alive that last precious bit of humanity left inside which vapid smiles and empty congratulations from an endless stream of thoughtless well-wishers can kill every bit as quickly as rejection once did, and then one day another young Hayley Parker will come your way and they will say, 'I love you'- and you will know it's true but you won't be able to love them back no matter how much they deserve it. Then you will know why I'm telling you to leave this place... now."
Hayley understood now. The musicians life had destroyed Jack's hope, but she stood tall, knowing that it would not destroy hers.
"Jack, I still feel like this isn't quite the end yet.. I know you're going to tell me not to wait- but I will anyway, no matter what you say."
Jack said nothing as she walked through the door and off into the cold January morning. Hayley went home. She worked and she wrote and she cried and she waited.
It had been 2 weeks since Jack last called her. Hayley was so lonely that she called up Michael from work so they could meet afterward for a drink. They sat in a dingy little afterhours joint above a pool hall, where alcoholics and industry people could drink till dawn. Michael knew why she was here, and he flirted with her as usual to try to cheer her up, but after a couple of drinks her glumness started to wear on him so he let the subject turn to what they were both thinking about anyway.
"How come jack is the way he is?" Hayley sensed Michael freeze up after she had spoke,. and then he began to ramble about the old days on the road. Mostly funny stories that had nothing to do with what she really wanted to know.
Hayley didn't really care to hear any more old stories but she let Michael reminisce through two more whiskeys. He was getting a drunk now and his mood turned uncharacteristically dark all of the sudden.
"They said that last tour is what broke him... that was a total lie, nothing broke him- the record company just threw him in the garbage is all," Michael said.
Hayley's ears perked up because it finally felt that maybe Michael would share something important with her. Most of Michaels stories had been about ridiculous and/or obscene things that happened to the band on the road or various women that he and Jack had supposedly fought over.
"Why?" Hayley wondered out loud, her brown eyes burning for truth, "and how come noone knows that?"
"Well, when they didn't get a hit out of him right away they just kept him on the road and wouldn't let him record anymore."
Hayley suddenly understood why Jack was so obsessed with hits, and so contemptuous of what he called "songwriting for the sake of songwriting."
Michael went on "He had signed an exclusive contract for 5 albums so there was nothing he could do. He and I and the other boys toured until every bit of the money the company spent on him was recouped... He had saved up all his daily expense money so he had a little nest egg to fall back on while he figured out what to do next.. until the record company found out about it and sued him for it."
"Oh No," Haley felt her stomach churn.
"They won because he couldn't prove he had paid back all of the money. The record company cooked the books. Then later they sued him for breach of contract when he refused to tour anymore."
"Holy shit" she said, it sounded like a nightmare, "is that what broke him?"
Michael looked surprised, "Didn't you hear me before? Nothing broke him"
"Then why did he disappear for so long?"
Haley almost didn't want to know the rest.
Michael's face was angry, "Well he was still legally bound to his contract for a couple more years even though they weren't supporting him any more.. but that's not the worst part," Michael paused for a moment and drained his glass, "the worst part was that they technically owned all of his publishing still...not only from his album, but for every single song he wrote in those years when they wouldn't let him record. He put everything he
Hayley understood now. The musicians life had destroyed Jack's hope, but she stood tall, knowing that it would not destroy hers.
"Jack, I still feel like this isn't quite the end yet.. I know you're going to tell me not to wait- but I will anyway, no matter what you say."
Jack said nothing as she walked through the door and off into the cold January morning. Hayley went home. She worked and she wrote and she cried and she waited.
It had been 2 weeks since Jack last called her. Hayley was so lonely that she called up Michael from work so they could meet afterward for a drink. They sat in a dingy little afterhours joint above a pool hall, where alcoholics and industry people could drink till dawn. Michael knew why she was here, and he flirted with her as usual to try to cheer her up, but after a couple of drinks her glumness started to wear on him so he let the subject turn to what they were both thinking about anyway.
"How come jack is the way he is?" Hayley sensed Michael freeze up after she had spoke,. and then he began to ramble about the old days on the road. Mostly funny stories that had nothing to do with what she really wanted to know.
Hayley didn't really care to hear any more old stories but she let Michael reminisce through two more whiskeys. He was getting a drunk now and his mood turned uncharacteristically dark all of the sudden.
"They said that last tour is what broke him... that was a total lie, nothing broke him- the record company just threw him in the garbage is all," Michael said.
Hayley's ears perked up because it finally felt that maybe Michael would share something important with her. Most of Michaels stories had been about ridiculous and/or obscene things that happened to the band on the road or various women that he and Jack had supposedly fought over.
"Why?" Hayley wondered out loud, her brown eyes burning for truth, "and how come noone knows that?"
"Well, when they didn't get a hit out of him right away they just kept him on the road and wouldn't let him record anymore."
Hayley suddenly understood why Jack was so obsessed with hits, and so contemptuous of what he called "songwriting for the sake of songwriting."
Michael went on "He had signed an exclusive contract for 5 albums so there was nothing he could do. He and I and the other boys toured until every bit of the money the company spent on him was recouped... He had saved up all his daily expense money so he had a little nest egg to fall back on while he figured out what to do next.. until the record company found out about it and sued him for it."
"Oh No," Haley felt her stomach churn.
"They won because he couldn't prove he had paid back all of the money. The record company cooked the books. Then later they sued him for breach of contract when he refused to tour anymore."
"Holy shit" she said, it sounded like a nightmare, "is that what broke him?"
Michael looked surprised, "Didn't you hear me before? Nothing broke him"
"Then why did he disappear for so long?"
Haley almost didn't want to know the rest.
Michael's face was angry, "Well he was still legally bound to his contract for a couple more years even though they weren't supporting him any more.. but that's not the worst part," Michael paused for a moment and drained his glass, "the worst part was that they technically owned all of his publishing still...not only from his album, but for every single song he wrote in those years when they wouldn't let him record. He put everything he
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