Date: Wed, 26 Jul 2000 04:51:45 -0700 (PDT) From: Darren LeVanelle Subject: Everything I Said Chapter 1 *********************************************************************** Hello. And Welcome to the series 'Everything I Said'. This was born out of a combination of thoughts from various different stories I have read here on Nifty. I wanted to start out with a bang but my current series is suffering from my over zealousness and lack of letting things slip instead of trying to be perfect. This story is a work of fiction and in no way implies anything about the real life sexuality of the boy-band 'N Sync. Without further fuss, here is chapter 1 of what I hope will be an enjoyable story. Like everything else I do it is a slow, romantic story with just the right touch of everything...I hope. The sex will come later so this will have to do for now. Send all comments to levanelle@yahoo.com cause I love to hear from all of my readers, whether good or bad cause I like to get various opinions on my work. Whether you loved it or you hated it, drop me a line ok? Enjoy!!! *********************************************************************** EVERYTHING I SAID - Chapter 1 - Written by Darren LeVanelle "Lance I need you to sing INTO the mic ok? Joey just a little more volume. Justin, stop screwing around we don't have all day." I looked back down at the mixing console and readjusted the levelers and made a cue to the guys onstage. "On three fellas go right into the harmony." The five guys onstage, partly my employers, nodded in my direction as I counted down with my fingers. They simultaneously hit the notes, properly this time, as I made minor adjustments to the cuts and trims. "Ok. I think we've got it guys. That's a wrap." They all made a sigh of relief as the soundcheck ended. Good grief. They sure knew how to make my life miserable. As soon as the guys were off-stage I could see them taking off towards the stadium seating to take a rest and talk to one another. Fine by me. My work is done and the rest can be taken care of during the performance. I may work for what many girls on the planet consider the five most delicious dreamboats. But to me they were five guys who rarely got their act together and acted seriously. Well. There was one exception. And his name was JC. Just so everyone knows my name is Jeremy Hollis. I'm a mixing and recording engineer who's current job is a live mixing technician in employment of JIVE records, specifically for the North American tour of 'N Sync, the hit bubble-gum pop boy-band. And god do I hate this job. But it pays the bills and gives me plenty of traveling across the country but working for these brats was beyond me. Actually, working for anyone as a technician bothers the hell out of me. I graduated from Chico State of California just last year with a BA in Commercial Recording and Production. That's right...double major. It did take me an extra semester but it was worth the wait. I wanted to know how to record as well as to produce, an important decision considering that I wanted to be like these guys someday. Well, ok, I didn't want to be some cheesy boy-band member but I DEFINITELY wanted to be a recording artist. And the levelheaded guy that I was made me think the major in performance wouldn't account for crap. I was gonna earn my way into a recording contract the right way so I decided to do the next best thing. I was gonna sneak through the back door. About 4 weeks after I graduated I applied for a technician position on Sarah McLachlan's tour. She was the sweetest and most down to earth woman I have ever met. That's how I got started into doing this. Mixing in a live environment is the toughest to do, but I never had a problem with it. Must be the reason why my Recording Teacher loved me. That was a year ago, and here I am now working with a group that has no substance as far as I'm concerned. But they've got what I don't have. 10 million plus in record sales and fans worldwide. That's what I was gonna need. But there was one more fly in this little ointment to get me where I wanted to be. You see, I'm gay. So why the resentment towards the guys? No particular reason. I will admit that I think three of them are really good looking but they all act like school children and rascals. How could I be seriously interested in someone who grinds their hips for pre-pubescent girls for a living? I know, I don't have much room to talk. But they act so damn immature. How could I desire someone like that? But like I said, then there was JC. He was a little different than the other four. He acted more responsible (Which doesn't say a whole lot), a lot more mature, and he got into it if the other guys were slacking off too much. Sometimes he did my job for me and I LIKE that! And yeah, he was cute as hell. The blue eyes alone would have caught and reeled me in. But seeing that he was a member of a boy-band and completely in the public eye constantly, that and he never said much to me. We've spoken on probably five different occasions and that was only because he had something wrong with his mic and needed me to fix it. Well at least he came up to me and said something about it, unlike the other guys who would just wait for me to catch it. He was courteous, kind, very VERY attractive, and no matter what happened he always took the time to look my way and smile before going off to do his thing. And that happened