The Rise and Fall of Calvin Comet -- Part V

 

    'Was a tough tour on us all, 'pecially for ol' Cal. Year and half round the world, two hundred cities. We was sick o' each other. Comet wanted ta get right back'n the studio, record something new. Tired of em old songs. Band was toast, needed a break. Not real surpis'n the way it shook out.'

    PART FIVE -- The Stars Don't Shine Every Night

    'But Calvin Comet went into the studio to record anyway. All by himself.' The interviewer continued, in hopes of keeping Rhodes quasi-conscious through inquiry.

    'Yea. All by 'imself. He hired a few in fer some session work, think I played tambourine on a couple o'dem tracks. But dat third album, "Neptune Memories", dats all him.'

    'Were there any plans for a Neptune Memories tour?' 

    'I know ol' Cal wanted ta, but was the lonely one. Neptune was recorded so quickly an' we was still all burnt from last tour. I'm an animal on da road, lemme tell ya, an even I wasn't lookin' forward'ta another go at dat point. Lucky, she talked'im outta it.'
    'She? You mean Sorre?'

    'Yea.' nodded Rhodes. 'Crazy ta think now, reviews of Neptune at'de time weren't great. Ol' Cal really believed in them songs, was dying to tour and prove em. Stressed'im, an his habits went bad. One night'e threatened ta hire a whole new band'f the Asteroids wouldn't do least three dozen shows. She straightened'im out a bit, ol Sorre. By then mighta been too late tho.'
    'Too late? How?'

    'Yea, was'n his eyes a bit, least durin' the sessions I was in. Look o' genius there like always, but somethin' else mixed'n it. Distance, ya know. After all dat craziness I'd enough. Mick Ronson'as lookin' for someone extra on road so off I went. Couple'o years doin' dat til I tried off at my film career! Well hard work'an luck landed me a starrin' role in forgotten classic Poison Bees From Under The Sea. Script coulda been better'tho, Remember tellin' my brother'at the time about...'
    'Thanks but I don't have any more questions, Mr. Rhodes.'

    

    ***

    You can see a lot of stars out here at night. So much open air, no tall buildings, minimal artificial light. A few hundred identical trees, layers of mostly untouched white snow, countless twinklers above, the closeby lake mirroring it all. It touches something I don't know where.  

    I've taken to sneaking out of the room past midnight and using a good silent hour to drift within this scene. It is so unlike the busy city I know that it fascinates me. The scenery unchanges, yet stirs the imagination anyhow. Easy to fantasize what could be, the horizon provides nothing beyond the visceral. This wild nature cannot be something it is not... but if you yell the lesson out here and nobody is around to hear it, is it really said? Madness amidst inspiring, indifferent beauty.
    It's cold. Back inside.

    
    (xxxii) -- Five