My Bijou! A Maylor Love Story

Play The Game...Everybody Play The Game - Part 2

A/N - This is a reminder that this is a work of fiction and I sometimes take liberties with timelines.  The tour dates are correct but other events are not.  Thanks!

22nd June 1980

Los Angeles

Roger's POV

"Give me a minute...I'm almost off the phone..."  I said to my daughter as she tried to get my attention.  I was seated on the bed in our rented house and was talking with Jo.  Well, maybe I was complaining.  I felt like that is all I had done lately.  But my life was so tension filled right now and Jo was good at listening and helping me find perspective. 

"Papa!"  Tigs whined to me.  I was annoyed at her constant interruption but tried to remain calm.  I really needed a cigarette right now.  

"Where is Daddy?  Or Mimi?"  I asked her as I covered the mouthpiece to avoid irritating Jo.  I looked at the door to the bedroom I was in and wondered where they were.  Tigs tugged at my trouser leg.  I groaned in frustration.  Brian suddenly appeared in the doorway and Tigs looked up and went running over to him.  I was relieved to see him.  Maybe I could get a few minutes peace to finish my call.

"Come on Poppet...Papa needs to finish his call..."  Brian said to her with as much stern-ness as he could manage.  It certainly wasn't as cross sounding as I get but it worked.  Tigs followed him out and Brian gave me a look of apology as he closed the door to give me some privacy. 

"Sorry about that...where were we?"  I asked Jo.  I swear I could sense her grin over the phone.

"You were telling me how frustrated you are with your band right now..."  she reminded me.  That was the truth.  It seemed liked ever since we went back to Munich in March all we had done was argue about everything.  I don't know why but this album had become a battle of sorts.  I wasn't happy that I only got two songs.  Brian was annoyed at Freddie's suicide song.   Freddie was irritated at us both for being annoyed in general.  Deacy was irked at us all for fighting so much.  And boy had Deacy become more marked in his opinions these days.  We got into it over how he wanted the drum sounds on one of his songs.  He and Brian went at it over some guitar choices with Deacy's funkier sounding track and things became pretty heated one day with me and Freddie about some vocals.  Luckily Mack was able to reign in our bickering and help us pull our album together.  The album was being released on the 30th and we had decided to call it The Game.  It felt fitting since it seemed like you had to have a strategy to win this time around in our studio battles.  Everyone had played to some degree and some felt more like losers than others.  I for one felt I had lost the most.  I only got two tracks and my campaign to get Rock It released as a single was not going well for me.

"Sorry Jo...I know it seems like all I have done is complain about the band..."  I replied.  

"I believe our phone conversation began with me bitching about my date last night and the state of my relationship with my editor....go on...your entitled..."  she pointed out.  She was right.  She had called to vent about her life as well.  I had listened and supported her.  She was giving me my turn.

"Thanks...you're a good friend..."  I told her.  "I guess I really need to find an outlet for my music...I just feel a bit stagnant at the moment with Queen..."  I remarked.  

"Are you still thinking about doing another solo record?"  Jo asked me.  I know she meant another single.  Like the one I did in 77.  She had gone to the studio with me then to record it.  Partly as moral support and partly as a photo op for the press.  I had bigger plans this time.

"I do want to make another record...but this time I have enough material for a whole album..."  I explained.  "This time I am going for it..."  I announced.  "The problem is when would I have time to record it..."  I sighed.  "We're already rehearsing for our tour and have to work on Flash Gordon as soon as it ends...there's just no time for it this year..."