Golden Strings is my debut novel, originally published in 2017 by Editions Dedicaces (a Montreal-based company). It's currently available on the Barnes and Noble imprint. It's a literary odyssey set in the heady summer of 1974. The protagonist of this story is Gary Sapling, an eighteen-year-old musical prodigy (with the acoustic guitar). Gary lives in the (fictitious) small town of Panville, California, working a menial job in the local shopping mall. He secretly dreams of becoming a star, so he can leave his predictable daily life behind. His life journey takes a dramatic turn when he accepts an invitation to visit his divorced uncle Karl, who lives in a remote part of California. The two of them make an impulsive trip to San Francisco, a city about which Gary has always been curious. They book a hotel room there, and take in the local sights. It's there that Gary meets and quickly bonds with a local guerrilla theatre troupe called the 'Frisco Freedom Collective. Gary soon moves in to their communal apartment,, and enters a loose love triangle with Bonnie and Lori, two young female members of the Collective. As the summer of 1974 progresses, Gary is cast as the lead in a short 'indie' movie, books a paying gig at a local venue, and finds true love in a way that he wasn't expecting.
Golden Strings is mainly influenced by "Hair" (the movie version in particular), "Boogie Nights", and "Almost Famous", as well as the counter-cultural writings and art of the late sixties and early seventies. It's meant for mature, open-minded readers.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
The Teapot Theatre was a small house (seventy-five seats) in the Russian Hill district. A big wooden sign hanging over the front doors showed a big grey teakettle, with the theatre's name stenciled in black. That made it easy for theatre-goers to find the place. Gary and his uncle arrived at 10:20. A live play (a brand-new work by someone of whom neither Gary nor Karl had heard) had just let out. Random people were arriving at the theatre, for the 'frisco Freedom Collective show. Some of them were holding the same flyer that Bonnie had given Gary. Gary had his guitar with him, just as Bonnie had instructed him. A man with a long, scruffy beard sat at the entrance, taking donations from the incoming theatre-goers. Karl gave him a few dollars, as he and his nephew entered. Gary was afraid that the man might ask him why he was bringing his guitar, but that wasn’t the case. "Hey, buddy, good thing you brought your guitar with you. There is audience participation at the end, and you can play that thing, if you want."
“I hope no one minds if I do!” Gary replied, with a wink. He and Karl sat down in the second row. By show-time (10:30, just as the flyer had noted), about three dozen people were seated in the theatre. The lights dimmed, and there was a small rustle of anticipation amidst the crowd. Loud rock music blared from the two speakers at the top of the stage, and five actors eagerly ran out from behind the red velvet curtain.
There was Bonnie (Gary recognized her right away) and four others. Everyone in the cast was wearing lime-green woolen pant legs, with drawstrings around the waist. They also wore white t-shirts with the troupe’s name printed in dark blue. They all introduced themselves, one by one. The first of the two men was Ray, a tall man with a thick head of dark brown hair, and a medium build. The other male actor was Brandon, who had a lean frame, a mustache, and wavy black hair. He had an odd complexion - half-white, and half-amber. Besides Bonnie, there were two females in the cast. One was Lori, a tall, attractive brunette in a long ponytail. The other, who linked her hand with Ray's, was named Dawn. She was also pretty, with short light-brown hair and a small build. All of the actors looked to be in their twenties, although Gary supposed that Ray and Dawn might have had a few years on the other three.
After the cast introduced themselves, their show began. Short blackouts, accompanied by bursts of recorded music, helped the transitions. The first bit was a pre-written sketch, titled "What's Next for Tricky Dicky?" For this comic vignette, Ray donned a plastic face mask of President Nixon. The premise was that since Nixon looked to be on his way out, he would have to find some new line of work. "Why not a restaurant?" Dawn asked rhetorically. She played Pat Nixon, helping to take orders from the customers (played by the other three actors).
"Dick, why don't you start frying up the burgers these nice people want for lunch," Dawn asked Ray (as Nixon).
"Because, Pat..." Ray drawled, in his best 'Nixonian' voice; "I am not a cook." This line, a play on the real Nixon's "I am not a crook" sound-bite, was the catalyst for Dawn (as Pat Nixon) to take on the cooking duties herself. The skit ended with Nixon trying to inflate the customers' bill, and getting caught.
"Well, it looks like old habits die hard," said Dawn (still in character). The skit got a decent amount of applause at the end. Gary thought it was amusing. As far as he could tell, his uncle liked it also. The next bit was much longer, and not quite as funny. Ray entered as 'Mister Harold Uptight', who introduces himself as 'just another wage slave in modern-day corporate America, pretty much resigned to his fate'. He was dressed up for this role, wearing dark slacks, a starched white shirt, and a tie. A spotlight shone on Brandon, who played a nasally-voiced "Rod Sterling" for this scene. "Little does 'Harold Uptight' know, but he's about to enter a new dimension. A dimension so bizarre, so outlandish, and so downright hip that it can only be called... The 'frisco Zone."
