American Entertainment 1978: New York Night Fever

Chapter 113 Devastating Consequences

Zeke jogged a few steps and climbed onto the trailer, which was the private lounge prepared for them by the film crew.

Judy had told him long ago that the most agonizing part of filming was the long wait. Actors often sat for ten hours straight just to shoot a five-minute scene. These trailers were basically standard equipment for celebrities shooting on location.

Inside the trailer, the refrigerator door was open, and it was filled with nothing but Heineken beer.

The table was littered with files and scripts, and most conspicuously, a small, bright mirror with cocaine lines carefully cut with a razor blade on it.

The air was filled with a pungent smell of alcohol and chemicals.

It's clear that these two people spend their days drinking and using drugs, living in a daze, and have long since deviated from a normal life.

Zeke frowned inwardly, but said aloud, "Peter, that punch was fucking awesome! I was stunned."

Peter was vigorously wiping the cat makeup off his face with a makeup remover pad when he heard this. He forced a wry smile and said, "That guy is innocent too. I'll come and apologize to him. By the way, did you need something?"

Zeke glanced at Ace, who reeked of alcohol and had a vacant look in his eyes, and lowered his voice: "I ran into Gene in New York a few days ago, and he asked me to come and see you. If you guys keep making a mess of things, the movie will be ruined and no one will benefit."

"Damn, it's Gene again." Peter sneered and slammed the cotton pad on the table. "He and Paul hoard all the good resources. Our songs either can't even pass the demo, or they maliciously cut and alter them, making them unrecognizable. And now they're gossiping about me to you."

Ace suddenly looked up, staring intently at Zeke: "Zeke, you know we're all going to release solo albums, right? Four! They'd love for us to just leave and go solo. We've had enough of Gene and Paul's control and manipulation—"

"But you're a KISS—" Zeke was completely bewildered, trying to persuade him, "This is the empire you built with your own hands."

"KISS is now Gene and Paul's private domain! They've even rewritten the script and stolen my scenes!" Peter suddenly stood up, knocking over a prop box with a loud crash. "FUCK, I'm done!"

Just then, a head popped into the door of the trailer.

Fritz poked his head in: "Peter, the car is ready."

Zick had met Fritz at the concert. He was a tour staff member, short, blond, and a brilliant but drug-addicted European oddball. His large round-framed glasses earned him the nickname "nerd." It was said that he spent his days studying the circadian rhythm charts of all the KISS members, analyzing each person's emotional state, and acting completely erratic.

Seeing him appear, Zeke became even more worried.

Peter grabbed his coat and headed out. Ace, too drunk to stand, mumbled, "Tell Gene to either give him space or wait and see how we improvise in the movie."

"I'm not Gene's mouthpiece; I'm here because I care about Peter," Zeke tried to persuade him further. "Peter, at least cut down on your drugs!"

But Peter had already disappeared into the night with Fritz, his steps faltering. Only the scattered makeup paste on the floor in front of the vanity mirror and the mirror itself, still covered in white powder, stood out starkly in the dim light.

After leaving the trailer, Zeke went back to find Matthew. JR had just hung up the phone, a smug smile on his face.

"Zick, Mr. Udo really likes YMCA and is willing to help." JR raised his eyebrows. "I'm very close to him."

99

"Did he say which record company he could contact?" This was good news, Zeke asked.

"RCA Records has a subsidiary label in Japan called RCA Victory Japan (RVC), and Udo is one of its shareholders."

This sounds pretty promising, Zike thought, but these kinds of business negotiations definitely need to be conducted face-to-face to show sincerity.

"What do you think, Matthew? Is it worth the trip?" he asked the general he had just recruited that day.

"Boss, Japan is the world's second-largest record market, with a thriving fan economy, so it's definitely worth a trip." Matthew nodded, then hesitated, "But I've never been there before, and I don't speak Japanese—"

"Just call me Zeke." Upon hearing that Japan was the second-largest record market, Zeke made a decision instantly. "Hey JR, Peter's been on set lately, and you're pretty free anyway. How about you take Matthew to Tokyo for me? You know the area well, so consider it a favor. I'll get a referral fee whether the deal goes through or not. You can also try out the 'special services' at a Japanese bathhouse."

"No problem, Zeke, you really know me." JR patted Zeke on the shoulder, grinning lewdly. "The service there is absolutely amazing! And Americans are incredibly attractive to Japanese girls. Aren't you coming with us?"

"I'd like to too, but I have exams and can't get away. I'll definitely do it next time." Qi Ke was a little disappointed, but his studies were more important at the moment.

"Matthew, I'm leaving this to you. This time, it would be best if you could make a breakthrough in Japan and negotiate cover song licenses for other parts of Asia as well."

"Don't worry, boss, I'll get it done. We'll leave this morning." With someone leading the way, Matthew felt more confident.

"I told you to just call me Zeke. Calling me 'boss' makes me sound really old."

After leaving the film set, Zeke returned to the cliffside cabin and slept soundly until dawn.

However, the tranquility of the early morning was abruptly shattered by a rapid telephone ring.

"Hello, who is it so early in the morning?" Zeke answered the phone groggily.

"Larry? Yeah, I was on set last night. What's wrong? What!?"

"Is it serious?...Shit, I'm coming right away."

Judy was also woken up, and looked at him sleepily: "Honey, what happened?"

"Damn it, Peter Chris got into a car accident. He wrecked a Porsche on Sepulveda Boulevard—" Zick grabbed his clothes from the bedside table and punched the wall in frustration.

"God, is he alright?" Judy covered her mouth, her face filled with terror.

"We don't know yet. The driver is trapped in the burning wreckage, and Peter was thrown from the windshield and landed on the road. He's being rushed to the hospital." Zeke was in a state of panic. He put on his shoes. "Damn it, I just saw him last night. I should have stopped him!"

Zik drove alone to a hospital in Marina del Rey, where both of them were taken by ambulance.

He was restless the whole way, and his hands were sweating as he gripped the steering wheel.

He couldn't help but wonder, if he hadn't gone to see Peter last night, would Peter have left in a huff? And would the driver have been that drug addict Fritz?

He was unsure, but his heart was still filled with self-blame.

JR is Peter's henchman, and it should be JR's job to keep an eye on Peter. Instead, JR dragged Peter away to call Udo, and Peter abandoned him and left. Now, JR has even gone to Japan because of him...

When they arrived at the hospital, at least half of the company's top executives were there, including Neil, Larry, and KISS's agent, Bill O'Quinn. The atmosphere was heavy.

Larry recounted the entire accident to Zeke.

Peter and Fritz spent the entire night battling it out in a high-stakes poker game. As the sun rose, they jumped into their rented Porsche and sped off, their destination unknown.

Around 6 a.m., Fritz was driving at 90 miles per hour when he crashed into two utility poles, overturned a fuel tank, grazed four cars, and finally slammed into a giant pole, causing the engine to explode. The violent impact threw Peter out of the windshield, flying fifty feet through the air before he curled up in a fetal position and slammed his face into the road.

"How is Peter?" Zeke asked urgently, his heart pounding in his chest.

If Peter had actually died in that car accident, he would probably have lived with guilt for the rest of his life.