Brothers of the Head by Brian Aldiss

Sidney came into the bar, flushed in the face.
    â€˜There you are. Now that that bloody old queer’s gone, perhaps you’ll do the job you came down here to do and go and look after those bloody freaks. Didn’t you hear the racket? They’ve been busting up the studio one more time.’
    â€˜You’re an uncouth bastard, Nick,’ I said, as I walked past him.
    â€˜And proud of it. How else would I survive with this shower?’
    After this exchange, I proceeded upstairs. The twins had been doing a certain amount of damage, nothing serious. They were objecting again to the way they were being treated. This anger against others turned, as it frequently did, into a fight with themselves. Barry was particularly frightening in his anger fits. His face became distorted. Even the third head, the one for which he had a secret name, took on a different appearance. The cheeks of its face flushed. I wondered if I would have noticed that detail in the general rumpus, had it not been for the conversation with Sir Allardyce.
    They had a method of dealing with Barry’s anger. Zak Bedderwick had provided Sidney with a Japanese-made stun gun, as I mentioned. I never understood how it worked, except that it was electronic; when you fired it against someone’s temples it switched the brain’s Alpha rhythms to Delta rhythms, thus changing the wave frequency so that the victim fell into a deep sleep. This handy instrument was used to put Barry out when he was causing trouble.
    This treatment became the rule throughout the whole success period of the Bang-Bang, especially on tour, when the stresses were particularly great. During the periods when Barry was unconscious I was able to talk to Tom. I grew very fond of him, despite Sir Allardyce’s warning. I feared the situation and would not have had anything happen to Tom; but it was not that alone which drew me.
    At the height of their success, after the Scandinavian tour, I was separated from the twins. I believe that I was a good influence on them, despite stories to the contrary. But some people, among them the lawyer, Henry Couling (a sort of self-appointed guardian to the twins, although he did nothing to help them), decided I was a cause for scandal in associating closely with both of the twins. Eventually Zak Bedderwick and Nick Sidney got rid of me. My feelings were bitter, although I knew how little personal feelings count in the pop industry.
    In respect to certain aspects of this matter, on which no doubt others will offer distorted versions of the truth, I would like to say only that the drugs in the case have been exaggerated by the media. They were Sidney’s idea in the first place. I came to use them reluctantly.
    As for the immorality charges, understanding people will realize that Tom and Barry needed love and sex just like anyone else, and suffered from deprivation. There was a jealousy between them, as between all brothers, but, in view of their physical inseparability, it was inevitable that any woman who came close to either of them would have to make what accommodation she could to both.
    I prefer not to be more explicit.

3
Excerpt from taped interview with Nickolas Sidney
    Interviewed by John James Loomis of the Canadian Broadcasting Authority.
    J ohn J ames L oomis: Now if we might move to a more controversial area, Nick, concerning the part Laura Ashworth played in the Bang-Bang’s affairs.
    N ickolas S idney : No, there was nothing controversial. You know what it is, you’re running a group, you’re running a group. It’s a business like any other, besides the Bang-Bang were, let’s face it, freaks so they were more unstable than most. Only to be expected. So we did everyone a favour trying to keep women away, specially a girl like Laura, known dynamite.
    J.J.L.: I have studied Laura’s report on her side of the matter. She begins very openly, and gives a full account of conversations held, what