PUNKS Ch. 21: The Starlight Lounge

January 1995

"Oh my God," Jenna laughed, "I don't know what you told her, but she's definitely feeling the burn of jealousy."

"Don't you think that's fucked up? She's married, refuses to leave him, and she's stupidly jealous of anyone I'm with."

"It's definitely messed up, especially when you consider she could have had you back at any time. What did you tell her about Jasmine?"

"The truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth."

"No, you didn't, because you said Jasmine could be the one when she's not. Her thinking you may have found the one is what irked Tina more than anything."

"That's not a lie, Jen. There was a stretch when I seriously thought Jas was it. It was the truth at one time."

"If Jasmine had committed to you, you'd be off the market?"

"That's where my head was for most of last year, but now I don't think so."

"It doesn't matter. You just make Tina believe Jasmine is the one. So what's this about you coming out next month?"

"Yeah, but no dates are set. I'll let you know."

"I'm looking at the calendar. She'll be out of town at the end of this month. There's a conference in Miami the same week as the Super Bowl. Troy scored tickets and is going with her. She has no interest in the game, but she's going."

"Another vacation with hubby? She didn't tell me about going to the Super Bowl."

"I wonder why? He's working hard trying to make things right. All she wanted to do was get out of the cold for a week and relax. Now she has him tagging along."

"That's why I live where I do. Winter blows."

"February is wide open," Jenna said. "Let us know."

"I'll give you the dates when I get them."

"Okay. Look, Joe. I'm sure she'll offer to fuck you. You can't let her touch you."

"What makes you say that?"

"Tina wants you to be thinking of her. It doesn't matter that she's married or if you have Jasmine. She wants you to never forget her."

"That's fucked up."

"Is it, Joe? Because I think you feel the same. You can't let her forget you. She knows that. I get very frustrated with her sometimes when she starts scheming and trying to control... " Jenna paused. "Nevermind."

"No, go on with the scheming and control. What about it?"

"No. I can't. You know I love Tina, but I don't always agree with the things she does. She has a dark side... as we all do, and it gets her in trouble."

"I've seen her dark side."

"I know you have. Maybe someday we'll talk about that."

-- Good Neighbors --

Joe waited in line at The Grind for his morning coffee. Annie smiled at him while waiting on the customer in front of him. When Joe reached the counter, Annie walked around and hugged him.

"Happy Birthday, hon. Everything is on the house today."

"Really?" Joe smiled wide. "I'll take my usual redeye and that chocolate croissant." He pointed to the pastry display case, "and one of those lemon squares, and that cinnamon muffin, and I think..."

"Very funny," Annie lightly slapped his cheek, "A free coffee and one pastry."

"So it's your birthday? A voice behind Joe called out.

He turned to see his neighbor Carl, a fifty-ish tradesman who advised him on his roof deck project. "Yeah, it's my big day."

"How old?"

"Thirty-four."

"Do you have any big plans?"

"My new band is playing at The Surfside tonight?"

Joe overheard another patron half whispering to a friend he was with. Joe turned sideways and glared at Frank, the busybody. "Do you have something to say, old man?"

Frank's eyes widened, not realizing his voice carried. "Ummm, no, just talking here."

"Yeah, I know. You're talking shit about me and my girl. Why don't you tell everyone here what you said, and why? Oh never mind, you already have!" Joe looked around the cafe, there were twenty-ish patrons enjoying coffee, reading the newspaper, or waiting in line behind him. Joe raised his voice. "Everyone knows I fucked my girl in my car on my property! And you, the peeping Tom of Venice, watched through your fence. Yeah, I know about that, because you ran your mouth and it got back to me. You're a creepy old peeper."

"Maybe you shouldn't be..."

"You also made disparaging remarks about Jasmine. Maybe you should mind your own goddamn business and keep our names out of your mouth." Joe stepped closer. "Or I'll shut that hole for you."

Carl stood and stepped between Joe and Frank. "Joe." He put a hand on his chest. "Let it go. He's not worth the trouble."

With Carl between them, Frank got brave. "As I was trying to say, maybe you shouldn't have intercourse in the back alley, like a tom cat in heat."

Annie rushed in, "You shut your mouth, Frank! Every day I listen to you prattle on, talking about everyone's business because you have nothing else in your life except gossip. I've had enough. If you can't be a good neighbor, don't come to my shop. I don't need your business or this disruption." She turned to Joe. "This isn't the first time he's been called out."