As the scene progressed, colorful flashing lights shone down on 'Harold', as he mimed waiting for his usual "train home to the suburbs". Pulsating rock music played over the sound system, as the three female actors, all wearing brightly-hued saris, danced seductively around him. They stripped off his clothes, until he was down to his skivvies. The three women on the stage all covered his exposed skin with body paint, turning him into a living canvas of art. "Hey - I really like this!" Ray (as Harold) yelled gleefully. He defiantly threw the discarded clothes offstage. "I don't need these stupid 'corporate clothes' anymore!" he yelled. "From now on, I'm doing nothing but dancing!"
That skit morphed into a long interpretive dance number, with all five actors slinking around on stage. Brandon joined them, bare-chested with a few American Indian - style clothes (a loincloth, moccasins and a headband). As they danced to the accompaniment of light-rock instrumental music, a tape played over a boombox that lay in a chair at stage left. The tape featured Bonnie, asking various people "What is the answer?" The answers they had given to this odd question had all been recorded for posterity. The voices captured on tape seemed just as puzzled as Gary had been, when he had first met Bonnie.
"What do you mean, exactly?"
"What is the answer? I am still working on that, myself. Please let me know if you find out, OK?"
"I don't know what the answer is, but I know it can't be found anywhere near here. Maybe we all have to go on that long trek to the Himalayas to find it."
"I don't even know what the question is!"
And so on. About eight minutes into the tape, Gary recognized his own voice. He whispered to his uncle that it was his - Gary's - voice to which they were listening. Karl just laughed. He pointed to his nephew, indicating to everyone else in the audience that it was Gary's voice on the tape. Some of the audience picked up on that, and gave Gary and Karl waves and 'thumbs up' from their seats. As the tape of Bonnie interviewing various people on the street ended, all five of the actors spread out across the stage. "What's the answer? What's the answer?" they chanted. They answered their own question with cries of "Peace!" Music!" "Love!" "Dancing!"
A stagehand (the same bearded man who had taken donations at the front door) quickly ushered out some musical instruments - bongo drums, a mouth harp, a pair of tambourines, and a few dozen pennywhistles. Brandon, who had put on an Indian-style headband, began hitting the bongos. Dawn played one of the pennywhistles, while Lori and Bonnie both played the tambourines.
Ray exhorted the crowd to get up and join the cast onstage. "Come on, people, don't just sit there! You are part of this show, too!" A few people in the audience got up onto the stage. Two couples started dancing to the music the cast was making. Bonnie spotted Gary in the audience, and ushered him onto the stage.
"Gary, come up here! Bring your guitar!" Gary picked up his guitar case, and left his seat. He walked onto the stage, where Bonnie greeted him with a hug. He took the guitar out of its case, and began strumming some random notes. He made up a four-note melody on the spot. More people in the audience got up and joined Gary and the cast on stage. People danced, played pennywhistles, and grooved along. An attractive brunette woman in a mini-skirt started dance-flirting with Gary. He smiled at her, and she playfully bumped hips with him a few times. Karl got up from the crowd, and Bonnie started dancing with him. Everyone in the theatre was on a natural high, simultaneously creating and grooving on the musical vibe. Gary yelped as he hit a high G chord, and some of the crowd yelped in reply.
This after-show bacchanalia lasted nearly until midnight. Ray explained to the crowd that the theatre was about to close for the night, so they had to wind down. "Thanks for coming, everyone! We hope to see you all again, next month!" The people on stage gave the Collective a hearty ovation, and then began leaving the theatre. Ray approached Gary, warmly shaking his hand. "That is some far-out guitar playing, bro! Thanks for joining us!"
"It was my pleasure, Ray! It was Bonnie here who invited me to tonight's show." Gary pointed to Bonnie, who was packing the pennywhistles back into a big box.
"Bonnie? Sweet. That Bonnie is one great chick."
"Yes. I really liked watching her dance with my uncle."
Ray invited Gary to a party at his place. He explained that everyone in the Collective lived there, and that they always followed their shows with a big party at their 'pad'. "And if you came here with your uncle, that is cool and everything, but I suggest you come to our pad alone. Things might get kind of freaky, and I don't know if your uncle would want to be a part of that scene. This is strictly a 'no one over thirty' event, if you catch my drift."
Gary did get Ray's 'drift'. He told Karl that he was going to a party, and that Karl should just go back to the hotel without him. Karl slipped Gary a five-dollar bill. "This is just in case you need to catch a cab back to the hotel. If anything happens at the party that doesn't feel right to you, just leave, and use this money to catch a cab back to the hotel. Okay?" Gary agreed to that plan, and thanked his uncle.
The same stage-hand worked along with the cast to help clean up the theatre. Everyone made small talk, as they packed up the props and changed into 'street' clothes (jeans, t-shirts, and sandals). Dawn helped Ray scrub the body paint off of his body, using tap water from the backstage bathroom (which had a sink). Some of the troupe members made 'inside jokes' that were lost on Gary, but everyone else seemed to appreciate them. It was obvious to Gary that these people knew each other well. Everyone complimented Gary on his musical talents, telling him that he contributed a lot to that night's show. At midnight, the stagehand bid everyone goodnight. Gary and the five troupe members all thanked the stagehand, and left the Teapot together.
