they'll appear on your
page, too," suggested Pete, in his self-imposed role as Thor's marketing
advisor. "That sort of advertising works in a subliminal way; their friends
will look at the photos, too, and next time they see a gig advertised, they'll
think, oh yeah, that's Thor, I've seen them on Joe Bloggs' MySpace, I'll go
along."
With a few clicks, he chose the right profile photo
for their page. "Now, you can start building a fan base while you create the
brand; build the buzz even before you put the music on the page."
Dave's head was in a whirl. Create the brand? Build the buzz? Subliminal advertising? This was all galloping ahead in a way
that he loved, but it scared him, too. Was rock and roll all just marketing
these days?
He'd only written four songs.
They'd only played one gig.
But it was a start, wasn't it?
He kept thinking about Ariel that week, too, wanting
to go round and see her but at the same time reluctant to do so; what if she
just wanted to be friends, to catch up - and what about Janice? He knew Janice
still loved him, and until a few weeks ago he'd thought he still loved her. But now he wasn't so sure. Was it the idea of having a family, being with his
son again, that he loved? He feared he was moving away from Janice, just
slightly; it wasn't a conscious decision but he was pretty sure she was working
up to saying, okay, we've talked about it; when do you want to come home? But
if he moved back in, that would be that. He needed to make sure it was the
right thing to do before he made that commitment.
What he didn't admit to himself, at least, not in
so many words, was that if he was officially back with Janice he would have to
forget all about Ariel.
Dave's guilty conscience and the week's wages
bought Janice a second hand laptop that Friday, so she could follow Thor on
MySpace, too.
He took it round to her that very afternoon.
"Wow!" said Janice, when he gave it to her. "Dave, this is
wonderful! It'll be great for Harley when he's a bit older, too."
"Well, I thought you might like to make yourself a
MySpace profile," he said. "Then you can keep up with the band and put comments
on our page about how great we are, and all that."
"Oh, I see, there's an ulterior motive in this show
of generosity, is there?" Janice said, but she was smiling; she looked amused
rather than annoyed. "I can go on Facebook, too - Carolyn says everyone's
starting to use that now, not MySpace."
"Yeah, but MySpace is still where all the cool
people are," said Dave. He laughed, then. "Oh, for fuck's sake, I don't know
about all that crap, that's just what Shane reckons! But Ritchie and Pete
say you have to be on there, these days. All the bands and singers are,
apparently."
"I see," said Janice. She sat down at the laptop
and opened it up. "I'll have to find out how to get on the internet, then. And how to use this thing." She got up again. "D'you want a coffee?"
Dave followed her out into the kitchen. "Where's Mr
Davidson, then?"
"Oh, Mum's taken him out for tea," Janice said. She sounded distracted; he found the local paper lying on the kitchen table and
glanced through it while she put the kettle on and busied herself getting mugs,
coffee and sugar out of the cupboards. She fiddled around in the fridge for
milk, then stopped and looked out of the window. "So, have you seen Alison
Swan?"
Oh, dear. Dave looked up, and swallowed hard. Janice had her back to him but he could see by the set of her shoulders that
this was by no means a casual question; she'd been working up to it.
She stirred sugar into the mugs, frowning, as
though the process called for a great deal of concentration.
"What?" he said. "Oh, yeah, Alison. She's changed
her name to Ariel, now."
"Has she?" Janice laughed, and turned round,
handing Dave his coffee. "She would!"
Dave grinned. "She thought it sounded better for a
singer."
"Did she? So you've talked to her? You have seen her,
then?"
"Only at the gig. She was there,
page, too," suggested Pete, in his self-imposed role as Thor's marketing
advisor. "That sort of advertising works in a subliminal way; their friends
will look at the photos, too, and next time they see a gig advertised, they'll
think, oh yeah, that's Thor, I've seen them on Joe Bloggs' MySpace, I'll go
along."
With a few clicks, he chose the right profile photo
for their page. "Now, you can start building a fan base while you create the
brand; build the buzz even before you put the music on the page."
Dave's head was in a whirl. Create the brand? Build the buzz? Subliminal advertising? This was all galloping ahead in a way
that he loved, but it scared him, too. Was rock and roll all just marketing
these days?
He'd only written four songs.
They'd only played one gig.
But it was a start, wasn't it?
He kept thinking about Ariel that week, too, wanting
to go round and see her but at the same time reluctant to do so; what if she
just wanted to be friends, to catch up - and what about Janice? He knew Janice
still loved him, and until a few weeks ago he'd thought he still loved her. But now he wasn't so sure. Was it the idea of having a family, being with his
son again, that he loved? He feared he was moving away from Janice, just
slightly; it wasn't a conscious decision but he was pretty sure she was working
up to saying, okay, we've talked about it; when do you want to come home? But
if he moved back in, that would be that. He needed to make sure it was the
right thing to do before he made that commitment.
What he didn't admit to himself, at least, not in
so many words, was that if he was officially back with Janice he would have to
forget all about Ariel.
Dave's guilty conscience and the week's wages
bought Janice a second hand laptop that Friday, so she could follow Thor on
MySpace, too.
He took it round to her that very afternoon.
"Wow!" said Janice, when he gave it to her. "Dave, this is
wonderful! It'll be great for Harley when he's a bit older, too."
"Well, I thought you might like to make yourself a
MySpace profile," he said. "Then you can keep up with the band and put comments
on our page about how great we are, and all that."
"Oh, I see, there's an ulterior motive in this show
of generosity, is there?" Janice said, but she was smiling; she looked amused
rather than annoyed. "I can go on Facebook, too - Carolyn says everyone's
starting to use that now, not MySpace."
"Yeah, but MySpace is still where all the cool
people are," said Dave. He laughed, then. "Oh, for fuck's sake, I don't know
about all that crap, that's just what Shane reckons! But Ritchie and Pete
say you have to be on there, these days. All the bands and singers are,
apparently."
"I see," said Janice. She sat down at the laptop
and opened it up. "I'll have to find out how to get on the internet, then. And how to use this thing." She got up again. "D'you want a coffee?"
Dave followed her out into the kitchen. "Where's Mr
Davidson, then?"
"Oh, Mum's taken him out for tea," Janice said. She sounded distracted; he found the local paper lying on the kitchen table and
glanced through it while she put the kettle on and busied herself getting mugs,
coffee and sugar out of the cupboards. She fiddled around in the fridge for
milk, then stopped and looked out of the window. "So, have you seen Alison
Swan?"
Oh, dear. Dave looked up, and swallowed hard. Janice had her back to him but he could see by the set of her shoulders that
this was by no means a casual question; she'd been working up to it.
She stirred sugar into the mugs, frowning, as
though the process called for a great deal of concentration.
"What?" he said. "Oh, yeah, Alison. She's changed
her name to Ariel, now."
"Has she?" Janice laughed, and turned round,
handing Dave his coffee. "She would!"
Dave grinned. "She thought it sounded better for a
singer."
"Did she? So you've talked to her? You have seen her,
then?"
"Only at the gig. She was there,
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