Fast Lane - Kristen Ashley Page 0,86
that…
[Trails off]
I understand.
I’m a fuckin’ millionaire.
[Suddenly smiles with genuine humor]
And when I drink the serious shit, I drink Wild Turkey.
[Lifts glass in a salute]
You can take the boy outta Indiana, but you can’t take Indiana out of the boy.
You remember when I told you about Tommy and Preach sitting at the table in that camper, planning world domination?
[Off tape]
Yes.
Well, there’s a lot of stories about a lot of bands. From the almost pathological dysfunction of Fleetwood Mac to ZZ Top’s “same three guys, same three chords.”
Preacher and Tommy were determined that we were not gonna be Fleetwood Mac.
[Shakes head]
Don’t get me wrong, every move was not calculated.
Lyla for one.
But it is very rare a member of a band goes into that band with a mind to keeping that band together at all costs. With a plan on how to do that. Understanding the pitfalls and planning to avoid them.
They wanna write music.
They wanna play music.
They want people to want to listen to their music.
They wanna bag chicks.
They want success.
They want adulation.
And the last thing on their mind is: this band has talent, it’s going places, so no matter what, this cannot go wrong.
When he opened that back-camper door and saw Tommy Mancosa, like he’d sussed out me and Tim, Nicky and Ricky, he sussed out Tom.
And Tommy was an answer to Preacher’s prayers.
It wasn’t about making the band the greatest band in the world.
It was about keeping us together and guiding us to a career, not a one-hit wonder, not a footnote, not a cautionary tale.
A career.
I thought it was Tommy, but they had it all strategized.
The both of them.
Tom took care of the journey.
Preacher took care of the band.
[Shifts forward in his chair]
You see, and now this is the important shit, so listen up.
From nine years old, Preacher McCade lived for one thing.
To acquire the clout where someone would listen to him.
He told that detective his brother had been murdered. He took a major risk doing that. Literally a mortal risk. His parents beat the absolute snot out of him when that cop asked some throwaway questions to his folks and they figured out Preach did that.
But the man didn’t listen to Preacher.
And at the time, this risk he takes is about ending his own misery.
But it’s also about finding his brother.
Like men who beat women, parents who beat their children are master manipulators.
They told that detective that Preacher was prone to telling tales before their son went missing, and since the brothers were close, Preacher was not himself, worried about his little brother and that was how he was coping.
These people are white trash, poor as dirt, but they’re goddamn masterminds.
Dia-goddamned-bolical.
He was Larry Bird.
[Nods]
Now, makin’ it clear, Larry doesn’t have murderous parents.
But yeah.
Preacher had a dream and he had talent.
He took that talent and he worked his ass off.
To realize his dream.
I have no excuses.
Looking back, there are none.
I shoulda seen it.
I had nine years to see it.
Nine years to see how Preacher took care of the band.
I noticed all Tommy did to keep our shit tight.
I didn’t notice all Preacher did.
Dave’s a fuckin’ lunatic.
Tim’s an airhead.
Shawn’s got more talent than all of us, a solo career he could just reach out and grab, so he could walk at any time.
And I’m clueless.
Preach wrote most of the music. He helped produce the music. He played the music. He promoted the music.
And all that is more than a full-time job.
But he did all of that and also held the band together.
When we wrote songs, he listened to them and included them.
He’s got killer basslines for me. He’s sure Timmy’s got a number of solos, songs he plays lead, songs he sings lead. He sees to it that onstage, Dave gets a ten-minute drum solo and the occasion to act like a wild man. He gives Shawn an opportunity he might not have had to a life he deserved, but the world wasn’t gonna make it easy for him. He includes us in production. He delegates to Tom who sees to our every other need.
So yeah, he was the creative force behind Preacher McCade and the Roadmasters and the star of the show.
And he held the band together.
And that’s basis for sainthood.
[Off tape]
The trial was interesting in the sense of the Roadmasters.
[Nods]
That story hit, we were all in to back Preacher.
But he’d disappeared.
We had fucked up, and Tom, DuShawn and me felt that the most, but Dave and Tim also felt like total assholes.
So, even though no one can find