Patsy Power Part 39

On the Sunday we went for walks in the city parks but had to get a taxi when someone thought they knew me and was getting a bit too personal. Sunday evening we flew back to Nashville. It seemed that we were better off in a town where everyone knew us and let us be.

Monday morning we accompanied Minh to the studio and laid down three tracks for the Christmas album. Joanne and I also did overdub on another three tracks so the album was looking good. Monday evening I pulled out the paperwork that I had been given by the L’Estrange sisters and the software company. I looked through all of the software company advertising and it was all very formal ‘we make this that does that for you’; but buried among the paperwork I saw a sheet that described a small division that produced anime cartoons.

This led me to think that they could use it to spice up their advertising. I fired off an email to their marketing manager with copies to Simon and Sarah. I told him that the best I could do for them was to suggest they use the cartoon division to create short stories where the heroes use some of the company’s software to solve a problem and that the story could last over a number of ads. I told him I did not expect any payment for the advice but, should the move prove successful, a donation to the care homes would be appreciated. The sisters’ paperwork merely showed that they could save a lot of money if they got together so I left it alone for the moment as we would be dealing with them personally in the near future.

The rest of the week followed on with us finalising our end of the Christmas album with Minh and I ‘dueting’ on ‘Serendipity’ for the last track. All that was now needed was for Nina and Riordan to add their tracks in their own studios after our band had added some quiet backing tracks, although there would not need a lot of that with two guitars and a keyboard track already taped. We did not get involved with that and the following week saw the tape sent to New York. After tracks had been added there, a copy of the master tape was sent back to us to review and, after Minh had given her acceptance, the New York copy was handed to Simon to cut and market the album. The album was to be purely by Minh Ji Lu with ‘backing by ‘Innocent girls and boys’’. In that second week home I got into writing for ‘Amazon’ with a distinct big venue flavour. It was a far cry from the sweet little vignettes of life that I had written as Patrick and made the move to Patsy more real and different.

It was a bit harder to do but I managed to lay down vocal and rhythm tracks on the home studio for three songs. I left them with Ron for the band to work on. We received notification the following weekend that we would be needed to fly to Canada the following Wednesday for a fashion shoot and just to bring casual, warm, clothing. The shoot was to be based at a ski resort near Jasper, in the west of the country and should be surrounded by spectacular scenery. We spent the Monday and Tuesday tidying up loose ends with the recordings and getting ourselves ready. From Nashville we were to fly to Vancouver, collect those from New York, and then take a local flight to Jasper.

It was quite a crowd of us that arrived in Jasper that Wednesday evening; as well as me, Joanne, Mary and Lucy, we had the band, Jake, Paul, Keith and Kevin; and the New York contingent of Riordan, Nina, Julia and Angela so it was a boisterous group that got off the bus at the resort. Alexi greeted us and herded us into a large lounge where a fire was roaring to take away any chills. He told us that the format of the winter catalogue was to have a single model to a page with insets showing the acceptable underwear for the outfit, plus other models in the background. That way they could move outfits around the different body types. The men were also included. He expected us to finalise two or three pages a day outside and maybe four a day inside so we would be here for about two weeks. He told us that we would be woken at five in the morning for beauty and dressing to utilise the morning light so we should all get our rest.

So that’s how we worked; up before the birds, a cup of coffee, make-up and dressing before an hour outside, followed by breakfast. On bright days we did a second outside shoot and on dull days we just worked inside the resort, showing off the wonderful vistas from the windows without having freeze ones butt! There was three complete teams of photographers so we were all doing something most of the day. Most of the collection was winter weight coats, jumpers, leather pants, boots and the like so it wasn’t all bad. The inside collection was jersey dresses, denim skirts, cardigans and the like.

All the guys enjoyed their involvement acting like extras from a Bond movie at times and just trying to look cool most of the time. They had picked a different range of clothes for Jake to show off his rock-god stature and I thought it really suited him. For the underwear shots, all of us girls had to pose with a normal white bra and pantie set and they would photo-shop the various colours to suit different outfits, so we did not constantly have to get our gear off. I soon worked out that there was an underwear company and a shoe company involved.

