On Monday after our big concert we showed up at Bo Wassabi's studio in Venice to start working on three music videos. I Like to Run, Potential Duet and Mean to Me were the songs Bo was most interested in at that moment. We also had arrangements to do some of our other songs at Sean Argent's studio in Hollywood a couple of weeks later. Liss and I had visited Bo's studio last time we were in LA and had been impressed with how professional it had seemed; good physical layout, amazing audio equipment, zillion-track mixers, a comfortable café to hang out in-- and lots of wonderfully sexy men making it all work. Of course, I'd been at odds with Addy at that time and had been considering being deliberately untrue to him. But now that I am utterly content with my wonderful stud... those men are still really sexy! I suppose I'm assuming that technicians know which buttons to push. And then there was Bo, talking about sexy. I'd written that he had been so professional and gentlemanly as to NOT hit on me (at a time when Liss and I were both getting pretty burned out by how Hollywood treats healthy young women). Bo is handsome, successful, charming, intelligent and wow-talented. Unattached, even. So now I find myself thinking unprofessional thoughts and wishing that he would too-- gol, why am I so horny all the time now? Is there some faint shyøma-smell floating around? Or is that just my own pheromones? It's probably because I get too much sex now, but I sure don't want less. Anyway, I let Addy take over negotiations. Bo had been to our concert at the Rose Bowl on Saturday, just to tune in on where we were presently at musically. He liked our bigger sound and asked if Mike was interested in doing his guitar bit in our video. We'd already arranged that Miguel deSanto was along for the sessions, so that was no problem. "He's not leaving Chrome Pie I hope?" Bo asked, apparently concerned, "they're one of my favorite bands." "No," Addy reassured him, "their whole band just took some time off. Actually, since we've all become friends we've been discussing doing a USA tour together with them next spring. It just hasn't been possible up to now, while we've been setting up the NNP." One teensy problem was that Bo was critical about Masnia and Magga's dancing. "Oh, they're fantastic, we simply HAVE to use them," Bo insisted, "but they dance like amateurs. For background chorus, they're terrific, special voices, primitive energy, just need a little polish. But their dance moves are too undecided, too predictable. Kinda half-assed." "Hmm, I'm surprised," Adam said, "the audience loved them and they seemed pretty good to us." "Well sure, they're visually powerful and sexy as hell." He addressed himself to them, "Don't get me wrong, girls, you are both amazing, but what I'm seeing is a potential that is simply not being addressed. You could be so much better with some training, some modern moves. It's like you haven't really discovered what you can do yet." "We're totally aware of that," Masnia said in her surprisingly modern-American-girl accent and vocabulary, "the whole concept of dancing for an audience is new to us. So yeah, we'd love to have some training. But we are also not interested in becoming standard-issue dancers going through the motions." Magga backed her up, in her more foreign-flavored accent: "We are much stronger and more... (Addy had to help her find the word) ...agile than NokhSo women. So we can do more." "That's what I'm counting on," Bo said, "I especially want to use you two in the I Like To Run video. In fact, I've heard that you girls do a Bigfoot-language version of that?" We all laughed, then I let Bo in on the joke, "Ah yes, Hamm-kro yøramma, it's a very loose translation, which means I Like to Fuck." "Kinda poetic," Liss contributed, "although it might not go over to well with the censors." Bo laughed too, then considered, "But nobody else knows that, right?" "Well, Sasquatches understand it, that's the whole point." Bo smiled, "Can they keep a secret?"
It was decided that Magga and Masnia be sent to training in a dance studio while we musicians would record a reference track of I Like To Run. Liss and I were a little bit envious: we'd have loved to have dance lessons too, although Pokey reminded us that we could do that later--all of us-- but that we needed to plant our butts down and do the basic chores first. And a chore it was-- normally we just play and it swings, but a professional studio recording required that we play to a click-track to maintain perfect timing. We'd tried that before, in our own home studio in the Mead Hall, and it was always detrimental to the musical feel of a song. But we tried. And again. And again some more, over and over. By lunch time we were tired and cranky (at least I was) and no closer to the perfect product. This was HARD WORK! I think it was about 2:30 pm when Bo finally said, "Ok, that might be good enough. I'll listen to it overnight. Now let's move on to Potential Duet." Suddenly--or maybe it was gradually-- Bo wasn't looking so handsome to me anymore. But that song went quicker, we were getting the hang of playing to a click-track. Actually, as a studying pianist I had been trained to play to a metronome for years, so the problem was all these other amateurs! Anyway we were done by 6:00 that evening and decided to call it a day. We were beat. Even Addy, who is generally indestructible. When we picked up Magga and Masnia from their dancing school they were bubbling with enthusiasm and energy, it had been SO MUCH fun. Their dance instructor, Sherry, a beautiful woman in her 40's, had warned them that as fledgling dancers they would have to train up to be able to do all the strenuous springs, splits, lifts, whatever-- and then they showed her how they could already do anything she threw at them. It's an advantage to be superhuman, I guess. We had parked the bus in the lot behind Bo's studio, so that would be our home for a while. Which wasn't bad, we could just walk two blocks and be on the infamous Strip of Venice Beach. Having no actual function with the studio recordings, Maki had spent most of the day there, even tho it was really not warm enough to do any sunbathing. She had found it easy to be entertained by the scene itself. Evidently she and Pokey were fans of the Californication TV show because they kept on seeing things they recognized. The local freaks were pretty much used to anything weird and after the first night we showed up, Sasquatches hanging out was no longer a big surprise, so our band was accepted as pretty much normal. We found a vegetarian restaurant we all liked. (Although later on in the week Liss, Pokey and I would sneak out and get some burgers or tacos).
