Live Through This/ Liam Gallagher

CHAPTER SIXTY

Things picked up quickly, as Damon managed to figure out how to show me some of the demos he'd gotten done so far. Well, the rough versions anyway. Instead of being as unimpressed as I thought I was going to be, I was actually really astounded by it all.

Some songs I could instantly tell were going to be hits, not just here, but definitely in America, the charts were aligning for more experimental sounds like this.

Grunge had died out if I was being honest, there were a few bands still defining the charts. But not many.

Things were changing.

The charts were evolving, it was unavoidable, really. Yet it still hurt, the fear of whether your music would still sell, or if changing genres was right for you.

The year 2000 would be among us in around a month now.

And I was terrified.

Anyways, Damon was more brilliant than I'd previously thought.

I'd never specifically been a Blur fan, and I'd found a lot of their stuff unimpressive pop music with fun bass lines and irresistibly catchy lyrics. I would never tell anyone that, out of respect for my buddies.

But the Gorillaz were far more appealing in terms of sound than anything Blur had put out in awhile. So I was kinda glad Damon was branching out.

Graham had just made this whole project sound really unlikable, but now seeing and hearing it, it was the complete opposite.

"What do you think of it?" He asks nervously, as the song 5/4 played in the background, we'd gone through the recorded tracks just then and now everything was repeating.

I clap my hands eagerly and say "You best believe it's good. It's incredible Damon, holy shit."

"Really, you think so?" He asks, the anxiety on his face fading away.

"What's the one song? Clint Eastwood? That's a fucking hit in the making. Not just here but in America."

"There's no way, you're wrong there." He chuckles

"Nah. It's a hit. Most definitely. It would make sense on the charts."

"Wanna make a bet?" He leans back in his chair, resting his head against the cushion.

"Sure. How much? $20?" I ask jokingly

"I was thinking big numbers. How many copies of the album do you think it would sell in America?"

"2 million maybe? I'd say maybe 5-7 million globally."

"You're a liar." Damon says rolling his eyes.

"Am not! What's the bet?"

"Say you're right, I'll give you a fourth of that. So, $500,000. You lose, you give me a fourth." He has a smug grin on his face.

"You're on. I hope you know this is the most expensive deal I've ever made."

"Same here."

"Shake on it?"

We shake hands and then the door pushes open, revealing a couple of musicians, producers and what I guess is a label executive for the new group or whatever.

"Er, hello everyone. You've caught me doing a bit of gambling, but this is Avery, I invited her along today, we've been betting on the album."

I wave, getting up and shaking a few hands before sitting down again and saying "You've got success here. Definitely."