Let the Music Play, CH7: Lump's Return

[Bondwriter]

I have to side on the "too good to be believed" side when I read that not only did Brandon write lyrics (believable) but also the instrumental parts. I can appreciate that someone who loves music (if he's a good singer, he'll almost certainly love music) wanting to try their hand at songwriting, but to be able to write instrumentals WITHOUT ACCESS TO AN INSTRUMENT (he did it in that rundown hotel) is bordering on musical genius. The saving grace if is the instrumental part is very basic and needs to be reworked by a professional.

Though also finding him a bit flawless (see above), I took this as he'd written a few chords and basic tunes on his notebook, not as he has a whole score for an orchestra. And he does have access to musical instruments during the day as a roadie, so he might play around with a guitar or a piano, and then write it down in the evening, as he humbly eats his mustard bread, wondering whether his life of misery is ever going to end.

[Graeme]

Though also finding him a bit flawless (see above), I took this as he'd written a few chords and basic tunes on his notebook, not as he has a whole score for an orchestra. And he does have access to musical instruments during the day as a roadie, so he might play around with a guitar or a piano, and then write it down in the evening, as he humbly eats his mustard bread, wondering whether his life of misery is ever going to end.

The relevant sections are:

 

Brandon led Chase to his room, pulling a tattered old spiral notebook from his duffle bag,...

Chase handed a perplexed Jon the notebook, flipped open to a page with lyrics and sheet music on it.

With a shy nod, Brandon mumbled,

[Jack Scribe]

Does anyone else notice that the guys have a common trait with the other story...running around shirtless. Let's have Brandon drooling...treasure trails for days. That is, providing Helen doesn't allow the stylist complete access to all the guy's hair.

 

CJ well represents the composite of "talent" management in Hollywood in the character of Helen. The younger entertainers need a dyke bitch like Helen to guide their lives and protect the assets. Brittany and Lindsey, et al., could use a Helen in their lives. Helen is ruthlessly doing her job.

 

Jack

[C James]

I am finding this story to be a great peice of writing and wish I didn't have to wait for each new chapter. Keep up the great writing. And thanks loads

 

Thanks Metoo! And WELCOME to GA, and congratulations on your first post!

 

Geez, CJ, the body count kinda took off in that chapter. I suppose it serves the plot, but....

Awww, you bring down one measly airliner full of innocent people, and you act like it's a bad thing?

Poor misunderstood Dimitri.

 

What a great chapter !!

 

I agree with everything you said Conner, except about the side story. I actually found by having two cut outs to other locals, it kinda had that Tom Clancy feel that someone mentioned before. It seems like two different stories are going on simultaneously now. Keep it up CJ, as that was probably the only thing that I could have critiqued before now.

 

Now, , I couldn't help but laugh at this little part:

I have to believe that your fears of being "sheared" in real life may have influenced that line. Okay, enough silliness .

 

The one thing that is mostly impressing me with Brandon, is how much of a selfless person he is. Not only did he sell the songs for a buck, but was ready to step in first to prevent Lump from hitting Chase. Then, to top it off, he leaps off the stage and goes after Gabe without a second thought. My hero !!!

 

Now finally, I may have to give that a six on the cliffhanger scale for two reasons. First being, what happens when Brandon catches Gabe? And second, dammit CJ, why couldn't you had Chase pursue the suspicions he had when he had his arm around Brandon .

 

Steve

What? a Cliffhanger???? But.. but... but.. We all know I never, ever use those...

 

Brandon may not be purely selfless; he's got pride issues, feeling outclassed, etc. That's why Helen knew what he'd do, and let him do it. He did that as much out of a need to salvage his sense of self-worth, though gratitude was a part of it too. Of course, one big reason he hasn't made a move on Chase is his feeling of being "outclassed", and now with this scene, he's gone a big way to remedying that.

 

I write that "sheered" line several weeks ago, so it may or may not have been influenced by the forum posts, I honestly don't know.

 

A question for the whatever we call ourselves:

Is Brandon real?

Is he 'too good to be true' as Conner posited?

It made me think a little more in-depth about his character.

There are some flaws there but he does come off a little on the Dudley-Doo-Right side on the scale...

Your thoughts?

 

Brandon has a few flaws... One of which was illustrated by the very act of tearing off after Gabe; a propensity for rash actions and taking risks without thinking. Who knows what he's running off into? He's chasing after a desperate criminal, after all, who may be armed, etc.

