Chapter 408: Scott Building
Friday, February 10th, Afternoon
It had been years, but Haley found herself getting makeup done for an interview. One thing you could say is Ms. Van Ankeren she's spending money in the right places. Haley had met the makeup person at Baker Studios. So, Haley put two and two together and suspected Ms. Van Ankeren was working out of Julian's studio.
After makeup and a quick run-through with hair, Haley was mic'd up. Where she was giving her interview was her office in the Scott Building. Haley chose to sit behind her desk. Getting positioned behind the desk, Haley took a moment to look out the windows and onto the river.
Once Haley settled her mind, she turned around to face Ms. Van Ankeren. The modest crew was setting up the camera and lights. Ms. Van Ankeren walked over and looked at Haley.
"We're almost ready, Ms. James-Scott," Felicia said.
"Okay," Haley said, "What are we covering?"
"Mostly the early years of Brian and up until you parted company with Mental Lapse," Felicia said.
Haley nodded, "I can do that," she said.
"Good," Felicia said and took a seat across from Haley, "Just let me know when you're ready."
"There is nothing left for me to do but go see General Grant, and I would rather die a thousand deaths," Haley said.
"What does that mean? Who is General Grant?" Felicia asked.
"It's what Robert E. Lee said after the Battle of Appomattox Court House when he knew he had to surrender to General Ulysses S. Grant," Haley said.
"So, you see this as a surrender?" Felicia asked.
"No," Haley said.
"So, why did you say it?" Felicia said.
"I find comfort in the words when I'm about to embark on a journey I'm reluctant to go on," Haley said.
"Do you find this, as you say, stroll down memory lane, a reluctant journey?" Felicia asked.
"Yes," Haley said.
Felicia nodded, "Well, let's make it together, and I'll try to be gentle," she said.
"So, let's go," Haley said.
"Let's," Felicia said, "Rolling."
Haley nodded. Felicia, who is off-camera, looked at a monitor, then to her notes, and nodded, "Okay, Ms. James-Scott, tell me about Brian's birth," she said.
"Brian was born while Nathan and I were still in college at the University of Maryland. He was a bright young child when he was born. Unfortunately, Nathan was on the road with the basketball team when Brian was born. The first thing Nathan did when he returned to campus was rushed to the hospital to meet his son," Haley said.
"Why did you name him Brian?" Felicia asked.
"Nathan chose the name after his high school basketball coach, who was like a grandfather to us," Haley said, "Hence why his name is Brian Durham Scott."
"Not James-Scott?" Felicia asked.
"No, I have brothers that have sons, so no need to keep the name going. Anyways, James had my family name as his first name," Haley said.
"What was Brian's early childhood like?" Felicia asked.
"Typical, I guess, for a young baby with both his parents in college. When he was not quite two, Nathan and I graduated. The Detroit Pistons drafted Nathan, and we moved there for him to play," Haley said.
"Was this when you returned to music?" Felicia asked.
"The start, when we had time, Nathan would encourage me to play, and I guess through team connections, he got one of my demos, and that's a loose term at best," Haley said, with a laugh, "To some producer. My music career started back up as me doing some backing guest vocals on some mixtapes and rap singles, but aren't we here to talk about Brian?"
"It all ties in," Felicia said.
"Okay," Haley said.
"So, how much time did you spend with your sons around this time?" Felicia asked.
"James had started school at this point, so he was enrolled in an all-day kindergarten. Brian and I were inseparable; he would even come with me to recording sessions. You'd be surprised how many of these hip-hop guys would melt when a two-year-old was in the studio," Haley said.
"There are probably stories there," Felicia said.
"Not much with Brian, more so with James. But there were a few hip-hop tough guys that changed Brian's diaper," Haley said with a smile.
"Would you care to share any names?" Felicia asked.
"Oh, no, I was sworn to secrecy," Haley said.
"So, the move to Los Angeles?" Felicia asked.
"During the offseason, Los Angeles traded for Nathan. The Lakers needed a point guard, and Nate was a spare part in Detroit. So, we moved to LA, found a modest home, and enrolled James into school. Brian and I got used to LA and the different culture," Haley said.
"Different culture?" Felicia asked.
"Nathan was still on his rookie deal, so we weren't rolling in the money; it is LA after all. My contacts in the hip-hop community got me more work doing more of the same. Detroit and Los Angeles scenes are different, but the same was that Brian liked the studio, and they liked entertaining him and James. Some of the earliest friends James had were children of hip-hop artists I worked with," Haley said, "I also branched out into guest vocals for rock acts."
"How and why things change?" Felicia asked.
"Nathan started making a name for himself on the court, and one of the producers I worked with regularly wanted me to cut an album. I had one before college, but I wasn't sure. Reluctantly, I did cut a few singles, and they did get some traction. I guess my hip-hop following helped," Haley said.
