ADDITIONAL DISCLAIMER: I didn't want to put this on the first page since
it would spoil the story. The beginning history of the band is from the book
<u>Behind The Sun</u>, almost word for word. The end "history"
consists of altered excerpts from the book <u>Who Are These People? : Pop
Music Superstars</u>, from the section about the Backstreet
Boys.
4: Band History
Anthony leaned against the wall space by the
phone jack and outlet as he clicked the side icon "Band History". Black print
appeared across a red page:
"Before they were the Red Hot Chili Peppers,
Anthony Kiedis, Michael Balzary, Hillel Slovak, and Jack Irons were four youths
attending Fairfax High School in Los Angeles, California. Michael, who was then
known as "Flea"..."
Anthony furrowed his eyebrows. "Was THEN known as
Flea?" he whispered to himself.
"... who was then known as "Flea", was
already friends with Hillel and Jack when he met Anthony. He was holding a kid
in a headlock, and Anthony came to the rescue..."
Chuckling to himself,
Anthony leaned his back against the wall.
"Anthony and Michael later
bonded when they sat next to each other in driver's ed. Michael's background was
in jazz. His stepfather played the trumpet, an instrument in which Michael
became accomplished. Anthony had been a child actor, born in Michigan but living
with his father, a struggling actor, in LA.
"Hillel taught Michael to
play bass at 16, and Michael soon after joined the band 'Fear'. Hillel and Jack,
at the time, belonged to the band 'What Is This'. Anthony was a fan of his
friends' music but wasn't involved in a band yet. He wrote poetry and read it
before his friends' performances, under the name "Swan". In a dive bar on the LA
Sunset Strip, Anthony joined his friends onstage. The four performed "Out in
LA", and the Red Hot Chili Peppers were born. Almost immediately, 'What Is This'
and the RHCP were offered record deals. Hillel and Jack completed their
obligations to 'What Is This', then reunited soon after with the
RHCP.
Anthony scrolled down the page, and a black and white picture of
four boys inched into view along the right side. Once it fully rolled into
sight, Anthony stared at it. A crazy-haired boy smiled at the text beside him,
decked out in a funky grey and white unbuttoned shirt. Anthony reached for the
computer screen, running his index finger down the side of the boy's face, neck
and chest.
"Hillel," he breathed, as his other fingers slid onto the
page. His middle finger landed on another boy's long light hair, his ring finger
on the boy's tanned bicep. The boy stood behind Hillel Slovak, silken strands
masking his left eye. Anthony stared at his own features on the boy's face, the
full lips curved into a goofy smile, broad nose, shadowed eyes. His eyes drifted
to the bicep beneath his ring finger, toned and bare. Completely
bare.
Anthony's pinky finger rested upon the bronzed chest of a third
boy. Again, skin bare. Anthony looked upon the boy's face, at the pouting lips
and eyes staring downward. Curls trickles out from beneath a fuzzy brimmed hat.
The fourth figure stood solemnly and staring ahead.
Lowering his hand
from the screen, Anthony shifted his attention to the text.
"Early works
of the RHCP were a mixture of rap, funk, and trash, very different from their
current works..."
"No, it's not!" Anthony snorted.
"In 1983, they
played at a Hollywood strip bar called the Kit Kat Club, the infamous
performance where they first played wearing nothing but tube socks. Performances
following were equally outrageous.
"At the same time, heroin was taking
control of the band. At fourteen, Anthony snorted a line of heroin by accident.
He thought it was cocaine. By 1985, dope began driving the band apart. During
<u>Freaky Styley</u>, Hillel was secretly using
regularly..."
Anthony touched his fingers to his mouth, running them
across his smooth lower lip. He furrowed his eyebrows.
"The RHCP went on
tour in Europe in 1988, and Anthony and Hillel agreed to help each other steer
clear of heroin. When the guys came home from touring, they parted ways for a
few weeks. Away from the support of his friends and family, Hillel started using
again..."
Anthony's stomach clenched, and he swallowed hard.
"He
overdosed between the last hours of June 24th and early morning June
25th..."
A sigh escaped Anthony's lips. Clenching his eyes shut, he
turned away from the screen. He sat silently a moment before turning back to the
computer.
"After Hillel's death, Jack wanted to quit. But the three
decided that they still had untapped creativity. They
regrouped..."
"What?" Anthony's back stiffened.
"... regrouped and
recruited guitar player John Frusciante, their biggest fan. They toured for two
years with little success. Each venue drew in smaller crowds, and they were
dropped from their EMI label..."
"'the hell is going on?" Anthony
muttered. He scrolled down, revealing a picture of himself, with his arm around
a stout middle aged man, to the left of the screen. Anthony's eyes frantically
scanned the text.
