Blood and Money: Or How Corporations Killed Earth
Part 2: Tastes of Fame/a Hero Comes Along
Frank Garrett
Yeah Earl was excited about the San Francisco concert. I mean performing with an orchestra damn that was too much. Seriously did you listen to these guys' music? No way was this going to be a Metallica style combination.
Steven Shroyer
I remember all these people going ape shit over some kind of space craft that crashed in California. Damn thing was shaped like a guitar from what I saw. I asked my stepbrother Kevin, I said "Do you think this is a prank. I don't think this is real?" and he said he was taking a vacation with his wife and my nephew to see the ship and attend that damn concert. Now looking back on it I wonder what little Anthony felt as earth went away.
Matt Edwards
Did I see the spaceship? I was the first fucking reporter on the scene when it happened, MSNBC right there, I saw the damn alien too, look (Places a tape in a VCR) now we pan over to the ship and (Stops the tape) right there, damn thing was right there. I had to edit it out but I kept the master copy the network had. Jeff Zucker didn't know shit, that's why he lost the lottery.
Beryl
What I remember most about being locked in my hotel room for hours while signing those photos was the idea of wanting to go mad. I mean Norman Bates mad ya know. So after I sign my last picture I go down to a bar on the Sunset Strip. That's when I first tried heroin. I was sitting there and some guy asked me if I wanted to feel better. I said "Hell yeah, what do ya got?" and we go out back and I slammed heroin for the first time. Looking back on it now was it a mistake, hell yes. Do I regret it, hell no. I don't regret being a junkie for a period of my life. I had more fun as a junkie than as a drummer.
Arpegius
The whole marathon promotional material signing thing was Darkwood's idea, had hand cramps for days almost affected the show. I remember after finishing the signing that I turned on MSNBC and saw the spacecraft crash. I knew someone had come to save us I just didn't know who it was or why?
Stella
I remember when Shep crashed about 26miles from where we were in LA and I remember it was when Earl and I were making love that I had the vision about him. He and I were just floating along on our home planet, running through fields of moon flowers and star's breath and he kissed me, I then remember Earl slapping me and calling me a cunt, whatever that means. I grew used to the sex and saw it more as a punishment than a pleasurable act. I mean I must have done something wrong to deserve that kind of treatment right? (Begins to cry) please don't include that in the book okay?
Edward Elric (Department of Defense staffer under Paul Wolfowitz)
We had more shit on our plate then we could handle. This was pre 9-11 mind you and all I can remember was deputy secretary Wolfowitz cursing up a storm with these NASA Glenn people over that damn message. Don't get me started on the spacecraft. Rumsfeld wanted to get his hands on it Wolfowitz didn't want any damn part of it. So occasionally I'd see Rumsfeld talking to Karl Rove at the white house trying to get his opinion on it, and then Condi Rice would catch hell from Rove because it was on her watch. Nobody knew how to do a damn thing there. George would sit there and clasp his hands and pray but I don't think god was talking to him. This was before 9-11 mind you and even then they didn't have their shit together.
From a phone conversation between Paul Wolfowitz and NASA Glenn's Fred Barison
Wolfowitz: I don't give a fuck what kind of technology you need to use, you'll use what we give you.
Barison: Mr. Wolfowitz please bear in mind that we have been trying to decode the message and the technology the president's budget has afforded us is shit. We have used up all our resources and we just need this one thing. Now I know how good you Karl and Scooter are with the lobbyists so maybe you can get them to. . .
Wolfowitz: Fuck those dickless wonders I could give two shits less about them. I have put your department a department that is its own autonomous division of the executive branch under Defense department control.
Barison: Why because Georgey Porgy thinks god is sending him a message. I know this isn't god and if it was it wouldn't want to talk to him. This conversation's ended.
Wolfowitz: Don't you fucking hang up!" Damn!
Matt Edwards
Did I have a clue what was going on in the White House over this thing? No can't say that I have. Must have been good though, I mean if you got Paul Wolfowitz cursing at you it must be good.
Frank Garrett
I was talking to Earl on his fight to San Francisco and he mentioned the drummer kept on going to the bathroom. He'd come back higher than a kite and he'd find a hypo in there. Earl kept that guy a junkie because he knew if he didn't he'd fuck up his plans. The Ketamine incident in LA was the worst. The drummer had taken three Ketamine and washed it down with a bottle of JD and they were supposed to perform on some show and he passed out right before air time. So they had a fan play the drums for him. Take that as a lesson fans learn the band's songs!
Jim Garrison
Beryl was a wreck. Fucking druggie first class and Earl enabled him. Son of a bitch gave him all the drugs he wanted and never said a thing.
Beryl
I don't remember a time where there weren't drugs in my life after I came to earth. Uppers, Downers all my drugs of choice and I loved it. I never felt so good.
Stella
I remember the show. We began with "One More Time" and it sounded different maybe because we were working with and orchestra but all of a sudden I see Shep in the crowd and that's when all hell broke lose
Octave
I remember my mind being released from some sort of fog and all of a sudden I stopped playing and Beryl and Arpegius stopped but not Stella, he must have missed her, we ran off stage and hopped in a van the roadies were using. You ever heard that Pink Floyd Song "Run Like Hell" well that's what we were doing. It was when they shot through the window and hit this guy that I knew we were fucked.
Beryl
Do I remember Shep? No I was too damn high that day. I had a couple of valiums and some coke before I went on stage. He seemed well enough to drive the van though after he got shot.
Stella
I had horrible dreams after the incident and Earl (Pauses, begins to tear up) I'm sorry I can't tell you what he did to me, it makes me feel uncomfortable.
Frank Garrett
Stella wouldn't talk to ya about the rape after the show. Well a bunch a roadies and crew had themselves quite a roman fucking orgy in the dressing room after the show, and Earl was Caligula, How's that.
Terry West (Doctor)
I was called in to see Stella about three days after the rape. I was told to keep it hush, hush but she couldn't stop bleeding and when it did stop we learned something else. She was pregnant. Do you want to know what Darkwood said? "How soon can we have the abortion?" his exact words were about how soon we could kill her baby.
Stella
Looking back, I think we made the right decision. Earth was worthless anyway.