 

Brandon also has self-esteem issues, feeling "outclassed" by the three brothers, as has been mentioned in the narration. He's also a bit nieve (Thus not picking up anything from Chase, but also leaving him vulnerable to other, more serious misjudgements).

 

He's trying very hard to please everyone right now, so at the moment we're only seeing him at his best.

 

Hi CJ,

 

That was a great chapter! I liked it.

 

There was some scenes where I went all 'Aww'. Like when he decides to sell his song for one dollar. But I'm glad of one thing- One of them stinks! Wow, you mean Brandon is human. I would like to see a few flaws. I know he sufeers from low esteem. And he's blond!

 

Helen seems to be such a superficial lesbian! I love superficial lesbian!

 

But Believe is the new song, right? Then, why Helen wants Brandon to sing it in Lumps's voice?

 

And Gunter, where did you get this name? What's its origin?

 

Ieshwar

 

"Beleive" is one of their old songs. "beyond" is too. And BTW, it is not a good thing to have names beginning with the same letter, so I should have never had both oft-mentioned songs beginning with a "b". The reason i do is I didn't know that rule when i was writing the draft of the first eight chapters four years ago, and the names were fixed in my head so I didn't change them in the re-write.

 

As for Gunter, I wanted a name for a security guy that was slightly imposing. However, there is something embarasing I'm leaving out. When I wrote the original draft, his name was Joe. That would make four characters with names beginning with a "J", TWO of them named "Joe" (Lump's real first name). Oops... So, he got a name change.

[C James]

The big thing is that Brandon is naive, and that shows through... which means the Phoenix concert (with a young bi-author who lives down the street from the local gay-cowboy bar in the front row drooling) will be a huge wake up call... I would even forsee Brandon losing his lunch just before going on stage, and the guys pulling a "technical difficulty" to buy him some time. I could even forsee Brandon coming out in the coat and a hat to 'masquerade' as Lump, hiding under the lights for the first song then tossing it aside to show is bare chest when they transition into the second song... /drool

 

I can't comment on the future plot, but I think I can say that Brandon's naivety won't be limited to Chase.

Thanks!!

Great chapter! Brandon seems a little too perfect though but then again many people seem perfect until you get to know them. I would like to see him loose his cool at some point. Maybe he could have some little phobia.

 

By the way, did anyone notice the airline adds that atached themselves to the bottom of the page?

Lol, the adds are often funny!

 

Brandon does have a phobia or two, though one has only been hinted at (I'll mention what it is in my reply to emoe lower down . He's also got a few flaws... One of which was illustrated by the very act of tearing off after Gabe; a propensity for rash actions and taking risks without thinking. Who knows what he's running off into?

 

The other phobia, if you can call it a phobia, is his propensity to feel "Unequal" to people. He thinks Chase outclasses him in the looks department, he feels the three brothers are "Light-years ahead" of him financially, and he's a fish out of water, and knows it.

 

 

 

look like its not just me who think that Brandon is a little too good to be true. You would think being on the poor side of society, he would value money slightly more, and at least go for something more realistic. I know selling his songs for a dollar is a nice gesture, but it doesn't seem to fit in with his background very much. After being so concern about money, trying to make every dollar stretch as far as he can, he suddenly doesn't seem to care about money. This isn't even something the other guys are "doing" for him... He spent a lot of time and effort writing those songs...

 

I have to disagree there, though I might be quite wrong..

 

Being poor sometimes does not equate to being conservative with money. In a rational world, you would be quite right, but in our world I've seen too many contrary examples. Some of the people most prone to reckless spending are those least able to afford it; look how popular lavish gold jewelry and $200 shoes are amongst some segments of America's poor. Or designer clothes, or eating in restaurants when not necessary, etc, etc, etc. Out of the people I know personally, I've seen some horrendous example of unwise spending by those least able to afford it. One woman in particular comes to mind; she never saves, and spends every penny of her paycheck, maxes out her credit cards, etc, on jewelry, fancy clothes, and trading in her car on a new one every year. As a result, she pays horrendous interest fees, and has no reserves at all, so any unexpected event leaves her in a dire mess.

 

Brandon however does have a good sense for money and had a very accurate sense of his financial picture; he knew to the dollar how much he'd have left over after his rent, etc.