The next day Bo said we had to do I Like To Run over again. "The timing really does have to be perfect-- that will make everything that comes after easier. Trust me." Evidently we had finally learned how to do it right because we nailed it in one take. Although it sounded a little dull to us, kinda dead. Bo said, "Yes, that's why you are each going to record your own final performance, multi-tracking one at a time. But first let's take Potential Duet again." We groaned. And that's the way it went: we'd shoot for a basic track, then fine-polish our individual tracks until we had a perfect recording. By the time we got around to Mean To Me three days later, the process had become semi-automatic. On Thursday rock star Miguel deSanto came to the studio to lay in his guitar solo tracks-- he did all three songs in one take each. "Show-off," I had to say. "Hey, I've been doing this stuff for years," he said mock-apologetically, "and besides, I've been practicing at home to your CD. So I've probably spent as much time getting this right as you guys have." I like Mike. Besides being a wowee musician, he's really cute-- that Latin-lover thing, I guess. In fact, he's gorgeous: tall, slim, elegant. More handsome since he shaved off that stupid little pimp moustache. I realized that-- o no! --I was hot for him too. Although that was no surprise, more of a re-run from the Seattle concert. Liss had been hot for him then too, and now again: we both knew it and were checking each other out. Even Maki, who totally loves Pokey. Mike was definitely in danger. Watch out for las groupies, señor deSanto. But he got that, totally expert at being swarmed by groupies-- or at least, that's what he tells us-- so he strove to be professional about the job at hand: doing good recordings, not doing all the chicks in the band. Yet. Magga and Masnia were called in from their dancing lessons to sing the background chorus. They too almost did it one take per song, then rushed back over to the dancing academy, eager for more. Gol, everyone is being more professional than me. Although Liss disagrees-- she insists we're equally klutzy and she's probably right. And while the recordings were going on, the videos were also being brainstormed. Bo had scripted them with storyboards, each scene laid out for us to see and discuss, deciding what changes to make. Four songs, four different stories, each one a mini-movie in the 3-5 minute range (although we eventually ended up with five videos). While one of us would be laying down his or her own track the rest of us were getting filmed in close-up and fitted into costumes that had been designed just for this production-- it was amazing how much detail was going into everything. But, of course, that's why we had come to Bo. After we had the basic tracks finished, we could begin filming the videos: setting up full-frame shots of our whole band playing together to all the groovy beats we had made; video locked in time by synch-track, so that various close-ups and long shots could be smoothly edited in afterwards. Every motion precisely on the beat; snip snip, clip and paste. We were shooting all four story-videos at once, rather than finishing one and starting the next, which would be all too time consuming, considering the money we were burning on this. All the storyboarded shots were scheduled in order of efficiency rather than chronology, to be clipped together later. Confusing to us, but not our headache, we just obeyed the instructor. Finally it was time to shoot the scene of us all playing together, including dancing sequences with our squatchettes. They'd had a week to learn how dancing was supposed to be done. Sherry was really excited, talking about the experience of directing the "most impressive" dancers she'd ever met. "My god, when we found out what they could DO... we workshopped the choreography to exploit all that POWER they have, they're like GODDESSES! So then we had to add small details, like tossing their hair, caressing with hands, to make them seem more HUMAN." When we started filming we could see what they meant. I could write a whole bunch of capital letters too, but you can see the result on the three videos we ended up with. I Like To Run was played like some classic car-chase scene, but with Addy and the girls running and jumping at impressive squatch speeds (slightly exaggerated), seemingly about Addy being after them, but with a twist comic ending that the girls were actually out to catch him. It was filmed outdoors in a pine forest near San Bernadino. There really wasn't much dancing in that one, it was all fast-paced action. But that was because Bo had another idea: that one about the girls doing the other version of the same song, them singing in Nokhontli. He used the same basic tracks we had already laid down but stripped of our voices, featuring mainly Masnia's rather fantastic voice instead, with Magga doing second voice. Ha mm-kro Yøramma (we assumed no one would know what that meant). And then they danced to that. It was filmed in an old ballroom, warm