The entire shop was silent. No one could believe soft-spoken, loveable Annie, owner of the coffee shop and mother of the neighborhood, could be so forceful. Her eyes said it all, she was pissed off.

She turned back to Frank, "You sit here every morning with a cup of coffee, read your paper, and occupy one of my precious few tables for hours. You cost me more than your business is worth."

Frank sat there in shock. Joe backed off,put a hand on Annie's shoulder, and walked her back to the counter. "It's okay. It's not a big deal. I overreacted."

"No, you didn't," Annie turned back to Frank. "I heard what you just said, and it was disgusting. If you can't keep that racist garbage to yourself, don't come here." She pointed a finger as Joe pushed her away, "This isn't the first time, Frank, but it's definitely the last time you create a scene here."

Joe hugged Annie. "Thank you. You're the best."

"I can't take his shit anymore."

"I know. He's a sad and lonely old man. Let it go."

Joe took his coffee and croissant and walked toward the door. Another neighbor, Walter, a kindly older man, reached out and touched Joe's arm as he passed. He nodded and smiled, "Nice way to kick off your birthday."

Joe smiled, appreciating Walter's gesture.

The old man smiled. "Happy birthday, Joe."

"Happy birthday, Joe," A married couple sitting by the window said in stereo.

"Thanks. It's nice to have good neighbors."

Joe went upstairs and sat on his new roof deck with a view of the ocean a half mile away. He didn't care to sit in the uncomfortable aftermath of the scene he'd just created. Even in his anger, he felt bad for Frank. He was a sad and lonely old widower with nothing but a house and a yippy little dog in his life. He didn't want the old man banned from The Grind. He just wanted him to shut the fuck up.

--- Back Without Popular Demand --

Joe and Danny loaded gear in a van behind the studio.

"I went to my first concert when I was fourteen, Queen in 1975. It was like a drug. I was addicted. After that, I saw every decent band that came to the Civic Center." He secured the bass drum with bungee cords. "The artists that affected me were the stage performers, like Freddie and David Bowie. They did more than music. They put on a show."

Danny handed him the toms. "My first show was Pink Floyd. They put on a spectacle."

"Yes, but they're using technology and props we can't afford. I'm talking about stage presence and simple things like how you move when you perform."

They made another trip inside, hauling amps out to the van. Joe kept yapping as they worked.

"I saw The Tubes twice. They're theatrical. Seeing them play opened my eyes. When I was sixteen I started writing ideas for a stage show, nothing elaborate, just gags and skits. The Tubes had dancers and amazing costumes. I had to use drunk girls from the audience to stage the Punk Chick Dance Contest. It was low-budget, but it worked. You never knew what these girls might do once the attention was on them. Some chicks practically stripped. I was molested so many times. The crowd loved it."

Joe stopped talking to lift his heavy tube amp into the van. He turned and took Danny's amp and slid it inside.

"One night, a drunk girl in Worcester tried to steal the T-shirt off my back. I resisted and it turned into a wrestling match. The punks went crazy. So, from that day on I made the shirt on my back the prize for winning the dance contest."

"But you resisted to create drama."

"Yup. It got dirty at times. I got kicked in the balls twice. They pulled my hair. I subdued a few girls and spanked them. That was just one gag we did. We had a bunch; TV theme song singalongs, and did Name That Tune. We let girls come up and sing back up."

"That sounds like a fun show."

"That was always the first compliment we got from fans, by far. Everyone said, 'You guys are so much fun."

"Is this your long-winded way of telling me you're gonna pull some shit tonight?"

Joe handed Danny guitars to pack in the van. "I don't know. What I'm saying is you need to do more than just play your instrument. Dance with that big bad bass you're holding. Treat it like a woman. Every movement on stage can be heightened, made part of the show."

"If you haven't noticed," Danny paused to look at Joe, "I'm not a flashy guy."

"You don't have to be. Just don't be boring, standing like a statue. You gotta move with the groove."

"I'll do what I can."

"You'll do more than you think you can." Joe shoved him lightly. "And once you do, it'll be your thing. Start by dancing with that big beautiful bass. You'll start to feel it, and then you'll surrender."

Joe was now twice the age of the young version of himself who developed the punk rock carnival sideshow. His opinion on live performances had not changed. He still felt you had to have panache on stage to set yourself apart from the bands that simply played their music as if no one was in the room.

