The Beat Beneath My Feet Page #2

She's been chatting since ten

I don't wanna have a fight with

you So think it all over, have a drink or two

I said, leave me alone I just

wanna hang with my friends

Help me out

She's driving me round the bend

Tom, Tom, Tom. Come on.

- How you doing, buddy?

- Not bad, Dad.

Good, good. Got any cash?

Whoa. You dealing drugs?

No.

Running an extortion racket?

Auntie's been giving me 30 every

Christmas and birthday since 2008.

And my paper round's between 7 and 9 pounds,

depending how many flyers they put in.

And they gave me my jumperback

last Christmas which I kept the money for.

Good because

I'm not an extortionist.

No, you're not.

You look fantastic in your glasses.

Your mum has excelled herself.

I came out to have a drink or two

So just think about it, I'm not fighting with you

I said, leave me alone I just

wanna hang with my friends

- What's the hurry?

- Late for rehearsal. Battle of the Bands.

- You're in a band?

- I sing. Play guitar.

I am so gonna get

an exclusion order on you.

Yeah, stay away from me. Pervert!

My dad's getting

me a new guitar.

Great. Why don't you get him to

teach you how to play it?

He would but he's

too busy at the mo.

- Right.

- I've written a new riff.

Ah, well... why don't you go in

your studio here and play it.

Invert it.

Play it somewhere else.

No, on the guitar.

Oh.

Play the chord.

Give me a 'D' two frets up.

Now back to the 'E', on the 12th.

It's like the same chord further up.

Inversion.

Can you still do that with the...?

Don't worry about my hand.

Just keep playing.

In front of an audience.

Well done.

Thanks. Can I leave it here?

No, just take it.

I can't.

- Why not?

- My mum doesn't know I've got it.

- Where do you keep it?

- In the air vent. On the roof.

Why?

Dad's in a band and mum hates

everything he stands for.

She'd go mental if she found out

I was doing music.

She wants me to be a solicitor

or something like her stupid friends.

Yeah, that's real interesting.

Not the solicitor part,

of course, but the secrets.

You got secrets.

So the way I see it, we have us

a blackmail Mexican stand-off.

You try to ruin my life,

I will ruin yours.

I like that.

It's a balance of power.

Takes us back to the way we were before.

We can just go on ignoring each other.

Yeah, but it's not balanced.

I'll tell everyone

that you're Max Stone.

Yeah, and I will tell your mum

about the Devil's music.

Well, I'll tell everyone

you tried to touch me.

Someone help, it's a pedo!

Pedo, retard.

Stefan Pavlovski.

Stefan Pavlovski?

Smoking helps with the pain.

You're not even supposed to

smoke cigarettes out there.

Would you tuck yourself in.

Oh, yeah. Sorry, nurse.

Don't call me that.

- You haven't done your exercises, have you?

- No.

- Why do you bother coming?

- If I don't they cut off my disability benefit.

- Okay, let's leave it there.

- Yes.

I'm seeing my dad tomorrow.

By next lesson I'll have a proper axe.

- Leave me alone.

- Tom.

Tom.

Well it rained all night and

it's cold all day

I can't carry the weight,

think I might die

The cupboard's empty again

Oh my belly cries out

I'm so hungry that

I think I might die

What's going on in here?

It's, it's Tom's dad.

- What happened to him?

- He's run away to Spain with some girl.

Not a word. He didn't

even say goodbye to Tom.

Tom. Don't throw anything,

I'm coming in.

I've wrecked a few rooms in my day.

It's good work.

He took my money.

You're gonna have to get used to

that in this business.

So you think I can do it?

Got a few things

working against you.

Like?

Crippling shyness that renders you incapable

of playing in front of anyone except me.

Right, apart from that.

You've gotta find

your own voice.

Every great guitar

player has a unique voice.

Clapton, Hendrix, Johnson.

Who's Johnson?

Robert Leroy Johnson.

Story goes that when he first

started playing guitar...

...he was so bad people

laughed. He was embarrassed.

So one night

he goes to a crossroads.

Clarksdale,

Mississippi.Midnight.

Sells his soul to the Devil.

After that he was the greatest

Blues guitarist the world had ever seen.

So like you but

the other way round.

Get it? Because you were good

then you sold your soul and now...

Yeah, I get it.

Now someday you may have minions that will

take care of all this but until then...

...I suggest that you

apologise to the management.

Start cleaning this up.

You look like a weirdo.

Like you're gonna start screaming.

- Yeah, well, I just might.

- Famous like 100 years ago.

You recognised me.

That's because

I'm knowledgeable.

I forgot, you're a regular

little idiot savant.

- What happened to all your cash?

- What?

Don't you get

royalties and stuff?

I lost it all.

- You must have had such a good time.

- I sure hope so.

I don't remember any of the good parts.

I don't remember a damn thing.

- What can I do for you gents?

- Need a budget amp.

6 pack of those

electra sound lights.

You been in here before?

No?

I call this one Sharon

after my ex-girlfriend.

Cheap, easy to pick up

and it packs a right punch.

Whatever. How much does it cost?

Say 30 for the amp.4 for the strings.

Let's call it 35?

Max Stone, that's who you look like.

From Nothing.

Sore point. He got fired

from their tribute band.

Yeah, I know there

was all that nonsense but...

...people forget how

good he actually was.

Rock Guitars' guitarist of 1993.

That guy's dead.

Wanna keep it that way.

I'd do it.

I'd sell my soul.

Sometimes the Devil cheats.

You'll get the hang of it.

Show me.

Can't do it.

Don't play anything

you don't feel.

The Devil cheated me

Took me for a ride

Packed me in his limousine

Drove me to the other side

The Devil cheated me

What a hell of a ride

He showed me good times

He showed me fun

He said "You can

have all of this, son

All for nothing

All for free

Just sign your name on this

dotted line for me"

The Devil cheated me

Took me for a ride

Calculating your route.

Stuffed me in his limousine

Chauffeured me to the darker side

I lost my soul

But what a hell of a ride

He showed me wild times

Wine, women and song

He said "Son,

this is where you belong

All your desires

All your needs

Will be fulfilled, so c'mon,

sign these deeds"

The Devil cheated me

The Devil cheated me

Perform a U-turn immediately.

The Devil cheated me

The Devil cheated me

- Danger.

- END OF ROAD

Danger.

You've reached your destination.

Hello, Mr.. Angry.

How's it going with your band?

I'm just working

on some new material.

I'd love to hear it sometime.

See you around.

- Steve?

- Yeah. Just a minute.

Hi.

I just came by to say

thank you for the other day.

- Is this a bad time?

- Yeah, it is, actually. I was just...

Smashing some crockery.

Well, yeah.

Well, I can clear it up for you.

No! Don't.It's... Just go.

But come back later. You and Tom.

Yeah.

You should come back for dinner.

Really?

Okay.

I can bring the food.

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