1968 Conqueror of American Rock - Chapter 170



Only Noblemtl

170. I’d Do Anything For You (2)

Jake came up with the ‘Beauty and the Beast’ concept, and thanks to Angela, I learned the specific story. However, if I were to make a song based on the story of ‘Beauty and the Beast’, it would just end up being a childish nursery rhyme.

There is only one person I can turn to in times like this.

“Come in, James.”

“Tom, haven’t you eaten yet?”

“Yeah, it’s morning for me now, haha.”

The sun was high in the sky, but he rubbed his eyes against his disheveled hair.

“I bought Tom’s favorite salmon sandwich on the way here.”

“Oh, salmon sandwich! Let’s go to the table and eat together.”

I put the sandwiches on the plate, and Tom brought out two cups of tea.

“The black tea smells so good.”

“It was really strong. I tend to eat everything strong, haha.”

Tom Waits in his teens was a vagabond; Tom Waits in his twenties lived his life with whiskey, cigarettes, and strong tea; and after meeting the woman he loved, he aged into a handsome and mature man.

“Does Michael come here often to borrow books these days?”

“No, Michael finds it a hassle to come here with his bodyguards, so I go to Diana Ross’s house. I much prefer the book discussions in the mansion’s large garden than my shabby, cigarette-smelling house. Diana Ross also joins in the discussions now.”

Tom praised Michael Jackson for his young age, but his humanities background and intellectual ability. He is currently meeting with Quincy Jones frequently through Diana Ross’s network and is said to be planning a solo album.

These two people were destined to meet anyway.

“But I don’t think you came just because of the news about Michael······.”

“Yes, actually, our artists don’t know yet. Sir, Kevin hyung is getting married this year.”

“Wow, this is a celebration. Who is the bride?”

“Just let Tom know. I’m going with Stella Jean.”

“Phew······ Really?”

He almost spit out his tea.

“Now that I think about it, you two really suit each other.”

“So I’m making a song as a gift.”

I just talked about the general concept of the song.

“Beauty and the Beast······It’s good. The classics are always right.”

“But there are some problems.”

“What is the problem?”

Tom took a bite of his salmon sandwich.

“Our band will play the instrument, and of course Annie will sing the song. If Annie were to write all the lyrics, the lyrics would have to be from a female narrator’s perspective. What should I say? It’s just one person telling a story······.”

“It’s not a novel, it’s a song. You can do it with multiple perspectives.”

Tom answered without any hesitation.

“Multiple viewpoints?”

“Yes, most classical literature uses the omniscient author’s point of view, but modern novels make good use of point of view. There is a main point of view, but other points of view are inserted here and there when necessary. So, the Beast’s point of view, Belle’s point of view, the observer’s point of view, etc.”

“Oh, so there was a way like that. Then you’d need a male vocalist······.”

While he was eating, I had a moment to imagine. The female protagonist’s voice is Annie. The male protagonist should be able to do the voice of the prince and the voice of the beast at the same time.

No, wait. We’re not going to perform this song live anyway, it’s a wedding present. And the music video is the main part.

What I’m saying is that there’s no need for one person to do everything.

The prince’s voice is naturally suited to Andrew’s low and middle tones. Then, the beast’s voice is······.

“Tom, if I write the beast part in the lyrics, can you sing it? Oh, I don’t mean that Tom’s voice sounds like a beast······.”

“I prefer it when you describe my voice as a beast, haha. I wish I could sing it myself, but my vocal range is narrow and I don’t fit the rock opera style.”

“Oh, that could be the case.”

“I think Jack White would be a good fit. He has great expressiveness, great voice acting, and great diction.”

I was impressed by Tom Waits’ observation skills. Jack has a wide vocal range and excellent acting skills. I thought that maybe Jack could play a beast as well as sing.

“Thank you, Tom!”

* * *

“Music video?”

Two of the most polite and composed people I know were so embarrassed that they even stammered.

As it was a wedding gift, Kevin and Stella were naturally the stars of the music video. Since they were going to be busy preparing for the wedding, they had to schedule it in advance.

“Yes, it’s my wedding present. It might be a little bit of a hassle, but it’ll be a memory that lasts a lifetime.”

“Gona, I don’t know about Yeongmi, but I can’t sing, and I’m even less good at acting······.”

“Don’t worry. Other vocalists will sing the song. My brother and sister just have to act, but there’s nothing to worry about because my brother has very few parts to act. There’s no need to act. All you have to do is dress up nicely and smile.”

I explained the concept of the song to both of them.

“The scale is too big······James. No, should I call you Young Master now······.”

“Ugh, please don’t do that. It’s weird. I don’t think I can say ‘sister-in-law’ either.”

“Yeah, this is America. Let’s just call each other whatever we want.”

Kevin hyung cleared up the awkward situation neatly.

“Anyway, I’ll try my best. It’ll be hard, but I think it’ll be a really precious memory when you watch it later. Just like when you watch our movie, the memories from that time come back vividly.”

They say that all that remains are photographs. But I, who came from the future, knew the value of video.

“James, no matter how much you say you should just stay still, the beast is pretty much the main character. I don’t think you can act like that.”

“We’ll cast the Beast separately. After all, the Beast will be unrecognizable once he’s dressed up. You just have to play the role of a cool and handsome prince. You’ll appear briefly in the beginning and appear for a little longer at the end. Since it’s a wedding scene anyway, I think you’re just rehearsing.”

No matter how much I reassured him, my brother looked a little worried.

“Don’t worry, brother. James is preparing so hard, so let’s do our best. I’ll help you.”

