"We're The Band"
Chapter 12: The Thin White Duke Holds Court
Celebration Concert – Tokyo-3 Junior High School
As Shinji approached the microphone, the raucous student body erupted into renewed screaming and chaos as their current rock idol stepped forward. They had been worked into quite the frenzy by Asuka and Rei, and there appeared to be little holding them back at the moment. As Shinji surveyed the crowd, he noted that many of the teachers looked uncomfortable – almost as if they wanted to bring in police in riot gear to quell the angry mob. He also saw the face he had been looking for – Yuki Takeda. Kensuke had neglected to mention that she was part of the academic decathlon team being recognized and Shinji had spent significant moments searching the wrong part of the crowd for her. With a glance back at the others, he got the big thumbs up from everyone including last minute encouragement from Asuka. He was going to do this as a favor to Kensuke, but to make sure that he didn't die a horrible, painful death; he had cleared it with Asuka who, oddly enough, thought it was a fantastic idea. Go figure.
Shinji swung his guitar around to his back since Asuka was going to do the honors for this tune, and he was going to focus on singing to make this memorable. Pulling the microphone from the stand he moved over to stand directly in front of a startled Yuki Takeda. As Shinji took his spot on the stage, Toji counted off Urge Overkill's cover of Neil Diamond's "Girl, You'll Be A Woman Soon" and Shinji's voice, surprisingly, hit the low register baritones with a rich timber evoking thoughts of Barry White in the older teachers.
Girl, you'll be a woman... soon
I love you so much, can't count all the ways
I've died for you girl and all they can say is
"He's not your kind"
Kensuke had cornered Shinji one afternoon wanting some advice – specifically, dating advice. He was having trouble convincing Yuki and her parents that he was a suitable match. Apparently, his otaku reputation had preceded him, and while Yuki was an excellent student, she wasn't anywhere near otaku status. After some questions, it appeared that it really boiled down to Kensuke having not convinced her that she was more important than all of the otaku distractions and that he really could be closer to normal. Because of that question of his commitment, she wasn't vigorously defending him to her parents who, in turn, took it as a sign that he wasn't the right fit for their daughter – even for dating.
They never get tired of putting me down
And I'll never know when I come around
What I'm gonna find
Don't let them make up your mind.
Don't you know...
Shinji, ever the practical person, said that Kensuke needed to do something to prove it once and for all. They had kicked around some ideas, but the best they could come up with was having Shinji sing something to her at the concert, that is to say, Kensuke pleaded with Shinji to do this out of Stooge brotherhood. Shinji for his part was skeptical. He had wanted Kensuke to sing it since that would show the most commitment similar to what Toji had done to get out of the doghouse with Hikari, but that was shot down after Kensuke had attempted a couple of easier tunes and his voice cracked as only a teen boy's voice can crack. Shinji reluctantly agreed under the condition that Asuka had to approve it since the last thing he wanted was to wake up some morning missing valuable body parts.
Girl, you'll be a woman soon,
Please, come take my hand
At this line, Shinji knelt down at the edge of the stage in front of a wide-eyed and blushing Yuki and motioned for her to take his hand as he stared into her eyes. Kensuke had told her that he had arranged something special for her at the concert, but even her keen intellect had not suspected a personal serenade from the most popular boy in the school – in front of all of her friends!
Girl, you'll be a woman soon,
Soon, you'll need a man
I've been misunderstood for all of my life
But what they're saying girl it cuts like a knife
"The boy's no good"
As he was singing to Yuki, Shinji did something that he tended to do with Asuka – he lightly rubbed her hand with his fingers as he held it. It definitely had the desired effect. Out of his peripheral vision, he noted the shocked looked on the faces of who he suspected were Yuki's friends.
Well I've finally found what I'm a looking for
But if they get their chance they'll end it for sure
Surely would
Baby I've done all I could
Now it's up to you...
With this last verse, Shinji looked over his shoulder meaningfully at Kensuke whose big smile at Yuki's obvious appreciation of his surprise threatened to crack open his skull. Turning back to Yuki, Shinji gave one last squeeze of her hand and a small smile as he stood to return to the microphone stand to finish the song.