Chico knew Joe's tricks from their first run with The Eldorados and almost five years with City of Angels. Chico wasn't flashy, but he had his own stage moves. Joe was working on Danny, trying to get him to embrace the show. He wasn't worried about the new kid. He told his teenage drummer, "Don't change a damn thing." Bobby was already enthusiastic and flashy enough.

As they set up at The Surfside, Joe kept talking. "We're not just playing the music. It's a performance."

Danny would nod and keep working.

"We aim the beat at their feet," Joe kept on. "You have to feel the groove with them. The guy that used to own that bass used it like a stripper pole. Dale was a performer."

"I'll do my best."

"If you let go and let the beat take over, you might surprise yourself. You'll lose all inhibition."

When the new version of The Eldorados took the stage, the divey beach bar was nearly packed with a line outdoors having IDs checked and paying the cover charge. Jasmine had just slipped in as the band opened with the famous Link Wray instrumental Rumble.

The band then launched into Lonesome Train. What should be the dance floor was filling fast with patrons who couldn't get a seat. They moved in place, and danced, inching closer to the band as the club was backfilling.

Joe watched Danny, peeking over at his new bass player several times per song to see if he was taking his advice. It appeared he was moving more as the set progressed. When Danny twirled his bass during song number eight, Joe felt he was catching on.

After hanging with Jasmine and her friend Denise during set break, Joe rejoined Danny onstage to start their second set, the bassist admitted it took him a few songs to find his groove. "You're all over the stage." Danny said, "And I see Chico doing his thing, playing flashy, so I felt I better step up my game."

Bobby was a natural. The kid never stopped smiling. He kept the beat and got a little wild at times, adding more percussive flair than he did in practice. Each one landed perfectly in rhythm.

After the show, Joe sat at the bar with his neighbors, Jas, and Denise. He would have liked to hang out longer, but he had other plans. He was determined to get him and Jasmine back on track. Christmas, and the bullshit of her family issues, had left them in a less-than-ideal state before he flew east.

Sitting on his roof deck, under the stars, with a 2 AM ocean breeze blowing her hair sideways, Jasmine listened to Joe explain his confrontation with Frank and how Annie cut the old man down.

"I Love Annie," Jasmine said, "She's always sweet to me."

"I've never seen her angry. It was unnerving."

"He can't see us up here, right?"

"Nope."

Jas slid closer to Joe, kissed him, and reached down for his junk. She undid his belt. Within seconds his pants were off. Jas slipped off the seat and pulled the cushion off, placing it on the deck to kneel on. She massaged Joe's cock, "Happy birthday, baby."

"It's not my birthday. You're two hours late."

Jas took Joe's head between her lips and moved down, taking his knob deep in her mouth, sucking for a minute, then pushing deeper. He grew harder inside her. As Jasmine sucked his cock, Joe decided to test his neighbor.

"Oh, my God, baby! You're fucking amazing!" He banged the wood railing of the deck. "Ohhhh, yes!"

Jasmine laughed with a mouthful of cock. She went deeper, and worked him harder, taking most of his shaft inside her. Joe continued to make noise, practically shouting, banging the table. It took a while, but the dog started yipping. A few minutes later, the glow of Frank's flood light came on. His back door opened and closed. Jas stopped.

"Ohhhh, Joe!" She screamed. "Oh, baby!"

"Ahhhhh, yes!" Joe shouted.

The dog kept barking as they carried on, making noise, and giggling between outbursts. Jas went back to her birthday blow job. Going hard and deep, sucking his cock with determination. Joe continued to put on the show. They heard the door open and close again. The dog was now inside, his bark barely audible.

When Joe shot his load, he let out one final, prolonged outburst. Jas swallowed, sucked him a little longer, then gave one last shout of her own, "Ohhhh, Joe baby."

Joe held her close, "Thank you, baby."

"Do you think he'll talk about us again?"

"We'll soon find out."

*****

Joe found it odd that Tina never called to wish him a happy birthday. After his last trip, she said she'd do a better job staying in touch. Meanwhile, he and Jenna were emailing and talking on the phone. Joe expressed his surprise to Jen.

"She always calls around my birthday, except for the year she cut me off. I suppose it doesn't matter. The calls are always the same."

"What do you mean?"

"I get a lot of, 'I miss you. I wish I could see you.', and after a while that gets old when she never does anything to see me. Aside from that one rainy Sunday, I've only seen her during business hours."

"Everything is on her terms," Jenna said flatly.

"Yeah. It's always been like that. Most of the time that's fine, but lately, I'm feeling less inclined to do the heavy lifting."

