#tim looking like billy idol is not stopping me from wanting him

[dangerk33paway]

OH MY GOSH OH MY GOSH RAYLAN AND BOYD RAYLAN AND BOYD!!!

[msookyspooky]

Terrible Trilogy

Part 13

wordcount: 7,336

"YN tell me, why do you still feel guilty?" 

You looked at Henry with an uneasy frown. You remember this, it was your last therapy session with him not quite 2 years ago. 

"What do you mean? I stopped Sidney from being stabbed." 

"Yes, but we've been over this. You did what you felt was right at the time. If Ms. Weathers wasn't there; it would have been inevitable. We made progress and then within the last few weeks, this guilt has returned. Why is that?" 

You released a shaky sigh in your chair. "Then maybe it's not exactly what I feel guilty over...I don't know." 

He sighed himself, sitting his pen and clipboard in his lap. "YN, you clearly feel upset over something. It's safe to tell me what it is." 

You were quiet...You couldn't tell him the guilt was from allowing Stu Macher to stay at your house out of fear and his emotional manipulation he was so good at; Making you feel sorry for him. It was always presented as him being some poor old friend with a change of heart...But he would drop tiny hints laced as jokes about what he could do if you called the police. You were stuck and felt guilt towards your living and decreased friends over the choice you were forced to make. 

You sidestepped. "Henry...Do you think there's any way that Tim and James could have actually been Billy or Stu?"

"YN, we've been over this as well... No I don't. I think you were under a lot of stress and the brain has a way of making us think a traumatic experience is similar to another. It's a sense of familiarity that's comforting to us." 

You sat up to look at him. "Randy thought it was them too. Gale. They said-" 

"What they wanted everyone to hear. These types of people get a rush from inacting other murderers that are represented in their minds as aspiring idols." 

You shook your head with a bitter smile. "So...You'll never believe me if I tell you?" 

"Tell me what, YN?" 

You lightly hit the chair under you. "Nothing, just forget I said anything." 

"YN, what is it? Is it the fact you think it's possible for them to still be after you?" 

"I...Maybe. I don't know. But what if they are? What if Tim and James were-" 

He eyed you and wrote something down on his pad before you even finished your sentence. You shot up with a glare. He only writes when you talk about Billy and Stu and you could just tell he thought you were hallucinating...Again.

"What are you writing, Henry? That I'm delusional when everyone else saw them too including Detective Andrews and Richards?" 

"They saw Tim and James, YN." 

"Who's to say they were?! What if...What if they're still out there? Billy and Stu…. I mean, we know Tim and James or whoever is still out there." You tried saving yourself.

"YN, is there something you need to get off your chest?" 

You shook your head. "Why? So you can label me insane all because it wasn't proven who they were?" 

"Then why did you tell the police they were Tim and James if you're so certain it could have been the actual Billy Loomis and Stu Macher?" 

You went to stand up. "Because they wouldn't believe me just like you don't and I'd rather not be labeled a bigger laughing stock than I already am. Did they do anything to REALLY find Tim or James? No. After a few short months of nothing, they considered it a cold case and stopped looking… They abandoned the case, and therefore, abandoned me." You stood up and put on your jacket. "Now, I have to watch my own back for two murderers whether they were Billy or Stu or not." 

You knew they were. Stu just visited your house a few weeks ago for the first time. You couldn't tell him that. Not now after seeing he would protest against even entertaining the possibility. You felt like your last ditch effort to out Stu was shot down. You didn't turn him in at Windsor as Stu because you thought he would just leave and you'd never see him again...If you knew he was going to be staying at your place; you may have thought otherwise. But then Gale would have found a way to twist it or the media or the police...You were stuck and desperate for someone to help you in some way but there was no one.

"YN, please sit down. This is a safe place where you can talk about anything or nothing. If you don't want to talk about it then we don't have to. " 

You stared at him long and hard before shaking your head. "...I think this is going to be our last session. All we do is go back and forth over the same topics and it leads to nowhere or we beat around the bush because I can't tell you." 

"YN, I don't think it's wise to end therapy. You've been through a lot and-" 

"Am I a danger to myself or others, Henry?" 

He stared at you. "No." 

"Then you can't force me to be your patient any longer. We're done. I'm sorry but I'm not going on medication for thinking Billy and Stu were Tim and James or thinking they could still be alive or for being flighty over loud noises and crowds, Henry." 

"That is not what I recommended the medication for...YN, I feel you will benefit from medication." 

"For what you think are hallucinations?" You pressed.

He sighed heavily. "Not for what happened at Windsor but for your behavior in between instances. Considering multiple times between our first session and now you have called me describing seeing things. Masks in a crowd, outside your windows, seeing who you think are Billy Loomis or Stu Macher or even seeing glimpses your deceased friend Sidney…Perhaps I do think it's best." 

You scoffed. "That was before Windsor! I panicked, okay?! I haven't told you I saw them since! You're telling me no one can think they see something when they're scared?" 

"And medication will help you not be scared of everything." 

"So it's gonna numb me? Just make me forget all my very valid worries?" 

"No, but it will help with night terrors and paranoia...And hallucinations. YN, you have anxiety, depression and PTSD and right now you're lashing out out of fear...Why are you fighting trying out medication so badly when it could help you? It's been 3 years, YN. You can't live in fear forever so why not take something to help your nerves and overactive mind?" 

"Because I don't need medication for something that's re-" You cut yourself off. "I don't want to be on medication when I haven't seen anything 'not real' in over a year. And what was real or not real, Henry? Tim and James were actively making me crazy for how long? How long, Henry? You weren't there! With due respect, you're just going off what I tell you." 

"And you could tell me more and help me understand, YN. You had awful people do awful things to you and you need help." 

Your shoulders untensed as you frowned at him. "...You're right and I'm sorry...But I'm taking a break from therapy sessions with you...You don't understand and I can't fully explain it to you...I'm sorry." You turned away, trying to swallow the lump in your throat. 

He wasn't really at fault but after Windsor, after finding out that they did survive and were now a giant secret you were forced to keep out of pure survival; Therapy wasn't the same. It didn't feel relieving like it once did but just one more person to hide this from who was thinking you were hallucinating from tiny tidbits of information you would drop just to see if you could tell him. You were dying to tell someone, anyone...But you couldn't. 

Henry spoke up as you walked away. "...What are you so afraid of?" 

You went to open the door but it was locked. You don't remember it being locked… "Henry, can you get the door for me?" 

He didn't move...This wasn't what you remembered. You turned back to him. "Henry?" 

He shook his head. "I don't think you're fit to leave here yet, YN." 

You felt panic set in as you jerked the door handle. "Henry?....Henry?! You cannot keep me here, Henry! This is unethical and illegal as long as I'm not a threat!"

You jerked the door before someone spoke up...Someone you haven't heard from in 5 years. "Baby...YN, I think you need to sit down and listen to the Doc here." 

You bristled, terrified to turn around. You felt your hand tremble against the door handle...Something was wrong. He shouldn't be here.

"YN, turn around." 

You sucked in a deep breath to slowly look over your shoulder. You closed your eyes with a pained gasp at what you saw.

"What's the matter, baby? You don't think I'm attractive anymore?" 

You opened your eyes again to see James...It was what you imagined from the police reports. It was his face but covered in blood with the top layer of skin gone. His intestines were wrapped around his neck from the giant gash on his abdomen as he sat in the chair you were in. 

"James...You're not real, you're dead." 

"Yeah, no thanks to those pieces of shit you insisted on hanging out with." He leaned forward with a glare directed at you. "I was on my way to a sports scholarship. I was planning on working on having a better relationship with my Dad when he got out of prison...I'll never get that now." 

You forced yourself to fully turn around, back pressed against the door. "James, you brought this on yourself. You were an abusive, mean-" 

He chuckled bitterly, his smile moving his skinned face in an unnatural way. "Is that what Stu Macher convinced you? They were protecting you? I choked you. I did...But at least I stopped. Did Stu? No, I don't think so. I think he was going to crush your wind pipe had you not lied to him and said you loved him as a distraction...What a fucking tool...You know it too." 

You could see the similarities between him and Stu now that you never saw before. In Highschool, you thought James was a monster and Billy and Stu were just misunderstood….Now? You weren't so sure about any of it. 

You spoke up. "We're not talking about Stu. We're talking about you, James." 

He continued. " Oh, I know. We were good, YN. We may not have been perfect but we were good. Then they started pushing. Pushing and pushing and running their mouths to me and threats and telling me you were fucking them...I snapped under pressure. Remember my dog? Remember when we found her mutilated in the field behind my house?" His face twisted. "I don't think it was coyotes. I think those fuckers did it." 

"They wouldn't kill a dog-" 

"Oh, so they can rip my fucking face off while I was still kicking and screaming but they draw the line at a damn dog?" He shook his head. "No...Those fuckers probably did it. They cornered me and threatened me, YN. They had me stressed out!-" 

You couldn't take your eyes off of him. The face you once fell for, gone. You interrupted him. "You were already a bad person underneath it all, James. Snapped under pressure; are you fucking kidding me? That's an excuse." 

"Oh! But Stu and that freak Loomis aren't bad people? Give ME a break....And what about me? What the hell did I ever do?" Another voice rang out. 

You turned to see none other than Casey Becker in the other chair. She looked so pale, blood at the corner of her mouth and her guts hanging out in her lap of her blood soaked sweater. 

The room felt colder, darker...Henry's desk light was flickering and illuminating their disturbing faces in an eerie way. 

She continued, tears straining her face and voice. "Huh? What the hell did I ever do to deserve THIS?!" She cried pointing at her own entrails.

You shook your head, you knew you looked like you saw a ghost even without a mirror. "This...This isn't real-" 

"ANSWER ME!" Casey yelled as James sat back in his seat and watched. 

"I don't know! You about everyone, especially anyone you felt threatened by! You didn't think that it wouldn't bite you in the end?!" You snapped, not knowing what else to say. You didn't know what you were saying, you were just saying it. 

Casey huffed through her tears as James scoffed with an outraged laugh. His face splitting and a bit of blood seeping down his neck from the motion. 

James spoke up for her. "Really? God, who the hell are you now?" 

Casey spoke up for herself. "So I talked about you behind your back like a lot of teen girls do and I deserved to be tortured and terrified and strung up for my Mom and Dad to find?!" 

