"Fame is something that is bestowed upon you because of success. Success is something you have to chase."
—Noel Gallagher (as quoted at brainyquote·com)
Preface
In re-watching some of my favorite Fame episodes on YouTube—and writing the one-shot, Exit, Stage Boston—I came up with the idea for writing a collection of Fame vignettes. The show ran for six seasons, so I came up with the idea of writing one for each season.
As I watched episodes again, some ended with me wanting more. Others left me curious about certain characters or scenes. My vignettes will attempt to fill in the gaps, so to speak. Most will be scenes that take place after an episode ended. However, there will be one or two that take place mid-episode to try to make a smoother transition between existing scenes.
I originally wrote this in 2014. For 2015, I added this front matter—including the epigraph—and reformatted the story to match my current writing style.
Acknowledgments
Very special thanks to Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer for creating the television version of Fame, and to Midway Games for the arcade version of Space Invaders.
Episode Tie-in: Metamorphosis (the pilot episode).
Mr. Shorofsky checked his subway map and made a mental note of his last stop. It wasn't part of his usual commute between his apartment and the School of the Arts. The last thing he needed was to get lost in the bustle of New York City.
Somebody, please remind me why I'm doing this, he thought. Like any other teacher, he had more than his fair share of headstrong students. However, his most-recent one—the upperclassman Bruno Martelli—seemed different from the rest. Mr. Shorofsky found himself recalling Bruno's admissions audition. Bruno and his father brought in an impressive bank of synthesizers and electronics that eventually blew out the fuses in the auditorium.
As the traffic light and pedestrian signal changed, he sub-audibly mumbled, "synthesizers," as he crossed the street. It was no secret he disliked the harsh electronic sounds produced from those instruments... those cacophonous torture devices. It grated on his nerves worse than fingernails on a chalkboard. Of course, that paled in comparison to what Bruno said and did during the opening week of the new school year.
Earlier in the week, Bruno ad-libbed during a piano ensemble lesson. Mr. Shorofsky cringed as he recalled using the word "orgy" in chastising Bruno. Given it referred to any wild revelry, it seemed appropriate at the time, though.
A few days later, Mr. Shorofsky nearly snapped his baton in half after Bruno stated rather emphatically, "Orchestras are an endangered species." Mrs. Tossoff, another music teacher that sit in on the lesson, looked on in disbelief when Bruno made the statement.
Despite this, Mr. Shorofsky knew Bruno was a gifted musician. As much as Bruno grated on his nerves, however, he had to admit that Bruno's musical knowledge and skill impressed him. Bruno never disappointed when it was time to be graded on his performances. It was obvious he was driven when it came to his music. However, Mr. Shorofsky had to show him that classical music was an important foundation for any aspiring musician. And, perhaps most importantly, playing instruments other than keyboards would make him more versatile.
Reaching the Matrelli residence, Mr. Shorofsky walked up the stairs and rang the door bell. Shortly thereafter, Mr. Martelli answered it.
"Oh, Mr. Shorofsky, is something wrong?" he asked.
"Not exactly, Mr. Martelli. May I come in."
"Of course, and you can call me Angelo." Mr. Martelli replied, knowing full well Mr. Shorofsky would still refer to him as "Mr. Martelli" in spite of his statement.
Mr Shorofsky entered and sat down in a chair.
"So, what exactly is going on," Angelo asked.
"Bruno has proven to be more of a challenge as a Sophomore," Mr. Shorofsky replied. Bruno wasn't in trouble per se. Mr. Shorfofsky didn't want Angelo to think so. Still, the former wanted to discuss what happened over the past few days.
"What's going on? If he's misbehaving, let's fix this now."
Before Mr. Shorofsky could say anything, Angelo went to the basement steps and called downstairs, "Bruno, please come up here."
Bruno quickly came upstairs. "What's wrong, pop?" he asked.
"Mr. Shorofsky is here. I think we both need to have a talk with him."
Bruno looked at his father curiously. Why would his music teacher come all the way out to his part of town to speak with his father and him? He followed his father into the front room.
Mr. Shorofsky made eye contact with Bruno in an attempt to avoid ambiguity. "Mr. Martelli, I hope you're doing well," he told Bruno.
"Yes, sir," Bruno answered, eager to be respectful in front of his father.
"So, what's going on? You haven't exactly said much of anything yet," Angelo stated.
"Well, at the beginning of the week, Mr. Martelli here decided to add his own flair to the Ode to Joy when he was supposed to be playing as part of a group ensemble," Mr. Shorofsky answered as he looked at Bruno.