 

IMHO, it would have been foolish for him to ask for money for the songs; he's just been handed (membership in a top group) an income beyond his wildest dreams, along with a very generous lump of money to "tide him over". IMHO, doing anything that could appear ungenerous or ungrateful would be a bad move from a purely buisness perspective alone. It would be akin to, after being offered your dream job, risking offending your interviewer by asking them to get your parking ticket validated.

 

That's what I was thinking when I wrote that part, anyway.

Thanks very much for the feedback though; things like that make me think, and it may very well help me in future scenes.

 

Didn't we find in an early chapter that Brandon was afraid of heights? The hot tub/balcony scene?

Yep, it's only mentioned in passing but he's afraid of heights. So is Dimitri (though with him, I was clearer about it).

You know what would have been even more sickingly sweet? When Lump tried to out the 'fudge-packer,' Brandon should have leaned over and planted that all welcoming kiss on Chris' face and said, "Whoa cooool!!!" or leaned over towards Lump and taken a slightly immature approach... "Takes one to know one..." that could have been any of the brothers really...

 

I considered doing exactly that, but what stopped me was this: Would Brandon have wanted to out himself to an enemy? My guess was no, so he didn't.

 

Chris? What's going on? Another sign that weird things happen in Arizona (where they have gay-cowboy bars, mind you!) Readers mix the characters of the stories, or maybe they don't read exactly the same story we, normal people from the rest of the world do.

 

Hey now, it's California thats weird, not Arizona!

 

Welcome, metoo44! Yes, I think we all agree with what you have to say. I'm still working on the time machine so we won't have to wait, but I've hit a technical snag....

I think I'll wait until the end of the week before I comment....

I believe it's a fairly old and standard German name

I have to side on the "too good to be believed" side when I read that not only did Brandon write lyrics (believable) but also the instrumental parts. I can appreciate that someone who loves music (if he's a good singer, he'll almost certainly love music) wanting to try their hand at songwriting, but to be able to write instrumentals WITHOUT ACCESS TO AN INSTRUMENT (he did it in that rundown hotel) is bordering on musical genius. The saving grace if is the instrumental part is very basic and needs to be reworked by a professional.

 

He did have access to insturments at the studio. However, you raise a very good point indeed. I'm utterly unfamiliar with the music buisness, so for background I often rely on insufficient data; in this case, a memory of a musician I knew in Phoenix while I was in college. He would just sit down and write, usually (but not always) the lyrics first, and then the music itself. Just like Instinct, he'd then spend loads of time in the studio doing the songs over and over, fine-tuning them, but as for the writing, I watched him do it. He just sat there with a pencil and paper. He was pretty fast, too.

 

HOWEVER, as I'm fond of saying, annecdote is not the singular of data, so I may well have been seeing the exception rather than the rule. This is one of the pitfalls of writing about something you know little about. I'll be sure to clarify this in the narration (thanks!): The many hours they are spending in the studio rehearsing are in large part to re-work and make changes to the songs.

 

Granted, it could cause problems later on, but I think it would have been hilarious if Chase would have grabbed Brandon and planted a big wet, sloppy kiss on him in front of Lump. I think that would have shocked everyone.

 

Great chapter CJ.

Jan

 

Thanks Jan!

That would have been interesting.

 

The relevant sections are:

That sounds a lot more than a few chords. Also, he used plurals -- he didn't just write a melody, but also lead in and instrumentals (from which I assume means at least two instruments, if not for all three brothers).

 

One other thing has just struck me. based on the paperwork that was signed, Helen is now Brandon's manager. I had the impression she is also the manager for the band. Does that mean that she may also be Lump's manager? If so, she's shown a distinct lack of professionalism. I suspect that she's the manager for the band and that that makes her Brandon's manager, but she's not his personal manager -- and probably not Lump's manager. What were other people's impression?

 

First let me say that the following isn;t a spoiler (so spare me your spines! ) becuase it's real world data plus some of what has been in the posted chapters.

 

She's indeed his manager, because he's a member of the group and she's their manager (and this would require his signature). One thing we need to be clear on though, she's his manager, not his agent. An agent, as opposed to a manager, would indeed owe a fiduciary duty to the client. A manager would not to the same degree, especially when she's the manager of an entity rather than an individual. That means her managerial fiduciary is primarily to the entity that he is a part of, rather than to him personally.

