I was all ready to finish up a couple of chapters on my other series' when two things happened. One, my disc was damaged, and I lost ALL of my fics, including the unfinished one's. And second, (and more importantly) former Beatle George Harrison died. I thought it more appropriate to continue this fic, seeing as it is my music fic.
~Dedicated to the Memory of George Harrison~
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
The One Where They Make It, Twelve
"All Things Must Pass"
~New York City, one month after the final show~
Ross sat in his apartment, aimlessly strumming his acoustic guitar. He thought about calling Chandler, but figured he'd still be asleep. It was only seven in the morning, but Ross felt like he needed to talk to someone. His second thought was to go into his bedroom and wake up Rachel, but he knew that she was not a morning person. The shrill sound of the phone startled him, and he jumped up to grab the phone before it woke up Rachel.
"Hello?"
"I figured you'd be up," Chandler's voice came onto the line.
"Hey, man. I was just gonna call you," Ross replied.
"So, I take it you heard," Chandler said quietly.
"Yeah."
"You wanna go get some coffee?" Chandler asked.
"Sure. I'll, uh, meet you at Central Perk in about 20 minutes?"
"Sounds good. See ya there."
"Alright, see ya."
Ross hung up the phone, and jotted a quick note to Rachel, before grabbing his jacket and heading out the door.
**
Ross walked into Central Perk, and saw Chandler sitting at a small table in the corner of the cafe. So far, no one seemed to notice that he was there, which was fine by Ross. And he was sure that it was fine with Chandler too.
"Hey," Ross said quietly, as he took a seat across from Chandler.
"Hey. How ya doin?" Chandler asked.
"Alright. It's just weird, ya know? I mean, it's the end of an era."
"Yeah. I know he was a big influence on you, man."
"Yeah, definitely one of my heroes."
"Remember when we ran into him at the Grammy's?" Chandler laughed, " You would NOT shut up about...what the hell were you jabbering about, anyway?"
"Mostly about England. Remember we had just gotten back from touring Europe?"
"Yeah. But didn't you start talking incessantly about your shoes or something?"
"I thought you couldn't remember what we were talking about!" Ross said, annoyed.
Chandler laughed. "I was just wondering if you'd fess up to it."
***
~Los Angeles, California, 5 years earlier--The Grammy Awards~
"I can't believe you forgot to thank your parents in your acceptance speech," Chandler laughed, as he, Joey and Ross walked off stage and toward the press galley.
"I know, my mom is gonna kill me!" Ross whined, and Chandler and Joey laughed even harder.
Chandler looked toward the main press room, where Alanis Morrissette was still talking to the press about her win.
He scanned the room, and his eyes fell onto a familiar face.
"Ross! Isnt' that George Harrison?"
"Where?" Ross jerked his head toward the press room, and followed Chandler's extended finger.
"George Harrison! It's George Harrison! I can't believe it!" Ross said excitedly, and Joey looked at him like he was a total idiot.
"What's the big deal?" Joey asked.
"Joey, are you kidding me? George Harrison is like, my biggest hero. Well, him, Eddie Van Halen, and Eric Clapton."
"And?" Chandler prodded.
"What?" Ross said, his face flushing.
"You're other hero Ross, come on."
"And CC Deville," Ross muttered.
"The dude from Poison?" Joey laughed.
"Yeah," Ross said, as Chandler and Joey broke into wild laughter.
"It's okay Ross, I mean, 'Every Rose Has it's Thorn', right?" Joey laughed.
"Shut up!" Ross yelled.
"Hey, PMQ, congratulations, guys," George Harrison said, as he approached the band.
"Thank you, Mr. Harrison," Chandler said, grinning like a mad man.
"Please, Chandler, call me George, alright?"
"A-hepuhlopne," Ross mumbled, as he laughed nervously.
Chandler shot Ross a look, then turned his attention back to George.
"We are all really big fans," Chandler said, trying to cover for Ross' temporary speech issues.
"Aw, well, cheers, guys. And I must say, I am a fan of yours as well."
"Really?" Chandler was taken aback by the surrealism of this encounter. He may be one of the most famous people in the world, but that didn't stop him from being absolutely floored when someone as legendary as George Harrison complimented them like this.
"Oh, yeah, your second record, what's it called, uh--"
"Shadows and Light," Joey said.
"Right. That one is definitely in my top ten," George said.
"WOW!.. Really?" Ross finally spoke, causing everyone to jump back.
"Yeah, mate. It's a really good record. Not that your others aren't, but there is something about that early stuff."
"One could argue the same about the Beatles," Chandler laughed.
"Very true," George laughed, "Listen, guys, I am doing a benefit show on Thursday for a friend of mine who runs a shelter here in Los Angeles. Would you be interested in making an appearance?"
"Wow, yeah, that'd be great!" Chandler said.
"Excellent, I'll have Marcie ring your manager then, and set up the details," George said, smiling.
"So, George," Ross said nervously, "We just, uh played in your home country a few weeks ago!"
"Well, good for you, then," George said, looking at Ross strangely.
"Yeah, yeah, we went down to Liverpool, you know, and...hey! As a matter of fact, that's where I bought these shoes!"
