Little Spirit

by DaNeo Duran

  ‘I’ve an idea,’ Raphael said. ‘We could be cheeky back to him or, we could be clever.’

  ‘Clever?’ Danny asked.

  ‘Like we were with Tia at Thames News. We refused to play until she agreed to see us at The Marquee. It’s just, how do we do something like that with someone like Randy Earnshaw?’

  ‘And get away with it on live TV?’ Danny added.

  They waited for the teas to cool some degrees before leaving the smoky canteen with more drinks and throat sweets. When they bumped into Mike they said they’d be in the van. Mike told them what time to be back and Calvin set his watch alarm ten minutes earlier.

  Danny took his acoustic guitar and rather than go to the front of the van each lad lay flat in the back in order to relax his throat fully for as long as possible.

  Calvin set a further countdown alarm on his watch to go off fifteen minutes before the alarm.

  When that sounded Danny reached for his guitar. Strumming a chord the lads hummed deep and barely audible vocal exercises. Danny concentrated maintaining relaxation and felt his sinuses vibrating musically.

  Minutes later the band arrived back in the studio with voices gently warmed over their full octaves.

  Mike dashed up to them. ‘Where have you been?’

  ‘Mike, we’re back ten minutes before you asked us,’ Calvin said.

  ‘I sent someone to check on you and they said the van was empty.’

  ‘It’s fine,’ Danny said noticing his voice sounding deeper than usual and husky like someone with a cold.

  Mike checked his watch and said, ‘Well you’re here now. You may as well go to the stage you’ll have a few minutes wait.’

  On stage Calvin found himself checking the tuning of his bass but wondered why given they’d be miming.

  Seconds before their big moment, Randy Earnshaw came to the front of the stage to present himself. The producer called him to action and Calvin stood away from his vocal mic humming a last warm up.

  Without apology for his Bristol accent Randy said, ‘Next a band who, armed with nothing but brutal determination, have been winning hearts of Londoners on the club circuit and throughout the streets too. Finally, sparing a thought for the rest of us, Little Spirit endeavour to win hearts across the nation. Making their national screen debut performing Magic Words and their single Only When it’s Saturday I give you, Little Spirit.’

  Calvin hadn’t been excessively nervous given the absence of audience and the preoccupation of camera crew. He couldn’t get nervous about viewers he couldn’t see either.

  But even if he didn’t have to play live bass he still had to sing and Calvin suddenly realised miming the bass had spawned a critical problem. Beat one started with his voice. As Randy finished his introduction Calvin, as always, pulled a B-flat to cue his pitch but heard nothing. Not a sound came from his amp. With horror Calvin’s face prickled as the blood left it. Leaping from his mic he dived for his amp.

  They’d not planned to speak but Danny sensing disaster stepped to his mic and stating the now obvious said, ‘Thanks, we’re Little Spirit.’

  Calvin ramped up his amp’s volume, pulled a B-flat and still no B-flat came. Clawing the A-string he scrabbled at the knobs on his guitar. A note one semitone below what he needed finally sounded. Normally Calvin required nothing more than a nod from Raphael but this time, like the hundreds of thousands of viewers at home, Calvin had no idea when the first note would come.

  Raphael’s voice came to the rescue, ‘One, two …’

  Calvin squeezed B-flat. His eyes met Raphael’s before he strode back to his mic, not needing to hear the rest of Raphael’s count.

  On his side of the stage Danny inappropriately found the relief and irony of the song’s first line, Please help me, hilarious. Not needing to sing for a few bars he turned his performance away from the cameras and towards the drums. Without corrupting Raphael he faced the floor and with mighty effort imprisoned the treacherous laugh.

  Facing the front he forged through the song’s sensitive moments and dynamized it’s darkly powerful phrases.

  All too soon Raphael beat out Only When it’s Saturday. Danny’s voice had been fine blended with Calvin and Raphael’s but as he attacked his rock riff he worried how his voice would sound in isolation. With Calvin’s bass fill Danny thought he should aim for a lower note but sang the big one, ‘Hey-yeah-yeah-yeah’. The sound of his voice filled his head. He could feel the pressure in his ears as the music rushed escaping him bound for the mic.

