Page 66 - Maj 2020 PDF

"Manchester’s a hole, mate. We're fuckin’ dying here. Everyone here is so

incredibly narrow-minded and conform, man. They’re petty-thinking. It's a small
town hole," Dan said.

As they finished playing "Hound Dog", Nearly out of breath, Dan exclaims in the

microphone: "We'll have a short break, and then we’ll be right back"
Dan stands in his usual Elvis pose, as he so often before has practiced, and now

mastered. On numerous occasions, he’s been standing in front of his mirror, back

at home, with the guitar hanging along the side and legs wide spread open. The
only people looking at them are two little boys who, for inscrutable reasons, have

chosen to hang out on a bench at the bus stop, located approximately ten meters
from where The Skillers are playing. Dan bows and proceeds to say:

"We're just having a little drink, yeah."

Noone’s paying any mind to what he’s saying, and as his words drowned out in
the noise of the 40 cars that almost simultaneously gas up as the traffic signal

they are standing close to changes from red to green, it would be impossible to

hear even if they wanted.
Dan turns back and nods to the others, and they briefly gather around the two

small battery-powered speakers. Today, The Skillers have pulled even further
back close the building walls. Yesterday, an angry police officer pulled the plug

from their instruments and speakers, and with an overtly condescending

manoeuvre, he pushed them from the small piece of tarmac they were standing
on, and further back onto the wall.

“I’m having a walk in the park, waiting for Jenny,” says Maria and leaves. She

can no longer be bothered with The Skillers. She can’t even fake interest
anymore. She knows all the songs, she knows Dan's fun little comments, and she

knows all too well, the stench of car exhaust and urine that reeks from the

streets. She's fed up.
"Yes, finally!" Dan yells out in the city noise, while taking a sip of his beer.

"Tell her to bring a couple of her girl friends over here if they like rock ‘n’ roll."

He laughs with a stupid grin on his face, as he looks to the others and makes a
assertive push with the abdomen.

"Chill out, man," she shouts, as she disappears into the crowd.