"Bruno, you know you won't always be playing music on your own. You have to get used to playing with other musicians," his father stated.
Bruno was about to respond with a sentence beginning with, "Yeah, but..." but he stopped. He simply nodded his head.
"And you might be interested to know this year's curriculum includes small group compositions and performances," Mr. Shorofsky added.
"So I noticed," Bruno replied plainly.
"Is there anything else I should know?" Angelo asked.
Mr Shorofsky blinked. He wanted to make sure his choice of words was appropriate in describing the brouhaha involving orchestras. He didn't fight with Bruno exactly, but their viewpoints were near-polar opposites.
"Mr. Martelli and I had a rather … spirited discussion about orchestras. He seems to think that orchestral arrangements are obsolete now that we're in the 80's," he finally answered.
"Bruno, I know you love any type of keyboard—especially your synthesizers—but what's wrong with orchestral arrangements?" Angelo asked. He'd be the first to admit he didn't understand his son's musical interest or tastes, but wasn't learning about any form of music a good thing?
"If you haven't noticed, pop, people aren't patronizing orchestras as much these days. Synthpop groups are a lot more popular," Bruno told his father.
"That may be, but you still need to learn what's being taught."
Bruno shook his head in defeat. How could he convince his father and teacher that he wanted to focus on modern music and produce his own, good version of that.
As Mr. Shorofsky listened to the conversation, he thought of an idea … but would it work?
"Mr. Martelli, you want to produce good music, right?" he asked.
"Of course," Bruno replied.
"Well, what if I told you that studying and playing classical music can make you better at playing your own music, if that's what passes for music today."
"Are you saying if I play in unison with a group and that old orchestra stuff, it will make me a better keyboardist?"
"That's exactly what I'm proposing. I know we'll have our disagreements, Mr. Martelli. And to be honest, I'd be disappointed if we didn't. But at least listen to what I have to say in class with an open mind. That's all I ask."
"That doesn't sound too unreasonable," Angelo interjected.
"It's still not my favorite way to learn, but if you can show me how it can make me better with contemporary music, I'm willing to try it," Bruno responded.
"Thank you, Mr. Martelli. On that note, I better get going. The next subway stop is in 15 minutes and I don't want to be late."
"Are you sure you can't stay? Dinner will be ready soon and we'd love to have you," Angelo stated.
"Thanks for the offer, but I really must go. I'm unfamiliar with the area, and heaven forbid I don't make it home tonight. Gentleman, thanks again; and, I'll see you on Monday, Mr. Martelli. Be ready to learn and be open to what I present."
"You've got it," Bruno promised.
Mr. Shorofsky got up to leave and Angelo saw him to the door. After the former left, Angelo told Bruno, "You see, he's not that bad of a teacher."
"No, but I still think he hates all modern music. If he had his way, we'd all be composing long-hair music every semester."
"Nevertheless, don't forget what you promised him. Hear him out in class. You're smart enough to figure out how to take it and make you better at your music."
Bruno nodded.
"Say, I won't be getting more unexpected visits from any other teachers, am I?"
Bruno thought for a moment. "I don't think so, unless Miss Sherwood is unhappy with what I said in English class today."
Angelo looked nervous. "What did you do?" he asked somewhat reluctantly.
"She asked me to use 'metamorphosis' in a sentence, so I said, 'I never met a morphosis I didn't like.'"
Angelo rolled his eyes before saying, "Bruno, I'm paying to send you to that school to be a musician, not a comedian... unless you plan to be a drama major."
"No, pop."
"In that case, watch the wisecracks. I know how tempting it can be to say stuff like that, but it's not worth getting in trouble over. Save it for when you take that 'Intro to Drama' class."
"Yes, sir."
"Dinner's almost ready, Bruno. Let's go eat."
Bruno nodded and followed his father into the kitchen. Ever since his mother died, dinner had become more of an important tradition between the two of them.
Chapter Commentary
As I've watched the pilot episode prior to writing this chapter, the episode is a transition of sorts—a metamorphosis—between the original movie and what would be the TV show. It seemed fitting to kick off my story by using the very first episode.
Although it isn't explicitly stated, I'm assuming Bruno to be a Sophomore in the first season because he's shown with returning students in this episode. When he left the school in season three, it made sense that he would have graduated if he didn't have to drop out early.
Undoubtedly, Mr. Shorofsky considered Bruno one of his favorite students during the first half of the show. Sure, they clashed regularly; deep down, though, they came to have a strong mutual respect for each other. It was fun writing about the start of that student-teacher relationship here.