  Into the verse he sang wondering if his voice had ever sounded better. He needn’t have worried cruising through the chorus and into the second verse. With a straight road to victory he stepped from the mic and Calvin took over the verse’s second half.

  Plucking a simple ostinato Danny recalled the laugh he’d suppressed earlier. Before that thought completed Danny’s lips sprang into a smile. Trying to hide it became hopeless as a chuckle fled its earlier imprisonment.

  With only moments before the next chorus Danny turned from the cameras and from his boots howled with laughter. Facing the cameras again he sang, ‘No way, Only When it’s Saturda-a-a-a-hahaha-a-a-ay.’

  Glancing to his left he saw Calvin had caught it but managed to limit himself to a huge grin. A stolen look behind found an infected Raphael in stitches. But with nowhere to hide, his laughter went straight from stage setting the cameramen off. Behind the desk beyond the lights Danny could even see Mike shaking with laughter.

  As quickly as it arrived the laughter ebbed. The band had to manage the middle-8 section.

  The record featured cascading overdubs of them and the girls chanting the title. Live, it had augmented over months of gigging to become a monstrous anthem with the audience joining them.

  Now the band faced the unfunny task of chanting it out alone. At the back Raphael choose prudence despite wanting to shout to the crew to join in. Instead he joined Calvin and Danny in belting it out full force. From Raphael’s seat the outro sounded as seminal as ever.

  The last chord faded and lights on the cameras went out. Raphael guessed the broadcast had switched to the sofas in the other room where Randy would be.

  Mike approached the stage. Calvin stepped towards him and said, ‘God I’m sorry Mike I’d nothing to cue my first note.’

  Fortunately Mike hadn’t shaken his humour. ‘Don’t worry guys you did really well. It looked and sounded great out here. What got you laughing?’

  For some reason all eyes fell to Raphael.

  He said, ‘We’ve been performing hours every day. We’re probably running on endorphins.’

  ‘Okay well you’ve done it once; try and keep it together for the interview yeah?’

  Soon Randy invited them to join him on the sofas with their acoustic instruments.

  ‘Hey ze backdrop,’ Raphael said pleased the crew members remembered to show it.

  ‘Yeah,’ Randy said. ‘We thought we’d display it because it’s part of your secret of success I believe.’

  ‘Is it?’ Calvin asked looking puzzled.

  ‘Isn’t it?’

  Raphael cottoned on. ‘It is yes, because we aim to be utterly memorable. We’ve entered ze charts at 28 today and it’s partly because our backdrops make it easy for shoppers on ze streets and people at gigs to remember ze name.’

  ‘Easy to remember; difficult to forget,’ Randy said.

  ‘Exactly. Ze backdrop goes wherever we do.’

  ‘Congratulations on your first chart entry by the way. Now we’ve just seen how you perform electrically and you’ll be pleased to know, backdrop or not, I’ll remember that till I die. I don’t know what tickled you but it got me laughing too.’

  ‘My fault,’ Calvin said. ‘I only just remembered to turn my bass up for the first song.’

  ‘You don’t normally laugh that much in your sets then?’

  ‘We like a laugh but there’s a time and a place.’

  ‘Okay, well let’s talk about your street performa
nces.’

  As the interview progressed, Raphael found Randy’s attitude agreeable and wondered if the interviewer they’d feared might actually like them.

  ‘You’re going to perform for us again now,’ Randy said, ‘this time with acoustic instruments. Tell us about the song; quickly we’re running out of time I’m told.’

  Danny said, ‘It’s Raphael’s inspiration. It’s called Joanna and is about all the pretty ladies we see and meet when busking. We don’t always learn their proper names but they help us through the day.

  ‘Okay, this is Little Spirit performing, Joanna.’

  ’I don’t think I can play sitting down,’ Danny said.

  Raphael needed to stand too and at that point saw Randy stifle a yawn and look at his watch.

  Seizing the opportunity he said, ‘Was that a yawn, I hope we’re not keeping you up?’

  Immediately the words left his lips he regretted jumping on the kindness and respect Randy had so far shown them.

  Calvin must have been looking for a way in too and said, ‘Maybe we shouldn’t play if he’s tired.’

  Randy apologised seeming embarrassed.

  ‘It’s okay, it’s all in hand,’ Raphael said, afraid Calvin would say more. ‘I’ve just ze thing.’