 

Once lump was fired, she was no longer his manager. Also, in a case like that, her first fiduciary is to the group, not to any individual, so it would be quite appropriate for her to suggest Lump's removal. (as its hinted that she did).

(I was worried about this very thing so i checked into it before I began the re-write).

 

Does anyone else notice that the guys have a common trait with the other story...running around shirtless. Let's have Brandon drooling...treasure trails for days. That is, providing Helen doesn't allow the stylist complete access to all the guy's hair.

 

CJ well represents the composite of "talent" management in Hollywood in the character of Helen. The younger entertainers need a dyke bitch like Helen to guide their lives and protect the assets. Brittany and Lindsey, et al., could use a Helen in their lives. Helen is ruthlessly doing her job.

Jack

 

Thanks Jack!

Brandon has done some drooling already (his eyes popping out, helen noticing, etc) but you may very well be right; more drooling could very well be in the offing.

[Graeme]

Being poor sometimes does not equate to being conservative with money. In a rational world, you would be quite right, but in our world I've seen too many contrary examples. Some of the people most prone to reckless spending are those least able to afford it; look how popular lavish gold jewelry and $200 shoes are amongst some segments of America's poor. Or designer clothes, or eating in restaurants when not necessary, etc, etc, etc. Out of the people I know personally, I've seen some horrendous example of unwise spending by those least able to afford it. One woman in particular comes to mind; she never saves, and spends every penny of her paycheck, maxes out her credit cards, etc, on jewelry, fancy clothes, and trading in her car on a new one every year. As a result, she pays horrendous interest fees, and has no reserves at all, so any unexpected event leaves her in a dire mess.

These are example of people living beyond their means, not people who are poor. A poor person (to me) is one whose income is insufficient or barely sufficient to cover the essentials of life.

Brandon however does have a good sense for money and had a very accurate sense of his financial picture; he knew to the dollar how much he'd have left over after his rent, etc.

Brandon is someone who understand money -- at his level. He doesn't understand money when there is a lot more than he "needs" to have. I wouldn't say that this means he has a good sense for money. Rather, he knows how much money he has and what he needs to do with it. Now that he has "too much" money, I suspect it'll take him some time to learn how to spend it to maintain that income stream. At least he's willing to be led.

IMHO, it would have been foolish for him to ask for money for the songs; he's just been handed (membership in a top group) an income beyond his wildest dreams, along with a very generous lump of money to "tide him over". IMHO, doing anything that could appear ungenerous or ungrateful would be a bad move from a purely buisness perspective alone. It would be akin to, after being offered your dream job, risking offending your interviewer by asking them to get your parking ticket validated.

There's another way of looking at it. He probably didn't think of it at the time (my impression is that he was being generous to them because they had been even more generous -- from his point of view -- to him with that $10K he'd been given), but by selling his songs to the band cheaply, he allows the band -- including himself -- to play them and make money from them. As I said, he probably didn't think of it, but he may in the future -- it's a sound investment for extra income. Oh, and my understanding is that the songwriters in bands get a larger share of royalties than the other band members. I've heard of several examples of this, though I don't know if it is universal.

 

Brandon isn't greedy. He just want enough of an income to be able to live comfortably. He hasn't learnt yet the level of spending he's going to be required to do as a band lead singer... though he's beginning to get the idea.

He did have access to insturments at the studio. However, you raise a very good point indeed. I'm utterly unfamiliar with the music buisness, so for background I often rely on insufficient data; in this case, a memory of a musician I knew in Phoenix while I was in college. He would just sit down and write, usually (but not always) the lyrics first, and then the music itself. Just like Instinct, he'd then spend loads of time in the studio doing the songs over and over, fine-tuning them, but as for the writing, I watched him do it. He just sat there with a pencil and paper. He was pretty fast, too.

 

HOWEVER, as I'm fond of saying, annecdote is not the singular of data, so I may well have been seeing the exception rather than the rule. This is one of the pitfalls of writing about something you know little about. I'll be sure to clarify this in the narration (thanks!): The many hours they are spending in the studio rehearsing are in large part to re-work and make changes to the songs.