You faltered. "N-No but-" 

"Face it, honey. This really had nothing to do with you. They just made you think it did. The reason I was killed was because I broke up with Stu Macher and he never got over it...He just used you as an excuse to get you on his side. And you fell for it." She half laughed and half cried with a sniff. 

"And I was collateral damage for taking Macher's place. " Steve spoke up behind Casey with his hands on her shoulders. You could hear the squishing sound of his guts sliding down to the floor where he stood. 

You nervously fidgeted with the handle on the door behind you.

Henry tilted his head to look at you. "...What are you afraid of, YN? What are you guilty of?" 

You felt your nerves getting the better of you. "God damn it Henry, open this fucking door!!" 

You eyed all the victims staring at you, glaring at you as if you did all this. 

Someone stumbled behind Henry's chair as he seemed unfazed. Principal Himbry's hair was a mess, his guts hanging out and blood out of the corner of his purple lips.

"And me? I was trying to keep you kids safe. I canceled school for a reason just for you punks to have a party and then I was made a mockery of on the football field by your delinquent generation." 

"I wasn't a part of that! I-I never would have done that to you Mr. Himbry!-" 

He pointed. "Ah, ah, ah. You are palling around with the boys that did this. That's as good as guilty in my book. YN, didn't your parents ever tell you about hanging around with the wrong crowd?" 

James laughed at that along with Casey and Steve as you had your back smashed against the door. Half tempted to attempt kicking it in but too scared to turn your back to them.

A new voice came in from the corner of the room. His throat slit and blood down his shirt. 

"YN, I was just there for a job. My daughter is 4 now and has never even met me...What did I do to deserve this? You have all these excuses for these young, asshole kids...But what about me? I tried to save you." 

"K-Kenny, I know you did and I can't thank you enough but...I-" You faltered. 

A much more familiar voice hit the room that felt like a punch to the gut. You froze with your mouth open and tears in your eyes as she used her usual sassy tone. 

"If you're so thankful; why are you dishonoring his memory by singing in the car with my boyfriend that did this shit?" 

There she was. Sitting on the edge of Henry's desk...But it was wrong. She was wrong. Her neck was at an odd angle that made you feel sick to your stomach. She moved it to the angle it should be with a sickening crack that made you flinch with a gasp. 

"Tatum…" You whispered shakily, tears rolling down your cheeks as she raised a brow at you.

"Huh? Don't got anything to say?....You know… I really wanted to give you the benefit of the doubt that Stu liking you was one sided. But here you are not able to shoot him in the head for me. Inviting him into your house and car, paying for his food, sleeping side by side, on some cute lil mission to…" She hopped off the desk and walked towards you as you shrank against the door. She reached a foot from you to glare into your eyes. "To what? Make sure you aren't as guilty as they are?" 

"Yes...Tat, yes!" You desperately cried.

She laughed with a bitter chuckle. "Oh sweetie, that ship sailed a long time ago…" Her face fell into a glare. "You are guilty." 

"I'm not!" 

"You are, bitch. You're fucking guilty by association!" She screamed with a stomp of her foot.

"Tatum, I tried to get them caught!" 

A voice was practically in your ear. "Then why aren't you still trying?" 

You froze, your heart dropping out as you slowly turned to see Sidney Prescott right beside you. Her eyes were dead and cold, her hair a mess with blood on her shoulder of her jean jacket. Just like that night. And a bloody slit in her shirt right in her sternum. 

"Sid...Sid, I'm trying but I don't know how without getting blamed myself." You whimpered.

She stepped forward. "And that's a bad thing?" 

You paled at that as she continued. "You hid their involvement from us that night. You could have told us, I already had my suspicions about Billy after he was arrested at my house that I chalked up as being paranoid. But if you would have told me, I wouldn't have went. You could have warned us." 

"They wouldn't let me and you wouldn't have believed me!" 

Tatum scoffed. "Just how cops won't believe you now? Face it, you aren't afraid of cops or of us not believing you...You're afraid you want them." 

"No." You shook your head slowly, swallowing down the whimper. 

"Yes. That's why you won't call the cops or kill them yourself because you freaking want to screw them. Deep down inside, you have a soft spot for those freaks...As if they wouldn't kill you in a blink of an eye you weak ass-" 

"NO!" You tried interrupting her with a yell.

"She's right, YN! If you won't get them caught because of fear of being accused yourself or because you like them; either way it's selfish!" Sidney snapped. "...You are a bad friend." 

Tatum continued. "God, we took your ass in. You wouldn't even know Billy or Stu or Randy if it wasn't for us and this is the thanks we get? You defending our murderers and helping them not get justice for what they did?!" Her face fell. "Or my brother...Wonder what Dewey would think of you knowing you're helping the guys that slaughtered his little sister?" 

You covered your face as a sob escaped you. "This isn't real, this isn't real, this isn't real-" 

"Or Randy. " Sidney gave. "He loved me, YN. You're just a replacement for me and you know it. He's only your friend because you remind him of me...I should have been with him and let you have Billy, had I known what I know now...Then again, the pansy ass Mama's boy would have still blamed me and my Mom. But at least I wouldn't have given Billy the satisfaction...Knowing he was making out with you before making love to me...How could you?" She shook her head with disgusted tears in her eyes.

You trembled, mouth open as you tried saying something but no excuse would come out. You felt nothing but shame. 

She tilted her head and continued.  "Oh, Randy would hate knowing you made out with Billy in the closet at that party and then shared a kiss with Stu...Especially after the theater incident at Windsor that we know you secretly enjoyed. You wanted it to happen until you realized they still wanted you dead. Wonder how your only friend would react to seeing the photo of Stu and Billy laughing with you? Or you all in the same car? Or in the same room of a motel? Or finding out you invited Stu into your house in secret?" 

"I didn't! I didn't have a choice!! I don't know what else to do!!" 

You started seeing Tatum get closer as well as everyone else. Their mangled bodies coming towards you as you could only press against the door. 

"You're as guilty as they are. " James gave.

"You're going to die just like we did if you keep defending them." Someone else said you couldn't make out. They were closing in.

Sidney leaned down to whisper to you. "...You're joining us soon...The anniversary of my poor Mom and our own deaths are in a few days...Casey and Steve's anniversary was a few days ago." 

"And mine is today, baby." James growled out, inches from your face. 

Tatum smacked the wall beside you and leered at you. "And the party was a few days after that. Not long at all." 

"You'll get what's coming to you soon. " Sidney numbly monotoned. 

You looked at her, clinging to her jacket with sobs escaping you as you forced the words out. "Sid, if you're alive...Just talk to me. Please! Stop this! Stop doing this!" 

She didn't answer you as you looked at her to see a burnt, hairless corpse where she stood...You weren't gripping onto her jacket. Your hands were on her charred skin.

Someone put their hands on you. A yell ripped from your throat as you lashed out. Hitting something as you screamed to the top of your lungs and swung at anything near you.

Next thing you know, you're on a dark floor. Your hand hit something as you reeled away with terror on your face. Scrabbling backwards as ragged, panicked sobs escaped you.

You trembled on the floor as someone turned on the light on the nightstand. 

Stu got in front of you, kneeling down to grab you and lashed out at him again. "D-Don't touch me!"

He sat back. You shakily gripped your head while trying to calm your breathing. It was coming out in harsh, shallow gasps as your mind was processing it was only a dream.

"Sweetcheeks, you're fine! It was just a nightmare babe. Chill out." Stu mumbled. He went to hug you again and you held your leg up to shove him away. 

"I said don't touch me, Stu!...F-fuck…" The sob came out whether you liked it or not. 

Stu stared at you like a deer in headlights.

"...Uh...Do you want to talk about it or something then?" 

"No." 

He just stared before he stood up with his own frustration in his voice. "Well, what am I supposed to do then?" 

"Nothing! J-Just leave me alone...God, please just leave me the fuck alone." You tiredly mumbled with a sniffle. 

It had a deeper meaning than just right now even if it went over Stu's head.

Stu ran a hand through his hair and outstretched his arms. "I…" He gave a defeated pout. "Fine. But if I can't help you then I'm leaving. I can't stand girls crying, least of all you-" 

You got up. "Don't bother, I'm fine. I just need fresh air...I won't go far." You urgently shoved on a jacket and rushed out of the room. You didn't listen to any protest or wait to hear him say something. You didn't want to hear anything from anyone...Least of all him.

That nightmare put things in a very jarring perspective you wouldn't be able to shake for the rest of the day. If not longer. 

You opened the door and shut it behind you just to come face to face with the other one you didn't want to talk to. You saw the concern on his face for only a second, he was close to the door as if he was going to burst in at any moment. He cleared his throat and backed away as you hastily wiped your eyes. He avoided eye contact after that and turned away as you held yourself. 

"...Hey." 

"Hey." You mumbled back with a sniff. Not sure where to go. In the room with a clingy Stu wasn't ideal, not after the nightmare you just had. But you felt a lump of disgust in your throat at the idea of talking to Billy right now as well….Risking walking the street at night or locking yourself in your cold car didn't seem as crazy of an idea as they should.

"...What happened?" 

"...Night terror." 

You noticed all of the cigarette butts on the ground near his shoes. The one in his mouth dwindled so much you had to guess it was his last.

You held yourself. The awkward silence etching into the air around you both.

"I'm guessing it was about me and Stu, huh?" He mumbled.

"Not… Directly but basically." You changed the subject. "I don't want to talk about it. How long have you been out here?" 

"All night." 

"This guy isn't going to just pop out, you know." You muttered, looking around at the dark, vacant parking lot. 

"No shit. But I'm staying out here anyways." 

You nodded, seeing the curtain move in the motel window. You lightly rolled your eyes to yourself.

"...I'm going back in...Can I sleep in your bed if you're not using it?" 

"Yeah, knock yourself out. No way I'm sleeping tonight." He mumbled, distracted and looking out at the parking lot in deep thought. 

 You walked back in. Stu was on the bed but you could see the pillow falling off where he jumped in it to look less suspicious a second ago.

You sighed and went over to Billy's bed. Practically collapsing on top of it. Eyes burning from crying, nose running and mentally exhausted

Stu instantly sat up. "Hey, what are you doing over there, babe?" He gave a forced chuckle. "Billy will literally kill you over his fortress of solitude." 