colors, dramatic lighting, visually beautiful. So were they: Magga was at first against having her body hair trimmed short like Masnia's, but when she saw the first takes-- in which Masnia looked like a beautiful ballerina and she looked like a shaggy Bigfoot--she quickly agreed. But she kept her head hair long instead of copying the French pixie cut Masnia had chosen, letting it billow behind her fantastically. They were filmed "naked" for "artistic effect" as well as "authentic squatchness". Squatch-fur doesn't show any skin, so Bo figured they could get away with it, even on MTV. (They did paste some hair over Masnia's nipples, because that little slut clips them free of hair to deliberately reveal them and be sexy.) (Anthropological note: neither of those Nokhon girls really gets the concept of "being sexy". They've figured out that it has something to do with being attractive and interesting in some cheeky way, but in their own culture being sexually desirable to a male was simply an inherent function of their shyøma-scent, having nothing to do with how good they looked or how charming they might be. Squatch women are automatically femmes fatales every Full Moon and the rest of the time they don't really care, because neither do most of the males. Just thought you should know.) Anyway, they did a blend of "modern dance" and super-heroic moves that no human could pull off, and it all flowed nicely, one twirl into another, incredible springs, graceful landings, clever segues. It was beautiful, although we wouldn't have called it "sexy"-- it was too muscularly impressive for that. But Bo knew what he was doing: the eroticism was built into the camera angles, the lighting and focus on their female bodies: Magga is really quite voluptuous, nice big boobs and butt, taut belly, long hair flying; Masnia looks almost delicate in comparison, but is still a lot stronger than any man, with perfectly pert teen tits and long legs that flashed and flashed. When we saw the unfinished míx a few days later we wondered if it was maybe TOO sexy, but it went viral on MTV and YouTube without any public outrage. I guess it was considered "art".
Mean to Me was produced as a parody of a romcom. We all got to be actors, but it was starring Adam and Liss, basically the true story of her being the high school bitch and him the helplessly horny Bigfoot Buffoon. They both really hammed it up. We all did, it was fun! A few times Liss tried to apologize to Addy for having been so nasty to him back then, but they both fell down laughing every time she brought it up.
Potential Duet was the only video actually showing us playing the song in the studio, but it was also a farce. It starts out looking like a serious performance piece; us playing our instruments, Adam singing, disciplined musicians, very proper. Then as the lyrics became more suggestive we show close-ups of us all ogling each other, everyone getting erotically turned on-- Addy checking me out and wiggling his eyebrows, Liss licking her lips as she focuses on Pokey's butt, Magga tuning in on Addy playing guitar, me leering at Masnia dancing; it gets faster and faster, spinning, everybody hornier and hornier and... well, you get the idea. Well, it IS a song about sexual desire, after all. Lonelyman and the Self-Pity Blues was Mikes turn to shine, playing the part of a down-and-out blues guitarist, but playing blues like a god. We all got to be extras in that one. By the time we were finished with our input a week and a half had passed. Bo and the technicians didn't need us to clip and edit video; they'd finish that up eventually. So the plan was that we would move on over to Sean Argent's studio in Hollywood. But we liked it here, in Venice by the beach, so I asked Bo if we could "pleeease" park the bus where it was for another week. He thought about it for a few seconds, furrowing his handsome brow, then said, "Sure, Melly. Go ahead," but I could see that he had a maybe-problem with that. So I asked him. "You know, I'd sort of prefer if your band went on to the next studio, but that you would come back here to spend the nights at my place. Just you." It took me a spin to comprehend what he was saying, so then I had to clarify it. "Oh, you mean me? Alone? To spend the nights with you? Uh... as in bed? With you? Maybe...uhh...having sex?" "Having sex would be nice," he admitted, kinda shy. Me kinda paralyzed. "Look, Melly," he said, "I remember when I first met you last August just how turned off you and Lissandra were about guys hassling you everywhere in LA. And Lissandra kind of mentioned that you had a boyfriend back home, so I did my best not to hit on you. But after seeing you with your friends I can't tell if you're with someone...or everyone! I knew it wasn't Pokey, he's too into Maki... unless you three have got something special going on. Then I thought it must be Mike-- I mean, hey, Miguel deSanto, rock star, cool dude; that made sense-- but he never touches you. I even considered --crazy me --that it could be Adam; even though he's a Bigfoot