Girl, you'll be a woman soon,
Please, come take my hand
Girl, you'll be a woman soon,
Soon, you'll need a man
Girl, you'll be a woman soon,
Please, come take my hand
Girl, you'll be a woman soon,
Soon but soon, you'll need a man
As the song closed, the students erupted into a raucous applause that earned them a smile and wave from Shinji. He turned to grab a sip of water from the bottle that Asuka handed him, and as their hands touched, he let his fingers linger on hers as he sought the reassurance of her smile. A part of him still didn't feel comfortable singing to other girls on such an intimate level. It felt like he was selling his feelings – especially those special feelings that he really only had for Asuka – or was just outright lying to the people in front of him.
Sensing his unease, Asuka leaned closer to him, so he could hear as he took his drink of water. "Baka-kun, it's alright. You're helping your friend not promising yourself to her. Relax. We can talk more, later."
Taking a deep breath for the first time in weeks with adrenaline killing the pain, Shinji's mind began to clear as he nodded and smiled. He felt relieved and calmer now. He constantly marveled how just being near Asuka acted like a safety net – stopping the normal path of plunging into self-loathing and despair.
As he turned back towards the microphone, Shinji began to embrace the rock idol persona and his spirit began to infect everyone around him. Leaning into the microphone, his announcement of the next song sounded remarkably close to the original's, "This is 'Inside Out' by the Mighty Lemon Drops."
With that Asuka's guitar started up the clean, major chords of the introduction before being joined by Rei's bass rhythms and Toji's drums. Joining in with his rhythm guitar, Shinji stepped up to the microphone, the pain of his ribs forgotten in the adrenaline rush of performing, triggering the crowd of students to start jumping up and down in time with the music, hands waving in the air, and screaming his name.
Waiting for the last train
Standing in the pouring rain
Thinking, wishing, hoping that
You'll never feel the same again
Lying wide awake at night
Sleeping in the morning light
Doing all these sins that you shouldn't be ashamed about
You can stop my heart from turning inside out
Try to stop my world from turning inside out
He had them. They were all infected with the Shinji virus. He didn't even realize what he had done, but for the first time, he noticed that the crowd was responding to him and it was both scary and exhilarating. The pulse of the music and the hands in the air from the dancing students created a euphoric feeling in the young musician.
Clutching onto the last straw
Seeing things that I never saw
Pushed me down I fell
To a place I didn't know too well
Waiting for the last train
Standing in the pouring rain
Oh, even though I try to break this spell
I know I haven't got a hope in hell
You can stop my heart from turning inside out
Try to stop my world from turning inside out
Shinji closed his eyes and continued to sing into the microphone with energy few would guess contained in the shy boy. He could feel the waves of energy from the crowd and from his friends in the band all intertwined with the rhythms of the music. It was a powerful, emotional feedback loop that was pushing Shinji to perform in ways he had never thought possible.
But you've called it a day
Have things your own way
I guess it's fair to say
I'm gonna make you pay
Wasted chances wasting time
Holding on till you draw the line
One step forward, two steps back and we were gone
Waiting for the last train
Standing in the pouring rain
Lying wide awake at night
Sleeping in the morning light
You can stop my heart from turning inside out
Try to stop my world from turning inside out
You can stop my heart from turning inside out
Try to stop my world from turning inside out
Without waiting, Shinji merely started up into David Bowie's "Modern Love". He mad3e a smooth transition of the guitar themes to Asuka, slid the guitar behind his back, and the audience saw the transformation of Shinji into the Thin White Duke.
I know when to go out
And when to stay in
Get things done spoken
I catch a paper boy
But things don't really change
I'm standing in the wind
But I never wave bye-bye
But I try
I try
Shinji had the mannerisms and the crowd presence. He had woven such a spell that the teens in the audience didn't realize that they had surrendered to his spell. As he encouraged them to dance, they danced. Shinji, for his part, truly felt the acceptance and adoration of the crowd for the first time. It was different from the love from Asuka and Rei and the acceptance and comfort from Misato. But, it still moved within him and eased the heavy burden he carried within his heart. The burden he was realizing that could be set aside.