"He said I could have it, Stu." You mumbled into the pillow.

You glanced over to see the glare on his face that he quickly tried to hide with a smirk. "Sweetcheeks, whatever you dreamed about wasn't real. There's no reason to take Billy's bed, man." 

"There is, Stu. I've wanted and should have had my own bed in the motels I'm practically paying for this whole time. The nightmare I had just put things into perspective." 

You saw the desperateness in his eyes along with the demanding tone he used. "You can't....I mean, he'll sleep in here eventually. So, you'll have to be bedmates with me again soon enough...Besides, I'll be lonely over here." He tried covering his tone with a joke and a playful puppydog pout.

You didn't answer him. You didn't feel like arguing. 

Stu huffed. "Fine, I'll give you space tonight. If you have another nightmare, you know where to come back to." He patted his empty side of the bed. 

You closed your eyes and didn't answer. He just didn't get it. Worst of all, you knew he probably did get it; he just put his wants before your needs. 

It had been a horrible night. All of you pacing, yelling, arguing and beside yourselves after that photo appeared. It was a wonder you slept the first time around. After that nightmare; you knew the second time wouldn't be so lucky. 

You tried to sleep but sleep wasn't easy after that. Tossing and turning, thinking over and over about the implications of that note and photo with the nightmare intensifying your worries. Who was this? Who was responsible for this? It had to be someone personal. Someone who either took Gale's lies personally like the megafan that attacked you a few years back or Gale herself. An even worse thought; what if it was someone more personal than that? You would never admit it to Stu or Billy but...What if Randy or Dewey did find out? You swore on your life they would never try to harm you even if they found out...But what if you were wrong? You were wrong about Billy and Stu. You were misled by Hallie and Mickey. Who's to say you have no one to trust? That someone you care about found out about this and they're getting revenge against the betrayal. What if it really was Sidney? The police claimed they found her body in the house but they didn't specify Sidney, just a young female corpse burnt to bone and ash...Who else could it have been?? 

Then again, Billy and Stu faked their deaths. Who's to say Sidney somehow managed to as well? Especially help from the police or someone on the police force that could have lied… That somehow gave a different body to the coroner's OR there never was one to begin with and you were misled. Someone like Dewey. Who had your address, who had your phone number, who dated Gale Weathers even after Windsor, who was the one that told you they never found Billy and Stu's body in the first place, who would have every right to want revenge against you or them for his sister.

The idea felt like a knife twisting inside of you; it hurt so badly. It would devastate you beyond belief to think Randy or Dewey could ever be a part of this. 

But if not them then who? Who could know where you all were? Who would take this to the levels this new killer was going and why? 

You didn't think you slept but you must have because the next thing you knew it was still dark outside with dawn approaching and you were being woken up by furniture crashing. 

You shot up to see Stu holding Billy down as Billy fumed up at him.

"Get your goddamn hands off me, Stu!" 

Billy struggled, trying to kick Stu and Stu just moved so he had a better hold of him.

"Are you freaking kidding me right now?! You think you can just dip on us? Just leave like a total wimp?!" 

Billy finally got his knee up and you heard a groan from Stu as he kneed him in the groin and shoved his way out of Stu's hold. Bag slung over his shoulder, trench coat on, ready to bolt.

You got up from bed. "Billy, wait! You can't just leave!" 

"Newsflash; I fucking can and I will and I dare either of you to try and stop me. I don't have any ties here, YOU do. Stu is the one connected to the movie and you're connected to Deputy Doofy and Meek Geek here." He gave a 'duh' expression and pointed to himself. "I have no ties...I'm nobody, and for once, that's a good thing. So I am getting the flying fuck out of here while I can before shit gets ugly." 

Stu went to grab him again. "You're not going anywhere! Why?! So if you ARE involved in this shit, we lose you? Or so you can leave scott free?! Fuck that! You're involved too, pal-" 

Billy hit him and missed as they both shoved against a wall before jerking each other down to the ground. You raced to your bag as Stu started laying into Billy and Billy shoved Stu against a table to get some defense.

"Hey! Both of you stop it! ...I said stop!!" 

They didn't listen as you saw fist flying and they were knocking things over. A lamp broke and that was the final straw for you. You didn't want to shoot them in a motel with your name on it or the sign in connected to Dennis Rafkin who was traveling with you...So, you got the one thing out you knew would stop them with no long term effects.

Stu had him in a headlock as Billy was trying to swing his body on top while getting hits in on Stu when you jammed it into his back. He released a surprised, pain filled yelp before you zapped him again. This time he fell away from Stu and onto the ground. 

Stu went to go after him and you jammed it into his upper side as it crackled. It probably should have been lower but considering what happened at Woodsboro; you figured you better stop this before the knives got drawn. 

"OW! SHIT!!" Stu yelled as he doubled over.

Billy glared at you from the floor as he caught his breath and Stu gripped his side and keeled over.

"What the hell was that!?" 

You held it up and showed it to them. "30,000 volt taser. And I have a 50,000 police grade stun gun in my bag too." 

"From where?!" 

"Dewey." You quipped with a smile. "Anyone can get them. He just directed me to the best ones to buy….Kind of wish he would have used one on you when you were arrested at Sidney's house." You mumbled.

Billy gave you a challenging look. "You think that's gonna stop me? Are you serious? I can stab you before you can even turn it on." 

You hesitated before sighing. "Billy, you can't leave. Not when we're just getting to the breaking point here!" 

 He rolled his tongue inside his cheek, glaring at you before getting up and charging you. He took you off guard for only a moment before you shocked him in his lower side as he grabbed your wrist. He tried getting it out of your hand, cursing in pain as he did so and you laid it onto his arm every time he tried. He was stronger than you despite his build. So you did the only thing you could do; Using his own momentum against him just like you learned in class. He almost got it until you pulled back and he stumbled before you jammed it onto his stomach through his shirt. 

That one he released a yelp with, eyes wide and body jolting back from it.

"Argh, you fucking bitch-" He muttered with a wince under his breath. 

You gave him a disbelieving glare. "Now, you deserve that!...In fact, let me get to my bag and get the police grade-" 

"NO!" He barked out, hunched over while trying to block you. "God, stabbing hurts worse but...Shit. It's like I'm still feeling it!" He hissed out as he gripped his abdomen.

"Yep. The longer I hold it on, the more your muscles are gonna contract. You have to be on drugs or have one hell of an adrenaline rush to get through it. It's enough for me to get away in a situation...And if that doesn't work, I took self defense classes after Windsor and if THAT doesn't work then I will shoot you. I think a taser is preferred over a bullet, Loomis." 

"Why did you use it on me though??"  Stu whined, standing up now but rubbing his side.

"Because you wouldn't stop and listen either! You both deserved it!"  

"Yeah? And you deserve my knife in your face. One day you aren't gonna have your toys do defend you." Billy growled out.

You held up a hand. "Im ALWAYS strapped with my gun so fat chance...Now would you both just chill out and listen?" 

Billy glared at you through his hair that fell forward, hunched over with his teeth clenched. "Well, you have our attention so what the hell is it?!" 

You held up a finger. "To stop fighting and wrecking our motel room. Do you WANT cops here?? The more noise you make and stuff you break; you might as well be begging them to come!" 

Billy pointed at Stu. "He fucking started the shit!" 

"Because you're trying to leave, dickhead!" 

"I am leaving and-" 

You all froze when the room's phone rang on the nightstand. It halted any further arguments for the time being. 

'Oh no...' You thought. Nothing good from that phone ringing.

You all blinked...It was around 5:30 in the morning. You worried it was the manager from a disturbance call from the fight. You quickly went to answer it.

"Hello? If this is about the noise, I'm so sorry-" 

"YN, it's been awhile hasn't it?" 

You felt your stomach sink and your features sag at the unexpected voice...It was the first time you heard it in years. No one could even prank call you with it anymore with your very private number you never gave out. Your home phone wasn't even in the yellow pages when you opted out just for that reason. To hear it right now sends a shiver down your spine.

Just hearing that voice made you feel like a scared teenager all over again.

"...YN, it's rude not to respond. Don't tell me hanging around those two has rubbed some of your manners away." 

Billy and Stu watched as the phone shook in your hand and you gritted your teeth. 

"What do you want?...What the hell do you want from us?...From me?! " 

"YN, I just wanted to tell you that I'm watching you. I'm always keeping an eye on you. I mean..We wouldn't want you to suffer the same fate as your old friend Sidney, right? Especially with two killers in your room...It would be a shame for you to trust someone again just for them to be the killers." The voice faked concern. 

"...Leave us alone...Please, just stop." You whimpered.

Stu instantly grabbed the phone out of your hand. "Alright buddy, where the hell are you? Why don't you come out and play with the big kids?! Too fucking scared?!" 

You could hear the laugh on the other line with how quiet the room had become. 

"Stu Macher. Always the blow hole. Always the attention seeker. Trying so hard to get the attention you lacked at home, huh? Leslie was always the favorite while poor little Stuart was pushed aside. Now, you're selfishly risking people's lives just so you get that attention you crave so badly on the big screen." 

Stu's face fell before contorting into a sneer. "You don't know shit." He growled. "You don't know a fucking thing about me, man!" 

"Actually, even with attention you are still a complete nutjob. You don't relate to people, you don't feel for people...Let me guess, getting responses is the only time you feel like a person , isn't it?"

Stu was getting red, his vein popping in his neck and his teeth nashing together in anger. "YOU DON'T KNOW A DAMN THING, MAN!"

Billy finally jerked the phone away from Stu as you eyed a light on the receiver. 

"Enough!" Billy barked out at Stu as he put the phone up to his ear. "You listen here; I'm gonna kill you when I find out who you are. It won't be long either. You're gonna slip up and when you do I'm gonna cut your throat!" 

"Not if I do it first, Billy Loomis." 

"You'll never find me in time-" 

You pressed a button that put it on speaker phone as you waited to read the digital caller ID slowly loading across the screen. The voice harshly cut him off.

"You're not going anywhere, Billy boy! Not unless you want this photo sent to the cops!" 

Billy nervously licked his lips but kept the tough glare on his face and edge to his voice. "They'll never find me either!" 

