down the rabbit hole

Maggie felt like a 13 year old. She was nervous and akward and practically giddy.As she got ready to hang out with Michael for the first time, she felt like she was on about 3 different kinds of drugs, even though she was stone, cold sober.
She thought about pouring herself a drink at least 5 different times as she threw different clothes around - off and on - onto the bed, onto the floor. By the time she made it out the door, her room looked as if it had been hit by a clothes bomb.
"No..", she thought. "No drinks, no nothing. I can't tell if i feel like i'm coming or going. Why the HELL do i feel like this? It's so stupid. i barely know this guy"
She finally made it out the door and into her crappy little car. Her crappy little car that she LOVED. Because it worked. all the time. and it barely used any gas. It was a great little car.
Anyway...she was thinking about her brief meetings with Michael as she navigated her way through the Hollywood Hills and down Sunset into Silverlake. They had met almost a year ago. He came back to her house after one of the many shows. He came with a little posse. A super famous pop star and a couple of other guys she assumed were in the music business in some way. She had no idea what Michael did. Nor did she care. All she knew was that her house was filled up with this great energy from these guys - and they were all making her feel really great at a time when she needed it. She was going out with this younger bass player at the time who had a way of making her feel insecure. There was something about the bass player that she didn't trust - but he always talked her out of her suspicions. And he was super jealous. So when these gorgeous black guys all swarmed around her in her kitchen, showering her with compliments - BJ (bass man) started to sulk.
Michael, in particular, was paying a LOT of attention to her. She tried to be a gracious host without setting BJ off, found a bench to sit on that was a little outside of the circle that was always made on her sun-porch. She was feeling really good about the Thai food she's had the foresight to pick up on her way home. Palms (Thai restaraunt) was right down the street, and it was REALLY good. It felt good to hear everyone's appreciation for some awesome food after all the booze that had been consumed. Maggie loved to feed people good food.
As she sat a little on the side line, observing this happy little party, she noticed that the pop star had made himself super comfy by falling asleep on her couch just inside the TV room. That made her feel good, too. She liked having that kind of a house. Where everyone feels cozy ,and safe, and welcome. BJ was ignoring her for the moment, which was fine, because at least he wasn't acting like a jerk, or super jealous. And then...Michael found her.
He sat next to Maggie on the stone bench in the darkest part of the patio, under the bouganville. He sat RIGHT next to her. Ass to ass. Just thinking about it almost a year later in her car was making her crazy. The instant energy that seemed to penetrate her body like kryptonite to Superman. He had put his hand on the small of her back, said a few words that she couldn't even hear because she was being zapped from the inside out with his kryptonite energy, and then asked her if she wanted to take a walk up in the back yard. She couldn't remember what she had said - but she did notice BJ looking for her, and could see him getting nuts about Michael sitting so close to her - all she could remember was that she had to get away from that intense energy and FAST. So she snuck off to bed without saying goodnight to anyone. Her bedroom was right by the sun-porch and the aforementioned patio...so she lay there listening to the sounds of the little gathering, not sleeping, not able to take her mind off Michael.

Funny how the world works. Almost a year later, there she was, driving to meet up with him at that same pop star's house. A year of heart ache later. A year of betrayal later. A year of confusion later.And she was so moved just by the memory of him, just by the thought of him, that she missed her turn and got hopelessly lost.

Mr. Wrong

As I said, Mr. Wrong looked wrong from the very beginning. I tried to look at the whole band from an objective point of view - from up in the crow's nest with my sister.

I'll lay them out out for you, one by one - but I'm changing names in case it gets me into trouble. Later on, if i figure out it won't get me into trouble - I'd love to spill all the names. That would be fun!

so, here we go : Let's start with the front men. Dark,short haired guitar player, we'll call him Posh, because he poses a lot - like Posh Spice. And, like Mrs. Beckham, he seems to know how good looking he is. He's usually on the left of the stage. Fun to watch, but after you've seen the show a few times, you can check out on Posh, because he just does the same 4 or 5 poses/faces over and over again. This is the guy my sister thought was the cutest of all.Unfortunately for her,so did a few hotty mc hot-hot's. Posh was well occupied with hot babes that were not tied down to a coffee shop the entire time. It was cute.He was nice to them.

