The Fall of the Fainthearts

Track Fifteen: A Glimpse Into The Past

Axel: Let's delve a little deeper into my childhood, shall we?

We once again reached out to Tim Faintheart for comment. This time, he agreed.

Tim Faintheart: How'd you want me to start? My boy has always been a waste of space. Drinking, drugs, just pure degenerate behaviour. He's always been angry at the world, thought it owed him something. At fifteen years old, he'd spend his weekends getting completely off his face, trash the place, and then wake up to a lovely cooked breakfast on the end of his bed. He had everything on a silver spoon and it was never enough for him.

Axel: He loved me until I wasn't perfect anymore. Then he replaced me.

Tim Faintheart: My other kids wouldn't dare go down the path their older brother did. Not just that we wouldn't allow it, but they've seen how it's messed him up. He's just not himself, he never will be himself again. I never believed it was my son up on that stage, it was a whole different person.

Isabelle Faintheart: Tim has always been Axel's harshest critic. It's because he loves him, truly. When he was little they'd spend hours together, Tim would teach him how to play all kinds of different instruments. He had such a flair for it. He'd take him down to the studio, swing him up on his shoulders and let him boss the other producers around like he was the head of the company. He was meant to be, one day.

Tim Faintheart: One day, he was supposed to take over Faintheart Records. He had everything lined up for him, he barely had to work for it. But he decided he wanted to make music instead. He just wanted to rebel against me.

I'd seen it all too many times. Angsty teens pouring their hearts out into their music only to be shot down at the first hurdle and never make it far. They'd spend years of their life muddling through with no money, no success, struggling to put food in their mouths. I told him it wasn't happening, that he was going to follow in my footsteps because that was how he'd be comfortable in life. Who doesn't want financial stability? He had that guaranteed, and he spat it back in my face.

He was already partying every weekend, missing exams, drinking his weight in beer after school and being sent home for smoking on the property. Isabelle assured me it was all just a phase, that I should calm down and let him make his own mistakes. How could I just sit back and let him ruin the life I'd set up for him?

He wasn't playing ball. He never, ever played ball. He always seemed to rebel against me wherever he could. He didn't like the music I liked. He thought the food I enjoyed tasted disgusting. He didn't like the clothes we bought him. He just wanted to stick his two cents in wherever he could to spite me.

Axel: Jade Cash was lucky to have the father she did. We come from very similar backgrounds yet we're total opposites of the spectrum. My dad never loved me, he loved what he could mould me into. He loved himself, and if I had an opinion of my own, I wasn't him so I wasn't good enough. He just wanted to look in a mirror every time he saw me.

Tim Faintheart: When he formed that band and played me their music, he was waiting for my approval. It was terrible, no one would listen to that. I tried to explain this all to him but he'd just get sensitive and shout about how I never supported him in anything he did.

So I thought, fine. Let's give him a chance. I let him record in the studio and I produced the album for him. And, what do I know? Silly old me who's been in the business for nearly forty years. The album bombed. We barely sold any albums and all it did was get Axel disheartened. I tried to warn him, but he wouldn't have any of it. He had to learn for himself.

I told him it wasn't too late to turn his life around and follow in my footsteps. I gave him so many chances. How much more patient could I be with him? And then he threw it all back in my face like he'd done time and time again and left home for good.

Isabelle Faintheart: Axel and his father have the most terrible rows. Their tempers are complete copies of each other and one little match creates a bonfire. Axel was so disappointed in the album's failure but he was too proud to back down, and this infuriated his father. Axel told me he just couldn't be around him anymore, packed his bags and moved out.

Oh, I was distraught. I knew that my little birds would flee the nest at some point, but not so soon. He was out in the world on his own with nothing but his bandmates at his side and a dream to make it work. He never came home for dinner that night as I'd hoped. Or the day after that. He never got homesick or missed his family. He'd left, and behind him left the career opportunity of a lifetime.

Axel: I did miss home. A lot, actually. The first month I moved out I did so much reflection on whether I was making a really stupid decision. But my two younger siblings, Harry and Piper, they were everything my parents could've ever wanted. I knew they wouldn't miss me for long.

In fact, I'm not surprised that Harry is CEO of Faintheart records now. Sounds to me like my dad just moved onto the next son and hoped he could manipulate him into being what he wanted from me. I feel sorry for Harry, I guess no one truly knows what he wanted out of his life. We'll never know, now; he's been brainwashed.

Florence: When I opened that letter - it was only about a week after our wedding - I was struck with the realisation that maybe the way Axel feels towards his family isn't mutual. He hadn't ever wanted to speak about them, and I'd always just figured that he had a traumatic childhood he'd rather not bring up. But here was this letter, and his mother sounded cut up over missing her son.

Axel: When Flo first spoke to me about the letter, I kicked up such a fuss and got so defensive. There was absolutely no shot I'd go back. I was angry with her for even suggesting it.

But, now that I wasn't in the habit of drowning my feelings every time they bubbled to the surface, I realised for the first time how much I actually missed my family. I laid there all night just thinking, thoughts spinning round my head about how so much had changed since I last saw them.

I was sober now. My music career had taken off. I was married, Figgy was out of the picture. I had a record deal, tours booked, a house in my name paid for by money I earned.

Maybe, just maybe; he'd finally be proud of me. So I made a decision fuelled by pure emotion and accepted the invite. Maybe this would be the missing puzzle piece to finally putting my life back together.