There's no sign of life
It's just the power to charm
I'm lying in the rain
But I never wave bye-bye
But I try
I try
Never gonna fall for
Modern Love walks beside me
Modern Love walks on by
Modern Love gets me to the Church on Time
Church on Time terrifies me
Church on Time makes me party
Church on Time puts my trust in God and Man
God and Man no confessions
God and Man no religion
God and Man don't believe
in Modern Love
Shinji had replaced the saxophone solo of the original recording with his own guitar solo. Through his effects pedals, he had found a combination to recreated some of the rasp associated with the woodwind. As the notes of the solo ripped from his amplifier with a passion that wasn't present in practice, Rei and Asuka shared a glance as they noticed how the concepts of Shinji and Music seemed to intertwine and blur together.
It's just the power to charm
I'm lying in the rain
But I never wave bye-bye
But I try
I try
Never gonna fall for
Modern Love walks beside me
Modern Love walks on by
Modern Love gets me to the Church on Time
Church on Time terrifies me
Church on Time makes me party
Church on Time puts my trust in God and Man
God and Man no confessions
God and Man no religion
God and Man don't believe
in Modern Love
With a final flourish, Shinji ended the song and the entire student body erupted into pandemonium. Students were screaming his name; roaring Rei's name; bellowing Asuka's name. Hands reached desperately to touch one of the three as Shinji, Rei, and Asuka had all backed away from the front of the stage, now standing together in front of Toji's riser. They weren't afraid – when you've faced the end of the world and your own painful death, screaming students were not really intimidating – but they were surprised at the overwhelming reaction they were receiving. As the crowd noticed the closing curtains and the band moving to pack up, a chant began for an encore. Growing in intensity, the faculty looked at each other in shock.
Hikari had an entirely different reaction. Her budding political skills noticed the crowd reaction and she turned to the Principal to press home the advantage.
"Sir, I think it would be a good idea to give them a bit of an encore. It may help to bring a more convenient ending to the celebration."
Startled, the Principal turned to Hikari with eyes that were a little wild and simply nodded his head. Hikari quickly made her way to the stage where the circle of friends had gathered to decide what they were going to about the pandemonium. Breathless from the little run, Hikari quickly outlined the concession she got from the Principal, and oddly, everyone turned to look at Shinji for a decision.
Oddly unfazed by the expected decision, Shinji merely shrugged. "Okay, we've got two more tunes we could do. Asuka, Rei, you guys are up next."
Shinji stepped up to the microphone to get the crowds attention with the message that they were going to do two more songs as an encore and announce Halcali's "Tip Taps Tip".
The crowd began to come under control as Shinji backed away from the microphone only to have Rei and Asuka take his place. Soon, Kensuke's electronic piano was bopping out chords.
Na Na Na
why so why?
souzou shite mite yo
Just you like
suki na koto
hitotsu dake ja nai
kimi ga hiraku tobira
kotae wa soko ni aru no? nai no?
I don't know. ima mo wakannai yo
itsu datte bokura wa maigo
otona wa iu "Just a child..."
demo toiteku no ga tanoshii n' da
sugu ni wa tokenai kamo shirennai
minna hate nai hate na
akiramenai tokeru made wa
shippai shitemo nee
"All right!!" to itte choudai
seiippai IME-JI no umi oyoide...
"akiramenaide hatenai hate na"
The students in the gym were stunned. They had only a limited amount of experience of Asuka not belittling Rei and now, here they were doing a duet of a pop song. The surreal sight was topped for the male part of the student body that two of the prettiest, most popular girls were on stage and singing.
Na Na Na
why so why?
souzou shite mite yo
Just you like
suki na koto
hitotsu dake ja nai
kimi shika shiranai ashita
Tip Taps...
During the short instrumental break, Shinji's guitar, sans distortion, pulsed out a clear, melodic solo over the top of Toji's drums and Kensuke's keyboard. The baseline cut out as both Rei and Asuka focused on dancing around Shinji.
teatari shidai de
"nan demo ii" to yuu no wa kantan
demo ii no?
kitto heart-beat ga HINTO
tesaguri shita tte erande hoshii yo
datte toiteku no ga tanoshii n' da
toketara hyaku bai kamo shinnai
minna hate nai hate na
tashikametai dakara makenai
shippai shitemo nee
koukai shinaide choudai
mou ikkai IME-JI no sora miagete...