I've heard of people like that, too, but you are talking about a musician -- not a roadie who can sing and is a keen fan. I did music privately for several years (I wasn't very good -- I started too late, my fingers were too slow, and I couldn't keep a beat by myself), and that included musical theory. In the musical theory, there was a time when we had to do some composition work. Lyrics aren't hard. Fitting them to a beat, then to a melody, and then fitting an accompaniment -- it's not trivial. Some people can do it better than others, but if trying to do it without having the chance to hear what it sounds like... do able but exceptional.

She's indeed his manager, because he's a member of the group and she's their manager (and this would require his signature). One thing we need to be clear on though, she's his manager, not his agent. An agent, as opposed to a manager, would indeed owe a fiduciary duty to the client. A manager would not to the same degree, especially when she's the manager of an entity rather than an individual. That means her managerial fiduciary is primarily to the entity that he is a part of, rather than to him personally.

Thanks for the clarification. I thought she was the band's manager, not the manager of the individuals, but the chapter didn't seem to read that way.

[Bondwriter]

There's another way of looking at it. He probably didn't think of it at the time (my impression is that he was being generous to them because they had been even more generous -- from his point of view -- to him with that $10K he'd been given), but by selling his songs to the band cheaply, he allows the band -- including himself -- to play them and make money from them. As I said, he probably didn't think of it, but he may in the future -- it's a sound investment for extra income. Oh, and my understanding is that the songwriters in bands get a larger share of royalties than the other band members. I've heard of several examples of this, though I don't know if it is universal.

The way it works here, and I'd assume it's somehow similar in the U.S. system is that money is perceived by a copyright agency (SACEM in France, ASCAP in the US) every time a song is performed live or on the radio, as well as when a record is sold, and the people who own the copyrights get the money afterwards. So if you wrote the lyrics and the music, you get more money than other people in the band.

I've heard of people like that, too, but you are talking about a musician -- not a roadie who can sing and is a keen fan. I did music privately for several years (I wasn't very good -- I started too late, my fingers were too slow, and I couldn't keep a beat by myself), and that included musical theory. In the musical theory, there was a time when we had to do some composition work. Lyrics aren't hard. Fitting them to a beat, then to a melody, and then fitting an accompaniment -- it's not trivial. Some people can do it better than others, but if trying to do it without having the chance to hear what it sounds like... do able but exceptional.

I'll take the blame for this one. I did point out that it was unlikely that Chase would have a clear view of a song by just looking at the notebook with a music sheet, but I overlooked the fact that Brandon had written the song in his seedy hotel room. I agree with what you said, Graeme.

[jfalkon]

Now that I think about it the issue of Brandon being too perfect may have less to do with him being infinitly smart and more with him doing what we want to see him do. He is quite clueless but in a very cute apealing way. The action of chasing a desperate criminal is not smart but we would not be so happy with him if he just stood there. He has his flaws but they are presented in such a way that we like them. In a way it is similar to listening to a proud parent talking about their child. Bad qualities get passed off as cute. Anyway, its hard to comlain when we haven't seen the whole story. It may look different in context.

[C James]

These are example of people living beyond their means, not people who are poor. A poor person (to me) is one whose income is insufficient or barely sufficient to cover the essentials of life.

 

Foe the example of the lady you cited, I totally agree (and that was a bad cite on my part), but in the case of inner-citty poor (living well below the powerty line) in all too many cases squandering money on $200 guy's shoes and jewlery, that's all too real, sadly.

Brandon is someone who understand money -- at his level. He doesn't understand money when there is a lot more than he "needs" to have. I wouldn't say that this means he has a good sense for money. Rather, he knows how much money he has and what he needs to do with it. Now that he has "too much" money, I suspect it'll take him some time to learn how to spend it to maintain that income stream. At least he's willing to be led.

 

There's another way of looking at it. He probably didn't think of it at the time (my impression is that he was being generous to them because they had been even more generous -- from his point of view -- to him with that $10K he'd been given), but by selling his songs to the band cheaply, he allows the band -- including himself -- to play them and make money from them. As I said, he probably didn't think of it, but he may in the future -- it's a sound investment for extra income. Oh, and my understanding is that the songwriters in bands get a larger share of royalties than the other band members. I've heard of several examples of this, though I don't know if it is universal.

 

His intent was mainly to be generous, but if he thoguht ti through, he would see that only as a writer would be be entitled to a full 1/4 share in the band (the other three were the only writers at first) but they had given him 1/4 anyway, before they knew.

