Entry 35: Preteen Scream
I heard your voice and wow, what a joke!
Everyone was hanging out on Arnoldo's front stoop listening to whatever bearable music was playing at the time.
Football head flipped through the stations until at last he received a request from Princess to stop on what was apparently this city's most admirable artist…
"I saw your face and wow!"
Yeah...wow. Wow to the idea of anyone caring about such a sad song, let alone supporting it…
"Earn the chance to see a free concert and the chance to go backstage and meet Ronnie Matthews."
I took that 'tempting' offer as my que to find another way to amuse myself for the rest of the day.
"Come on Pheebs! Let's go spit in the river."
As I stood waiting impatiently with my hands on my hips, I noticed Pheebs' attention hadn't left that ridiculous juke box.
"I'm afraid I can't join you at the river Helga. I have things to do at home."
I had just been ditched and for what? Little did I know, my best friend was the queen of the Ronnie Matthews fan club.
While I spent the night entertaining myself with the most recent edition of my usual wrestling magazine, every other girl in the city was coming up with a 500 essay as to why they'd be the perfect candidate to have a front row seat of Ronnie's fake performance.
Everyone was gathered on football head's porch the day they made the long awaited announcement of the contest winners. My classmates all leaned towards the outdated radio, while I leaned against the bricks, feeling they were all wasting their time even caring.
"The winner is Phoebe Hyerdoll!"
The groups' eyes widened like they had just seen a ghost. The only unbelievable thing to me was that an intelligent girl like her would waste her time with such a stupid event.
"I can't believe you even entered the contest Phoebe!"
Normally, Pheebs isn't one to request things from me. She really had it out for this Ronnie guy though.
Later that evening I listened to her beg me to join her at the lame excuse for an amusing way to spend an evening.
"Oh please Helga come to the concert! It'll only be for a few hours and there will be lots of free food!"
Hey, as ridiculous as I knew this guy was, I'm not one to pass up free stuff.
You hear a lot of people say listening to music on the radio can't compare to a live viewing at a concert. Let me tell you something bucko! You weren't missing a thing by not attending that concert.
The crowd stood cheering for the coveted singer while I ate my popcorn trying to figure out what it was about this guy that had Pheebs so razzled? I mean criminy! His music was no different from any other pop star you hear when flipping radio stations.
When it was over, Pheebs anxiously pulled me backstage to meet who was apparently god of the music world.
She and I took a seat outside Ronnie's office where we listened to this Cynthia lady tell us about 50 things he had to do before considering seeing us.
"Hey we don't have all night lady! We're kids! We do have curfews ya know!"
After adding a long list of 'rules' to the waiting list...compliment him but don't touch him aka tell him he's number one without showing him...the prissy lady invited us back to meet him.
I'm not even going to try remembering everyone she introduced us to. I just know I walked past those losers, thinking to myself 'one person could be doing every job she's listed for these people.'
At last the moment of truth arrived…
"And of course Ronnie. Ronnie the contest winners are here."
Pheebs could barely get her name out any better than HE could. After hearing her squeak her name, I listened to her praise him for that one song the country seems to be willing to have played at their weddings.
"I love your music so much! It speaks to me! Right Helga?"
"Eh, it's okay."
What? I wasn't about to unload my feelings onto that guy...mainly because I didn't HAVE any to unload. I'm sorry, but there was nothing about that song that captured my attention the way it seems to everyone else.
Of course, Mr. Big Shot found that too hard to believe. After getting a laugh out of my response, he invited Pheebs and I out to dinner. Like I said, I wasn't about to turn down free food.
"Slap a bib on me and stand back!"
All through dinner, I listened to him go on about the successful life that had basically been handed to him.
"So, you don't write your own music, you can't play the guitar, you can't even sing...yet you're wallowing in dough!"
While I was finally finding a reason to take an interest in this guy, Pheebs looked as though her dreams had just been crushed.
I was highly impressed with the sweet deal he was getting based on the lack of effort that was required of him to put into his work.
Pheebs just couldn't believe the devastating truth that this guy was no more than an actor.
Heck, he was never an idol of mine to begin with. After seeing him as a loser for weeks, hearing he didn't need to be talented to lead a successful life was just starting to make the night enjoyable.
Naturally the 'big shot's' song was on the jukebox at the restaurant. While Ronnie was showing me he was no better at dancing than he was at singing, Pheebs sat sulking at the table.
Once our free night with Pheebs' said to be idol was over, Ronnie dropped us off at her place.
"Ronnie thanks for everything! Vaya con dios! Call me!"
Yeah by the end of the night, Pheebs' enthusiasm seemed to have been passed over to me. I stood waving while watching the limo drive away, only to turn and see Pheebs with a disappointed look on her face.
"Hey Pheebs, what's eatin' ya?"
Apparently my lack of interest in attending the concert was no better than my enjoyment of the actor running it.
"Hey! Hey-hey-hey-hey-hey! You were the one begging me to go with you! You said he was the voice of our generation, not me!"
"Well I thought he was?"
"Well that's not my fault, is it?"
After realizing I was right, Pheebs still couldn't help but question her IQ…
"How could I be so stupid?"
Although I wasn't looking forward to meeting the guy, I knew how she felt. That music was said to be inspirational to her. For her to find out who guy sending out the lyrics was doing no more than mouthing them was like being smacked in the face with the message 'You have no one to believe in.'
It would be as if Arnold, my love, wasn't actually the one coming up with all his amazing problem solving skills. As if it wasn't his choice to always be doing the right thing. None of his good actions or optimistic ways of thinking came from him...
"Come on Pheebs, you're not stupid. So he wasn't the guy you thought he was. Anyone could be fooled by a handsome face. Even someone as smart as you."
The truth hurts, which is why Ronnie was a prime example of why you should never meet your heroes. That or just know there has to be a BIG CATCH to every big shot like him.
