Larry's first assignment for Ludwig was to make a demo CD.
The assignment was completed over the course of a couple of hours. The demo was filled with a handful of some of Ludwig's greatest original violin sonatas, piano concertos, operatic vocal solos and symphonies played on several different instruments by robots.
"Larry? Are you awake? Your opinion, please."
Larry yawned and turned the CD player off. "All right, here's the truth, bro. Your music... is boring. I slept through half of it and the other half was just... forgettable man. If you want to appeal to the masses and not just to some crazed underground cult following, you gotta jazz it up."
"I despise the greater part of the jazz genre. Also, did we not agree that part of our deal was that I retain TOTAL artistic control?"
"Dude, I'm not trying to control you, I'm just making suggestions. You got any songs that just happen to have mass-market appeal?"
"I have a better idea. How about you use your underhanded marketing tactics to MAKE them like it!"
"Bro, there is NO marketing trick in the book that will make them like this shizz."
"Well, if you believe that I will shill for your sort of pseudomusical idolatry, I am leaving. I have far more productive and stimulating things to do with my time..."
"Ok ok ok fine bro how about this: before you release your debut album, we have you record a few singles... sung in German... hey, folks love listening to songs in a language they can't understand, so you can write whatever lyrics you want! Just make sure there is a thundering beat in the background..."
The look on Ludwig's face made it clear that he was already working on such an idea before Larry had even mentioned it.
"Got it." Ludwig cracked a devious smile at the lyrics he came up with. He immediately got to work recording the loud angry piano part, and the deep anxious string bass part, and the operatic baritone vocal part, which he, being ever the perfectionist, re-recorded a few times, to Larry's groaning impatience.
In under an hour's work, Larry listened to the finished product, apparently enjoying it.
"I - I - I LIKE it! Bravo, Ludwig, this little masterpiece of yours ALMOST has mainstream marketing appeal. Heheh almost."
"Well? Is 'almost' good enough for your nonexistent standards?" Ludwig asked.
"Don't you worry about it bro. A little marketing magic will take care of the rest." Larry patted his brother's blue coiffure and slipped on a pair of sunglasses. "Saaaaay, what exactly do the lyrics mean anyway?"
Ludwig stifled a dark chuckle. "I implore you to take a German class and find out for yourself."