  Danny strummed the chords and Raphael grabbed a shaker and shished the rhythm before handing it to Randy. ‘We’d be honoured if you’d join us sir.’

  ‘Oh, okay,’ Randy said joining in with the rhythm Raphael began driving.

  ‘Excellent,’ Raphael said.

  Though he tried to concentrate on the performance he sensed he’d made a mistake with Randy and searched his mind for a solution. He didn’t know if giving him the shaker had been a good idea or not and, though Randy continued to play Raphael couldn’t read his mood. Instead his mind drifted forward sixteen hours to the band’s next meeting with Dave Whitaker.

  Calvin and Danny appeared un-phased and played up to the cameras. They wrapped the song up after the second chorus when Mike signalled them from behind the camera.

  ‘Where you alright with that?’ Raphael said accepting the shaker from Randy, patting his shoulder and then concerning himself that he might be coming across as patronising.

  ‘Yeah, that were fun. Did anyone tell you that’s not how you play djembe?’

  Raphael laughed pleased with Randy’s jokey backbite.

  ‘I’ve really enjoyed having you guys on the show,’ Randy said warming the interview down. ‘We get a lot of bands on, like yourselves, who’re looking for exposure and they might bring some skill but perhaps little else. But in you guys I see genuine desire to entertain. For that reason I wish you the best of luck with your single and look forward to the album. But err, don’t say owt if you catch me yawning again eh?’

  * * *

  Raphael didn’t want to drive but imagined it might distract the advancing uncertainties of the next day’s Vanquar meeting.

  On the M40 he longed for his bed somewhere east of them in Hemel. He ploughed on and by midnight the van arrived back at the Chingford flat.

  Katherine had waited up to celebrate with them. ‘I saw the show, it was brilliant. You were brilliant.’ She hugged Calvin then to the other two said, ‘You were all just brilliant. And funny too.’

  Eventually Danny went to his room, took his shoes off and tidied them away. Amy had certainly left her mark. He neatened her books before re-joining the group.

  Having seen her door closed he asked Katherine, ‘Where’s Amy?’

  ‘Studying with Alison and Joanne.’

  ‘Is she coming back?’

  ‘Yeah, but she said it’d be a late session.’

  ‘D’you believe her?’

  Calvin interjected. ‘Danny, we’re at Number-28 in the charts and you’re worrying about Amy?’

  ‘Her exams are imminent. I’m quite sure the only thing on her mind is study,’ Katherine said.

  ‘Did you see what she was wearing when she left?’

  ‘She wasn’t dressed for dancing if that’s what you mean.’

  ‘And she had books with her?’

  Katherine thought for a moment. ‘Yes, of course.’

  ‘Well, I’m not sure I can wait up for her. Tomorrow’s gonna be a big day; one way of the other.’ Danny turned for his room.

  ‘You really wanted to see her tonight didn’t you?’

  ‘Yeah, sort of.’ In truth Danny had been looking forward to seeing her all the way down the motorway.

  ‘Drove lots of miles back here,’ Raphael said having not spoken in a while. ‘I wish we knew whether Amy was coming back I could fancy a bed.’

  Wednesday 02th May 1984

  On the morning that would decide the band’s future Calvin woke rested. In the living room he found Raphael on his feet dressed and preened with hair styled like he’d spent hours on it. ‘I think we should look ze best we can today.’

  ‘As always,’ Calvin said noticing him fidgeting and shifting his weight from foot to foot. ‘We’re not actually meeting Dave till twelve. You okay?’

  ‘Didn’t sleep much. Not feeling myself actually.’

  ‘Alright, calm down. You should’ve slept fine after all that driving last night.’

  Calvin, assuming Raphael had sickness, sat him down and brought a glass of water.

  ‘Slowly,’ he said when Raphael gulped, eyes darting around.

  ‘This is it. We’re not playing around here. Today ze future goes either one way or ze other. Ze most important day of our lives. A real quantum leap up ze pyramid. Major record deal. Real money. Or nothing.’

  ‘Mate you’re freaking out and you’re kind of freaking me out too.’

  ‘You should be; I just told you, this is ze biggest day of our lives.’

  Calvin took his pulse.

  ‘Right, stay there,’ he said jumping up knowing he had to snap him out of whatever had possessed him. ‘Put your shoes on.’