 

I can't say anything about the future, but what is shown so far is that he has a good head for money for everyday situations, just as you say. I was in error when I implied in my prior post that his financial acumen extended beyond his experience level. We have no way of knowing if it does, and no reason to believe that it does.

 

 

I've heard of people like that, too, but you are talking about a musician -- not a roadie who can sing and is a keen fan. I did music privately for several years (I wasn't very good -- I started too late, my fingers were too slow, and I couldn't keep a beat by myself), and that included musical theory. In the musical theory, there was a time when we had to do some composition work. Lyrics aren't hard. Fitting them to a beat, then to a melody, and then fitting an accompaniment -- it's not trivial. Some people can do it better than others, but if trying to do it without having the chance to hear what it sounds like... do able but exceptional.

 

But he was using instruments frequently at the studio? Surly he's use them to test some of his ideas?

 

And BTW, Brandon was a musician before becoming a roadie; he was in a band (as both singer and guitarist per the narration) that was just starting to get some success. It's listed in the first paragraph of Ch 2, and I think a couple of other places;

 

He'd been in a garage band, one just beginning to achieve some minor notice, the first glimmerings of a bright and promising future. Life was looking good, until fickle fate intervened;

 

Also, he's a very skilled guitarist;

 

the slightest of smiles lit his face as he played the fast-paced opening riffs to one of Instinct's biggest hits,

[Bondwriter]

And BTW, Brandon was a musician before becoming a roadie; he was in a band (as both singer and guitarist per the narration) that was just starting to get some success. It's listed in the first paragraph of Ch 2, and I think a couple of other places;

Also, he's a very skilled guitarist;

In other words, he's a very skilled and gifted musician, according to the narration.

 

Give a skilled, experienced musician with daily access to instruments And time with which to experiment), do you still feel it's far-fetched that he could sketch out some music and lyrics, though granted, in his room at night?

Yes, it could work out all right. Though I don't know many rock musicians who actually write music. Nowadays you manage with anything from a tape-recorder to a computer. But writing down a few melodies or lead ins ideas can be done if you've trained with basic high school music background, or learned to sing in the church choir.

 

And what happened to the "Blame It On Shadowgod" policy?

[C James]

Now that I think about it the issue of Brandon being too perfect may have less to do with him being infinitly smart and more with him doing what we want to see him do. He is quite clueless but in a very cute apealing way. The action of chasing a desperate criminal is not smart but we would not be so happy with him if he just stood there. He has his flaws but they are presented in such a way that we like them. In a way it is similar to listening to a proud parent talking about their child. Bad qualities get passed off as cute. Anyway, its hard to comlain when we haven't seen the whole story. It may look different in context.

 

Thanks! I can't comment on the future, but you have a very good point; If he'd just stood there, that would look bad.

 

Yes, it could work out all right. Though I don't know many rock musicians who actually write music. Nowadays you manage with anything from a tape-recorder to a computer. But writing down a few melodies or lead ins ideas can be done if you've trained with basic high school music background, or learned to sing in the church choir.

 

And what happened to the "Blame It On Shadowgod" policy?

 

Thanks! Yep, he used paper, becuase paper was what he had.

 

He seems to have done ok, even if several songs were pronounced to stink. Helen's comment about the pop one was my favorite. LoL (and might be a clue as to my tastes in music, ROFL)

 

And you're right, we really must blame Shadowgod! Ok, I'm calling a vote... All in favor of blaming shadowgod (I'll count you as in favor, Bondwriter!) and I'm voting yes as well. Anyone opposed? Anyone?? OK, the voting is closed, and the consensus has been reached; this is Shadowgod's fault!

[Graeme]

Okay, I'll admit that the fact that Brandon had had previous musicial experience has slipped my mind. My original wording was "professional musician", but I changed that because there are some very talented amateur musicians. Playing in a band and being able to write music competently are two different things, but it becomes less of a stretch.

 

Of course, this means he is:

 

1. A gifted singer

2. A good guitarist

3. A decent, if not good, composer, able to write musical scores.

 

He's not unique in this respect (eg. if you substitute piano for guitar, you could name Billy Joel and Elton John that have the same skills. Also, John Lennon, Paul McCartney... the list goes on). It's still exceptional, but it's not as unlikely as I first thought.

[old bob]

Hey,

Once again, the comments are even more interesting as the story itself! Sorry James, it doesn't mean that your story is not fun . What I mean is that its amazing how many people participate at your stories .