(akiramenaide hatenai hate na)
Na Na Na
why so why?
souzou shite mite yo
Just you like
suki na koto
hitotsu dake ja nai
kimi shika mienai nanika
chiisana mune no KAMERA ga toraeta
yume no kakera chanto utsushite
hito KOMA hito KOMA ima wo kakeru nara
umareru yo ano DORAMA
The girls' clear sopranos over the top of the pop beat wove an almost hypnotic spell. The dancing continued but the screaming had almost completely died out. The only sonic contribution from the crowd was a few students singing along – to the annoyance of those closest to them who could hear them over the amplified voices of Rei and Asuka.
Na Na Na
why so why?
souzou shite mite yo
Just you like
suki na koto
hitotsu dake ja nai
kimi ga hiraku tobira
kotae wa soko ni aru no? nai no?
I don't know. ima mo wakannai yo
itsu datte bokura wa maigo
otona wa iu "Just a child..."
demo toiteku no ga tanoshii n' da
sugu ni wa tokenai kamo shirennai
minna hate nai hate na
akiramenai tokeru made wa
shippai shitemo nee
"All right!!" to itte choudai
seiippai IME-JI no umi oyoide...
"akiramenaide hatenai hate na"
Na Na Na
why so why?
souzou shite mite yo
Just you like
suki na koto
hitotsu dake ja nai
kimi shika shiranai ashita
Tip Taps...
The stunned crowd erupted into shouting and applause as Rei and Asuka took their well-deserved kudos. As they stepped back from the microphone, Shinji moved to take their place for the final tune of the show. Passing Asuka, he gave her a broad, happy smile and said into her ear over the crowd noise, "You were awesome!" causing her to, uncharacteristically, blush as she grabbed her guitar to cover pleasure of the compliment from her boyfriend. Shinji, for his part, had slipped back into performance mode. The opening notes of Audioslave's "Like a Stone" ripped from the band and Shinji's voice pierced the sonic tapestry like a knife.
On a cobweb afternoon
In a room full of emptiness
By a freeway I confess
I was lost in the pages
Of a book full of death
Reading how we'll die alone
If we're good we're laid to rest
Anywhere we want to go
In your house I long to be
Room by room patiently
I'll wait for you there
Like a stone I'll wait for you there
Alone
Shinji's voice was deep and powerful. It even contained a raspy, gravelly element that surprised many of the adults listening. Many of the students were enraptured and caught up again in the power. Off to one side a mosh pit had started up, unnoticed by the teaching staff.
On my deathbed I will pray
To the gods and thee angels
Like a pagan to anyone
Who will take me to heaven
To a place I recall
I was there so long ago
The sky was bruised
The wine was bled
And there you led me on
In your house I long to be
Room by room patiently
I'll wait for you there
Like a stone I'll wait for you there
Alone Alone
Asuka had been strumming the big chords with exaggerated flourishes of her arm building the excitement as Shinji stepped back from the microphone into the guitar solo. With one foot up on a monitor speaker and his head tilted down in concentration on the fingering, the solo started jumped into the high notes with his left hand shaking the notes into vibrato then transitioning into the high pitched, machine gun-like staccato riff culminating in the shaking feedback. Throughout all of this, Rei's head bounced up and down in time to the bass beat like a blue pom pom wielded by an insane cheerleader. As the solo ended, Shinji stepped back up to microphone to close the deal.
And on I read
Until the day was gone
And I sat in regret
Of all the things I've done
For all that I've blessed
And all that I've wronged
In dreams until my death
I will wander on
In your house I long to be
Room by room patiently
I'll wait for you there
Like a stone I'll wait for you there
Alone Alone
The screaming and applause erupted like a volcano and in that seminal moment, Shinji began to realize what it really meant to be a performer and how the adulation of a crowd could wash over a person. As the curtains began to close and the group waved good bye, a small, cryptic, mischievous smile much like the ones his sister was so fond of could be seen on Shinji's face.
Author's Parting Shots: So, this was a nice,short, fluffy chapter with lots of music and not so much in the way of plot. I just wanted to take a little break and create a musical interlude to the story. I'll be back with more, soon. Also, I had to transcribe the "Inside Out" lyrics on my own, so they may not be 100 accurate. For those of you who didn't know, Halcali's "Tip Taps Tip" is the closing theme for the middle third of the Eureka 7 episodes, and no, I haven't translated them to English – but I'm sure you can find a translation somewhere.