"That would be your second album?" Felicia asked.
"Yes," Haley said, "Eventually."
"Where did the title come from?" Felicia asked.
"One night in the studio, we were discussing a possible name, and my friend Brooke Davis visited. She was a little bit lubed up and started telling stories about our past. During this visit, she called me her old high school nickname for me, Tutor Girl. The producer latched onto it and said that's what we'll call the album Return of Tutor Girl," Haley said.
"How did this affect your relationship with Brian?" Felicia asked.
"Initially, it didn't. Brian came to the studio and charmed the staff. He even gave his opinion of my singing," Haley said.
"When did your relationship with him change?" Felicia asked.
"I'm not sure; things just started happening. I was famous first, then Nathan started making his name with the Lakers. Suddenly, we became the new It Couple. I spent less and less time with the boys and more and more time with other things. The Lakers went deep into the playoffs, and soon after they ended, I was touring. I was back in time for James to go back to school, but the sessions for my second album came and more touring for me. That year everything went crazy with movie offers, and the Lakers won the title. Nathan scored the winning basket for the title. To celebrate, he jumped into the stands and kissed me. That moment defined that time," Haley said.
"You didn't mention much about Brian there," Felicia said.
"That's because I wasn't there; that's my memories of that time. Stardom, and its seductive siren call, fame is a monster. Life was crazy, and I had to strike while the iron was hot and do another album. That's when I woke up and realized I had forgotten Brian's birthday. My son spent his birthday with a nanny. I finished the album, and my contract was finished. I quit it all and went back to my boys," Haley said.
"What was Brian like before you moved to Tree Hill?" Felicia asked.
"Quiet, very studious, he played a bit of basketball with James, but nothing stood out, Brian just didn't stand out," Haley said.
"After your move to Tree Hill?" Felicia asked.
"I think that's when he tried to find himself. He was on the basketball team, but he didn't seem to be engaged by it. We had worked a little on the piano and guitar, but nothing serious before our move. Brian met and joined High-Performance Heart Attack; that's when he started coming out of his shell," Haley said.
"That's when Brian met Kat Hartmann?" Felicia asked.
"Yes, Kat was the bass player of HPHA. Some way, they clicked and became a team," Haley said.
"Were there any romantic connections between Kat and Brian?" Felicia asked.
"At first, I thought they would develop one, but no, nothing happened between them except music," Haley said.
"How did you react when you found out Brian was in a band?" Felicia asked.
"I was ecstatic and probably went a little stage mom on him. I bought him a guitar, and I had a studio in the basement. I allowed them to use it. I probably got too involved," Haley said.
"HPHA's first concert, did you get that for them?" Felicia asked.
"No, they went out and auditioned for that themselves. From what I understand, they came prepared for what the party was themed and with the right music," Haley said.
"Do you think it was luck, or were they tipped off?" Felicia asked.
"People thought I tipped Brian off. It wasn't me; I didn't even know about the vision of the party's live music," Haley said.
"Do you have an idea if someone did?" Felicia asked.
"Honestly, I don't know, either way, Brian never said. If I had to speculate, it would have been his cousin Keith. Keith worked at the club during the day. He might have heard something and passed it along," Haley said.
"The next big thing was Brian would sing a few duets with you, and you used HPHA as a backing band," Felicia said.
"That's correct," Haley said.
"How did that come about?" Felicia asked.
"That's me being a stage mom again. Also, I wanted my son's band to do well, get exposure, and experience," Haley said.
"What was your impression of HPHA?" Felicia asked.
"A good garage band, with good musicians, a few at least. But they weren't burning down the world," Haley said.
"Did you ever consider slipping a demo of theirs to your connections?" Felicia asked.
"No, I did have some discussion with them, and one of two asked about my backing band, but I demurred. They were too young at the time for that world," Haley said.
"But not too young to work with you?" Felicia asked.
"I was doing small gigs and could protect them," Haley said.
"That brings us up to the founding of RBR," Felicia said, as an alarm went off, "Cut," Felicia said.
Haley sighed, "That's the end of our time," she said, "How far did we get?"
"About a quarter of the way through," Felicia said, "I'd like to do this again."
"Well, on the way out, make an appointment with my secretary; I have free time next week," Haley said.
"Okay, I will; I'd like to get more of this on tape," Felicia said.
"It's agreed," Haley said and stood up. Felicia did the same and met Haley at the desk. They shook hands.
"Thank you, Ms. James-Scott," Felicia said.
"You're welcome, Ms. Van Ankeren," Haley said.
Haley remained standing until everything was packed up and the film crew left the office. Once the office door closed, Haley slumped into the desk chair and let out a sigh of relief.