even when he was in a bad mood. Yeah there's an attraction there but he's probably straight as a board and I doubt I'd have the courage to actually talk to him. Oh yeah. And he's a member of a Boy-Band. But I've only been working here for about a month so maybe things could change. Hmm...nah! I'm fooling myself on that one. Besides I really don't like 'N Sync. "Hey guys!" I practically yelled into the microphone. I saw a few of them jump out of their seats as my voice boomed through the empty stadium. This job does have some perks. "We have about 45 minutes to do a run through of the set list and see if everything is ok." They all grumbled as I got them up and ready to work, "C'mon. Move it. I'm not getting any younger!" They reluctantly moved from the front rows and back towards the stage. Ok. They were moving REALLY slowly which was somewhere along the lines of normal. As usual, JC was the first one on stage followed by Joey. Lance, Chris, and Justin all sort of followed shortly thereafter, but it still seemed like minutes even when I knew by my watch it had only been about one. I shook my head before leaning down to my microphone. "No need to dance yet guys. This is just a vocal check of the equipment. You know the drill." I was returned with five bewildered gazes and the body language of five VERY exhausted guys. They were always a little sluggish, and I wouldn't blame them. Today it was a little more apparent and I wondered, was it an exaggeration or where they in a desperate need for a break. I cued up the backing track and signaled the band. The stadium filled with a lush sound of strings and then Justin took his position as he ad-libbed the opening part of 'Bye, bye, bye' very sluggishly. JC started up the first verse in his usual style. 'I'm doing this tonight' 'You're probably gonna start a fight' 'I know this can't be right' 'Hey baby c'mon' 'I loved you endlessly' 'When you weren't there for me' 'So now it's time to leave and make it alone' 'I know that I can't take no more' 'It ain't no lie' 'I wanna see you out that door' 'Baby bye, bye, bye' The guys joined in for the chorus while I squirmed in my seat. God they were sounding awful. JC was the only one who was sounding even half-way decent and that's giving a lot of room for argument. Nevertheless, they survived through the entire length of the song, even if it did sound crappy. Next they started the harmony for 'Sailing' which, I will admit, is one of my favorite songs to hear them sing. JC just carries that song with his heart and all the guys voices just blend so smoothly together. Always a joy to hear. They hit their opening just fine. I issued a sigh of relief. But as JC started to sing his voice would crack. He kept recovering nicely but after hearing him repeat the same mistake five times in the first verse and chorus I decided to call it a day. "Cut. Ok guys you can stop now." "What?" they all asked in a unified voice. "Do you really want me to explain?" They nodded their heads collectively. "Fine then. I may have only been your technician for a month and I don't know all your songs by heart I can tell when you guys sound like crap." All of their heads sort of snapped in my direction, like an employee had the audacity to criticize their work. "I know it sounds bad, but really guys." I pointed out the mistakes from each one. "Lance and Chris. During 'Bye, bye, bye' you two continually messed up on the same note. Chris," I addressed him personally, "You kept raising the note a half-step up from what it should be and Lance," I turned my attention towards him, "You kept signing a whole step down. Now call me insane but with three of you guys singing in B, Chris singing in C and Lance singing in A, all five of you are hitting a collective A diminished 3rd with an accent on the 8th which sounds horrible." They all just sort of stared at me. "And that's just the beginning. Justin," he just glared at me while I commented, "you need to breathe. The sound is seeping through your nose and makes you sound too breathy. This isn't 'Promise'. Joey you're doing ok but you need to hit the note a little stronger than usual and JC." As I mentioned his name he turned around so he didn't even have to look at me. "I don't know what the problem is but your voice is squeaking and you keep hitting the notes sharp. Try some hot tea with lemon before you go to bed tonight and before the concert tomorrow." JC turned back around and joined his band-mates as they all gazed in my direction with questioning eyes. "What? Is there something in my hair?" I asked jokingly. "How do you know all that?" JC asked in his casual voice, the remaining members of 'N Sync just nodding along as he finished the question. It just then occurred to me that I never really talked to these guys so there was no way in spades that they would know that I'm a musician too. "I've played music since I was five. Believe me I know." They all gasped out 'Oh' before heading back over to the mics. Obviously they didn't understand why I stopped them. "Um guys. The reason why I stopped the session was because you guys really need to get some rest or take a break." I got up from the console and turned everything off. They were all looking at me, confusion still in their expressions. "C'mon guys, seriously. If anyone asks I didn't feel good and we can meet up here tomorrow at 8 in the morning ok?" They agreed and everyone headed