at them all over again.
"Who cares about what we were thinking, what the hell were you thinking.....Goo Goo Dolls. I thought that there couldn�t possibly be a more stupid name that Sex Maggots but sweetheart, you have just proved me wrong," John said sitting on the edge of his amp.
"If you have any recollection of this morning, which I seriously doubt that you do. You will remember that you are the one that brought up Goo Goo Dolls. I thought that the name would suit you guys." I said trying to help George set up his drums. "Anyway you guys are lucking that Zack is willing to come back tonight to watch you perform."
"By the way, we never did thank you for telling him about us," Robby said grinning from ear to ear.
"What the hell do we need to thank her for. It�s her job to get people to watch us play," John said looking up from the guitar that he had been tuning.
Irritated by what John had just said, I walked over to him, jerked the guitar out of him hands, "Were you born a prick or is this just a side of you that I am only lucky enough to get to see?"
He now stood up, towering over me. Then bending down to look directly in my eyes John growled, "This isn�t your show. You are not the one that is going to be calling the shots. We have been together for three years and no sassy, little, small town girl with a lot of hot air is going to waltz in here and change that."
Trying to be the peacemaker between us, Robby said, "Hey man, calm down. She was...."
But before he could finish I jumped in, "Thank you Robby, but I can fight my own battles." Looking back at John, "You know, if you don�t like what I am doing for you then just say so and I�ll leave. But you better think about this first, you need me a hell of a lot more than I need you. And yes, you three were together long before I came in the picture, but you weren�t going anywhere. You know it and so do I. So if playing in smoky bars for beers is all you ever want to accomplish then fire me I don�t really give a shit." On that I pushed John out of my way and walked out of the club.
"Man, what did she ever do to you? That girl has been nothing but nice to us from the day we met her," George said walking around his drums that were only half assembled.
"Nice, that girl is not nice, she�s a bitch," John replied
"Only because you never give her a chance. Why do you constantly have to get on her case when your with her? You can stay here, but I am going to see if you have completely ruined our shot at being musicians," George said walking out the door.
John looked from his feet to his best friend. Robby just stood there with a sly grin on his face. "What?" John said.
The smile never leaving his face, Robby walked over to John, put his hand on his shoulder and said, "Dude, in all the years that we have known each other I don�t believe I have ever seen you make a bigger ass of yourself as you just did." Shaking his head and laughing now he continued "I should really be pissed, but I have a feeling I know what�s got your under shorts in a knot."
Trying to walk away, John said, "Robby, you don�t know what your talking about."
"Oh really? Then why don�t you inform me, oh wise one, why every time you get around the pretty little blonde that you feel the need to make a total fool of yourself," Robby said still laughing.
When John didn�t reply, Robby continued, "You might as well give it up John. The reason you and Kayla don�t get along is because ya�ll are just too much alike. You both strong willed, pigheaded, and as stubborn as they come. To put it simply, you guys are perfect for each other. That is, if you can both stop fighting with each other for five minutes."
-6-
I heard the knock on the door and then John�s voice ask Reagan if I was home. I didn�t hear her reply but it wasn�t long before she was telling me I had a visitor. I walked out of my room and saw John standing by the couch removing his coat. He looked up as I walked in the room. "Hey. Robby threatened me within an inch of my life if I didn�t come over hear and straighten this mess out with you."
I sat down on the opposite side of the couch and turned to face him. "John, I know that you don�t like me, and I think it�s because we got started off on the wrong foot." At this point John tried to say something but I cut him off "No, let me finish. You and Robby and George; you guys have something special and I know you can make it. But you are never going to do it if you don�t trust the person that�s there to make the day to day decisions." I looked down at my hands as I continued. "I really wanted to work with you guys because I knew you all had potential and we could both help each other. But our bickering back and forth isn�t doing either of us any good. I talked to Artie and told him that I wanted what was best for the band. I believe that would be to have Artie working with you instead of me."
Nodding his head in approval, John looked over at me and said, "I think having Artie work with us would probably save all of us a lot of hassle..." taking a deep breath he finished with "but I think that you willing to give us up because you want us to succeed shows that you are exactly want this band needs."
Surprised by what he had just told me I looked up. "I am?"
"The little that I know about Artie tells me that he would never fight with me the way you do. Besides Robby, you are the only person that has ever told me when I�m full of shit and that�s exactly what we need. I can�t guarantee anything but I will promise to try not to be as much of a prick if you will come back to work for us," he smiled as he threw my earlier thoughts of him back at me.
"How can I say no to that? I always have loved it when men admit that they were wrong," I told him with a smile of my own.
Coming to stand before me he said, "Let�s get something straight, I never admitted that I was wrong. I just said that your saucy attitude would do our band some good."
Standing up so I didn�t feel so small I said, "Just what exactly do you think your coming over here to grovel at my feet and beg me to come back says? I will tell you...it says that you were wrong." Sitting back down on the couch in a smug manner I said, "It�s nothing really to be embarrassed about. Most men have to crawl back to a woman at some point in their life."
Running his fingers through his hair and muttering something I didn�t quit understand he said, "Lady it will be a cold day in hell before I ever come crawling back to you."
We now noticed that Reagan was propped up against the door witnessing our little tug of war match with each other. "Don�t you two ever give it a rest?"
Not wanting to fight anymore I said, "She is right, lets just agree that we both need each other and leave it at that."
Grabbing his coat and heading for the door John nodded his head in agreement. "Are you going to be at the club tonight."
"I�ll be there," I managed to get out before he stalked out the door.
I followed Reagan into the kitchen watching her pour both of us a glass of Pepsi. "Do you enjoy your little spats with John?" she finally asked.
I plopped down on to a nearby stool and said, "Not really, it just something about him. Every time we are together I can�t seem to keep my temper in check." After taking a drink of the Pepsi Reagan had set before me I asked, "Why do you suppose that is?"
Giving me a look and smile I couldn�t quite read she said, "I can�t possibly imagine," then turned and walked back into her room leaving me to think about what she meant by that.
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