Annette’s’ cosmetic range was in the barely there area most of the time but was a bit more vibrant for the evening wear shots. Maxine had followed through with her ideas and both Riordan and Nina were given some stunningly stylish, brightly coloured clothing, while Julia was more your successful professional. I could really see the collection being a big hit down the east coast for a start. At the end of the shoot we were thanked by Alexi as being consummate professionals and were allowed to choose one outfit each to take home. I chose a very trendy leather skirt with a fine-knit jumper and a leather bolero-style jacket with matching boots. It was so nice I wore it when I left. We all were taken back to Vancouver and then all boarded a flight to New York.

Riordan wanted us all to spend a few days in the big studio to finalise some ‘Amazon’ tracks and Angela was to take Lucy to see the L’Estrange sisters. Lucy had not escaped being utilised in the shoot and graced quite a number of backgrounds but it had not diminished her excitement of meeting the sisters. We spent most of the week in the studio and finalised the three tracks I had submitted as well as four that Riordan had written. It was decided that we would add the live versions of the two old ‘Amazon’ songs we had used for the dance festival. The final track was to be ‘Dancefloor’ and it did not take us very long to get that one in the can. It now certainly looked like we would have the new album released before Christmas. It was to be called ‘Amazon – the flood of the new’.

In the meantime, a live ‘Amazon at the Garden’ DVD was released and immediately went into the top ten so I would think that Simon would be happy. I know that having three, or is it now four, live DVDs on the market would be overkill but I know that if I were a fan I would have to have the series that redefined the band and showed the changes to the line-up and the music.

When we had tidied up everything we could, Simon took us all out for a good dinner, thanking us all for the year that was coming towards its’ end and our individual input to its success. The next day the boys, Joanne and I flew to Nashville. Lucy and Mary stayed in New York to do further work with the sisters, Lucy almost hyper from being asked to design our general stage gear for the following year, to be supplied by L’Estrange. I had about three months now to just write songs and was looking forward to it.

Part 40

Of course, you know what they say about the best laid plans. I had rested for a couple of days, hitting the home gym in the morning and the home studio in the afternoon. My phone rang and it was Alice wanting to see me in the office; so I had a shower, dressed and drove the sports car into K Beat. When I got there Alice took me into Sarahs’ office and I was told that the agreement with ‘Primal Purge’ was on the cusp of being signed. However, they were presently in a studio just outside of Geneva and wanted Riordan and I, along with Simon and Sarah, to go to Switzerland to finalise the tour. It seemed that they wanted everyone to be happy with the order and the venues. Being close to Christmas I would need to be warm so I rang Maxine and asked her if I could borrow some of the upcoming winter collection for both me and Riordan. When I told her the place and reason, she agreed instantly. It needed the two of us to see her at her new office before we left. I rang Riordan and we arranged to meet in New York. Sarah was going to go directly to Switzerland and Simon would join the two of us from New York.

I saw Ma to get some airlines booked and a hotel in Geneva and then went home to sort out my packing. I told Joanne where I was going and why, and she got excited about the prospect of a world tour. Next day she took me with one fully packed bag and another just about empty, to the airport and I was off to New York again. When I arrived Mary was there with Andre to take me to meet up with Riordan. We then went to the new office of L’Estrange Mode and Cosmetics Company in a spacious building a little out of town. They had not yet moved everything but I could see that there was plenty of room for the four sections of the company to operate and expand.

We told Maxine that we knew we would be near Geneva and there may be some good chances that a signing party would happen so she sorted out two evening dresses for each of us and a range of day wear that would be able to withstand the bit of nippy cold between a heated hotel and a heated car. I had already packed my leather outfit from the shoot. I was able to ensure that my allowance would fit into my half empty bag and we put Riordans over the back seat in between us. On leaving we were handed two envelopes. Maxine told us not to open them until we were in the plane as they were the new catalogue for the winter range and it would keep us amused through the flight. We went to Riordans house and she took her clothes inside to be packed. Andre took me to a hotel to spend the night relaxing.