You have a way to suggest a lot of comments and you did it to each story you wrote. Thats a gift and you are a master in it .

BTW, I like your writing, to put two stories in one. Waiting the time you will connect the two in one, with certainly a lot of cliffhangers to come .

I don't comment a lot to "let the Music Play", but my silence doesn't mean I don't enjoy it .

Go on James, for our pleasure, and I'm sure also for yours.

Take care and be happy, as I am to be able to read!

[Bob D.]

Hey,

Once again, the comments are even more interesting as the story itself! Sorry James, it doesn't mean that your story is not fun . What I mean is that its amazing how many people participate at your stories .

You have a way to suggest a lot of comments and you did it to each story you wrote. Thats a gift and you are a master in it .

BTW, I like your writing, to put two stories in one. Waiting the time you will connect the two in one, with certainly a lot of cliffhangers to come .

I don't comment a lot to "let the Music Play", but my silence doesn't mean I don't enjoy it .

Go on James, for our pleasure, and I'm sure also for yours.

Take care and be happy, as I am to be able to read!

 

Careful to not stroke his ego too much, Ol'Bob. Else his horns will get bigger, and we'll be able to make that Goat Cheese!

 

Bob

[C James]

Okay, I'll admit that the fact that Brandon had had previous musicial experience has slipped my mind. My original wording was "professional musician", but I changed that because there are some very talented amateur musicians. Playing in a band and being able to write music competently are two different things, but it becomes less of a stretch.

 

Of course, this means he is:

 

1. A gifted singer

2. A good guitarist

3. A decent, if not good, composer, able to write musical scores.

 

He's not unique in this respect (eg. if you substitute piano for guitar, you could name Billy Joel and Elton John that have the same skills. Also, John Lennon, Paul McCartney... the list goes on). It's still exceptional, but it's not as unlikely as I first thought.

 

Good points, and thank you for making me think.

I still say we should blame Shadowgod for this...

 

Hey,

Once again, the comments are even more interesting as the story itself! Sorry James, it doesn't mean that your story is not fun . What I mean is that its amazing how many people participate at your stories .

You have a way to suggest a lot of comments and you did it to each story you wrote. Thats a gift and you are a master in it .

BTW, I like your writing, to put two stories in one. Waiting the time you will connect the two in one, with certainly a lot of cliffhangers to come .

I don't comment a lot to "let the Music Play", but my silence doesn't mean I don't enjoy it .

Go on James, for our pleasure, and I'm sure also for yours.

Take care and be happy, as I am to be able to read!

 

Thanks Bob!

But I think the real credit here has to go to all of you in this forum; I love the comments, more than I can possibly express. All of you, not me, make that happen.

 

I indeed am having the time of my life with writing, I love it, but that's in a very large part becuase of the readers and commenters. Thank you all.

 

But, what, Cliffhangers? In one of my stories? We all know that I never use cliffhangers...

 

Thanks Bob!!

 

Careful to not stroke his ego too much, Ol'Bob. Else his horns will get bigger, and we'll be able to make that Goat Cheese!

 

Bob

 

Hi Bob!

What? Me, get a swelled head? Not so! It's just my doors have been getting inexplicably narrower.

[Bob D.]

Good points, and thank you for making me think.

I still say we should blame Shadowgod for this...

 

 

 

Thanks Bob!

But I think the real credit here has to go to all of you in this forum; I love the comments, more than I can possibly express. All of you, not me, make that happen.

 

I indeed am having the time of my life with writing, I love it, but that's in a very large part becuase of the readers and commenters. Thank you all.

 

But, what, Cliffhangers? In one of my stories? We all know that I never use cliffhangers...

 

Thanks Bob!!

 

 

 

Hi Bob!

What? Me, get a swelled head? Not so! It's just my doors have been getting inexplicably narrower.

 

 

I guess when we finally catch you it'll be because you can't leave the room your computer is in? And when we catch you and sheer you, we'll do you like HellBoy and grind the horns down so you can't butt us

 

Bob

[C James]

I guess when we finally catch you it'll be because you can't leave the room your computer is in? And when we catch you and sheer you, we'll do you like HellBoy and grind the horns down so you can't butt us

 

Bob

 

I really don't know why so many want to do such awful things to quiet, sweet, innocent me? I'm just a harmless goat, flailing away at a keyboard high in the mountains of far northern Arizona...

