She and Greg might be the centre of the band but Alex thinks he’s her svengali—she couldn’t do it without him, wouldn’t have the right words to sing without him—all that bollocks.”
“Not true?”
“He’s probably right. She’s pretty—well, let’s say flighty. Alex is the only one who can get her to really concentrate.And he does write really good stuff for her. Everyone knows that, he’s just dead arrogant with it. Anyway, last summer, they’ve just got off stage, everyone’s really hyper, it had been a brilliant gig but Alex doesn’t see that. Alex is off his face and screaming at Siobhan about fucking up some line or other, on and on about how she’s ruined the whole gig with that one mistake and eventually she starts crying. Greg’s not there, he’s gone off to talk to some journalist and Kev just comes up and smacks Alex in the face.”
“You saw it?”
“I mopped up the blood gushing out of his nose. Now, the guy’s my own brother and I’d be the first to admit he deserved it, but Siobhan sacked Kevin anyway.”
Saz shook her head, “I’m sorry? Siobhan sacked the man standing up for her?”
“I know it doesn’t make any sense. He was one of her oldest friends too. But you see, I don’t think Kevin ever really understood—I think they need it, the five of them.”
“Need what?”
“All the shouting and carry on. It’s just part of the game.”
“Of the band?”
“That’s right. The dynamic is just that—Alex is hateful and everyone puts up with it. They just shut up and are relieved to listen to him being nasty to someone else. Anyone else, as long as it’s not themselves. You know, when someone else is getting it in the back of the neck, it’s actually almost funny. Alex’s sarcasm is brutal but it’s definitely witty.”
“I’ve noticed.”
“And the more hungover he is, the nastier he’ll be. Siobhan always gets the worst of it but it just seems to suit her. I think she actually likes him screaming at her. She gets off on the drama of it all.”
“So what happened to Kevin?”
“Slunk back off to Liverpool, I suppose. I’ve no idea actually.”
Then Peta looked at the pile of unopened letters that had come in the second post, “Look, I’m quite happy to tell you all the juicy gossip if you’re really interested, but d’you think we could get on with some of this work at the same time?”
Peta kept Saz fully occupied for the rest of the day opening letters, checking tour itineraries with the band in an attempt to accommodate all their individual requirements. While Alex had been single for some time and Dan was newly alone, quite a few important details had to be co-ordinated with Steve’s model girlfriend Tiana and the seven stone Canadian princess was not easily satisfied. Saz had to content herself with brain-filing her own little pile of information. She planned to check out the peremptorily sacked Kevin as soon as she was free and she’d also make a few more enquiries about Alex. If he and Siobhan really did have such a vicious relationship, then it wasn’t inconceivable that he might choose to upset her just that little bit more. With a bunch or two of roses perhaps.
Saz went home to complain to Molly about how on earth she was supposed to proceed while not letting Peta know why she was really there. As she explained over their takeaway pizza—American hot with extra pepperoni and chilli sauce, “I mean, I like the woman, Moll, I’m sure she’d be cool if I told her the truth, but I’m not allowed to and so she’s really just …”
“In the way?”
“Exactly. I did what I could with her around. This afternoon I went through all the fan letters the band had everreceived. Thousands of them, all neatly filed in cardboard boxes.”
“Thousands? Really?”
“I exaggerate. It just felt like thousands. I wanted to give up after ten of the bloody things. How many different ways can you say ‘Siobhan Forrester, I fancy
“Not true?”
“He’s probably right. She’s pretty—well, let’s say flighty. Alex is the only one who can get her to really concentrate.And he does write really good stuff for her. Everyone knows that, he’s just dead arrogant with it. Anyway, last summer, they’ve just got off stage, everyone’s really hyper, it had been a brilliant gig but Alex doesn’t see that. Alex is off his face and screaming at Siobhan about fucking up some line or other, on and on about how she’s ruined the whole gig with that one mistake and eventually she starts crying. Greg’s not there, he’s gone off to talk to some journalist and Kev just comes up and smacks Alex in the face.”
“You saw it?”
“I mopped up the blood gushing out of his nose. Now, the guy’s my own brother and I’d be the first to admit he deserved it, but Siobhan sacked Kevin anyway.”
Saz shook her head, “I’m sorry? Siobhan sacked the man standing up for her?”
“I know it doesn’t make any sense. He was one of her oldest friends too. But you see, I don’t think Kevin ever really understood—I think they need it, the five of them.”
“Need what?”
“All the shouting and carry on. It’s just part of the game.”
“Of the band?”
“That’s right. The dynamic is just that—Alex is hateful and everyone puts up with it. They just shut up and are relieved to listen to him being nasty to someone else. Anyone else, as long as it’s not themselves. You know, when someone else is getting it in the back of the neck, it’s actually almost funny. Alex’s sarcasm is brutal but it’s definitely witty.”
“I’ve noticed.”
“And the more hungover he is, the nastier he’ll be. Siobhan always gets the worst of it but it just seems to suit her. I think she actually likes him screaming at her. She gets off on the drama of it all.”
“So what happened to Kevin?”
“Slunk back off to Liverpool, I suppose. I’ve no idea actually.”
Then Peta looked at the pile of unopened letters that had come in the second post, “Look, I’m quite happy to tell you all the juicy gossip if you’re really interested, but d’you think we could get on with some of this work at the same time?”
Peta kept Saz fully occupied for the rest of the day opening letters, checking tour itineraries with the band in an attempt to accommodate all their individual requirements. While Alex had been single for some time and Dan was newly alone, quite a few important details had to be co-ordinated with Steve’s model girlfriend Tiana and the seven stone Canadian princess was not easily satisfied. Saz had to content herself with brain-filing her own little pile of information. She planned to check out the peremptorily sacked Kevin as soon as she was free and she’d also make a few more enquiries about Alex. If he and Siobhan really did have such a vicious relationship, then it wasn’t inconceivable that he might choose to upset her just that little bit more. With a bunch or two of roses perhaps.
Saz went home to complain to Molly about how on earth she was supposed to proceed while not letting Peta know why she was really there. As she explained over their takeaway pizza—American hot with extra pepperoni and chilli sauce, “I mean, I like the woman, Moll, I’m sure she’d be cool if I told her the truth, but I’m not allowed to and so she’s really just …”
“In the way?”
“Exactly. I did what I could with her around. This afternoon I went through all the fan letters the band had everreceived. Thousands of them, all neatly filed in cardboard boxes.”
“Thousands? Really?”
“I exaggerate. It just felt like thousands. I wanted to give up after ten of the bloody things. How many different ways can you say ‘Siobhan Forrester, I fancy
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