The voice chuckled. "So willing to squish the only two people you have left in the world to save your own hide...What a self absorbed little prick you are. Then again, I should have seen it in Woodsboro. You had the best girlfriend a boy could ask for and-" 

"I don't give a shit about the past!" 

You halted him. "Wait...Woodsboro? They're from Woodsboro!" You exclaimed with wide eyes.

Billy had an iron grip on the phone as you listened. "Who are you?! I'm sick of this shit already!" 

Stu chimed. "Yeah man, just come out and get it over with!" 

"But boys, I thought you liked these games? You certainly had no issues playing cat and mouse with your victims. Trying to guess the next move, whether your friends are really your friends, getting people scared before you strike them down...What's wrong? You don't like being on the other end of the phone line? You don't like feeling helpless? Well, that's not very good sportsmanship. Not good at all." 

You all were silent for a moment as the voice changed its tone to a dangerous warning. "...If any of you leave; I will turn the photo as well as any other evidence I have to the LAPD who then will turn it over to the FBI if you try to run. And if they don't get you; I will. I found you all once, I can easily do it again...How's your family YN?" 

"You leave them alone!! They didn't do anything!" You yelled loud enough for the caller to hear even with the phone on Billy's grasp. Complete panic in your voice at the idea of something happening to your loved ones.

"Neither did the victims of your lil...Friends." 

"They are NOT my friends. I don't have a choice right now because of YOU!" 

"You keep playing the victim, YN. You do it so well...You're all going to be on the news soon enough. Dead or alive." 

Billy had nothing to say, frowning deeply with a scowl. Stu's eyes were wide and his mouth parted as his brows shot up in worry. You just stood there, unsure what your expression was other than complete dread. 

You couldn't help but take the phone from Billy. That dream lingering in your brain as you asked the one thing that diary entry and now the admission of Woodsboro brought to your mind.

"Sidney?...Sid, if this is you...If you somehow survived...Please, please just talk to me. Please!" 

The other end hung up as you quickly went back to the caller ID, momentarily forgetting in the midst of it all...It just said the motel desk right before vanishing off the screen.

"How the hell is that possible?!" You cried out, gripping your hair. 

Stu glared at the phone as if it were the killer. "...They have to be in the lobby using the main phone." 

Billy was already on it, out the door. You faltered as Stu ran out too. You fumbled before releasing a frustrated groan and following them. Grabbing the motel key card and rushing after them.

You had a hard time keeping up with Billy who was already far ahead and Stu whose legs were a lot longer than yours. 

"Guys, wait up!" You exclaimed, rushing down stairs and cautiously getting to the door to the lobby.

They were both already standing there at the vacant desk, a piece of paper in their hand. 

"What?...Guys, what is it?!" You urged as you caught your breath and peered over to see.

It was a printed candid picture of all of you at Woodsboro as teens. You never saw it before but it looked like a cut out. You were laughing with Stu and Billy was smirking at you. It looked like whoever printed this purposely cut out anyone else. You could barely make out Tatum's shoe beside Stu. 

You soon realized they were trying to pair this photo with the current one...Just to prove Billy and Stu lived...And you knew about it.

You felt like you were gonna throw up. Your life is over if this got out. Stu leaned over the lobby desk, looking quesy himself as Billy stared at the photo like a deer in headlights. 

He quickly turned it to the back. 

"You're trapped." 

You all saw the desk clerk coming from the back room. Billy hastily shoved the paper into his coat pocket as you tried to make heads or tails of any of this. 

[standbyphoenix]

Movie star River Phoenix left musical mark in Alabama by Matt Wake

Outside record producer Rick Rubin’s Hollywood Hills home, drummer Josh Greenbaum sat in a silver Volvo with his friend and bandmate River Phoenix, the film actor.

The rock-star Lenny Kravitz was with them.

On the car’s stereo, Kravitz played Phoenix and Greenbaum a recording of a new song he’d written called “Are You Gonna Go My Way.” This was 1992, before that explosive tune would become the title track to Kravitz’s third album and era-defining music.

At the moment, Kravitz needed a drummer. He’d recently told mononymous Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea he was frustrated trying to find the right fit. Flea later told Phoenix about Kravitz’s predicament, while Flea was having lunch with Phoenix. Upon hearing about the opportunity, Phoenix promptly hooked-up the drummer of his own band, Aleka’s Attic, with an audition with Kravitz - a much bigger gig.

“And that’s how much River loved me as a brother as a friend,” Greenbaum says. “He was like, ‘I don’t want to hold you back from potential success, and if I can hook you up with this audition then I’m going to do it.’ River was incredibly gracious and generous. He wanted to see the people he cared about thriving.”

The South Florida native wasn’t the only drummer auditioning that day at Rubin’s house. There were 25 or so “L.A. rocker dudes” at the “cattle call” that day “decked-out in leather, nose rings and tattoos.” In sneakers, jeans, sweatshirt and short haircut, Greenbaum looked more college-kid than arena-ready. In the end, the gig didn’t go to a dude at all. Cindy Blackman, a virtuosic jazz musician who happens to be female, deservedly became Kravitz’s next drummer. Still, Greenbaum says he got two callbacks to jam with Kravitz over the course of a week.

River Phoenix was a gifted, charismatic movie star so physically attractive he seemed to defy science.

His nuanced performances lit up such films as "Stand By Me," "My Own Private Idaho" and "Running On Empty."

But Phoenix told Greenbaum more than once, “music was his first love and film was his day-job.”

While some actors’ musical projects can be of dubious quality, Phoenix had legitimate singer/songwriter talent. “Music was a need of his,” Greenbaum says. “That’s why he put so much effort into a band, trying to make it in the music business, which of course would’ve come easier for him than anyone else that wasn’t famous already.”

Phoenix’s other passions included environmentalism, humanitarianism and animal-rights. He was one of the most visibly philanthropic young stars of the early ’90s.

Phoenix was the reason Seventeen subscribers knew what “vegan” meant. “He had a heart of gold and was an extremely hyper-sensitive, emotional person,” Greenbaum says. “And that’s why he wound up helping a lot of people.”

The Gainesville, Fla.-based band’s tours brought them through Alabama, including circa - 1991 shows at Huntsville’s Tip Top Café and Tuscaloosa’s Ivory Tusk. Greenbaum recalls Aleka’s Attic performing in Auburn, possibly at the War Eagle Supper Club there, and maybe Birmingham too.

“We had some successful tours,” says Greenbaum, who’s resided in Maui for more than 20 years. “People showed up because they wanted to hear what River’s band was like, but once they got there they were like, ‘Damn this really is a good band,’ and we had some real authentic fans of the music, for the music, not just because it was River.”

Back before social-media and celeb clickbait, Aleka’s Attic tours also gave fans a rare chance to see a massively famous actor in-person, in the wilds of local rock-bars.

Back then, Sandee Curry was attending Lee High School and delivering pizzas part-time. She was also "obsessed with anything Hollywood-related." When she and friend Michelle Woodson heard about Phoenix's band's upcoming Tip Top Café show, they resolved to attend. "River Phoenix is coming to Huntsville, my hometown? This doesn't happen," Curry says. As many people who lived in Huntsville then are aware, in addition to hosting touring and local bands, Tip Top was known for being extremely easy to get into under-age, so she'd been to shows there before.

Curry brought her snapshot camera to the show. The camera was freshly loaded with black and white film, and she took photos of Aleka’s Attic that night. When she got the film developed later, mixed in with random friend pics were onstage shots of Phoenix, singer Rain Phoenix (River’s sister), bassist Josh McKay, violist Tim Hankins and drummer Greenbaum.

At the Tip Top that night, River Phoenix played a Stratocaster guitar and sported facial scruff, a white T-shirt and camouflage pants. Curry recalls the famous actor being somewhat withdrawn onstage. “If I’m remembering correctly, he was mostly doing backing vocals,” she says. “The bassist and Rain were doing a lot of the singing.” Although Greenbaum says River Phoenix was the songwriter and lead singer on most Aleka’s Attic’s material, fans interviewed for this story recall Rain Phoenix being the focal point onstage during the band’s Alabama shows.

Curry classifies the band’s live sound as “psychedelic ’90s alternative-rock.” She adds, “It was a fun show.”

She remembers enjoying the song “Too Many Colors” and McKay’s tune “Blue Period.”

At the Tip Top, Curry purchased one of the cassette tapes Aleka's Attic was selling at the time. "I listened to that tape a lot and it turned me into a fan" of the band, Curry says. She considered herself "a hippie" and her listening tastes also included The Doors. Curry kept her Aleka's Attic tape until about 10 years ago when she gave it to a friend's young sister who was fascinated with Phoenix: "She was really impressed by this cassette."

Christopher Brown was one of several audio engineers who ran live sound regularly at the Tip Top. On the night of Aleka's Attic he was off-work but there hanging out.

“They were a little more artsy than the typical stuff that we had at the time,” says Brown, who works at a local brewery now. “I remember being pretty impressed by them.” Looking for a more-mainstream, stylistically similar act, I mention Edie Brickell & New Bohemians, known for 1988 patchouli-pop hit “What I Am,” to which Brown, replies, “That’s not a bad comparison.”

The Aleka's Attic show had been the talk of the bar for weeks. Vira Ceci was bartending that night at Tip Top. She recalls Phoenix being "so nice" when she asked him to autograph a cocktail napkin for her cousin, and says the actor was "easily the most accessible member of the band." Ceci, currently employed as a technical writer, recalls the Aleka's Attic show being "pretty busy for a weeknight" and thinks the bar probably charged their typical, $5 cover that night.

Lance Church owned, ran and booked the Tip Top during its prime. He remembers the motor-home Aleka's Attic toured in arriving early in the afternoon and parked in the gravel lot across the street. There was some advance promotion and local press coverage and Church recalls "parents were bringing kids over to sign their movie posters." 

Church thinks Aleka’s Attic’s guarantee was “maybe a couple hundred dollars.”

In 1991 and several years into his acting career, Phoenix was just 21 years old. Church still keeps a photo of he and Phoenix shaking hands inside the Tip Top. "He seemed like a really good kid to me," says Church, now a manager at a chain restaurant. "He was polite. He didn't come in there like he was too good for the place or nothing. He was humble, a very likeable guy. He was giggly - he was just a kid."