In the morning I was picked up and taken to the airport where I met up with Simon and Riordan. I asked Simon if there was anything unusual about our trip and he told me that with a tour of this size that would probably turn over in excess of fifty million dollars you did whatever the lead artist wanted to keep face. By mid-morning we were boarded and waiting for our take-off slot so Riordan and I took out our envelopes to have a look at the collection. The production was luxurious and the colours stunning.

We all looked like professional models and I told Riordan that the ‘Amazon’ range for her and Nina was so beautiful I was a bit jealous but eventually agreed that I didn’t have the height to bring it off. Eventually, our oohs and aahs brought us to the attention of the flight attendants who, when asked by other ladies in the first class section what all the fuss was about, told them it was advance copies of the new L’Estrange Collection. I am sure that Maxine knew exactly what would transpire as I started at one end of the first class section with my copy and Riordan started at the other end with hers. Between us we saw a large number of very wealthy ladies who were busy making notes in their diaries and insisting that they would be ringing the office as soon as they could. Of course, they were surprised by the new address and mostly showed happiness when we told them that the sisters had finally got together. We only got back to our seats with about an hour to our landing at Heathrow. Simon just commented that this was why we were such good value!

At Heathrow we transferred to another flight to Geneva where a car picked us up and took us to our hotel. This close to Christmas it was bitterly cold and I was glad I had carried my coat as hand luggage. The hotel was grand in an old-world style and we checked in and then met in the bar for a nightcap. Sarah joined us and we discussed the likely outcomes from the next few days before we all went off for early nights.

Next morning we were having our breakfast when a man in a chauffeur uniform was shown to our table. He gave a little bow and told us that he was Jules and that he had a limo outside to take us to where ‘Primal Purge’ was recording. He said he would wait outside until we appear so we finished our meal and went back upstairs to get ready. When we got outside the hotel we saw the most magnificent Rolls Royce, a long wheel base model. Jules stood by the back door and waved us over so we all slid into this luxury on wheels and he climbed into the driving seat and we were off. It was a very scenic trip away from Geneva and into some hills where we turned through some large gates with armed guards. There was a very long meandering drive and we came into view of a grand house in the French style. Jules said ‘Welcome to the Chateau de La Fleur, the home of the Marquis and Marquise de Rouen.”

We pulled up at the front door and a uniformed butler came out and helped us out of the car. “Welcome, welcome” he said “your host and hostess will meet you in the studio. Please follow me.” Walking through the chateau was like walking through history, the furnishings and artworks were all from bygone days and, even though I was wearing a L’Estrange outfit, I was feeling underdressed. Riordan whispered “I don’t think we are in Kansas anymore.” We eventually moved into a modern addition that was probably behind the main building as the walls were now lined with autographed photos of various bands and solo artists. We were ushered into a large artist’s lounge where a small group of people waited for us. I saw Grog and the rest of the band, as well as three ladies in rock-chick gear who could only be the two backing singers, Janet and Libby, and Marion Batchelor, the keyboard player. There was a couple of audio guys (they tend to keep their headphones around their necks so they don’t lose them!), a few that looked like lawyers and then there was the Marquis and Marquise.

We were introduced to the Marquis “call me Gerome, everyone does” and Marquise “Hi, I’m Stephanie” and also to all the others that we had not met. Gerome said “I am so happy to meet you all today. Simon has been on my radar for some time because of the professional way his company has operated over many years and I have loved the work that you, Sarah, have produced out of Nashville. However, Riordan and Patsy, you are the shining stars for us. We watched how you took a dying legend, added a group of energetic younger musicians, and became a new, and improved, version of the original legend, all while on tour. We had copies of all your DVDs sent here and we watched them on our big screen with absolute amazement. We stand in awe of your skills and will to achieve the best you could under the circumstances, and the best, I think, is really yet to come.”

Stephanie added that she loved the various costumes we had worn and asked us what we were wearing now. I told her we were both wearing items from the winter L’Estrange catalogue and that the company had committed to supplying stage clothes for our future shows. “So that’s where I saw them” she exclaimed “Maxine sent me a copy that arrived this morning and I have only just flipped through it. Now I see that not only are you singers, you both are now international models.”

Marianne G 2020