November Rain

My Writerscafe friend Myra challenged me to write a piece from the point of view of the helicopter pilot filming the solo in the November Rain video. For better or worse, this is what I came up with.

B=Base

P=Pilot

B- GARY91F, you are approaching the source of the signal. Do you have visual?

P- Roger, Base. I have visual.

B- Readings are off the charts! What are you seeing?

P- Nothing that we trained for, I'll tell you that. Mid-west desert town. Brown grass. Barns slowly falling over.

B- Anything else? Please be thorough.

P- Just ahead, a small white church. 

B- Straight ahead? How far?

P- Yeah, straight ahead. Maybe two thousand feet.

B- GARY91F! That's the source of the signal! Do you see a demonic presence?

P- Gary.

B- Please repeat, did you say the presence was scary?

P- No, Gary. Just call me Gary.

B- Wait, your name's not really Gary, is it?

P- No. There's something at the church. It seems to be standing guard at the gate. It's just standing there with something slung heavy off a black leather jacket. Maybe a weapon. Maybe a magical staff of some type. I.. I don't know. It's really weird, I mean it's like a raven, a big one, is the gatekeeper and will not be passed. I'm hovering 1000 feet awaiting orders.

B- Can you report anything more? We need to know as much as possible. We've never encountered anything mid-west before. Oddly nothing.

P- It's smoking a cigarette. The cool way.

B- There's a cool way to smoke a cigarette?

P- There is now.

B- The weapon, is the raven-creature holding it or threatening to use it?

P- Actually it's more like a crow than a raven.

B- So it's smaller than a big raven?

P- Oh, no. It's much larger. Much, much larger. It just looks like it started as a slightly smaller bird, you know, originally.

B- Listen... uh... Gary, I don't know what this thing is but I want you to approach slowly and report anything you see, or experience, or you think might have been implanted into your memories, anything at all, keep us posted. You and that helicopter may be the only protection this world has from whatever lurks there in that prairie church. Ugh! The poor innocent occupants. God forbid there might be a wedding! It's Saturday after all. Oh, there must be a wedding! Some proud father whispers, sweet child of mine, as his little girl takes another man's hand. Life is such a mind-f**k!

P- Base, are you ok? I couldn't keep up with your train of thought, there.

B- Gary.

P- Yes?

B- No! My name is Gary.

P- Ha! You're shitting me!?

B- No. How close are you? Can you see more detail? Is the creature doing anything but smoking?

P- It's not doing anything new but I'm close enough to see that it's wearing a hat. A big one. Like the Mad Hatter. This demon has no intention of fitting in.

B- So, you're not Gary. Who are you, really?

P- Oh, s**t, It's Slash!

B- Repeat, please. It's slashing? Who is it slashing?

P- No, it's f*****g Slash from Guns And Roses! Holy s**t, it's the November Rain video. There's definitely a wedding going on in there. Axl's in there getting hitched and Slash seems to be standing guard.

B- Roger that. It's much worse than we expected. If we allow this unholy union G&R turns to s**t and Axl's wife becomes the new Yoko. We have to work fast! I'm ordering you to execute with extreme prejudice!

P- Machine guns having no effect, Base. Slash has begun his solo! My god, it's so bad a*s!

B- Switch to rockets!

P- It's too late! he's gone to power-stance!

B- Power-stance? Please explain!

P- He's spread his legs and slung his guitar low. The ash on that cigarette is like an inch long and he doesn't seem to care. Rockets are blowing up and just making him look way more awesome!

B- Alright, time to bug out! I'm calling in the nukes.

P- It's so beautiful!

B- What are you seeing?

P- Nothing new but this guitar solo is so f*****g SOLID! It' the only part of this song I can stand! 

B- I need you to get out of there! Rockets are away! You have ZERO time!

P- No way, man! I'm not missing this! Too awesome! I never got to see G&R live. Wait, something's happening. There's a rift opening. It seems to be interdimentional. The solo seems to be expanding the rift. 

B- Can you see into the rift? What's it look like in there?

P- Guitar badassery! Jimmy's in there! Stevie Ray too! Everybody's in there! It looks like Slash is walking toward it! I'm going in!

B- Wait, nukes are incoming! 

P- I'm inside. My copter has vanished and I'm just floating above a massive crowd of rock and roll guitar gods. It is loud but I feel at peace. They're all jamming out "Stairway".

B- GARY91F, the nukes entered the rift just as it closed up! Can you hear me? Come in, GARY91F? Hello?

P- Far out, man! Over and out...

B- GARY91F, can you hear me? Hello? I'm not receiving. If you can hear me, you need to get Slash out of there asap. Removing him from rock and roll leaves Smashmouth one step closer to supremacy. God help us all!

Reviews

[Myra Fellows]

I keep hoping you have written something new...I guess I was here a year ago hoping the same thing. I really love this piece. I have read it or encouraged others to read it. One of the best. Hoping you will resurface.

[Myra Fellows]

Is the Guitar solo really the only part of the song you like? This is SUCH an awesome song. I still love this story.
I say "Badassery" and smile.
So good.

[Myra Fellows]

"Without you" by Del James. This is what Guns 'n' roses based November Rain upon.
I read the short story. It is a bit shocking. The song and the video are a bit of a reach yet, each reader is allowed to interpret a story any way they want.
I was listening and watching the video this evening and thought of this writing challenge.
Man-you NAILED it. It is an awesome take and point of view from the video.
KUDOS upon KUDOS.

[Myra Fellows]

Laughed. So hard. So enjoyable. What a cool take. I loved the inch long ash. I loved the play on the "Garys".
I loved the stance and the guitar badassery.
So much fun.
I needed this fun among the COVID craziness.
I pictured you soaring above the guitarists as though you were being carried by the crowd after stage diving.
Great work.
THANK YOU!!!!!!!
Myra