Church says there'd been many phone calls in to the Tip Top in the week leading up to the Aleka's Attic gig, people asking about start time and such. In the end, he thinks about 100 people attended the show, inside the cinderblock building's mechanics-garage-sized interior. The Billiter sisters were among those attendees: Grace, then 18, Becca, 16, and Jo, 14 - all students at Westminster Christian Academy. (Again, the Tip Top was way easy to get into.) That night, Grace drove them to the Aleka's Attic show in her classic pink Volkswagen Beetle. Back at their family's northside Huntsville home, the sisters displayed River Phoenix photos on their bedroom walls, along with images with other hotties of the day, including Mel Gibson and Billy Idol. Other bands back then the sisters liked included INXS. 

Expecting to see Phoenix as he'd appeared as a svelte longhaired Indiana Jones in the latest "Raiders of the Lost Ark" sequel, the Billiters were surprised to see him onstage with a haircut Becca remembers as "choppy and punky." Jo says Phoenix's singing voice "sounded good, a little gravely" and had "nice harmony with his sister." But what's really seared into Jo's hippocampus is she was in the same room with "hands-down my favorite movie star." When the band was on break, the sisters got to meet their idol. Phoenix even briefly, sweetly put his arm around Jo. "I think my heart stopped for a couple beats," she recalls. Looking back, Becca says, "I love that it was the three sisters" that got to share resulting, VW-wide smiles that night.

James Dixon, a University of Alabama student then, attended Aleka's Attic's Ivory Tusk show. On the sidewalk out front of the Tusk, he saw Phoenix leaning up against a nearby light-pole, smoking a cigarette. "That was the days before selfies and things like that," recalls Dixon, who works in financial services in Birmingham. "People would say, 'Hey, River,' and the coeds were swooning over him, but he wasn't being hassled. He seemed laid-back."

Inside, the Ivory Tusk was packed. Earlier that day, Kelli Staggs and friend Lori Watts were playing pinball on a machine inside the bar while the band was doing their soundcheck. One Aleka's Attic musician came over and said hello, then Phoenix, recalls Staggs, who now works in Huntsville as a defense contract specialist. Later that night, Staggs says Aleka's Attic performed, in addition to their material, a version of far-out Jimi Hendrix tune "Third Stone from the Sun." After they played their Hendrix cover, the band asked the crowd if they knew that song. "It was like they were trying to weed out who was there for the music, and who was just there to see him because he was famous," Staggs says. Staggs was an art major at University of Alabama, where she'd seen alternative bands like 10,000 Maniacs perform at local venues.

Aleka's Attic drummer Josh Greenbaum recalls the band enjoying their Alabama shows. "I remember good energy, a good crowd. I remember getting treated pretty well." (Greenbaum has a random memory of one or more of these Alabama venues having troughs instead of urinals in the men's room.) He recalls Tip Top as "a dive, and we loved it for that reason. It was very endearing." In Tuscaloosa, he met a friend named Nancy Romine he's stayed in touch with. "During the same Southeast run, Greenbaum says Aleka's Attic did a show in Knoxville, Tenn. that was multitrack recorded and broadcast. In this era, "Lost in Motion," "What We've Done" and "Dog God" went over particularly well live, he says. Greenbaum recalls Phoenix, "loved the creative process of recording. If he had a preference I would say the studio was, probably, because he was a little bit shy and didn't like being in public places so much. But I know he loved playing live too and he did enjoy the touring. He was happy doing both."

Greenbaum was born 13 days before Phoenix. They were just 16 the first time they met, their families were friends. Greenbaum drove his dad's 1977 Chevy van to Phoenix's aunt's house, Phoenix walked out to meet him, then they went inside where Phoenix played him a demo tape of his song "Heart to Get." "It was a cool song," Greenbaum says. "The last of the commercial music that he wrote, as far as I'm concerned." The two teenagers hung out for about an hour then Greenbaum drove back home. A few months later Phoenix called Greenbaum and said he'd met Island Records founder Chris Blackwell backstage at a U2 concert and Blackwell wanted to sign Phoenix to a development deal. Phoenix asked Greenbaum to move to Gainesville - the famously progressive Phoenix family were living in nearby Micanopy - and start a band. He'd get him money each month to help "develop a band, make records and tour." Greenbaum moved to Gainesville in April 1988. He also spent time with Phoenix in Southern California, getting to know each other."

We were sort of like non-blood cousins," Greenbaum says. "River could trust me, A, because he knew each other through family and he knew I wasn't going to just be some starstruck idiot; and, B, because I'm a great musician. And he valued me as a human being and as a musician, highly. And that proof of his commitment to music, that he was willing to support a brother, to have my talents." 

At the time, Greenbaum had been playing “Aerosmith-y, commercial blues-influenced metal” in a local group called Toy Soldier, that eventually became semi-famous ’80s rockers Saigon Kick. At one point, Phoenix traveled to South Florida to visit with Greenbaum on a weekend when Toy Soldier was performing. “River had just gotten into (1984 mockumentary film ‘This is) Spinal Tap’ really heavily, and he did a ‘Spinal Tap’-esque video of that weekend, of that gig and the next morning,” Greenbaum says. “It was pretty funny, actually.”

Greenbaum was influenced by populist bands like Van Halen, Bee Gees and Queen. Phoenix introduced him to more quirkier acts like XTC, Roxy Music and Squeeze. As time went on, Phoenix's music became increasingly experimental. "It was deep, for sure," Greenbaum says of his friend's songwriting. "He had a commitment to crafting a masterpiece every time he wrote a song. And it drove me nuts. He was an eccentric person and his method of communication was such he didn't speak in technical music terms. He would speak artistically and metaphorically. He would say things like, 'I want it to sound like a ship on the ocean with the waves crashing up against the hull and birds flying over' or whatever. I would be like, 'OK, can we break that into sixteenth-notes?'"

Aleka's Attic's label, Island Records, was trying to figure out what to do with this music too. Island asked Phoenix to record two new demos to determine if they'd continue backing the project. He was going to be in the Los Angeles area filming the movie "Sneakers" and brought Greenbaum out to help demo songs. The drummer was able to hang on the "Sneakers" set, where he met his friend's costars, including Robert Redford, Sidney Poitier and Dan Aykroyd. After Phoenix turned in the new demos to Island, the label deemed the music unmarketable. Aleka's Attic was dropped.

At a certain point, McKay, who’d “butted heads musically and personally” with Phoenix for a while, Greenbaum says, parted ways with the band. Phoenix put together another band called Blacksmith Configuration, that featured Greenbaum and some new musicians, including bassist Sasa Raphael.

Phoenix was big on palindromes, Greenbaum says. Their song titles “Dog God” and “ Senile Felines” were palindromes and they were working on an album to be titled “Never Odd or Even,” another example.

On the night before Halloween 1993, Greenbaum went out partying with local musicians, “an intense night, for whatever reason.” Early the next morning, he crashed on the couch at a friend’s downtown Gainesville apartment. A few hours later, Greenbaum woke still buzzed to one of his musician pals from night prior knocking on the front door. When the friend entered, he looked pale and sweaty. He told Greenbaum he’d heard on the radio Phoenix had died. “I was in shock, but it just made sense and I knew it was true,” Greenbaum says. “In some way it didn’t surprise me. I didn’t see it coming - I can’t say that - but what I did see in River was his tendency for being extreme.”

In the wee hours of Oct. 31, Phoenix had collapsed and died on the sidewalk outside West Hollywood, Calif. nightclub The Viper Room, then co-owned by fellow actor/musician Johnny Depp. An autopsy determined cause of death to be “acute multiple drug intoxication.” Cocaine and morphine. Jo Billiter, the young fan who watched Aleka’s Attic’s 1991 show in Huntsville, cried when she heard the news her favorite actor died. “It broke my heart.”

Several fans interviewed for this story said Phoenix seemed a little bleary to clearly buzzed when they’d seen his band perform. Asked if he ever saw Phoenix’s partying on tour reach scary levels, Greenbaum says, “It was a typical rock & roll level. Nothing out of the ordinary. It was a bunch of guys in their young 20s playing gigs and having fun, just like any other band.”

When he was off working on films, Phoenix would check in every few weeks with Greenbaum, the drummer says. Phoenix called him from Utah, where he was filming the thriller “Dark Blood.” His next role was slated to be the interviewer in “Interview with a Vampire.”

When Phoenix called Greenbaum from Utah, “that was the most lucid, sane, grounded, understandable, discernible I had ever experienced him sounding. (In the past) there were times when I just couldn’t follow what he was talking about. He was kind of cryptic. And on that phone call he was like completely calm and sounded really together and we had a great conversation, a great connection and it wound up being our last phone call.”

In 2019, Aleka’s Attic music is back in the news. Two of the band’s songs “Where I’d Gone” and “Scales & Fishnails” were released along with a Rain collaboration with R.E.M. singer Michael Stipe (a friend of River’s) on a three-song collection called “Time Gone.” The record’s cover art features a photo of Rain and River, young and beautiful enjoying a sibling hug amid a verdant scene. A prior posthumous push to officially release Phoenix’s music hit snags getting musicians involved to sign off. “At that time, I was just like, 'Yeah, Rain, just get River’s music out to the world,’” Greenbaum says of that earlier effort. “That’s why he signed a record deal in the first place, to share his music with the world.”

As of the reporting of this story, Greenbaum says he hasn’t been contacted about usage of Aleka’s Attic music on “Time Gone.” The drummer found out about the release via messages from Facebook “friends” who are River Phoenix fans. “Rain didn’t consult us, she didn’t inform us, nothing,” Greenbaum says.

At one point during this interview, Greenbaum says he needs to call me back, so he can count out change to pay for groceries. He says he still plays drums with different local Maui cover bands as well as a blues-rock trio and by-day works construction and maintenance jobs.

Kro Records, the label that released “Time Gone,” didn’t respond to an email inquiry to interview Rain Phoenix and/or a label rep for this story.

Regular financial support and fast-tracking the Lenny Kravitz audition weren’t the only times Phoenix helped Greenbaum. He also bought him an electric-blue DW drumkit, among other instances. Outside of playing music, Phoenix and Greenbaum would throw the frisbee together or jump on the Phoenix family trampoline. They liked going to Falafel King and eating tabbouleh salad and humus. The famous actor would often come over for coffee to the mobile home Greenbaum and Greenbaum’s father lived in, on the Phoenixes’ Micanopy property.