"The four went their separate ways.
"They were
out of contact with one another until the fall of 1990, when Anthony called his
former bandmates with the news that they had attracted the attention of pop-band
star-maker Louis Pearlman..."
"I did WHAT?"
"Pearlman envisioned
the band's comeback with a different sound and image. Anthony, Michael, and John
accepted. Pearlman introduced them to musicians Brian Littrell and Kevin
Richardson. With the addition of the Kentucky cousins, the band was
reborn..."
Heaving a sigh, Anthony shook his head. "Yeah, into the
Backstreet Boys! What the f***!"
"The RHCP's image change required their
giving up the rock and roll lifestyle. Over the next couple years, they gave up
drugs completely and took on the image of the all American wholesome boy band
that they are today..."
"'All American wholesome boy band'?!" Anthony
exclaimed, his eyes widening. "Sh**! Does that mean we're
pansies?"
"Their change in sound was an easier process. John had already
quit playing guitar..."
Furrowing his eyebrows, Anthony rubbed his chin.
"John gave up playing guitar?" he whispered and shook his head.
"... and
the others were eager to work on their new vocal-heavy sound.
"Having
perfected the band's harmony, the RHCP set out to reestablish their fan base.
Their earlier performances as a quintet included appearances at Sea World, high
school functions, and local shopping malls. Soon they had gained an enthusiastic
local following and signed with Jive Records. They released a single in 1993
called "We've Got It Goin' On"..."
Pinching the bridge of his nose,
Anthony muttered, "You have got to be kidding."
"... which was successful
in Germany, but fizzled in the United States where alternative and grunge were
starting to take hold of the charts.
"Off the band went to tour Europe,
Asia, and Canada, becoming huge pop stars. They released two international hit
albums before finding fame on their home turf. Their 1996 comeback performance
at the Radio Music Awards wowed the nation, where they played "Quit Playing
Games (With My Heart))"..."
"A Backstreet Boys song," Anthony
commented.
"... which became their first domestic hit
single.
"'Millennium' was released in 1999. Many of its singles went on
to be #1 hits. Dubbed by <i>Entertainment Magazine</i> as "the best
boy band in the country", the Red Hot Chili Peppers' tunes..."
Grimacing,
Anthony mumbled, "I NEVER thought I'd see 'Chili Peppers' and 'boy band' in the
same sentence."
"... the Red Hot Chili Peppers' tunes are staples on pop
stations across the country. And, with this year's release of <u>Black And
Blue</u> having already gone platinum, the Chili Peppers continue to
dazzle millions."
Anthony scrolled down, hitting the bottom of the page.
Across it spanned the words "The boys won a Radio Music Award (being displayed
proudly by Anthony) at a ceremony held in Las Vegas in November 2000." Beneath
the text stood "the Chili Peppers". Brian Littrell stooped in the left hand
corner of the picture, sporting a weary smile. He wore a gray overcoat over a
tawny T-shirt. An arm hung over his shoulders, Michael Balzary's arm. The Chili
Pepper gave the camera a broad grin. His white suit shirt was open, revealing a
fitted black T-shirt beneath. Michael's left arm hid behind Anthony's
back.
"What the hell am I wearing?" Anthony muttered, staring at his
photo self's outfit, an ivory turtleneck sweater, khakis, and a wide white belt
with an enormous ebony star buckle. Fuzzy arms stretched forward, hands
supporting the base of the award. In the picture, Anthony's head was cocked to
the left, toward a hand sticking out over his shoulder. The hand belonged to
Kevin Richardson. Long, dark bands hung over Kevin's left eye, his right
squinting at the camera. His leather jacket covered a faded red shirt. A smile
stretched across the width of his jaw. Off to the far right slouched John
Frusciante, hair long and framing either side of his head. Anthony stared at
John's face, at the shadowed eyes, at the full lips curved into a frown. He
leaned closer to the screen, brows furrowed as he stared into the image of
John's eyes. And sighed. Even looking at a photo, Anthony could tell that his
friend wasn't all there.
KNOCK! KNOCK!
"Hey, Ant?" a soft,
feminine voice called from outside the hotel room. He set the laptop down on the
floor beside him. Anthony looked to the door. Bleached blond strands hung
perpendicular to the floor as he got to his feet. Raising his head, he sauntered
to the door and peered out the peephole. Wavy locks twirled along the side of a
head glancing away. Anthony opened the door, and the girl turned to face him.
Dark glossy eyes, framed by heavily painted lashes, widened as they made contact
with Anthony's. Shiny rose-toned lips pursed, and the lower one drooped,
revealing perfect teeth. Anthony stared at the girl and staggered back a step.
Holding a hand to his temple, he shook his head.
Britney Spears?!?