Page 251 of Edge of Eternity (The Century 3)

The cameramen and technicians liked Mickie--they were mostly the older generation--and they clapped when she finished.

She came down off the stage and saw Dave. "Hello, kid," she said.

"You were great," Dave said, and introduced himself.

She asked him about the group. He was telling her about Hamburg when they were interrupted by a man in an Argyle sweater. "Plum Nellie onstage, please," the man said in a soft voice. "Sorry to butt in, Mickie, darling." He turned to Dave. "I'm Kelly Jones, producer." He looked Dave up and down. "You look fab. Get your guitar." He turned back to Mickie. "You can eat him up later."

She protested: "Give a girl a chance to play hard to get."

"That'll be the day, duckie."

Mickie waved a good-bye and disappeared.

Dave wondered whether they had meant a single word they had said.

He had little time to think about it. The group got onstage and were shown their places. As usual, Lenny turned up his shirt collar, the way Elvis did. Dave told himself not to be nervous: he would be miming, so he didn't even have to play the song right! Then they were into it and Walli was fingering the introduction as the record began.

Dave looked at the rows of empty seats and imagined Mickie McFee pulling the pink sweater off over her head to reveal a black brassiere. He grinned happily into the camera and sang the harmony.

The record was two minutes long, but it seemed to be over in five seconds.

He expected to be asked to do it again. They all waited onstage. Kelly Jones was talking earnestly to Eric. After a minute they both came over to the group. Eric said: "Technical problem, lads."

Dave feared there was something wrong with their performance, and the television appearance might be canceled.

Lenny said: "What technical problem?"

Eric said: "It's you, Lenny, I'm sorry."

"What are you talking about?"

Eric looked at Kelly, who said: "This show is about kids with groovy clothes and Beatle haircuts raving to the latest hits. I'm sorry, Lenny, but you're not a kid, and your haircut is five years out of date."

Lenny said angrily: "Well, I'm very sorry."

Eric said: "They want the group to appear without you, Lenny."

"Forget it," said Lenny. "It's my group."

Dave was terrified. He had sacrificed everything for this! He said: "Listen, what if Lenny combs his hair forward and turns down the collar of his shirt?"

Lenny said: "I'm not doing it."

Kelly said: "And he would still look too old."

"I don't care," said Lenny. "It's all of us or none of us." He looked around the group. "Right, lads?"

No one said anything.

"Right?" Lenny repeated.

Dave felt scared, but forced himself to speak. "I'm sorry, Lenny, but we can't miss this chance."

"You bastards," Lenny said furiously. "I should never have let you change the name. The Guardsmen were a great little rock-and-roll combo. Now it's a schoolboy group called Plum fucking Nellie."

"So," Kelly said impatiently. "You'll go back onstage without Lenny and do the number again."

Lenny said: "Am I being fired from my own group?"

---