"And that's how we make this plan work. Don't go out of your way to see her. Tell you how you feel, that you're disappointed and you're tired of feeling that way. You need her to know that all is not well."

"I can handle that part, because I don't want to jump through hoops anymore, like adjusting my plans to see her. I've changed flights more than once to accommodate her. I'm just tired of it, especially when she's unwilling to do that for me."

"To be fair, you always let her set the rules. You've created this monster. And she accommodates you in her own special way."

"I know," Joe said, "Cheating on her husband is a big one."

"And that's how you know she'd do anything for you, Joe. You've made it easy for her to meet you one-tenth of the way while you fly cross country and do the rest."

"Well, she's not going to like my next phone call."

"Why is that?"

"Ya know, Jen. I'm gonna let Tina tell you."

After Tina went another week without contact, Joe decided he'd phone her to give her another piece of bad news. Jenna on the other hand might find it amusing. At the very least she would be pleased Joe was sticking to her plan, more or less. Joe called Tina mid-week, late in her work day.

'Hey T, it's me."

"Wow. This is unexpected. What's going on?"

"I just had a last-minute thing come up. I'll be in town next week."

"You're kidding me."

"No."

"I'll be in Miami all week, at a conference, and the Super Bowl."

"You hate football."

"Troy loves football. When I told him I was going to this art show he bought tickets and invited himself."

"Well that bites, but Miami isn't gonna suck in January."

"You won't be there, you'll be here."

"Oh yeah, Miami sucks hard."

"I can't believe it. This is the fourth trip in a row I won't see you."

"Sucks to be you."

"Why are you being a dick about it?"

"I guess I'm just immune to the disappointments, after so many."

"That's not nice. I miss you and would love to see you. It's been what, five months?"

"Yeah, that's what I mean by disappointment, T. I come out there and maybe I'll see you, maybe I won't, maybe you'll be on a second honeymoon. I just have to take what I can get, and lately, it's not working out."

"You'll be here in a few weeks, mid-February?"

"No. That's what this trip is. They pushed it up."

That news was met with silence. Joe waited for a response. None came.

"There's nothing I can do, T. I'm not setting the schedule."

"This is depressing. Aside from that stupid moment in the Bistro men's room, we haven't talked face to face since..." Tina paused, not wanting to bring up Joe's past crimes. "Well, you know when."

"Yeah, I do. You said you'd try harder to stay in touch, but it's been weeks. Honestly, T. If you're not willing to make a phone call, I'm not going to get too upset when my travel doesn't work for you. It is what it is."

"I'm sorry, Joe. There's a lot going on. I don't have enough hours in the day to deal with my shit here. I'll do better. Just give me time to get through this rough patch."

"I'm sorry to hear you're having a hard time. Things are great here. That band from Seattle that I took out a few months back, their record is hot. They have two hits and we're planning a national tour of theaters."

"What's the band's name?"

"Beacon Hill."

"Oh yeah, I've heard them on WNYU. That's your band?"

"Yup. And the kids from Phoenix, The Jumping Chollas, they're doing great too."

"And your Live at Budokan CD is excellent."

"Yeah, sales are very strong. Thanks. Things are looking good for Guerilla Records."

The truth was, there was no business in New York in late January. Joe knew he would have a very difficult time resisting a sexual advance from Tina, so he thought it best to visit again when she was not available. That tactic was working. Knowing she'd be out of town that week, Joe figured he'd run that play one more time. He also wanted to visit someone else. Later that same day, in the early evening, his home phone rang.

"Hi, Jenna. I've been expecting your call."

"You're coming out next week?"

"Yes, a change of plans."

"When did this happen?"

"Last minute, it just happened."

"Tina is very upset."

"What are ya gonna do?"

"She said you were being a dick about it."

"I'm being matter-of-fact about it. It is what it is. I'll be there and whoever wants to see me I'll see. I can't worry about who's not there."

"Will you come by the gallery?"

"Fuck no, and have Brittany and her visitor's log rat me out to the boss lady?"

"Yeah, that thing sucks. You're probably right to not come here. When are you flying?

"I'll be there Friday afternoon."

"Can we hang out that night?"

"Absolutely."

-- The Starlight Lounge --

Eight days later Joe landed at JFK and used a car service into the city. He stopped in at the Guerilla offices to kill an hour before check-in time at The Chelsea. Laura and the crew were pleased to see him but surprised. He had no business. That made Laura suspicious. He called Jenna from his hotel room right after he checked in.