out to the hotel. After I got to my hotel room I ran for the shower. A good relaxing hot shower, oh yeah, and occasionally a clove afterwards always made me relaxed and in a good mood. (Warning: Smoking is dangerous for your health, and can cause several serious diseases and increases the chance of lung cancer. Not to mention it can be very BAD for singers and similar musicians. I do not recommend starting but if you do smoke I DO recommend quitting. This is just something to add depth to the character. -Darren) After I got changed into something comfortable, which was usually a pair of boxers and a white t-shirt, I flopped down on my bed and opened up my laptop. Yep. You guessed it. Internet junkie and proud of it. I love surfing the web. Not to mention it's a lot cheaper to keep in touch with friends via e-mail than it is to actually talk on the phone. Not that I didn't have a cell phone on me. On the contrary, it was with me at all times. But the bill got quite expensive during the 'Surfacing' tour and I decided on an alternative route. It took a few minutes for the thing to boot up. And that is why I swear I will NEVER buy a Compaq laptop ever again. Next time, I'll get something better like an IBM or maybe even a Mac. My desktop at home is a Mac, (They have AWESOME music sequencing software) and come to think of it, a Mac would probably be better on the road if I think of some music out of the middle of nowhere on tour. I checked my e-mail, which was a daily ritual, and found most of the same. Junk. Junk. Junk. Which meant I was gonna be dumping a lot of K into the trash bin. But there was some good stuff in there. My mom sent me a letter. How sweet. She was the one calling me all the time when I was on tour with Sarah. I scanned through he letter quickly, like I always did, laughing as I read some of it. You just have to know my mom to understand her humor. It went something like this. Hey Jeremy, Hi. This is mom although I KNOW you know already because of my subject line and address. I just wanted to say hello and see how things are going for you. Was wondering if you talked to Dan any time recently. I really miss him. If you hear from him tell him to call. And send me his number since he doesn't want to call me anymore. I really wish you two would get back together. Well I'm not going to bash you about him anymore I PROMISE. Tell your father I said hi. We're not on good terms since I got custody of your little brother. Oh, I forgot to tell you about that. Well Cody is staying with me now so you'll have to give me a call when you're in San Francisco next. And Theresa wants you to stop back by when the tour passes through Sacramento. Her and Robert are getting MARRIED! I know you know about that. She also wants to know if you can, as she put it, score her some backstage passes cause she wants to meet the guys. I know YOU must be excited to work with them. Give me a call sometime. I love you. Mom Geez, thanks a lot. Have to rub it in. As you've already guessed, yes, my mom LOVES my ex-boyfriend Dan. We were in love, but we fought all the time. Since we officially broke up my mom has been wagering a war for us to get back together. No matter how much I tell her it'll never happen, she still insists that we were meant to be. Sorry mom. Relationships are about compromise, not absolutes. Well. Enough of that. The other e-mails were from friends and another was from my younger sister Theresa. We were close. She asked about passes, I replied I'd let her know although I couldn't guarantee squat. One of my friends wanted to chat and told me to go online. I decided what the hell and was quickly connecting through my AOL Instant Messenger. What's up Mizz? Well excuse me for wanting to try and talk to you. You're such a queen. How has it been. Let's see. I'm stuck in this crummy apartment while you tour the entire northern continent with those hotties! My old roommate loved 'N Sync. As soon as I started this tour he was asking me about everything. What they did, where they went. It get's annoying sometimes. It's not all it's cracked up to be Mizz. Stop calling me Mizz!!! Ok...Hoover! Bitch! Cunt! Eric! Dirty Hoe! I resent that. I'm not Brooke. Well I hope things are going ok there. The rents always paid, thanks to you. The least I could do. I do have the extra cash and you do need to finish school. How's that going? Just fine. There's this FINE ass guy in my Fashion Design class and he is just SO all that. I'd like to worship him... As in 'Down on my knees' X-Actly!!! Great! Listen. I have to go but I'll see you when you swing back on by this way. How long will it be anyways? I won't be back in Sacto for another two months. Yuck. Well I'll talk to you later. Bye Bitch! And then he ended his connection with me. Well. Jayln was a bitch, he just couldn't help it sometimes. I was sitting there, staring at the screen and I was just getting ready to disconnect and shut down so I could get some sleep, when I suddenly got a IM from someone I hadn't talked to before. I looked at the screen and thought to myself 'Who the hell is this?' Hey there! *********************************************************************** TO BE CONTINUED??? That was the beginning. Let me know the good, the bad, and the slightly overdressed ok? All feedback welcome. Thanks Nifty! You've been swell!!! ***********************************************************************