[Bondwriter]

You have a way to suggest a lot of comments and you did it to each story you wrote. Thats a gift and you are a master in it .

BTW, I like your writing, to put two stories in one.

Well, Bob, the way to get comments is the use of voodoo dolls. Look how he turned Bob D. into a dog to have a worshiper. When Black Magic's at work, anything can happen.

[Ieshwar]

Well, Bob, the way to get comments is the use of voodoo dolls. Look how he turned Bob D. into a dog to have a worshiper. When Black Magic's at work, anything can happen.

 

Seconded! And the problem is that he doesn't teach we poor authors voodoo. Evil goat!!

 

Ieshwar

[Bob D.]

Well, Bob, the way to get comments is the use of voodoo dolls. Look how he turned Bob D. into a dog to have a worshiper. When Black Magic's at work, anything can happen.

 

 

He did not turn me into a doggy... I did that... it's my animagus form... Cute Puppy form!

 

Bob

 

PS the true disciples of the Goat get taught animagus forms...

[Graeme]

We're now officially in silly post mode while we wait for the next chapter.

 

In the meantime, I'm going to make some predictions on chapter 8:

 

1. It will contains words.

2. It will feature at least on scene involving Brandon.

3. Chase, Eric, Jon, Helen will almost certainly make an appearance.

4. Gabe will probably make an appearance.

5. At least one of the boys will end up no wearing a shirt.

6. Someone in the story won't be happy.

7. Someone in the story will be happy.

8. Brandon and Chase will still like each other at the end of the chapter.

 

As it's only chapter 8, I think 8 predictions is enough. Anyone else wants to try their hand/hoof/talon/claw at second-guessing the goat?

[C James]

Well, Bob, the way to get comments is the use of voodoo dolls. Look how he turned Bob D. into a dog to have a worshiper. When Black Magic's at work, anything can happen.

 

Black Magic? Surely I wouldn't dabble in the black arts? Why, oh why is my sweet, quiet, shy, innocent nature so often called into question?

 

Seconded! And the problem is that he doesn't teach we poor authors voodoo. Evil goat!!

Ieshwar

 

I'm just your typical quiet and shy goat, pounding away at a keyboard, I have no knowledge of the dark arts..

 

He did not turn me into a doggy... I did that... it's my animagus form... Cute Puppy form!

Bob

PS the true disciples of the Goat get taught animagus forms...

 

Shhhh, that's a secret...

We're now officially in silly post mode while we wait for the next chapter.

 

In the meantime, I'm going to make some predictions on chapter 8:

 

1. It will contains words.

2. It will feature at least on scene involving Brandon.

3. Chase, Eric, Jon, Helen will almost certainly make an appearance.

4. Gabe will probably make an appearance.

5. At least one of the boys will end up no wearing a shirt.

6. Someone in the story won't be happy.

7. Someone in the story will be happy.

8. Brandon and Chase will still like each other at the end of the chapter.

 

As it's only chapter 8, I think 8 predictions is enough. Anyone else wants to try their hand/hoof/talon/claw at second-guessing the goat?

 

OK, who leaked the chapter to Graeme?

 

To aid in the speculation, perhaps I should mention the chapter name? "Going Public"

 

And a teaser question... What is "The Devil's Throat" referred to in the last chapter?

[Graeme]

And a teaser question... What is "The Devil's Throat" referred to in the last chapter?

There are a few possibilities:

 

1. A volcanic pit crater in Hawaii

 

2. The Devil's Throat Walkway, Iguazu Falls, Argentina

 

3. An underwater cave offshore of Cozumel

 

4. The Devil's Throat Cave in the Balkans

 

Given the comment about a fear of heights, I'm tempted to say it's number two, but I can't see why they would go all the way to Argentina, so I suspect it is number four, in Bulgaria.

[Bondwriter]

The Devil's Throat could be either the Balkans (nice place for spy stories) or Hawaii, since CJ is a Hawaii enthusiast. Meeting at a volcano is always evocative. When I read the chapter, I thought it would be some pass in the mountains, because of the fear of heights.

 

By the way, Graeme, you forgot to mention that The Scar would certainly be referred to.

And that some starch-rich food would be consumed.

[TalonRider]

9. Scar will make an appearance.