  Calvin went to his room and found his Converse.

  Back in the living room he said, ‘You’ve not got your shoes on. Come on.’

  ‘Why do I need them?’

  Calvin picked up his trainers and loosened the laces. ‘You’re not thinking straight.’

  Once outside, Calvin marched him along the street.

  ‘Why are we doing this?’ Raphael said.

  ‘Helps you think. I swear if this doesn’t work I’m bringing your mum in from Hemel.’ He set a fast pace. ‘Okay, all I’ve ever known of you is optimism and I admire you for—’

  ‘Yes but—’

  ‘Just answer me these questions. We signed to GMD – you were calm – why?’

  ‘Not a big deal – literally. They only signed us for one lousy album and there was no money. We had nothing to lose.’

  ‘Okay, anything else?’ Calvin upped the pace to a near jog.

  ‘I don’t know. Nobody really demanded any commitment from us.’ Raphael trotted behind.

  ‘We’ve already signed to Vanquar for the single. How come you were so calm for that?’

  ‘Same reasons. They’ve not given us any money. Ze video was on ze cheap. Can we stop now?’

  ‘Soon. If your heart wants to race let’s give it something to race about. It’ll calm your mind down. What are you worried about – signing to Vanquar or not signing?’

  ‘I don’t know. It’s a big deal either way.’

  ‘Okay suppose we do sign. What then?’

  ‘We’ll have the responsibility of loads of money and everyone will want to rip us off. But we’ll need it to pay for radio and TV pluggers and all that priority stuff Richard was on about. You know taking boxes of albums to record shops as bribes to make sure our single gets played. And all ze costs running away with us for limos and things we don’t need.’

  ‘Okay if we sign and they give us money we’ll secure it. We’ll document every ride we take in a limo and make sure we know exactly how much money we owe.’

  ‘But what about ze pressure to produce albums o
n time? And what if they don’t like them? I’m not convinced Dave likes us anyway?’

  ‘Firstly they’re not going to sign us unless they love us. Secondly neither we nor Vanquar have enjoyed the fruits of our first album so don’t be worrying about the second and we’ve already got enough new and old songs for another two albums at least. And thirdly, I thought you liked Dave – all that back slapping stuff you shared?’

  ‘Bravado. I’m not always as confident as I make out.’

  ‘I know.’

  ‘You know?’

  ‘I don’t have lots of mates but the ones I have mean the world. That includes you and I know you’re mostly a very confident person and when you’re not you make up the deficit with bravado. But one thing you might not know is that Richard told me, Dave described you as a bloody good bloke.’

  Calvin stopped realising Raphael had.

  ‘You want to turn back?’ he asked the drummer.

  Raphael looked back down the street they’d travelled. ‘You’re doing good Calvin. Let’s keep going.’

  Setting off fast Raphael kept up.

  ‘So what if Dave rejects us today?’

  ‘I guess one of ze other heavy weights might make us an offer. Phonogram’s offered something maybe ze others will now we’ve gone Top-40.’

  ‘What about all the problems you envisaged if we sign to Vanquar? Don’t they count if we sign to Phonogram?’

  ‘I don’t know.’ Raphael slowed. ‘You’re right I was freaking out. It’s passing. With not sleeping I had crazy thoughts going round and round.’

  ‘Café,’ Calvin said pointing across the road. ‘Let’s grab a coffee.’

  ‘Ze café Amy took me to. I had to stay ze night after they poisoned me.’

  ‘You want to skip it?’

  ‘No. Let’s go, ze coffee won’t kill us.’

  ‘Actually it might be best you avoid caffeine.’

  They crossed the road and Calvin ordered a coffee for himself and hot chocolate for Raphael. They slid into the booth seats of an un-wiped table.

  Calvin sipped his coffee. After a quiet moment he said, ‘You know a lot of bands don’t make it because they fear success. Might even be the biggest reason. Last time we played The Water Rats, Stosh told me about decent bands who refuse to take the leap. Or bands where one member’s hungry but the others hold them back. Hell, our previous drummer Brian would have done that. I don’t blame anyone for being afraid.’

  Raphael listened and nodded. Calvin continued. ‘Being unsuccessful is all we know. Despite all the positive images of being rock stars now we are still heading into unchartered waters.’