These days, sometime random things will make Greenbaum think of River Phoenix. Sometimes it’s something more direct, like playing a gig will make him think of a certain onstage moment with his late friend.

After counting out coins in the checkout line, Greenbaum calls back. I ask if he thinks pressures of growing up famous led to what happened to Phoenix. “I wouldn’t doubt it,” he replies. “I definitely see how fame messed with his head, his heart. I think fame has that effect on everybody, which is why everybody wants to be famous, but you hear about all these famous people dropping dead and they’re unhappy, depressed and have drug and alcohol problems. Because fame is unnatural.”

— via AL.com, Feb 19, 2019.

[rivjudephoenix]

New Photo and Article: “Movie star River Phoenix left musical mark in Alabama” on al.com

Outside record producer Rick Rubin’s Hollywood Hills home, drummer Josh Greenbaum sat in a silver Volvo with his friend and bandmate River Phoenix, the film actor. The rock-star Lenny Kravitz was with them. On the car’s stereo, Kravitz played Phoenix and Greenbaum a recording of a new song he’d written called “Are You Gonna Go My Way.” This was 1992, before that explosive tune would become the title track to Kravitz’s third album and era-defining music. At the moment, Kravitz needed a drummer. He’d recently told mononymous Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea he was frustrated trying to find the right fit.

Flea later told Phoenix about Kravitz’s predicament, while Flea was having lunch with Phoenix. Upon hearing about the opportunity, Phoenix promptly hooked-up the drummer of his own band, Aleka’s Attic, with an audition with Kravitz - a much bigger gig. “And that’s how much River loved me as a brother as a friend,” Greenbaum says. “He was like, ‘I don’t want to hold you back from potential success, and if I can hook you up with this audition then I’m going to do it.’ River was incredibly gracious and generous. He wanted to see the people he cared about thriving”

The South Florida native wasn’t the only drummer auditioning that day at Rubin’s house. There were 25 or so “L.A. rocker dudes” at the “cattle call” that day “decked-out in leather, nose rings and tattoos.” In sneakers, jeans, sweatshirt and short haircut, Greenbaum looked more college-kid than arena-ready. In the end, the gig didn’t go to a dude at all. Cindy Blackman, a virtuosic jazz musician who happens to be female, deservedly became Kravitz’s next drummer. Still, Greenbaum says he got two callbacks to jam with Kravitz over the course of a week.

River Phoenix was a gifted, charismatic movie star so physically attractive he seemed to defy science. His nuanced performances lit up such films as "Stand By Me," "My Own Private Idaho" and "Running On Empty." But Phoenix told Greenbaum more than once, “music was his first love and film was his day-job.”

While some actors’ musical projects can be of dubious quality, Phoenix had legitimate singer/songwriter talent. “Music was a need of his,” Greenbaum says. “That’s why he put so much effort into a band, trying to make it in the music business, which of course would’ve come easier for him than anyone else that wasn’t famous already.”

Phoenix’s other passions included environmentalism, humanitarianism and animal-rights. He was one of the most visibly philanthropic young stars of the early ’90s. Phoenix was the reason Seventeen subscribers knew what “vegan” meant. “He had a heart of gold and was an extremely hyper-sensitive, emotional person,” Greenbaum says. “And that’s why he wound up helping a lot of people.”

Phoenix formed in Aleka’s Attic in 1987. The Gainesville, Fla.-based band’s tours brought them through Alabama, including circa-1991 shows at Huntsville’s Tip Top Café and Tuscaloosa’s Ivory Tusk. Greenbaum recalls Aleka’s Attic performing in Auburn, possibly at the War Eagle Supper Club there, and maybe Birmingham too.

“We had some successful tours,” says Greenbaum, who’s resided in Maui for more than 20 years. “People showed up because they wanted to hear what River’s band was like, but once they got there they were like, ‘Damn this really is a good band,’ and we had some real authentic fans of the music, for the music, not just because it was River.”

Back before social-media and celeb clickbait, Aleka’s Attic tours also gave fans a rare chance to see a massively famous actor in-person, in the wilds of local rock-bars.

Back then, Sandee Curry was attending Lee High School and delivering pizzas part-time. She was also "obsessed with anything Hollywood-related." When she and friend Michelle Woodson heard about Phoenix's band's upcoming Tip Top Café show, they resolved to attend. "River Phoenix is coming to Huntsville, my hometown? This doesn't happen," Curry says. As many people who lived in Huntsville then are aware, in addition to hosting touring and local bands, Tip Top was known for being extremely easy to get into under-age, so she'd been to shows there before.

Curry brought her snapshot camera to the show. The camera was freshly loaded with black and white film, and she took photos of Aleka’s Attic that night. When she got the film developed later, mixed in with random friend pics were onstage shots of Phoenix, singer Rain Phoenix (River’s sister), bassist Josh McKay, violist Tim Hankins and drummer Greenbaum.

At the Tip Top that night, River Phoenix played a Stratocaster guitar and sported facial scruff, a white T-shirt and camouflage pants. Curry recalls the famous actor being somewhat withdrawn onstage. “If I’m remembering correctly, he was mostly doing backing vocals,” she says. “The bassist and Rain were doing a lot of the singing.” Although Greenbaum says River Phoenix was the songwriter and lead singer on most Aleka’s Attic’s material, fans interviewed for this story recall Rain Phoenix being the focal point onstage during the band’s Alabama shows.

Curry classifies the band’s live sound as “psychedelic ’90s alternative-rock.” She adds, “It was a fun show.” She remembers enjoying the song “Too Many Colors” and McKay’s tune “Blue Period.”

At the Tip Top, Curry purchased one of the cassette tapes Aleka's Attic was selling at the time. "I listened to that tape a lot and it turned me into a fan" of the band, Curry says. She considered herself "a hippie" and her listening tastes also included The Doors. Curry kept her Aleka's Attic tape until about 10 years ago when she gave it to a friend's young sister who was fascinated with Phoenix: "She was really impressed by this cassette."

Christopher Brown was one of several audio engineers who ran live sound regularly at the Tip Top. On the night of Aleka's Attic he was off-work but there hanging out. “They were a little more artsy than the typical stuff that we had at the time,” says Brown, who works at a local brewery now. “I remember being pretty impressed by them.” Looking for a more-mainstream, stylistically similar act, I mention Edie Brickell & New Bohemians, known for 1988 patchouli-pop hit “What I Am,” to which Brown, replies, “That’s not a bad comparison.”

The Aleka's Attic show had been the talk of the bar for weeks. Vira Ceci was bartending that night at Tip Top. She recalls Phoenix being "so nice" when she asked him to autograph a cocktail napkin for her cousin, and says the actor was "easily the most accessible member of the band." Ceci, currently employed as a technical writer, recalls the Aleka's Attic show being "pretty busy for a weeknight" and thinks the bar probably charged their typical, $5 cover that night.

Lance Church owned, ran and booked the Tip Top during its prime. He remembers the motor-home Aleka's Attic toured in arriving early in the afternoon and parked in the gravel lot across the street. There was some advance promotion and local press coverage and Church recalls "parents were bringing kids over to sign their movie posters."

Church thinks Aleka’s Attic’s guarantee was “maybe a couple hundred dollars.”

In 1991 and several years into his acting career, Phoenix was just 21 years old. Church still keeps a photo of he and Phoenix shaking hands inside the Tip Top. "He seemed like a really good kid to me," says Church, now a manager at a chain restaurant. "He was polite. He didn't come in there like he was too good for the place or nothing. He was humble, a very likeable guy. He was giggly - he was just a kid."

Church says there'd been many phone calls in to the Tip Top in the week leading up to the Aleka's Attic gig, people asking about start time and such. In the end, he thinks about 100 people attended the show, inside the cinderblock building's mechanics-garage-sized interior. The Billiter sisters were among those attendees: Grace, then 18, Becca, 16, and Jo, 14 - all students at Westminster Christian Academy. (Again, the Tip Top was way easy to get into.) That night, Grace drove them to the Aleka's Attic show in her classic pink Volkswagen Beetle. Back at their family's northside Huntsville home, the sisters displayed River Phoenix photos on their bedroom walls, along with images with other hotties of the day, including Mel Gibson and Billy Idol. Other bands back then the sisters liked included INXS.

Expecting to see Phoenix as he'd appeared as a svelte longhaired Indiana Jones in the latest "Raiders of the Lost Ark" sequel, the Billiters were surprised to see him onstage with a haircut Becca remembers as "choppy and punky." Jo says Phoenix's singing voice "sounded good, a little gravely" and had "nice harmony with his sister." But what's really seared into Jo's hippocampus is she was in the same room with "hands-down my favorite movie star." When the band was on break, the sisters got to meet their idol. Phoenix even briefly, sweetly put his arm around Jo. "I think my heart stopped for a couple beats," she recalls. Looking back, Becca says, "I love that it was the three sisters" that got to share resulting, VW-wide smiles that night.

James Dixon, a University of Alabama student then, attended Aleka's Attic's Ivory Tusk show. On the sidewalk out front of the Tusk, he saw Phoenix leaning up against a nearby light-pole, smoking a cigarette. "That was the days before selfies and things like that," recalls Dixon, who works in financial services in Birmingham. "People would say, 'Hey, River,' and the coeds were swooning over him, but he wasn't being hassled. He seemed laid-back."

Inside, the Ivory Tusk was packed. Earlier that day, Kelli Staggs and friend Lori Watts were playing pinball on a machine inside the bar while the band was doing their soundcheck. One Aleka's Attic musician came over and said hello, then Phoenix, recalls Staggs, who now works in Huntsville as a defense contract specialist. Later that night, Staggs says Aleka's Attic performed, in addition to their material, a version of far-out Jimi Hendrix tune "Third Stone from the Sun." After they played their Hendrix cover, the band asked the crowd if they knew that song. "It was like they were trying to weed out who was there for the music, and who was just there to see him because he was famous," Staggs says. Staggs was an art major at University of Alabama, where she'd seen alternative bands like 10,000 Maniacs perform at local venues.