Then there is......drum roll please...the LEAD SINGER. hard to come up with a nickname for this one - because he almost feels like family at this point, but I'm going to go with Astro. Astro because to me he looks like a giant Japanese anime super hero. He's super tall, with this cute baby face and black hair that looks futuristic no matter how the wind blows it or how it lands on his face.He doesn't have long hair - just these sort of slashes of hair that move somehow..act as if they had a mind of their own. You can almost see the slash of hair from the back move along his neck as if it were a snake. Then it's really short on the sides, and BLACK, with another dramatic slash of hair in the front that i have seen do crazy things with my own 2 eyes. His girlfriend at the time gets credit for that hair. If you met her, you wouldn't believe she could make crazy hair magic like that - but it's true. The only reason you wouldn't believe it is because she is so breathtakingly beautiful herself. The 2 of them were like 2 overly sexy comic book heroes....maybe I'll try to draw them so you can see for yourself. She's like those comic book babes with tons of flying wavy dark hair and CURVES, man! Tiny waist and just beautifully designed by God or nature to whip heads and make men salivate.

But I digress. Back to Astro. This comic book God comes across just that way on stage - only not really a God, because he immediately makes everyone in the audience feel like they are his brother, sister or best friend. And his playful boyish energy is like the swine flue, it's so contagious. Within moments he has any audience smiling, laughing, feeling like they are in a special moment surrounded by other people who get it, within 2 minutes he has everyone moving, and by the end of the show , the entire audience is not only sweating and dancing and jumping up like 8 year olds on happy drugs - everyone in that place wants to move in with him. Seriously. Go see a show - and then tell me I'm wrong.

Off stage, he is still warm and full of good energy. But he is not performing offstage. He reminds me a little of Bill Clinton. People of all ages,sizes,and gender want to shake his hand, talk to him,get his autograph. And they leave feeling that he is 100% real.

As for the right side of the stage....ah. I've known this one the longest. I'm calling him Jesus because of his hair. He has Jesus hair. Beautiful, dark Jesus hair that he throws around onstage like a real rock star of the 70's. And of course it wouldn't BE Jesus hair without the full beard and mustache. Jesus is not super tall, and next to Astro, he looks even smaller. But he is a drop dead beautiful man. Perfectly proportioned, smoky,sexy eyes....and while Astro the giant anime boy is making best friends with the whole crowd, Jesus is seducing them using his guitar as some kind of amazing sex toy that i don't even understand. Let me just mention that he has full understanding and excellent execution of "stage foreplay". (I just made that up - good, hu?)

Jesus starts out slow and teasing, letting his energy ebb and flow in perfect sync with Astro and Posh. In my book, it's hard to keep your eyes off Astro and Jesus the whole time. Astro is making it into a party and Jesus leaves you feeling liked you've been on a great big pleasure ride - so that by the time he's on the floor at the end of the show fucking his guitar right in front of you, you feel like you ARE the guitar, and it's REALLY satisfying.

Jesus, as I mentioned, is the one I know longest of all these guys. I wouldn't say I know him the best, just the longest. My son used to go out with his sister, so I'd see him in passing, mostly. In and out of doors. We always had to be quiet in his father's house.And he's a little shy. I am happy to report to you that of all these young rock stars - Jesus is the one who has been in a committed relationship this whole time and has been totally faithful to his girl. (except for fucking his guitar in front of the whole world) Jesus is a good, sweet guy. Another reason I'm calling him Jesus - even though I know he'll HATE it if he ever reads this! ...sorry, Jesus.

Mr. Wrong

Mr. Wrong looked wrong to me from the beginning. My sister was scoping out the guys from the band to see if any of them were cute. This is in Austin - a year and change ago. South by South West..we were throwing a little 3 day party with bands and beer to open her new coffee shop. I had booked a couple of bands from LA...and we were scoping out the cool band that was about to be signed by Universal/Motown from up in her second story area - felt like the crows nest of a ship. We had a good view of all of them as they bustled around unloading their equipment.

"The died blonde guy is cute.." my sister said, "and the guy with the short black hair. He's really cute. You know me. I like clean cut looking guys. Do they have girlfriends?"

"ummm.." i replied.."the one with the short dark hair I think does. Back in LA. But I'm not sure, they may be broken up. The died blonde is free and clear."

"Hmmmm..." my cute little sister replied..."VERRY interesting..."

A short time later I had the opportunity to let blondie (Mr. Wrong) know with probably (knowing me) a not too subtle hint that my little sister might be interested in him.

Mr. Wrong proceeded to waste no time at ALL in trying to woo my baby sister by following her around like a homeless puppy, asking her if she needed any help, helping her with anything she needed. My brilliant sister put him right to work, of course. Lifting things, carrying things, putting away stuff that had to go on high shelves (he was and is tall)...it was pretty funny to watch.

But as I watched him help her out with such ....what IS the word? almost desperation, really....I started to think he was kind of cute. Despite the horrible fried blonde hair.