Chapter 151 - Practical Applications in TV Broadcasting

"Whoah.. It's you guys." Tayaw said to Da Bellum Burning trio as he wiped away the chlorinated water on his face.

"Man, where'd you come from?" The man with the sunglasses said.

"Been under the water the whole time. You guys didn't see me? … ah. Maybe judging from the angle from where y'all sitting." Tayaw rambled as he came out of the pool and started toweling off.

"You guys are early." Tayaw said, to the surprise of the fellas from Da Bellum Burning.

This only means one thing. "You're Isaac? You look… different." The man with the fade afro said.

Since their talk over the phone, the three already looked up Tayaw's videos on the internet and also his music. 

Aside from Tayaw's look without his performance clothes, they are also surprised at how young he actually is. 

"Well, you said 'meet in a hotel' so we were thinking, 'why don't we have something cold?' I'm Shaheed." The man with the fade afro said.

"Isaac. I already know you guys. Nice to meet you fellas. Andre, OffSett. I've recently discovered you guys, but I'm already a fan." Tayaw introduced himself to the other two.

The glasses-wearing man is Andre, and the man with the boater hat is OffSett. 

"Man, why'd we have to meet in a hotel? And you n.a.k.e.d too." Andre asked, although secretly impressed by Tayaw's physique, is not impressed with Tayaw's lack of decorum.

"Man. Like I said. You guys are early. Oh, by the way, there's a studio downstairs with great equipment. We've got everything we need there." Tayaw said, making the trio understand why the venue of their meeting is in the hotel. 

"Wait! Don't y'all act like staying under water for 10 minutes is normal!" OffSett however, did not forget what just happened.

"10 minutes or more… What the hell were you doing in there?" Shaheed asked in curiosity.

"Oh. That? It's my own unique relaxation technique. I have sensitive senses so staying underwater dull them. And, I take breaths every 3 minutes." Tayaw explained, but hiding his superhuman lungs and oxygenation.

Seeing the trio not responding, "You guys had breakfast yet?" Tayaw asked.

"Nah." Was the trio's collective response.

"Alright. They're preparing my fried rice breakfast. You guys should join me. Y'all go sit by the table there. I'll go change quickly." Tayaw excused himself. 

After Tayaw has gone to his room, the trio was left pondering over their first impression of Tayaw.

"Casual but polite. Not bad huh?" Shaheed asked Andre.

"Yep. I retract my statement earlier." Andre chuckled. 

As the trio discussed possibilities with the collaboration, "Hey! OffSett, right?" a young man in tank tops and swimming trunks, with a beautiful bikini-clad blonde by his side, interrupted them.

"'sup man? How you doin?" OffSett said, internally regretting they did not bring the band's bodyguard for deterrence. 

"I'm a big fan! Oh! Shaheed, Andre! I didn't recognize you all without your instruments… haha. Nice to meet you all." The young man said.

The trio were not in the mood to entertain fans at the moment, but they have no choice. "Thanks man." 

Fortunately for the trio, the stranger seemed aware enough to notice the mood. "Anyway. Can we take a selfie? Then we'll leave you alone guys."

After the young man got what he wanted, he did as he promised and took a dip in the pool with his girlfriend, like he originally intended. 

"So, what was I saying?" OffSett said after the interruption.

"The possible sounds with Isaac? Are you sure his guitar's gonna suit us?" Andre asked.

"Psh. Yeah. I have an idea. If Isaac agrees to arrange that song a little bit, I think we're gonna sound great together." 

"Which song?" Tayaw popped up suddenly, rejoining the group.

"Damn, son! Now that's the Isaac that we've seen." Shaheed said, remarking on the sharply dressed Tayaw. The folks of Da Bellum burning are wearing casual suits like they do on stage, and they look great. This made Tayaw decide to wear his black  three-piece suit, boater hat, and huge aviators to not stick out like a sore thumb while he confers with them. 

"*SQUEAL!* Babe! It's Isaac!" The young man from earlier was startled by his girlfriend's exclamation. Tayaw and Da Bellum Burning trio were also startled. Tayaw could only wave at the young lady in acknowledgement.

"Damn. I didn't think I'll be recognized here." Tayaw chuckled helplessly as the young lady dragged her boyfriend out of the pool and approached their table. 

The Da Bellum Burning trio, this time are only watching amused and a bit jealous as the bikini clad young lady gets too close to Tayaw for a selfie. Their only consolation is that the attention is not directed at the them. 

After the young lady got her photo with Tayaw, the group hoped that it will be the last interruption and continued on with their chat. Their breakfast also arrived and kept chatting as they enjoyed it.

Finishing their breakfast and their table now cleaned, Tayaw and the other three now have different mood in their eyes. It is time to discuss music.

