The Stories Behind The Songs
Anyone Else But You
Just to be clear, this is not a story about someone’s cruel misfortune; this is the story of a close friendship. A bond shared between brothers from different mothers.
If we’re being honest, my friendship with Devin was a four year period, stretching from 1988 thru 1992. But in that short time, we created a bond that is timeless. My friendships with Andrew, Eddie, Nora, and Steven are still relevant to this day. Together, we keep Devin’s memory alive.
I haven’t seen Devin since our last get together in 2011, but I think of how much he inspired me and how he is still influential in my songwriting.
The morning after our night at the Cathouse came much too soon. We probably got about four hours of sleep before the neighbor’s kids started jumping around upstairs. It sounded like thunder from above.
We were slow to come to life, but we managed to put ourselves together in time to say our goodbyes. Mary and Izzy left and it would be a while before I saw either of them again.
The weekend was over, which meant I had to fly back home. I had to come back to the reality of a day job. A job that I despised despite the fact that it afforded me the luxury of this trip to L.A. I needed to continue working in order to finance my rock and roll adventures, or as Devin would say our misadventures.
When I returned home, my mind was still spinning with the memories from the weekend. I habitually fantasized about what it would take to make the move to L.A., but that would require some planning. My band was doing well, but not well enough to support that kind of jump without the necessary preparations.
I wasn’t the only one with a day job. Andrew had a job working in a laundry mat. He also did side jobs for extra cash whenever the occasion arose.
We assumed Mary was employed, but we didn’t know what she did for a living.
Devin worked for his uncle when he wasn’t on the road. It was a janitorial job, but it paid the rent and provided spending cash for their weekends on the strip.
To put things into perspective, Devin worked for his uncle Tony. Make no mistake, it wasn’t really working, it was a passive income that he could leave and return to at will. I mean, it was a gravy job.
His uncle Tony had a maintenance contract with string of corporate buildings. Devin worked the Equitable Life Building on Wilshire.
Uncle Tony was a major part of the family support system. The boys would stay at Tony’s house whenever they were traveling through.
Tony had lived in Dallas for many years. He was the primary reason for the many trips the band would make to Texas.
To save money, they would use Tony’s house as a central hub. They would travel to all the surrounding cities within a reasonable radius, and then drive back to crash at Tony’s. They could shower there and rest up before the next show.
Tony relocated his business to Los Angeles in 1990. Devin saw an opportunity to move there as well.
Devin worked nights, typically starting as everyone was leaving. The building employees would leave by 5pm and Devin would begin his routine of emptying the trash cans, dusting shelves, and vacuuming. He was responsible for four of the 34 floors in the building. Tony had about 28 people in his employment. Eventually, Andrew would also get a job working for Tony.
Devin had structured his evening so that he would take his first break around 7:30p.m. He would use this time to make long distance calls on the company’s dime. He would find an empty office and handle the band’s business with Steven.
Steven lived in Rochester with his girlfriend Holly. He and Devin would plan out the band itinerary and Steven would handle the club bookings the following day. When the band details were done, Devin would call Eddie or me to catch up.
Devin and Mary’s hookup was casual, no strings attached. That didn’t stop them from hanging out and being friends with benefits. (In time theirs would become a much more complicated relationship.)
Mary eventually found a drummer for her band. She stayed pretty busy between work and band rehearsals, but she always made time to spend with Devin on the weekends.
Mary was difficult to read. Devin really liked her, but she was always non-committal when it came to taking the next step.
What Devin didn’t know at the time was that Mary had a secret that she was desperately trying to keep from him. Mary was in a complicated relationship with someone else.
Jacob paid for Mary’s apartment and her car, and in trade, she did side jobs for him.
These jobs required Mary to go on dates with business men that Jacob would set up for her. They weren’t always sexual in nature, but if sex was required, Mary complied. Mary wasn’t happy with the arrangement, but Jacob was financially backing her music.
When it came to the daily operation and the financial aspect of Mary’s musical future, Jacob was pulling all of the strings, and Jacob was not someone you wanted to piss off.
Mary continued to see Devin casually without mentioning him to Jacob. Mary also managed to keep Jacob a secret from Devin. As a matter of fact, Devin never knew about Mary’s arrangement until it came out during the trial.
It was easy enough to keep the truth hidden since Devin worked nights and/or was on tour much of the time.