"We ain't using no fuckin' pre-recorded tracks," Matt said. "You can just scrap that idea right now."
"I don't think cutting the intro to the song is a real good idea either," Jake said. "The Chain Me intro is very distinctive and very hard-driving. A lot of the fans will be pissed if we don't play it. We can expand it to give us more of an opening flourish, but we can't cut it."
"You guys never like my ideas," Nerdly pouted.
"We like your good ones, Nerdly," Matt said. "This just ain't one of 'em."
After another ten minutes of discussion, they decided to alter the intro into something with a gradual build-up in both volume and intensity.
"We start with something simple," Jake said. "A little five note progression, medium tempo. Something like this." He started to strum out a rhythm on his guitar, five notes, over and over. One... two... three, four, five. One... two... three, four, five. He did this six or seven times and then looked at Charlie with irritation. "Feel free to jump in here anytime, Charlie."
"Oh... right," Charlie said. He began fingering his bass strings, quickly picking up the rhythm Jake was setting.
"And then I can come in with effects three distortion," Matt said.
"Right," Jake said. "The same distortion level as the tune."
Matt started to play sharp, choppy notes at the same tempo as Jake. It was a classic rock intro piece.
"We can keep the lights down during this part," Jake said. "They'll be up just enough for the audience to see our silhouettes. Coop, now you can come in with tom strikes on the changeover."
Coop did that a few times. "I could gradually work up to double strikes," he suggested.
"Let's hear it," Matt said.
They heard it and liked it.
"Nerdly," Jake said. "Start throwing in some random piano accompaniment."
Nerdly did so and it was good.
"It would be better, Jake," said Matt, "if you put your guitar on effects three, just like mine. We'll do it in synch until we get to Nerdly's piano part. After that, you keep up the rhythm and I'll start putting in some solo bits."
"Okay," Jake said, liking the sound of that. "Let me switch over." He stomped down on pedal three, changing the sound of his guitar. Matt matched the tempo with him and, while Nerdly threw in his random piano pieces, Matt began to solo using long, drawn-out notes and moderate tempo fingering on the strings.
"Yeah," Coop said, hitting his toms again. "I like it so far."
"Now let's start to pick up the tempo," Matt said. "Gradual progression. Freak boy, you take the lead on it and Jake and Nerdly will keep up. Coop, as it speeds up, start to give us more toms and some bass drum."
"And then," Jake said, "when we start to get closer to the climax, start giving us constant tom and snare back play."
"Right," Coop said.
They worked on it for more than thirty minutes, stopping and starting, changing and modifying, until finally they had the very basics of a forty-five second intro piece that climbed to a grand climax and ended with a furious drum barrage and a rapid, signature Matt Tisdale guitar solo. The plan from there was to let the last note of the guitar wind down and then turn on the lights and launch into the distinctive main intro for Can't Chain Me.
"So far, so good," Jake said as they silenced their instruments and stretched their arms. "Let's take a break and then work it some more."
"Yeah," Matt agreed. "Isn't it about lunch time?"
"I could go for some chow," Coop said.
"Me too," said Jake.
"Yo! Mrs. Nerdly!" Matt yelled at Sharon, who was standing by at the soundboard with two of the assigned technicians.
"Yeah?" she yelled back.
"How about you do what you interns do best and go get us some fuckin' sandwiches?"
"You don't have to talk to her like that, Matt," Nerdly said, frowning.
"I gotta be me," he said. "So how about it? What's everyone want?"
They all gave their orders to Sharon, who wrote them down carefully and then accepted a one hundred dollar bill from Jake to pay for them.
"Bring us back some beer too," Matt said. "By the time we're done today I'm gonna need a few."
"You aren't supposed to be drinking, Matt," Jake said. "They could rescind your bail if you get caught."
"Who's gonna catch me?" he asked. "You didn't really think I was gonna stop drinking just because some pansy-ass black robed bitch told me not to, did you?"
"No, I guess I didn't," Jake said.
"What kind of beer do you want?" Sharon asked meekly.
"Corona," Matt said. "And get some limes too."
She wrote this down. "Will a twelve pack be enough?" she asked.
Matt, Jake, and Coop all burst into laughter at her question.
"What?" she asked.
"You'd better get three twelve packs," Nerdly told her.
She looked at him for a moment to see if he was kidding. After a moment, she determined that he wasn't. "Okay then," she said. "Three twelve packs of Corona and some limes."
"And ice," Matt said. "I can't stand warm beer."
"Right," she said. "And ice."
She left the warehouse, closing the door behind her.
Chapter 10c
"You know something, Nerdly," Matt said. "All kidding aside, I have to tell you, that bitch of yours is all right. She's a good sport."
"Uh... thanks," Nerdly said. "I like her a lot. She's got a good ear for music."
"How's her titties?" Matt asked. "It's hard to tell with those baggy clothes she always wears. She got a premo rack, or what?"
"The specification of Sharon's breasts are not your concern," Nerdly said.
"Oh come on, Nerdly," Coop said. "Give it up. Was she a virgin when you tapped into her, or what?"
"Doesn't that hurt?" Charlie asked. "I've never popped a cherry before. I like my chicks loose and ready."
"I don't think my sex life with Sharon is a suitable topic for conversation," Nerdly told them.
"Get the fuck out of here with that shit," Matt scoffed. "I've watched you lick a bitch's asshole out while another bitch sucked your schlong from behind. I've had a contest with you about how many bitches we could bang in one night. And now that you're scoring some regular pussy you don't want to give up the details?"
"That's right," Nerdly said self-righteously. "Those were women of loose and non-existent virtue. Sharon is a lady, and a gentleman does not reveal details about his affairs with ladies."
Matt rolled his eyes and shook his head. "That's it," he said. "I knew it would happen at some point, and I guess we're here now. Nerdly's gone faggot."
"I have not," Nerdly said. "I have never once engaged in homosexual activities."
"It's a state of mind, Nerdly, not an actual butt reaming," Matt said. "And you've definitely got the faggot state of mind going on right now."
"What exactly makes a person a real faggot?" Charlie suddenly asked.
"What?" Coop asked.
"Well," Charlie said, "if you just sucked a dick one time to see what it was all about and didn't like it, does that make you a faggot?"
Matt was looking at him with renewed hostility. "Why the fuck are you asking this shit, freak boy? Are you telling us you've sucked a dick before?"
"No," he said. "I've never sucked a dick. I was just wondering at what point you officially become a faggot. Is it the first time a dick passes your lips, or is it if you decide to do it again, or is when you..."
"I'll tell you when you become a faggot," Matt said. "It's the first time you ever wonder what it might be like to have some other dude's schlong in your mouth! You start thinking about shit like that, you're a fuckin' faggot! Now someone better change this conversation topic real soon before I either barf or kick freak boy's ass."
Nerdly immediately took up this particular challenge. He blurted out, "Sharon's going with us when we go out on tour."
Everyone stopped and slowly turned to stare at the diminutive piano player. He stared back at them, a challenging look on his face.
"Sharon's doing what?" Jake asked.