Pickles sat on the couch in the main room, staring up at the television screen. Images of a young man with wild red hair and a matching goatee flashed across. "Sex, drugs, and rock-n-roll were the way of life," the announcer said as bright neon lights flashed behind the young man and his band mates. The redheaded drummer smirked in his drunken state, his turbid mind going back to his glam rock days…
A younger Pickles stumbled down the sidewalk. His teased red hair was more mussed than usual and his black tank top was ripped on the right shoulder. His nose was bleeding and the right side of his face felt as if a sledgehammer had been slammed into it. His best friend, Antonio, walked behind him, drunken concern showing on his face.
"You really shouldn't have picked a fight wi' that guy, Pickles," Tony slurred. "'E was bigger'n you an' you couldn't even take 'im if you was sober!"
Pickles chuckled, unmoved by the ramblings of his dark-haired friend. "Tony, dat guy started the fight, not me, dood. He shouldn't 'a called me gay!" The redhead turned and walked backwards so he could talk to his friend face-to-face. The taller man chuckled a bit and shook his head.
"Yeah, well, you look it!" Tony said finally. "You've got glitter on your face, Pickles! And make-up, for God's sake! What the hell was you thinkin' when you got ready this afternoon?"
"Who thinks?" Pickles retorted, tripping over his own feet. He landed on his bottom and decided to sit there for a while. "It's the 80s, Tony. Glam rock is the way to go! Me an' you, we're gonna start a glam rock band, dood. An' we're gonna be famous. Real famous. We'll rule the world!" Pickles finally decided to pick himself up and dust off his bottom.
Tony smirked down at his Irish American friend. "Yeah, famous, really? So what are we gonna call our band, huh?" he questioned, liking the idea more with each passing moment.
Pickles walked forward again and hooked his hands behind his head. "I dunno. How 'bout Snakes 'n Barrels? Dat cool wit' you, dood?"
The dark-haired man chuckled again. "Yeah, and who's gonna be in this band? You gotta have more 'n a bassist and a lead singer to be in a band," he pointed out.
"I dunno," Pickles smirked. "We can find some guys, right? Candy Nose plays drums real good. We can find another guy, right?"
"Oh, hey, yeah!" Tony said, excitedly. "I know this guy, Bullets is his name! 'E's real good with the guitar!"
The two drunken boys walked on, stumbling from time to time, until they reached Pickles' house. That night, the world-famous glam rock band Snakes 'n Barrels had been born from drunken reveries and starry-eyed dreams of fame and wealth, and all the booze, drugs, and hookers that came with it…
Pickles smiled fondly at the memory. The fame and fortune that came later didn't matter to him. His best memories were those days when he and his best friend had just begun to realize their dream. As he finished off another bottle of Parrot Bay Coconut Rum, he said to himself, "Dat was when I ruled th' world."