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The first time I saw their band I couldn’t take my eyes off of Mikey. Anyone observing me would have simply thought I was admiring a fellow bassist’s technique, but it was more than that. Of course he was so absorbed in his playing that the entire stage could have collapsed and he wouldn’t have noticed- he would have just kept on going. That’s admirable. Still I think it was the fact that it was an outdoor venue in Southern California and he was dressed in all black and leather pants no less. He was hardly sweating. Unlike me who woefully underestimated how much hotter it would be here than in Seattle. Sure my shirt was threadbare and my jeans had more holes than fabric, but I was absolutely drenched. Not Mikey Way, however. He just glowed. And his ass in those pants… damn.
I’d ridden a Greyhound from Washington state to San Diego- a trip that took well over 24 hours. It was totally not a planned trip. Me and Patrick had been discussing with our manager about an opening band for our upcoming tour of the continental United States. We couldn’t agree on anyone. Finally I left to get lunch and scour the closest Tower Records for some sort of inspiration. Patrick said it was just like me to pick someone at random and expect them to want to tour with us. I thought we were pretty hot right now. Soundgarden had paved the way for us the year before with breaking our “grunge” style of rock into the mainstream. We had a surprisingly meteoric rise after that. You could hear our single, “Armed with Fallacies” on local stations first and then apparently even in L.A. The DJs had a joke at my expense saying our band name, Angel Introspection, coupled with the title of our first hit song was a bit of a mouthful. I have always been told I was too verbose.
But I arrived at the record store and saw Haunted Candle’s album first thing. The imagery of their cover art appealed to me. Lots of people had photos or if they had artwork it was almost cartoonish. Theirs was different. It was black and white figures caught in mid-movement. You really couldn’t tell what kind of music is was by first glance. I’d always hated judging things by its cover anyway.
The manager of the store, Bob, was a high school friend of mine. He let me go in the backroom and play it. The guitar hit me like a ton of bricks and then my keen ear picked up on the bass. It was perfection. I didn’t even listen to the words- I didn’t have to. I’d found the band.
“This is it,” I said putting the record down in front of Patrick when I returned to our manager’s office.
“This is what?” Patrick replied. He knew what I meant because we’re connected like that. He was just giving me time to formulate my argument for the dumbfounded record exec that had just entered the room.
Patrick should have known I wasn’t going to explain myself.
“The band that’s opening for us. They’re playing a show in San Diego this weekend. Anyone want to come with me?”
Before anyone could answer I exited the room and made my way to the bus station. The bus wouldn’t leave for another three hours so I had some time away to think of my proposal. The people around me weren’t going to need convincing, but Haunted Candle might.
Patrick had shown up shortly after with Andy in tow. He was talking rather animatedly, at least for him, because he was really big into this genre of music. Apparently it was called “Thrash Metal.” I nodded along as he explain the ins and outs of their guitar riffs, but didn’t really pay attention. I stared off towards the door to see if our guitarist, Joe, would show up too.
He did eventually looking rather pissed off. Not sure what he’d been doing prior to arriving at the station, but it looked like he’d packed a bag. Unlike the rest of us.
“You idiots didn’t even bring a tooth brush did you? Well you aren’t using mine,” he had declared, slumping in the chair across from me.
“So, Pete,” Patrick began after clearing his throat slightly to get my attention. “Are you going to give us any clues as to why you picked this particular band?”
“I just knew they’d be great,” I replied simply. I shrugged to show him I wasn’t going to explain any further.
Of course I was pushing my luck with my bandmates. They were about to take a dingy bus about 30 hours south on what might be a fool’s errand. I knew why they agreed to it- even though they’d never admit it. They were afraid I might try something again if I went so far away by myself.
Actually, they might even believe there was a concert. In our early days as a band I’d use any excuse to get out of town and use. I liked being alone to shoot up. The danger of it excited me. The boys caught on pretty quick to my scheme. Especially after I’d fucked up and lied about my grandmother living in Portland when she was clearly in Vancouver. My mom blew my cover on that one.
Whatever was motivating them to join me didn’t matter. I was clearly taking advantage of their devotion, but I was too obsessed with this idea to think of anything else.
My singleminded-ness was my greatest strength and greatest weakness. A fact that Patrick always pointed out.
Still we made it down to San Diego and arrived just in time for the gig. Andy was head-banging with the best of them. Joe and Patrick simply looked perplexed. But I was more convinced than ever that we’d found them.
And I knew I’d found him too. The one that would break my heart.