The long awaited sequel to "These Girls Can Play" is finally here. Though a follow on to my original work, written in the adult genre, this book will stand on its own and contains no adult content. You should not have to read the original to get the gist of who the "Girls" are.
Warning: If you read "These Girls Can Play," please, be advised it contains graphic adult material. That story is about forming the band and the love that develops among the members.
Writing this book the way I did, I wanted everyone to have an opportunity to enjoy the "Girls" story. I feel the adult edition has a limited audience, and the "Girls" have a lot more to offer. This book is safe for children, and though some of the language may be a bit coarse for some, it is how some people in the industry talk. I would not have a problem if my 13-year-old daughter wanted to read it.
I apologize to those who would have expected the sequel to contain the same type of material. I felt that this story needed to be told without that distraction.
I hope you will agree.
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This story is mostly a retrospective about the "Girls" careers as daydreamed and told to their children, who have just started a touring career. It switches from daydream to actual conversation, with many questions coming from the youngsters.
It ends as it begins.
If you read the first book, you'll recognize a few of the events discussed here, but those events are described in much greater detail this time around. The first book was a love story, dealing with the personal relationships that develop as the band gels and begin their touring career. This book deals with the band's inner workings, some of the places they went while touring, and some of the situations that they got themselves into. That said, their love for each other and their children is at the base of it all.
The international tour is a prime example of more detail. In "These Girls Can Play," the international tour was barely mentioned. There was no information on what they did, where they played, or some of the interesting events that happened on that tour, which affected them for the rest of their lives. This book resolves those omissions. "Girls" was more an introduction to the main characters, who they are, where they came from, and their coming of age, both as women and as musicians.
This work gives you much more depth on their visits to Maui and the acquisition of their home away from 'The Ranch". Maui becomes their sanctuary, allowing them to escape the rigors of that crazy lifestyle so prevalent in the lives of traveling minstrels.
It deals with some of the sadness that comes to the band's life, as it eventually comes to everyone at some point. It provides the resolve to do something about the situation, and as one might expect, the "Girls" attacked it with enthusiasm.
In this work, I hope you'll get a feel for the frenzy created each time the "Girls" played a concert. It will also give you a small list of places to visit if you visit some of the many locations they played, especially internationally.
There is much less emphasis on playlists and more on the show. The playlists were part of introducing what the "Girls" played and how. Though talked about here, it is not a significant emphasis, so other than one specific list, the playlists are not integral to this story.
After I released "These Girls Can Play," I received many comments and suggestions from you, the readers, some of which have been incorporated in this book. I appreciate comments, corrections, and suggestions from my readers. As is the case here, some will work their way into future stories. I am always open to new ideas.
That said, this will probably be the last major work about the "Girls," though one never knows what may happen in the future. I'm considering another story covering Bob's first ten years and the burnout before putting together "These Girls Can Play."
There are other possibilities, which may put them in the periphery of other people's lives, but that remains to be seen. ** They do play a part in the "Castaway Island" saga. **
In any of my works, I try very hard to spell and write foreign languages accurately. This book is no different. I had incredible help with this book to ensure that my use of particular linguistics was accurate. I also tried to ensure there was an adequate translation in the text. Most are very self-explanatory.
When you get there, rest assured that the language has been reviewed, corrected, and suggested by someone who speaks the language. There are some things incorporated here that I would never have thought of because it is cultural. I can use a dictionary, but it doesn't put it into a cultural context. Though I find it fascinating and do have friends living in that part of the world, I am not part of that culture and appreciate greatly the inputs that lend more authenticity to the experience.
When we left the "Girls" in TGCP, they had just retired, worked in their studio, "The Girls Playground," and were all pregnant expecting their first children.
This book begins a little more than twenty years after all of those grand events but will visit times and events alluded to in the previous story. This was an enjoyable book to write because it delves far deeper into the music world. Some of the numbers are a bit outlandish, yes, but they are to make a point. It also calls out the music industry for some of the things it does very poorly and some of the things it does well.
To that, all I can say is, "Been there ..."
If you read the original, you will also note that this is, thankfully, a much better written book. One would hope for improvement with practice. TGCP was my first published work. It has been republished with many corrections, so please refresh your copy with the vendor.
I must acknowledge again and say thank you to Robert Lubrican for his kind permission to use "The Stockton's" from his excellent work, "Fiddling Around With Uncle Bob." (That work contains adult material)
Thank you, sir. I hope I have done your characters justice.
Wanting to keep this shorter than my usual ADD rambling so that I don't give away things in future chapters, I'll stop right here. I hope you enjoy the further antics of Heather, Janell, Michelle, Maryanne, Bill and Bob, their children, as well as a couple of friends they add along the way in their travels through the maze of the music world.
For "These Girls Can Play," "It's All Over But The Shouting!"