he's a pretty attractive guy anyway-- but he seems to love ALL you girls, which is the same as being in love with no one." It was my turn to furrow a brow. I started to say, "I..." about three times, but not able to find the next word. I mean, I'd wanted this. Or at least I'd wanted to be hit on by this very special guy, to be reminded that I was also special. "Can you give me a little time to think about this?!" I asked. Wondering why I wasn't hearing myself say "Sorry but no, I'm in the relationship of my life." Bo looked surprised. I guess he'd been expecting a rejection, the he said, "Oh, sure, Melly. In fact forget about moving the bus, you can all stay. Guess I was kind of desperate to get you to myself. Or maybe just trying to find a way to tell you how I feel..." I kissed him. Just a friendly kiss, but it made him happy. Then I left to think things over. I knew I was free to flirt if I really wanted to, my relationship with Addy being the way it was, but I couldn't do that without being honest to whoever I got involved with. But even though I prefer honesty, my relationship with Addy had always been half-secret for obvious reasons. I openly admitted that I "loved" him, even on TV and magazine interviews, but the public was not to know that we were intimate sexually-- it was too dangerous in the conservative and religious Land of the Free. I couldn't tell anyone without swearing them to secrecy, so I had to be 100% sure I could trust them. And that's always tricky. I went home-- that is, to our bus in Bo's parking lot. The others had gone into town so I was alone. Sat half-outside the open door, enjoying the sunshine. A red Jeep, open with roll bars, drove into the parking lot. I recognized that it was Mike's. Miguel deSanto, rock star, teen-age idol, also handsome latin lover material, coming to see me. "Hi, Mel. Liss said you might be here. Whatcha doing?" "I really don't know. I think I'm just waiting to find out." "Wanna go for a ride? I'll show you my place in Topanga." I laughed. "And what will we do there, Mike?" It was SO obvious what was on my...I mean HIS mind. I was beginning to get a feel for this. On a roll, you know. But he was being innocent. "I don't know, we could go somewhere else. I'd just like to spend some time with you, Melly, that's all." "Why not Liss instead?" "Oh, well... I LIKE Liss... okay, I'm kinda in love with her too...." then he froze up, realized he’d said too much and shouldn't say more. "Does that mean you're kinda in love with both of us?" I asked. "Well, when you put it that way... maybe," that world-famous guitarist said to me. Sweetly shy about it. "I must sound kinda greedy." "Just like everybody else," I said to no one. I've already admitted that I'd lusted for Mike before-- the night of the Seattle concert I'd SO decided that I just HAD to screw a rock star and it was a simple matter of choosing between Scott Richter and Miguel deSanto. Then I learned that Scott was happily married, so it had to be the other guy. Then everything went nuclear with Addy so Mike and I never happened. But it could have. So he and I had been staring at each other across crowded rooms ever since... well, on Skype, anyway. "So what about going for that ride?" he asked "Maybe later," I told him, "I've got some thinking to do. But come here first, I'd like to kiss you for loving me." It was a chaste, friendly kiss, although lip to lip, no cheek or forehead stuff. Once again, an enamored man encouraged because I did not say, "Sorry but no, I'm in the relationship of my life."
"Addy, we need to discuss something." "Sure, Mel, I'm listening." "How would you feel about me fucking another guy? Or two? You know--not at a kha-rat, but lovers of my own on the side?" I always try to speak honestly to Addy because I know he'll do the same to me. "Do you have someone in mind? Mike? Bo?" "Maybe...well, no plan yet, but I'm considering. I mean, I assume I'll always love you more than any other man, considering how our lives have been shaped. But I still LIKE other men--in various ways-- and I'm used to a lot of sexual leeway in a kha-rat, just like you are. Would you be jealous?" "I'd like to think I wouldn't be jealous. It's not the Nokhon way, but I have been Americanized, no doubt about that." "It's just that we accept that you get to fuck all four of us, but we only fuck you. Seems kinda unequal." He nodded. "I agree. I make love to the four of you because I love you all, and you accept that, so how could I deny you girls the same? If you want a man, you should get to have him. It's just that..." Aha, furrowed brow. "Just that what?" "Just that I'd really miss you if you decided to spend all your time with someone else." I could see that he looked sad to say it. "Oh, I wouldn't do that. I mean, not ALL my time." "No one ever knows what they will want later on. So, no: I won't be jealous. But yes: I would be scared to lose you." Later that day I told both Mike and Bo, "Sorry but no, I'm in the relationship of my life."
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