I was sitting in my favorite watering hole the other day, enjoying the memories on the radio. Right in the middle of my clubhouse sandwich I heard something familiar. The opening strains of “Eye in the Sky” by The Alan Parson’s Project. My first thought? “Those guys are a bunch of spiteful jerks.”

Let me take you back in time. It was during my stint a as session guitarist / roadie for the good ole APP. They’d brought me in to replace some coked out has been hippy “guitar stylist” who’d hocked half the studio gear for a bit of nose candy. I was filled with all sorts of hope for a serious gig playing raw, honest rock in a hard working band. The boys ensured me they were looking for a more hard edge sound, and so we set out to create some awesome music for the love of playing. It was while we were in this head space that I came up with “the lick that rocked” as they called it.

The guitar opening to Eye in the Sky…that’s me….or more correctly it was me. I dropped that solo and everyone went nuts! We swore that opening heralded the new beginning of a totally bad ass APP.  Prepared to take no prisoners or bow down to any record company or radio station. Night after night we worked on Eye in the Sky, crafting a killer chorus and swearing allegiance to the pure rock Gods. I’d found my kindred spirits.

One night after a truly epic session I offered to go to 7/11 for our usual smokes and a case of Yoohoo. When I got back there was a note taped to the mike stand.

I was out! Seems they’d decided to chuck the whole musician thing, keep the solo and write wanker songs to get laid and make lots of money. After years of struggling they were trading it all in for a bank roll and some titties. They would however allow me to stay on as a roadie.

I had to accept since we were in Pittsburgh and I had no money to get home. The worst part?…those knobs never toured!

#writtenword