Prologue
“Welcome back to K505, Syn Island’s number-one radio station. I’m Barbra Barker and we’re here with Alex Harris, former frontman and lead singer of the hit band Waterdogs. Alex, the question on everyone’s lips is; what happened to the band? Why did you guys break up?”
“Well, we kinda reached the end of our creative rope, I think; I mean, we’ve been a band since we were all about sixteen, and we were inducted into the rock ’n roll hall of fame three years later – we hadn’t even graduated from high school at that point. *Sigh* I guess after eight years together we all felt like it was time to take a break. It’s not like there was a big fight or anything… We just all want to be doing different things at this point in our lives; there is nothing stopping us from getting back together again later.”
“Wow, that’s awesome. So, you heard it here first, folks: Waterdogs not drowned, just swimming in different directions. Ha, ha, ha! So the obvious question then is, what are your plans now?”
“I’m just really looking forward to spending some time with my family and exploring some of my other interests. Thanks to my sister, I can afford to just sit back for a while and relax and think.”
“Oh, that’s right, your sister’s an investment banker, correct, and she helped you put your earnings from the band into all the proper places and turned your already awesome rock-star paycheques into something you should be able to live off for the next couple of lifetimes. And in return you bought her a house, is that right?”
“Well, you know, my family has always supported me in everything I’ve wanted to do, always had my back when I needed them, so when I got this opportunity to give something back I was more than happy to help out, you know. The basic idea was I’d supply the money and my sister would supply the know-how and together we would create a family trust. I mean, yes, I get the majority of it, but my family’s never going to starve or really want for anything, ever.”
“Huh, I wish my brother was as sweet as you. Now, normally rock stars of your calibre are sitting on the ceiling, talking about the interesting positions their groupies can get into, buying and writing off sports cars and dying at twenty-seven. But you seem much more level headed and down to earth than even some of your bandmates. How do you manage it, because you shot to fame at a young age, from high-school band to international rock sensation seemingly overnight? What’s the secret?”
“Honestly? My dad has been to practically every gig I’ve ever done and when your dad is there watching you, you want to be on your best behaviour. He-he-he… No, I just have a great relationship with my family and I wouldn’t want to do anything that could jeopardise that. Like I said before, they’ve always really been there for me throughout my life and I respect that, and I love them for it. You know, when I got this idea of being a musician my father sat me down and said, ‘Alex, if this is what’s going to make you happy, then we’re with you – just don’t lose touch with the family and lose control and think you can’t call us. We don’t want you going the way of that Kurt Corbin fellow.’”
Everyone in the studio laughed – it was a funny story and it was true, but it actually had very little to do with why I wasn’t the hardcore ‘fuck-the-system’ rock star everyone expected me to be. Okay, well, maybe it did, but being a werewolf still took precedence.