"I see, yes, they look very English, don't they," George said sarcastically.
"I think so too!" Ross said, not picking up on the sarcasm.
"Uh huh," George said, as Chandler tried to pull Ross away.
"You know, funny story, when I bought these shoes..." As Ross rattled off his pointless tale, Chandler shot George an apologetic look, and silently wondered if they would still be doing the aforementioned benefit.
***
~Central Perk, present day~
"I can't believe he still wanted us to do the benefit after that," Chandler laughed.
"It wasn't that bad," Ross said.
"Are you kidding me? You cornered him for 15 minutes, talking about nothing but your stupid shoes!"
"Whateverman. Like you've never acted like a total jackass in front of someone," Ross shot.
"Not like that. And certainly not with a legend."
"Oh, okay, need I bring up the Madonna incident?" Ross said.
Chandler's cheeks flushed. "Hey, that was *her* idea, okay? And, uh, Monica doesn't know about that, so, uh, let's not
bring that up in front of her."
"How does Monica not know about that?" Ross asked.
"Let's just say Madonna has a wizard for a publicist and leave it at that, okay?"
"Whatever," Ross said.
Chandler and Ross sat in silence for a minute, both in deep thought. Suddenly, the music in the cafe changed, as the white-haired owner put on "Cloud Nine", one of George Harrison's award-winning cd's.
"What's your favourite George Harrison song, Ross?" Chandler asked.
"Uh, 'My Guitar Gently Weeps', maybe. I dunno, I have a lot."
"Yeah."
"Do you remember when John Lennon was shot?"
"Kinda. I was pretty young," Chandler pointed out.
"Yeah. But it's like, even though we were young, there was no way to not notice that everything had changed, ya know?"
"Yeah, I guess."
"I wonder if kids today realize how important these guys are to music." Ross pondered.
"Well, if it hasn't been covered by The Backstreet Boys, or sampled by Will Smith, I doubt they have any idea."
"Nah, I think they know. I mean, how can they not? The Beatles have influenced every artist of our generation."
"True, very true."
"Wow. It's really over then, huh?"
"Like you said, it's the end of an era," Chandler sighed.
"Do you think we will leave a mark like that?"
"No way. But I hope we will leave a small mark."
"Maybe we will know we've made it when Snoop Dogg samples 'Emotional Knapsack', huh?" Ross laughed.
"Right," Chandler laughed, as the waitress refilled their coffees.
Chandler picked up his over-sized mug, and held it in the air.
"To George," he said.
"To George," Ross replied, and clinked Chandler's mug.
~*~*~*~*~*~
Yeah, not much really happened here, I just wanted to get this out. Love To All.
~Dedicated to the Memory of George Harrison~
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
The One Where They Make It, Twelve
"All Things Must Pass"
~New York City, one month after the final show~
Ross sat in his apartment, aimlessly strumming his acoustic guitar. He thought about calling Chandler, but figured he'd still be asleep. It was only seven in the morning, but Ross felt like he needed to talk to someone. His second thought was to go into his bedroom and wake up Rachel, but he knew that she was not a morning person. The shrill sound of the phone startled him, and he jumped up to grab the phone before it woke up Rachel.
"Hello?"
"I figured you'd be up," Chandler's voice came onto the line.
"Hey, man. I was just gonna call you," Ross replied.
"So, I take it you heard," Chandler said quietly.
"Yeah."
"You wanna go get some coffee?" Chandler asked.
"Sure. I'll, uh, meet you at Central Perk in about 20 minutes?"
"Sounds good. See ya there."
"Alright, see ya."
Ross hung up the phone, and jotted a quick note to Rachel, before grabbing his jacket and heading out the door.
**
Ross walked into Central Perk, and saw Chandler sitting at a small table in the corner of the cafe. So far, no one seemed to notice that he was there, which was fine by Ross. And he was sure that it was fine with Chandler too.
"Hey," Ross said quietly, as he took a seat across from Chandler.
"Hey. How ya doin?" Chandler asked.
"Alright. It's just weird, ya know? I mean, it's the end of an era."
"Yeah. I know he was a big influence on you, man."
"Yeah, definitely one of my heroes."
"Remember when we ran into him at the Grammy's?" Chandler laughed, " You would NOT shut up about...what the hell were you jabbering about, anyway?"
"Mostly about England. Remember we had just gotten back from touring Europe?"
"Yeah. But didn't you start talking incessantly about your shoes or something?"
"I thought you couldn't remember what we were talking about!" Ross said, annoyed.
Chandler laughed. "I was just wondering if you'd fess up to it."
***
~Los Angeles, California, 5 years earlier--The Grammy Awards~
"I can't believe you forgot to thank your parents in your acceptance speech," Chandler laughed, as he, Joey and Ross walked off stage and toward the press galley.
"I know, my mom is gonna kill me!" Ross whined, and Chandler and Joey laughed even harder.
Chandler looked toward the main press room, where Alanis Morrissette was still talking to the press about her win.
He scanned the room, and his eyes fell onto a familiar face.
