Chapter 42 Paradise Rock
–––––
Paradise Rock
“Paradise Rock FM! It’s Anna Banana in the house!
That was ‘Locker’ by Grave Sinner! Aran Graves is back, folks!
While Nightstalker rocks the West Coast, Grave Sinner owned the East Coast five years back—until, you know, things went south, which …
well … Wasn’t pretty. But Aran Graves has been released from prison!
And from what I’ve heard, the guy is ready to rock again!
The band announced in a press release they want to take it slow.
But, folks, taking it slow apparently doesn’t mean taking small steps.
They’re planning to rock the stage in New York with none other than Nightstalker.
We’re excited and will keep an eye on Aran Graves.
“And while we’re at it… What’s the deal with Nightstalker? After that half-canceled gig at the Whisky a Go Go four months ago, it took a whole month for the buzz around the band to settle down. Probably because everyone was keeping a close eye on the concerts in Seattle and Portland.
“Would there be another scandal? A disaster?
“No! Nightstalker proved everyone wrong. The guys were focused and extremely professional. With Eliot Parker, the guitarist, though, it wasn’t always certain if he would make it, but he did and checked into rehab a day after Portland.
“What exactly happened at the Whisky that night was never officially clarified. Concert-goers shared accounts of Parker pouncing on a man and launching into a wild attack. When the man fought back and hit Parker, he didn’t retaliate.
Both were escorted away, and the management has remained silent about the incident since.
We attempted to gather more details, but even the police were unwilling to disclose information about that night.
“Well, that’s almost four months ago now. And if anyone thinks the guys were idle during Parker’s absence, they’re mistaken. Because … Tristan James did it again. A collection of new poems was released two weeks ago. A small volume that is already praised by critics.
“And you won’t believe it: Tristan James spoke with us! Yes, with us! Not with Clint, of course, and unfortunately, not with me either. But he did speak with us, and I have an excerpt from the interview conducted by Cathy. Let’s play the recording!”
“A celebration for all poets and lovers of beautiful words. I feel honored to welcome Tristan M. James to the Lit-Hour today. His latest poetry collection has just been released. It’s called THE STILL STARS OF THE HEAVENLY SPHERES.
A wonderful collection of poems that has already received great acclaim in the literary scene. Mr. James, thank you for coming.”
“The pleasure is all mine.”
“The book is out. The first edition sold out in ten days. How does that feel?”
“Somewhat frightening, I must admit.”
“The critics are thrilled. I also really liked the poems. They’re different from your previous ones.”
“Yes. The poems were created under rather extraordinary circumstances, one could say.”
“Do you distinguish between song lyrics and poems? Or do you write and decide afterward whether it will remain a poem or become a song?”
“Hmm … I haven’t had to decide yet. It’s more like there’s a time when I write poems and a time when I write song lyrics. Even the intention to write is different. But that doesn’t mean a poem can’t be a song lyric.”
“And how did this collection come about? What was extraordinary about the circumstances that allowed these poems to come into being?”
“Well, probably a glance at the last few months is enough to see what the poems are based on. My brother’s death brought back many memories.
Things I obviously hadn’t processed. And while Leaf was in rehab, I realized I had to deal with it somehow.
The poems are less sociocritical than my previous ones.
They spring more from within me and are much more personal. ”
“The poetry collection was published by a different publisher than the first two poetry collections. How did that come about?”
“I didn’t know my former publisher had changed jobs. I just called her and told her I had something new. And so one thing led to another.”
“You won a poetry competition as a teenager, is that correct?”
“Yes. I was seventeen or so. My brother encouraged me to submit something back then. I never thought anyone would want to read my poems. Especially not in today’s world. Who has the time for poetry anymore? But … all of a sudden, I was being compared to Dylan Thomas.”
“Who are your influences? Are there poets you emulate?”
“Emulating is probably the wrong word. I go through different phases instead. I am a big fan of William Blake. At some point, I devoured all of T.S. Eliot’s texts.
Then came Dylan Thomas and Bob Dylan. For a while, I delved into German poetry, then English.
It continued like that. I’ve read more poems than novels. Even today, I still prefer them.”
“How do you deal with pressure?”
“Pressure really messes me up. But without it, THE STILL STARS OF THE HEAVENLY SPHERES couldn’t have been created. I hate pressure, but I also see it as a necessary evil.”
“How did you come up with this title?”
“In a way, it’s a homage to Dylan Thomas.”
“So, folks! Anna Banana here. The full interview with Tristan James drops tonight at nine on Lit-Hour with Cathy. Don’t miss it! Joining me today is Clint. Hey there, Clint! How’s it going? What’s it like knowing you’ll never interview Nightstalker again?”
“Hi, Anna. Yeah, shitty, of course. But I try to see the positive in it. At least I didn’t get a lifelong concert ban.”
“I don’t quite understand. Isn’t that a bit drastic? The way Tristan James talked about his brother in the interview, he seems to have processed the past few months pretty well.”
“They probably don’t want to take any more risks. From what I’ve heard, they’ll even be accompanied by a personal doctor on tour.”
“A psychologist?”
“Probably. That’s the rumor at least. But I think it’s okay. Parker just got out of rehab and …”
“And, damn, he looks so hot! Did you see the photo on José’s IG account?”
“Ha! Sorry, Anna, but I’m not into guys like that.”
“That photo was confirmation for me why Tristan snagged the guitarist. I didn’t want to believe it when that bomb dropped and mourned for at least a week, but when I saw the first snapshot of the two together … Aw—I just melted!”
“The paparazzi really went all out before the start of the tour to get them in front of the camera together.”
“On social media, Tristan’s declaration of love during the concert went viral and racked up three million views in just one day. Do you think that was planned to distract people from the bad headlines?”
“I don’t think so. The guys aren’t that calculating. They just want to make music. And I’m so happy for them that they’ve overcome this difficult time and can finally go on tour.”
“Oh yeah, me too! That’s why we’re diving into another track by Nightstalker right now. Here’s their new single, ‘Infected.’ Enjoy!
“Oh, and before I move on, Clint has a special treat for us. He’s brought three books by Tristan M. James titled THE STILL STARS OF THE HEAVENLY SPHERES. You could be the lucky winner! Stay tuned to find out how you can get your hands on them after the song. So… stay tuned!”