Aleka's Attic drummer Josh Greenbaum recalls the band enjoying their Alabama shows. "I remember good energy, a good crowd. I remember getting treated pretty well." (Greenbaum has a random memory of one or more of these Alabama venues having troughs instead of urinals in the men's room.) He recalls Tip Top as "a dive, and we loved it for that reason. It was very endearing." In Tuscaloosa, he met a friend named Nancy Romine he's stayed in touch with. "During the same Southeast run, Greenbaum says Aleka's Attic did a show in Knoxville, Tenn. that was multitrack recorded and broadcast. In this era, "Lost in Motion," "What We've Done" and "Dog God" went over particularly well live, he says. Greenbaum recalls Phoenix, "loved the creative process of recording. If he had a preference I would say the studio was, probably, because he was a little bit shy and didn't like being in public places so much. But I know he loved playing live too and he did enjoy the touring. He was happy doing both."

Greenbaum was born 13 days before Phoenix. They were just 16 the first time they met, their families were friends. Greenbaum drove his dad's 1977 Chevy van to Phoenix's aunt's house, Phoenix walked out to meet him, then they went inside where Phoenix played him a demo tape of his song "Heart to Get." "It was a cool song," Greenbaum says. "The last of the commercial music that he wrote, as far as I'm concerned." The two teenagers hung out for about an hour then Greenbaum drove back home. A few months later Phoenix called Greenbaum and said he'd met Island Records founder Chris Blackwell backstage at a U2 concert and Blackwell wanted to sign Phoenix to a development deal. Phoenix asked Greenbaum to move to Gainesville - the famously progressive Phoenix family were living in nearby Micanopy - and start a band. He'd get him money each month to help "develop a band, make records and tour." Greenbaum moved to Gainesville in April 1988. He also spent time with Phoenix in Southern California, getting to know each other.

"We were sort of like non-blood cousins," Greenbaum says. "River could trust me, A, because he knew each other through family and he knew I wasn't going to just be some starstruck idiot; and, B, because I'm a great musician. And he valued me as a human being and as a musician, highly. And that proof of his commitment to music, that he was willing to support a brother, to have my talents."

At the time, Greenbaum had been playing “Aerosmith-y, commercial blues-influenced metal” in a local group called Toy Soldier, that eventually became semi-famous ’80s rockers Saigon Kick. At one point, Phoenix traveled to South Florida to visit with Greenbaum on a weekend when Toy Soldier was performing. “River had just gotten into (1984 mockumentary film ‘This is) Spinal Tap’ really heavily, and he did a ‘Spinal Tap’-esque video of that weekend, of that gig and the next morning,” Greenbaum says. “It was pretty funny, actually.”

Greenbaum was influenced by populist bands like Van Halen, Bee Gees and Queen. Phoenix introduced him to more quirkier acts like XTC, Roxy Music and Squeeze. As time went on, Phoenix's music became increasingly experimental. "It was deep, for sure," Greenbaum says of his friend's songwriting. "He had a commitment to crafting a masterpiece every time he wrote a song. And it drove me nuts. He was an eccentric person and his method of communication was such he didn't speak in technical music terms. He would speak artistically and metaphorically. He would say things like, 'I want it to sound like a ship on the ocean with the waves crashing up against the hull and birds flying over' or whatever. I would be like, 'OK, can we break that into sixteenth-notes?'"

Aleka's Attic's label, Island Records, was trying to figure out what to do with this music too. Island asked Phoenix to record two new demos to determine if they'd continue backing the project. He was going to be in the Los Angeles area filming the movie "Sneakers" and brought Greenbaum out to help demo songs. The drummer was able to hang on the "Sneakers" set, where he met his friend's costars, including Robert Redford, Sidney Poitier and Dan Aykroyd. After Phoenix turned in the new demos to Island, the label deemed the music unmarketable. Aleka's Attic was dropped.

At a certain point, McKay, who’d “butted heads musically and personally” with Phoenix for a while, Greenbaum says, parted ways with the band. Phoenix put together another band called Blacksmith Configuration, that featured Greenbaum and some new musicians, including bassist Sasa Raphael.

Phoenix was big on palindromes, Greenbaum says. Their song titles "Dog God" and " Senile Felines" were palindromes and they were working on an album to be titled "Never Odd or Even," another example.

On the night before Halloween 1993, Greenbaum went out partying with local musicians, "an intense night, for whatever reason." Early the next morning, he crashed on the couch at a friend's downtown Gainesville apartment. A few hours later, Greenbaum woke still buzzed to one of his musician pals from night prior knocking on the front door. When the friend entered, he looked pale and sweaty. He told Greenbaum he'd heard on the radio Phoenix had died. "I was in shock, but it just made sense and I knew it was true," Greenbaum says. "In some way it didn't surprise me. I didn't see it coming - I can't say that - but what I did see in River was his tendency for being extreme."

In the wee hours of Oct. 31, Phoenix had collapsed and died on the sidewalk outside West Hollywood, Calif. nightclub The Viper Room, then co-owned by fellow actor/musician Johnny Depp. An autopsy determined cause of death to be “acute multiple drug intoxication.” Cocaine and morphine. Jo Billiter, the young fan who watched Aleka’s Attic’s 1991 show in Huntsville, cried when she heard the news her favorite actor died. “It broke my heart.”

Several fans interviewed for this story said Phoenix seemed a little bleary to clearly buzzed when they’d seen his band perform. Asked if he ever saw Phoenix’s partying on tour reach scary levels, Greenbaum says, “It was a typical rock & roll level. Nothing out of the ordinary. It was a bunch of guys in their young 20s playing gigs and having fun, just like any other band.”

When he was off working on films, Phoenix would check in every few weeks with Greenbaum, the drummer says. Phoenix called him from Utah, where he was filming the thriller "Dark Blood." His next role was slated to be the interviewer in "Interview with a Vampire."

When Phoenix called Greenbaum from Utah, "that was the most lucid, sane, grounded, understandable, discernible I had ever experienced him sounding. (In the past) there were times when I just couldn't follow what he was talking about. He was kind of cryptic. And on that phone call he was like completely calm and sounded really together and we had a great conversation, a great connection and it wound up being our last phone call."

In 2019, Aleka's Attic music is back in the news. Two of the band's songs "Where I'd Gone" and "Scales & Fishnails" were released along with a Rain collaboration with R.E.M. singer Michael Stipe (a friend of River's) on a three-song collection called "Time Gone." The record's cover art features a photo of Rain and River, young and beautiful enjoying a sibling hug amid a verdant scene. A prior posthumous push to officially release Phoenix's music hit snags getting musicians involved to sign off. "At that time, I was just like, 'Yeah, Rain, just get River's music out to the world,'" Greenbaum says of that earlier effort. "That's why he signed a record deal in the first place, to share his music with the world."

As of the reporting of this story, Greenbaum says he hasn’t been contacted about usage of Aleka’s Attic music on “Time Gone.” The drummer found out about the release via messages from Facebook “friends” who are River Phoenix fans. “Rain didn’t consult us, she didn’t inform us, nothing,” Greenbaum says.

At one point during this interview, Greenbaum says he needs to call me back, so he can count out change to pay for groceries. He says he still plays drums with different local Maui cover bands as well as a blues-rock trio and by-day works construction and maintenance jobs.

Kro Records, the label that released "Time Gone," didn't respond to an email inquiry to interview Rain Phoenix and/or a label rep for this story.

Regular financial support and fast-tracking the Lenny Kravitz audition weren't the only times Phoenix helped Greenbaum. He also bought him an electric-blue DW drumkit, among other instances. Outside of playing music, Phoenix and Greenbaum would throw the frisbee together or jump on the Phoenix family trampoline. They liked going to Falafel King and eating tabbouleh salad and humus. The famous actor would often come over for coffee to the mobile home Greenbaum and Greenbaum's father lived in, on the Phoenixes' Micanopy property.

These days, sometime random things will make Greenbaum think of River Phoenix. Sometimes it's something more direct, like playing a gig will make him think of a certain onstage moment with his late friend.

After counting out coins in the checkout line, Greenbaum calls back. I ask if he thinks pressures of growing up famous led to what happened to Phoenix. “I wouldn’t doubt it,” he replies. “I definitely see how fame messed with his head, his heart. I think fame has that effect on everybody, which is why everybody wants to be famous, but you hear about all these famous people dropping dead and they’re unhappy, depressed and have drug and alcohol problems. Because fame is unnatural.”

[sandiegodjstaci]

Ashley & John's Bespoke La Valencia Hotel Wedding

Ashley & John's Bespoke La Valencia Hotel Wedding

Of all the San Diego wedding DJs calling America’s finest city home, Ashley & John chose me to DJ and MC their bespoke La Valencia Hotel wedding on Sunday, 5.26.19. The following write-up is based on San Diego DJ Staci’s crazy organized & detailed outline for this La Valencia Hotel wedding.

  THE LA VALENCIA HOTEL WEDDING CEREMONY

This La Jolla landmark has their own sound system & mic for the ceremony. DJ Staci was inside setting up during this hotel wedding ceremony!

  (c) San Diego DJ Staci, the Track Star

  THE COCKTAIL HOUR & DINNER MUSIC

While San Diego DJ Staci offers couples pre-set cocktail & dinner playlists to choose from, Ashley & John opted to hand-select their background music for their  La Jolla wedding.