"Anyway, I know this will sound stupid, but… can you guys write some verses for this song?" Tayaw said as he pulled out his phone and played 'The Invisible Man'. Da Bellum Burning fellows found the intro familiar and they concentrated. 

'The Invisible Man' is one of the three songs that Tayaw wrote out of inspiration after his violent elevator encounter in his New York hotel last November of the previous year. It is also one of the best songs that he wrote as evidenced by the third enhancement it gave him after he wrote it.  (Refer to chapter 56)

Tayaw first wrote it as an Outlaw Country song, but the version he is having Andre, Shaheed, and OffSett listen to currently, is a re-arranged version that sounds more like southern/classic rock. Tayaw chose this song out of all his songs as it is one of his best compositions; it also has a haunting bass and snare percussion that he figured is easy to rap to, despite the stark contrast of the two genres. 

"… With every action he made, grabs a chance before it fades

as maybe he won't have a chance to see tomorrow…"

The second chorus of the song soon passed and entered the portion that Tayaw recently specially re-arranged for his idea. The rhythm guitar went silent; the bass guitar and drums remained playing, only their pattern changed a bit. The lead guitar only produces licks on the latter eighth of each measure.

It became apparent to Andre, Shaheed, and OffSett that this part is where Tayaw wants the rap to be in. The trio nodded along to the beat as different things ran inside their heads. 

The song soon finished and the group became silent. While Tayaw waited in both anxiety and anticipation, OffSett spoke up.

"We can work with this. Man. We've heard of this song last night. It didn't even cross my mind that I can rap on this." OffSett said, smiling, secretly impressed by Tayaw's idea. 

"True. The beat needs a little work, but I get what you're thinking, man." Shaheed also smiled at Tayaw. Tayaw, knowing nothing of hip-hop, is interested of their ideas.

"Hey man, who played the drums on this part?" Andre asked, regarding the part Tayaw made for the rap. "Uhh.. me. Hey, I'm not a drummer, okay? It's still perfectly in beat." Tayaw said, explaining in case Andre found his drumming horrific.

"No wonder? Huh… Anyways. Cool sh*t man. We've got something here, boys." Andre smiled. Tayaw was relieved. 

====================

Studio 29, Beverly Blvd.

"Thanks..." Aiden remarked as one of the writers placed a folder on his office table.

"Phew. Jesus…" He sighed as the stack of folders in his table grew once again.

"Hah. Yeah." The head producer said, agreeing with Aiden's sentiments.

Aiden is currently reading critic reviews and articles about 'September Ninth' and Tayaw in his office with the show's head producer. They do not usually make huge efforts in preparing for a single interview, but they found Tayaw different. Unlike the other celebrity guests, they see Tayaw as an intellectual that is in a level that is almost equal to that of a great film maker, academic or a politician. 

"Man, we shouldn't have gloated." Aiden chuckled.

"Nah. We deserve bragging rights." The head producer smiled too.

After finalizing their episode with Tayaw and all the paperwork is done, Aiden, his head producer, and the staff of the show all bragged booking Tayaw to other professionals who also work in late-night shows. 

This resulted to the blatant curses from their rivals. From 'F*ck, you're lucky' to 'F*ck you, I hope you episode tanks'. These responses made Aiden and his staff realize something; the pressure. They are pressured to make Tayaw's episode great. 

*Ring Ring* Aiden's telephone rang.

"Who is it from?" The head producer asked.

"Another unknown number. Fck them." Aiden said, annoyed by the phone. 

Aside from the pressure, Aiden and his people are also being bombarded by other people for Tayaw's contact numbers.  They would have given in but in the contract they signed with Tayaw, they are not allowed to, or else Tayaw can sue. 

*Knock* *Knock* "Aiden?" another writer knocked on Aiden's open office door.

"What's up?" Aiden and the head producer almost winced at the folder that the writer is carrying. The writer, seeing the two's reaction, chuckled. 

"Oh. This is from Isaac himself. This is the lay-out that Isaac wants the set to have in each segment." The writer said as he removed the contents of the folder and laid them out on Aiden's table. 

"Huh. Cameras pointing at the band? That makes sense…" The head producer said.

"Why does he want a camera that far off to the left?" Aiden on the other hand, was confused as he pointed at the floor plan.

"Oh. And that far to the right too. The camera will be almost beside the band." The head producer remarked. 

"Jeez. Whatever it is, I hope it goes well." Aiden shook his head, his rivals' bad wishes are getting into his head, shaving at his confidence.

"Hey. Isaac said, he won't care what we ask him, right?" Aiden said, an idea popping in his mind as he grabbed one online article about Tayaw. 

"Yeah. What's on your mind?" The producer asked.

"We'll make the guy squirm a bit. It won't be fun if we keep it lighthearted. That would make us look like we're kissing his ass." Aiden smirked.