Rocko's Killing Machine (Part Garage)

Rocko’s Killing Machine is

Max = Drums

Riley = Rhythm Guitar

Charlie = Bass

Tom = Lead Guitar/Vox

Jake = Keyboard/Everything else

I sit there trying to concoct a rhythm on the snares for another song but it’s not coming out the way I want it to. “Hey where do I come in again when you do that…” Riley says as he stops himself while replaying the little piece that Tom made for him. Tom walks over to him with a pick in his mouth and takes his guitar from him with his head down. His flickering fingers possesses the strings and looks up giving me a dead stare while lost in his thoughts, trying to remember how it went. “Something like that, let’s take it back to the beginning. Charlie, start us off,”

She starts off with the bass strumming out the strings leading into something loud. Her part is like that rabbit trail that winds and turns into a dark tunnel in the forest and right when you go through the tunnel – YOU BECOME DINNER! AND IT’S TOO LATE TO RUN! That’s where we all come in blasting the music through the paper thin walls of Jake’s brother’s guesthouse. Tom shouts away at the mic with Riley as his backup, “DID YOU FORGET ALL THE PROMISES? DID YOU FORGET ALL THE PROMISES?”

We made a deal with his brother that we could use his flat on the weekends as long as we walked his dogs while he was away on business – and we didn’t leave a mess or break anything.

               “No, no, no stop, stop. Riley, you jumped in too soon.” Tom shouts as Riley holds out the instrument surprised and annoyed. “I jump into that one thing when Charlie finishes her deal. Just like we talked about.” Tom thinks about it, “Yes and no,” Riley steps away from the mic stand, “Well I thought it sounded better! Jake! Where you at?”

Jake sits there on the couch with a bowl of cereal watching cartoons, his hand goes up, “Present!” Riley joins him, “We’ve been at this song for like four hours. Can we work on the lineup we had originally?” He finishes as he snatches the remote, “This is the final showdown song! This will shut it down next week at the Robin's nest." Riley flicks through the channels.

               “But I thought the chester song was going to shut it down?" Riley counters. Charlie starts up another part to herself as Tom is yelling over her to Jake, “Let’s have you come in on the part at the end, then we’ll see how that sounds.” Charlie slowly quiets down as she looks at the television, “Hey they still have that show? This show was my religion, seriously.”

Jake looks confused, “What was this show?” Charlie smacks him on the head, “Where you locked up in a box dude? It’s that kangaroo cartoon. I remember this one, he buys this psycho vacuum cleaner and realizes that it has a mind of its own and it takes over the neighborhood. Classic.”

I finally figure out that one part and get going on what I wanted to do while shouting to myself with the beat, “Rocko’s killing machine! It was Rocko’s killing machine!” Suddenly I stop myself and notice everyone staring at me. “What?” I ask. All of them stand up as if they are witnessing a miracle, “That’s it, we finally have our name.”