"Ross! Isnt' that George Harrison?"
"Where?" Ross jerked his head toward the press room, and followed Chandler's extended finger.
"George Harrison! It's George Harrison! I can't believe it!" Ross said excitedly, and Joey looked at him like he was a total idiot.
"What's the big deal?" Joey asked.
"Joey, are you kidding me? George Harrison is like, my biggest hero. Well, him, Eddie Van Halen, and Eric Clapton."
"And?" Chandler prodded.
"What?" Ross said, his face flushing.
"You're other hero Ross, come on."
"And CC Deville," Ross muttered.
"The dude from Poison?" Joey laughed.
"Yeah," Ross said, as Chandler and Joey broke into wild laughter.
"It's okay Ross, I mean, 'Every Rose Has it's Thorn', right?" Joey laughed.
"Shut up!" Ross yelled.
"Hey, PMQ, congratulations, guys," George Harrison said, as he approached the band.
"Thank you, Mr. Harrison," Chandler said, grinning like a mad man.
"Please, Chandler, call me George, alright?"
"A-hepuhlopne," Ross mumbled, as he laughed nervously.
Chandler shot Ross a look, then turned his attention back to George.
"We are all really big fans," Chandler said, trying to cover for Ross' temporary speech issues.
"Aw, well, cheers, guys. And I must say, I am a fan of yours as well."
"Really?" Chandler was taken aback by the surrealism of this encounter. He may be one of the most famous people in the world, but that didn't stop him from being absolutely floored when someone as legendary as George Harrison complimented them like this.
"Oh, yeah, your second record, what's it called, uh--"
"Shadows and Light," Joey said.
"Right. That one is definitely in my top ten," George said.
"WOW!.. Really?" Ross finally spoke, causing everyone to jump back.
"Yeah, mate. It's a really good record. Not that your others aren't, but there is something about that early stuff."
"One could argue the same about the Beatles," Chandler laughed.
"Very true," George laughed, "Listen, guys, I am doing a benefit show on Thursday for a friend of mine who runs a shelter here in Los Angeles. Would you be interested in making an appearance?"
"Wow, yeah, that'd be great!" Chandler said.
"Excellent, I'll have Marcie ring your manager then, and set up the details," George said, smiling.
"So, George," Ross said nervously, "We just, uh played in your home country a few weeks ago!"
"Well, good for you, then," George said, looking at Ross strangely.
"Yeah, yeah, we went down to Liverpool, you know, and...hey! As a matter of fact, that's where I bought these shoes!"
"I see, yes, they look very English, don't they," George said sarcastically.
"I think so too!" Ross said, not picking up on the sarcasm.
"Uh huh," George said, as Chandler tried to pull Ross away.
"You know, funny story, when I bought these shoes..." As Ross rattled off his pointless tale, Chandler shot George an apologetic look, and silently wondered if they would still be doing the aforementioned benefit.
***
~Central Perk, present day~
"I can't believe he still wanted us to do the benefit after that," Chandler laughed.
"It wasn't that bad," Ross said.
"Are you kidding me? You cornered him for 15 minutes, talking about nothing but your stupid shoes!"
"Whateverman. Like you've never acted like a total jackass in front of someone," Ross shot.
"Not like that. And certainly not with a legend."
"Oh, okay, need I bring up the Madonna incident?" Ross said.
Chandler's cheeks flushed. "Hey, that was *her* idea, okay? And, uh, Monica doesn't know about that, so, uh, let's not
bring that up in front of her."
"How does Monica not know about that?" Ross asked.
"Let's just say Madonna has a wizard for a publicist and leave it at that, okay?"
"Whatever," Ross said.
Chandler and Ross sat in silence for a minute, both in deep thought. Suddenly, the music in the cafe changed, as the white-haired owner put on "Cloud Nine", one of George Harrison's award-winning cd's.
"What's your favourite George Harrison song, Ross?" Chandler asked.
"Uh, 'My Guitar Gently Weeps', maybe. I dunno, I have a lot."
"Yeah."
"Do you remember when John Lennon was shot?"
"Kinda. I was pretty young," Chandler pointed out.
"Yeah. But it's like, even though we were young, there was no way to not notice that everything had changed, ya know?"
"Yeah, I guess."
"I wonder if kids today realize how important these guys are to music." Ross pondered.
"Well, if it hasn't been covered by The Backstreet Boys, or sampled by Will Smith, I doubt they have any idea."
"Nah, I think they know. I mean, how can they not? The Beatles have influenced every artist of our generation."
"True, very true."
"Wow. It's really over then, huh?"
"Like you said, it's the end of an era," Chandler sighed.
"Do you think we will leave a mark like that?"
"No way. But I hope we will leave a small mark."
"Maybe we will know we've made it when Snoop Dogg samples 'Emotional Knapsack', huh?" Ross laughed.
"Right," Chandler laughed, as the waitress refilled their coffees.
Chandler picked up his over-sized mug, and held it in the air.
"To George," he said.
"To George," Ross replied, and clinked Chandler's mug.
~*~*~*~*~*~
Yeah, not much really happened here, I just wanted to get this out. Love To All.