1968 Conqueror of American Rock - Chapter 184



Only Krnovel

184. Again, Summer of ’69 (8)

David Bowie took the stage.

– I still don’t know what I was Waiting for······

(I still don’t know what I’m waiting for······)

It was one of his early songs, ‘Change’. It was a song sung to the accompaniment of an acoustic guitar. It was as if he was telling the story of what was in his mind, saying, ‘I used to be this kind of person, but I will change like this in the future.’

– Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes!

“Ts, ts, ts, ts, change!”

Annie imitated David Bowie and shook her head comically to the beat of “Tsuttsutts.”

“Change. This song is perfect for David right now.”

Freddie spoke as if he knew David Bowie well.

“His real name was David Jones. His father had inherited a lot of money, but he lost it all in business. So he had a very poor childhood. His family was also complicated, with only his half-sisters and his half-brother. Later, he lived with his half-brother, Terry, and was greatly influenced by him. That’s when he discovered rock music and beat literature. But······.”

Terry was a schizophrenic, and his symptoms got worse, so he was admitted to a mental hospital, but he eventually committed suicide. According to people around him, David Bowie treasured the letters his brother sent him and thought about him a lot. This shows how special their relationship was.

Persona.

Persona refers to the masks worn by actors in ancient Greek dramas. In Latin, it became the origin of the words person, personality, and character, and later became established as a psychological term.

David Bowie, with his red hair and outrageous clothing, created a new persona for each musical change. He didn’t just change his music and appearance, he thought of himself as that persona and acted like one.

Later, he was given nicknames such as “The Myth of Transformation” and “Chameleon” by critics.

His various personas were influenced by his half-brother Terry, who suffered from schizophrenia······.

“But that friend got married last year and had a son last month. It was a big change in his life.”

Freddy, who was more playful than he looked, shook his head and followed Annie’s lead.

“Ts, ts, ts, ts, change!”

The two looked at each other and laughed like fools.

* * *

As the sun began to set in the west, dusk began to fall. The pyramid stage, with its vinyl exterior, lit up brightly. The stage truly showed off its grandeur in the darkness.

Bonfires began to be lit all around. From a distance, a huge pyramid radiating white light and red lights surrounding the stage, as if a ritual was being held in honor of the gods, made for a spectacular sight.

“Wow, this is more cinematic than your own movies. It’s like the world of mythology······.”

“We’re a team that focuses on live performances and music videos, but we’re not jealous of movies or documentaries, haha.”

Robert Smith was grateful to his team members who always believed in him and followed him without complaint, even during the difficult filming. The company also paid him more than he had worked hard for.

Live performances are much more demanding and difficult work than movies or commercials. The reason is that they are literally live. In order to capture the musicians’ vivid appearances in a live performance where there are no NGs, it was important to understand the scene in advance and place the cameras precisely.

Robert Smith assigned relatively easy close-up shots and fixed-camera shots to newbies, assigned difficult moving-camera shots to his shooters, and took charge of the most difficult and dangerous scenes, such as atmospheric and aerial shots.

Today, at least, he wasn’t bored because his assistant Matthew was there to keep him company.

“Okay, from here on out, you can keep the camera still. During the day, I panned slowly to capture the atmosphere of the scene, but now, if you keep that pyramid fixed in the center of the screen, it will look much more mysterious.”

“Yes, Director. But, photos and videos don’t capture everything that the human eye sees.”

“At first, yes. But as you gain experience, another world opens up. Depending on how you put the world you see into this square frame, you can create any number of new scenes.”

Matthew took Robert’s words to heart.

“Director, Queen’s stage isn’t over yet, but Sparkling Ripple is coming up.”

As a video team affiliated with CW, they now have a long list of artists and songs.

“It’s probably to sing Bohemian Rhapsody as the finale. The harmony the two bands create will be beyond imagination.”

“Oh, I see. I guess we’re about to start.”

“Let’s just put the cameras down for a moment and enjoy it, hehe.”

The two sat side by side at a distance, looking at the pyramid shining majestically in the darkness, and soon became absorbed in the beautiful harmony created by the two bands.

* * *

After Thomas finished the stage, he went down to where his parents and younger sister were and watched the show together. When he saw his beloved younger sister Charlotte smiling brightly with her pretty eyes, he almost cried. However, he held it back for his mother who cried so much that she wet her handkerchief.

“Wow, oppa, that’s really fantastic! But why is Galileo suddenly appearing in the song?”

“Oh, the guitarist in that band called Queen majored in astrophysics. That’s the nickname that the lead singer Freddie Mercury gives him.”

“Hahaha, I see. That’s so funny. I never imagined that you would be doing music like this just because you studied hard.”

