They Might Be K-ON! Chapter 1
They Might Be K-ON!
Track One
Yeah, The Deranged Millionaire
John and John, more precisely, John Flansburgh and John Linnell had been making music together for about thirty years. The name of their band: They Might Be Giants. Their first show had been a memorable one, and though not many people showed up, it had been the perfect start to their lifelong musical career. They had recorded fifteen studio albums, four of them were children's records, and the rest they had filled with their own signature style. From captivating tunes about unrequited love and heartbreak, murder and death, and tragedy and calamity, to funny songs about super heroes named Particle Man, and rock bands made up of Mesopotamian kings.
John and John loved what they did. They loved their band and their bandmates. They loved the feeling they got when they were in the studio, on a stage, in an arena, or in a coffee shop, playing for a crowd of eight or less. They also of course, loved their wives, and were anxious to see them again after nearly a year of touring. John Linnel, the quieter and more reclusive of the duo, had married in 1997 to a woman named Karen. John Flansburgh had married a year before John to a woman named Robin. Both of them were very happy in life.
~~~
The two friends, and their band were staying at a Hilton Hotel in Texas. Just one plane trip left before they were in Boston. And one car trip after that, they'd be back home in Brooklyn. John, who had accidentally put his book into one of John's bags had entered his room to retrieve it, and inadvertently collapsed in one the chairs.
"Hey, John?" said John. "Want me to put on some water for coffee?"
"Sure." replied John. He buried his fingers in his messy hair and realised he was going to need a shower.
The hotel coffee maker was small and black, and stunk of the hundreds of guests own favourite brands of coffee. The room had come with the hotel's favourite brand, but no one seemed to share it's taste.
John, wishing he could just sit there all night, got up from his comfy chair and headed for the bathroom.
"I'm gonna take a shower," he said to his friend who was trying to choose between two of his favourite coffee brands. "Just let me know when the coffee's ready."
The other man nodded absent-mindedly. "Okay, you go ahead."
John was about to open the door to the bathroom when a knock drew his attention to the door leading out to the hallway. Looking through the peephole, he recognised the faces of their three bandmates, Dan Miller, Danny Weinkauf and Marty Beller. There goes that shower, at least for the time being. thought John to himself.
John opened the door. Dan, Danny and Marty all stumbled in with looks of exhaustion on their faces.
"John - coffee - now - thanks." said Danny in one breath.
"Sorry, Guys," said Dan, looking at his friend and bandmate as he staggered toward John who was still trying to choose which coffee he wanted. "None of the coffee machines in our rooms worked. Go figure. Hey, John. Before you choose the coffee, I don't want sugar this time!"
~~~
"So, none of the coffee machines in your rooms worked?" said John, wiping the steam from his coffee off his glasses. "What kind of Hilton is this, anyway?"
"Welcome to Hell Hotel, right?" said Marty. No one laughed.
"At the very least, John has one that works." said Danny.
Danny was about to take another sip of his coffee when the phone rang.
"Crap, it must be the tour manager or something." said John. He got up from his comfy chair and picked up the phone.
"Hello, this is John. Uh, John Linnell."
"Hello John," said a familiar voice on the other end. "It's been so long since we last spoke, but I recognise your voice."
"Oh, god." uttered John. He could recognise the voice of voice on the other end all too well.
"Yes, you remember, don't you? Put me on speaker-phone. I want the rest of your friends to tremble at my voice once more!"
John knew that the there was no point in arguing. He pressed the speaker-phone button.
"Hello, They Might Be Giants." said the voice of their arch nemesis... The Deranged Millionaire!