Sister Stella naturally linked arms with her brother. She still wasn’t used to it, but it was still nice to see the two of them together.

I had this conversation with my brother Kevin the day before he went to Korea to get permission to marry me.

‘Brother, did you propose to Stella?’

‘of course.’

‘when?’

‘At Griffith Observatory on January 1st, the moment the new year dawns.’

‘What did you say when you proposed?’

‘Youngmi, let’s get married. I can do anything for you.’

I used that content as the title.

I’d Do Anything For You.

* * *

“Oh my God! Really? Kevin and Stella?”

Jack’s expressions were three to four times richer than those of ordinary people. Perhaps it was because his eyebrows were thicker and darker than those of other people and he twitched a lot.

I told Jack about my wedding gift plans and cautiously offered him the role of the Beast.

“I’ll do anything, even if it’s not a beast! I can do anything for our CW, hahaha!”

With his credit secured, Jack took out a loan and bought a nice mansion in Redondo Beach, just down the road from Hermosa Beach. His brother Kevin had advised him to buy quickly, even if it meant pushing himself, because real estate prices were going to go up significantly soon.

He came to live with his mother, younger sister, and family in a mansion where he could see the beautiful sunset over the Pacific Ocean every day. It is said that Jack’s mother cried a lot on the day she moved in.

“My mother says that even though it’s been almost a month since we moved here, she still dreams every morning when she looks out onto the terrace at the ocean. My nephews are thrilled to have their own room for the first time in their lives. I can finally be a proper son, older brother, and uncle. It’s all thanks to James and CW. I’d put aside anything for Kevin’s wedding present. Just say anything.”

“Thank you, Jack. You’re welcome.”

Jack imitated the beast’s appearance as if he were putting on a play for kindergarten children. He was a natural multi-talented artist.

“But Jack, don’t you plan on getting married?”

“Hmm······ Marriage. Well, I also had a woman I liked when I was young. I loved her so passionately. I would write love songs for her every day and sing them to her. I felt like I had the world. I would do anything for her. But······.”

I felt like I knew the rest of the story without even hearing it. Perhaps it was the same reason I had experienced it in my previous life······.

“She left because I was useless, haha. She was just trying to show off and do music, but she didn’t have a proper job, didn’t have any savings, and didn’t have a house, so she lived in a van. I don’t blame her. I hope she’s living happily somewhere.”

“Jack, you’re financially well off now. Work is good, but you should also meet people.”

“Well, I want to focus on my work right now. It hasn’t even been six months since I started. I’m going to be a huge success as a host. Of course, I’ll continue to do music, but my dream is to host a talk show with my name on it. Well, it’s not like I’d rather meet a woman than die. I think if I work hard at my job, a good relationship might come up, haha.”

I thought I had a pretty positive mindset, but Jack was one step ahead of me.

In the past, Jack and I were part of the 5-po generation.

I gave up on dating, marriage, children, interpersonal relationships, and buying a house. But now, we can give up interpersonal relationships and buying a house, and we are not in a position to give up the other three. We decided to just live diligently and leave it to fate to flow.

“Then, I understand that Jack will sing and act as the Beast. I’ll let you know more once I have a detailed schedule.”

“Yeah, I guess I’ll have to practice my beast acting from today, hahaha.”

* * *

Up until now, when I write songs, I usually start with one word. But this time, the purpose is entirely a gift for two people. I have to focus on how to create a beautiful scene.

I opened my notebook and started writing.

The opening scene should naturally show the beautiful castle before the transformation into a beast. The night would be appropriate when the old woman comes to the castle and casts a curse.

The cursed prince will be transformed into a beast, and from then on, Jack’s acting will unfold. Stella will do a good job of playing the role of Belle. The two’s acting will be filmed mainly in the castle’s interior and gardens.

But the main characters are Kevin and Stella. The beast scene shouldn’t be too long. In other words, the conclusion should come a little quickly in the introduction, development, turn, and conclusion. And the scene where they swear their love for each other and get married in a splendid way will be as long as possible.

In this music video, we will have scenes of us playing and singing interspersed. It will be more natural if we film in the same locations as the main story.

In that case, the most important thing is being an adult······.

Is there really a castle in America with a beautiful garden that looks like something out of a fairy tale? But going all the way to England to film a music video would be too much of a burden for my brother and sister. We have to prepare as thoroughly as possible so that the filming doesn’t take too long.

“Haa······ Holy, holy, holy······.”

I sighed on the terrace, looking at the stars and crescent moon in the night sky.

“James, why are you sighing like that?”

“Oh, Angela. Well, I just sketched out some music video scenes, and most of them take place in a castle.”

“That’s right. The main location of the Beauty and the Beast novel is also a castle.”

“But America doesn’t have a long history, so there aren’t any old castles. Even if you go to Old Town, there are only Mexican-style buildings, and those are Spanish-style buildings. I’ve seen a lot of them in England, but I thought it would be too much of a burden to take my brother and sister, who are busy preparing for their wedding, all the way to England······.”

“There are places in America that have that kind of surname, too.”

“Really? Where?”

“New England is a term that refers to the six states in the northeastern United States: Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Vermont, Maine, and New Hampshire. This is where Europeans first came and settled, so there are many British-style buildings.”

“Do you know of any places among them that have a name that would be suitable for a music video?”

“I’ve never actually been there either. But······.”

Angela thought for a moment.

“It’s not a huge castle, but I know a castle with a classic look that would be perfect for Beauty and the Beast. It has a pretty garden, and it’s surrounded by mountains, so it’s a remote place.”

“Oh, where is that?”

“Wisconsin.”