Cocktail Playlist ➔ 1. California Girls” Beach boys, 2. “Reminiscing” Little river band, 3. “Lovely Day” Bill Withers, 3. “What’s going on” Marvin Gaye, 4. “Hungry heart” Bruce springsteen, 5. “Rich Girl” Hall and oates, 6. “Nothing from nothing” Billy Preston, 7. “How deep is your love” Bee gees, 8. “I just called to say I love you” Stevie Wonder. 9. “Oh what a night” Four Seasons, 10. “Gotta Give It up Part 1” Marvin Gaye, 11 “I wanna be your lover” Prince, 12. “Ain’t no sunshine” Bill Withers, 13. “Do You Believe In Love” Huey Lewis and the News, 14. “Today I Met The Boy I’m Going to Marry” Darlene Love, 15. “Friends” Beach Boys, 16. “Don’t you want me” Human League, 17. “I can’t stand the rain” Anne Peebles, 18. “What a fool believes” Doobie Brothers, 19. “Borderline” Madonna, 20. “Weird Fishes” Radiohead, 21 “My Only Swerving” El ten eleven, 22 “Searching” Roy Ayers, 23 “You’re still a young man” Tower of power, 24. “Never too much” Luther Vandross, 25. “That’s the way of the world” Earth, Wind Fire, 26. “One Fine Day” The Chiffons, 27. “Here comes the sun” Beatles, 28. “Eyes without a face” Billy  Idol, 29. “Cruel summer” Bananarama, 30. “La Vie En Rose” Grace Jones, 31. “Graceland” Paul Simon, 32 “Let me in your life” Aretha Franklin, 33 “If I Ever Feel Better” Phoenix, 34 “Stuck in the Middle With You” Stealers Wheel, 35. “September” Earth Wind and Fire

Dinner Playlist ➔ 1 “Be My Baby” Ronettes, 2. “Claire de lune” Kamasi Washington, 3. “Our Way to Fall” Yo La Tengo, 4. “Ooh baby baby” Smokey Robinson, 5. “Poolside” Harvest moon, 6. “Tenderness” General Public, 7. “Will you still love me tomorrow” The Shirelles, 8. “TIL you come back to me” Aretha Franklin, 9. “Warmth of the Sun” Beach Boys, 10. “Red red wine” UB40, 11. “One on one” Hall   Oates, 12. “Lovefool” Cardigans, 13. “What a Difference A Day Makes” Dinah Washington, 14. “Astral Weeks” Van Morrison, 15. “Out of my league” Fitz and the tantrums, 16. “Sunday kind of love” Etta james, 17. “Drive” Cars, 18. “Young Americans” David Bowie, 19. “Sleepwalking” Modest Mouse, 20. “Beyond Love” Beach House, 21. “Feel Like Making Love” D’Angelo, 22. “You give good love” Whitney Houston, 22. “Poses” Rufus Wainwright, 23. “Overjoyed” Stevie Wonder, 24. “Try a Little Tenderness” Otis Redding, 25. “Say A Little Prayer” Aretha Franklin, 26.“Crazy for you” Madonna, 27. “Dream Lover” Mariah Carey, 28. “Midnight Train to Georgia” Gladys Knight, 29. “Crimson and Clover” Shondells, 30. “I just want to be your everything” Andy Gibb, 31. “Say it isn’t so” Hall and Oates, 32. “Close To You” Cure, 33.“Over My Head” Alabama Shakes, 34. “Only You” Platters, 35. “Don’t Worry Baby” Beach Boys, 36. Doo Wop That Thing” Lauryn Hill

  (c) San Diego DJ Staci, the Track Star

  THE LA VALENCIA HOTEL WEDDING RECEPTION

MC Welcome ➔ “Good evening! Welcome to Ashley & Johns wedding reception!!! I am the Master of Ceremonies, DJ Staci. Please take your seats so we can officially welcome our guests of honor. Please be sure to post your photos today with #YorkFee. If you need to charge your devices, I do have a mini charging station up here including some universal chargers.”

“Tonight I’m going to be sharing a lot of stories about John & Ashley with you. To get rolling, les tackle the first &I love you.& On their 80th date—yes, Ashley counts them—they were in Korea Town in LA to celebrate their 6 month anniversary. They checked into a swanky hotel, went to dinner at a Korean BBQ restaurant, then hit a karaoke bar. John said those 3 little words after dinner  Ashley quickly replied back! Awwww….. Ladies & gentlemen, put your hands together for the introduction of the wedding party.”

Grand Entrance ➔ “Chapel of Love” Dixie Cups

➔ “Show some love to Best Woman &  Sister of the Groom, Heather, &  Flower Girl, Claire!!!”

➔ “Please welcome Best Man, Patrick!!!”

➔ “Give it up for Junior Bridesmaid, Sophie!!!”

➔ “Show some love to Maid of Honor & Sister of the Bride, Amanda, and Flower Girl, Grace!!!”

➔ “Be My Baby” Ronettes ➔  “They first connected online then eventually met up on February 28, 2017, on Sunset Blvd. On their first date, they met at a restaurant  stayed until close. Together they enjoy long talks, vacationing, visiting film festivals across the US, & walking their dog, Lula, at the beach. They are planning a honeymoon to Kauai. Ladies & gentlemen, get on your feet to welcome–for the FIRST TIME EVER— Mr. & Mrs. John F & Ashley Y!!!” ➔ keep playing “Be My Baby” Ronettes

➔ Newlywed Brief Welcome/Thank You Speech ➔ continue “Be My Baby” Ronettes

➔ Meal Served: plated ➔ Announce: “Dinner will be served momentarily. Also, at about 6:25 you can grab a glass of champagne from the bar for the toasts, if you like.”

6:25 PM  ➔ Announce: “Just a reminder that you can grab a glass of champagne from the bar now if you like one for the toasts.”

6:30 PM   ➔ Toasts ➔ Champagne available at bar at 6:25 PM ➔  Ladies & gentlemen, may I have your attention please for the toasts. Please welcome our first speaker:

➔ Maid of Honor & Sister of the Bride, Amanda

➔ Mother of the Bride, Claudette

➔ Father of the Bride, Tim

➔ Parents of the Groom, Joan & Russ

➔ Best Woman &  Sister of the Groom, Heather

➔ Best Man & Brother of the Groom, Patrick

➔ First Dance ➔ “You’ve Got a Friend” (live), Donnie Hathaway ➔ fade early: no ➔  “On their 321st date, John & Ashley went on a last minute trip to Hawaii’s big island. She had heard him on the phone trying to get a reservation at a swanky restaurant there…she began to wonder if a marriage proposal was in her future…hmmm?! After splashing around in the water and watching a magical Hawaiian sunset, they returned to their stunning oceanfront room. John ordered champagne, &  he asked her a very important question. We know how she answered because we are about to welcome Ashley & John to the dance floor for their first dance as husband and wife.”

➔ Combo Parent Dance ➔ “The Way You Look Tonight” Tony Bennett ➔ fade early: no ➔ “John admires that his mother has been married to his dad for HALF A CENTURY! About her father, Ashley says:  Dad drove me to school everyday and always got me there early—FOR 12 YEARS–teaching me the valuable asset of punctuality. Now lets welcome John &  his mother, Joan, with Ashley  her father, Tim, to the dance floor to share a special dance.”  ➔ open dance floor up to everyone

  (c) San Diego DJ Staci, the Track Star

  ➔ Open Dancing

8:15 PM ➔ Bouquet Toss ➔ “Then he Kissed me” Crystals

➔ Longest Married Couple Dance ➔ “A Song for You,” Donnie Hathaway ➔ Announce: “We’d like to invite all of the married couples to the dance floor right now…The newlyweds would like to dedicate this song to all of the couples in the room, married or not.” ➔ Announce: “We’d like to give a special shout out to John’s parents, Joan & Russ, who will celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary on August 16th, as well as Ashley’s mom & her husband, Fred, who just celebrated their first wedding anniversary! Congrats!!!”

8:30 PM ➔ Photographer leaves

9:50 PM ➔ Last Dance ➔ “I Wanna Dance With Somebody,” Whitney H ➔ Announce: “There will be an after party from now until 2:00 AM in Cafe Rue, which is by the lobby. There will be free snacks &  drinks available for purchase.”

➔ Send-Off ➔ “I Only Have Eyes For You” Flamingos

  ASHLEY & JOHN’S DANCE MUSIC RECIPE

Requests ➔ line dances only if requested

Music ➔ PG-13/clean radio edits

Play A Lot ➔ Top 40, Oldies/Motown, 80s, Funk

Play A Few ➔ Disco, Classic Rock, Hip Hop, 90s, 2000s

Slow Dances ➔ “That’s What Friends are for,” Dionne Warwick, “You Give Good Love,” Whitney Houston

♥  M U S T – P L A Y S ♥

1. “All night long” Lionel Richie, 2. “You make my dreams come true” Hall &  Oates, 3. “Poison” Bel Biv Devoe, 4. “Karma Chameleon” Culture Club, 5. “Respect” Aretha Franklin, 6. “Toxic” Britney Spears, 7. “Footloose” Kenny Loggins, 8. “Crazy in love” Beyonce, 9. “Finesse” Bruno Mars, 10. “Holiday” Madonna, 11. “Faith” George Michael, 12. “Can’t Stop The Feeling” Justin Timberlake

♥ P L A Y   I F   Y O U   C A N ♥

“Cosmic Girl” Jamiroquai, “Feels so Good” Mase, “Dancing In the Streets” Martha & the Vandellas, “It Takes Two” Rob Base, “I like it” Cardi B  for MOH Amanda, “You Drop the Bomb on Me” Gap Band, “Sexyback” Justin Timberlake, “1999” Prince, “No Scrubs” TLC, “Livin on a Prayer” Bon Jovi, “Twist and Shout” the Beatles, “It Feels Good” Toni Tony Tone, “Uptown Funk” Bruno Mars, “Treasure” Bruno Mars, “This Is How We Do It” Montel Jordan, “Push It” Salt N Pepa, “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” Marvin Gaye, “Single Ladies” Beyonce, “Let’s Dance” David Bowie, “Bootylicious” Beyonce, “Hip to be Square” Huey Lewis, “Glamorous life” Sheila E, “Shoop” Salt & Peppa, “It feels so right” Sonique, “Call Me Al” Paul Simon, “Purple rain” Prince, “Hollywood Swinging” Kool and the Gang, “Signed Sealed Delivered I’m Yours” Stevie Wonder, “Bring It On Home” Sam Cooke, “You can’t Hurry Love” The Supremes, “Higher and Higher” Jackie Wilson, “All for you” Janet Jackson

♥ D O   N O T   P L A Y S ♥

Journey, trap, country, Lynyrd Skynrd, Bob Segar, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Michael Jackson, Pharrell’s “Happy,” AC/DC

  LA VALENCIA HOTEL WEDDING FLOOR PLAN

  SAN DIEGO WEDDING VENDOR LIST

Here is the amazing team of San Diego wedding vendors I had the pleasure of working with on this La Valencia Hotel wedding:

Venue/Caterer/Cake ➔ La Valencia Hotel

DJ/MC/Photo Booth/Lighting ➔ DJ Staci, the Track Star

Photographer ➔ Wally Wilson Studios

Florist ➔ Kimberly Buffington

Again, I was honored to be the one and only San Diego wedding DJ Ashley & John trusted with their La Valencia Hotel wedding in La Jolla. Thank you!

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