“I met some great friends, and it was thanks to my brother James, who was on stage. He was the one who helped me get my eye surgery.”

“Really? I’ll have to thank you later.”

Thomas patted Charlotte’s head. It had been a while since he had had such a long conversation with his sister.

“Oppa, are you naturally shy? I think it’s cute when you say “uh······ um······” when you talk, haha.”

Charlotte was also a teenage girl.

“No, he’s originally a very manly and courageous guy. It’s just that when he’s in front of girls, his lion-like personality turns into a gentle puppy, hahaha.”

“Really? Hahahaha.”

Then Joseph ran over with an ice cream in his hand and handed it to Charlotte.

“Eat this, Charlotte.”

“Thank you, Joseph.”

Everyone around looked at Charlotte with the London Smog members with envious eyes. It was the first time in her life that she had experienced something like this. She had been teased and ridiculed many times, but it was still strange to feel someone else’s envious gaze.

– I love you all! And thank you to Sparkling Ripple for helping with the chorus! This is the end of the stage prepared by Queen!

Freddie Mercury greeted us with an elegant pose.

Even though Queen had finished all of their songs, the two bands remained on stage, swapping positions.

“Brothers, but why can’t I see Oppa Jakup?”

Charlotte mustered up her courage to ask.

“Jacup still has one stage left.”

At that time, Jacqui appeared on stage holding a microphone without a guitar.

– Hello, everyone! This is Sparkling Ripple!

As Annie gave a powerful greeting, people wearing black T-shirts began to gather around the stage at a rapid pace.

“Charlotte, come here. Mom, Dad, hold each other’s hands tightly, don’t let go! Joseph, we’d better fall back a little.”

“It’s too late to go back. It’ll be faster to go sideways.”

Thomas and Joseph took their family to a safe place.

* * *

The headquarters is located far from the pyramid stage, but faces the stage directly. It is a location where you can see the audience and the tent village spread out in front of it all at a glance.

“Oh my god······ This, this is the power of Sparkling Ripple······. It’s like looking at a black sea.”

David Bowie couldn’t believe the sight of ten thousand people wearing black T-shirts rushing up to the pyramid stage he had designed.

“It was spectacular last year when a thousand people gathered, but when ten thousand people gather in front of the pyramids that are lit up at night, it’s like a truly magical night sea.”

Michael Eavis, the festival’s general director, also had his hair stand on end at the overwhelming sight before his eyes.

– Hello, everyone! This is Sparkling Ripple!

At Annie’s loud greeting, the black sea began to swell. The light from the pyramid reflected and shone on the black waves.

– The first song is a song that we can perform live thanks to Queen’s help. It’s a song that our team leader James made as a wedding present for his brother······.

Before Annie could finish speaking, the black sea began to howl.

“Mr. Ibis, I understand that the black T-shirt symbolizes the Black Parade in their song, but isn’t it too dark for a wedding song?”

“Haha, let’s take a look first.”

Michael Ibis crossed his arms and smiled broadly, as if he had something in mind.

– The chorus needs your help!

– I would do anything for you!

(I would do anything for you!)

Annie sang the chorus to the audience, and the cheers of ten thousand people following along echoed through the June sky.

“Every time I see it, I feel so envious of that girl Annie’s voice. How can she produce such sound pressure from that small body······.”

“Annie Yang is truly a treasure to the rock music world. Plus, that band, despite their young age, is known for living a particularly healthy lifestyle.”

Michael Eavis also added a description to David Bowie about the cleanliness campaign they are carrying out in the United States.

– Okay, let’s all go together until our voices reach the sky!

Annie was sincere.

Today I decided to sing for Helen Williams who is in heaven.

As Freddie Mercury sat down at the grand piano and began to play the intro to ‘I’d Do Anything For You’ with his dazzling fingers, something amazing happened.

“I······ That······!”

David Bowie jumped up from his chair.

A red light was spreading across the black waves.

“It’s a rose. It’s a small event I prepared, haha.”

Michael Ibis has been a huge help to James. He helped us make the first Pilton Festival a success last year and has also taught us about the facilities needed to run large-scale festivals consistently in the future.

I wanted to repay that favor.

He decided to recreate the rose garden that was featured in the music video. There was a huge rose garden on his farm. It wasn’t for sale, just for display. He instructed his staff to meticulously remove all the thorns and placed them on display for festival-goers to freely take.

Sparkling Ripple fans who bought T-shirts couldn’t help but know what it meant. They made bouquets of flowers in advance and held them in their hands while watching other bands play.

For this very moment, right now.

Annie Kim, who always showed a strong and bright appearance on stage, had tears in her eyes when she saw the absurd rose field spread out before her eyes.