A Vulgar Display of Power: Courage and Carnage at the Alrosa Villa by Chris Armold

Author:Chris Armold [Armold, Chris]
Language: eng
Format: azw3, epub
Published: 2013-11-25T16:00:00+00:00

Yet, as much as he liked spending time with the Abbotts and working his various jobs, Jeff found his greatest respite with Shannon. In his security jobs he was compelled to carry himself as a larger-than-life, always prepared defender. Around the radio station, he helped provide amusement to listeners and staff. Only with Shannon could Jeff simply be himself. There was no role-playing, he wasn’t at anyone’s beck and call, and he didn’t need to try to impress anyone.

Jeff separated his rock ‘n’ roll world from his normal day-to-day life. He even kept his close friend and festival queen Shannon Bradley at arm’s length from his brushes with his famous friends. Occasionally Jeff pulled up outside Shannon’s home with Pantera’s limousine to take her to dinner, but he never exposed her to the lifestyle of heavy metal royalty. Sometimes Jeff would text message Shannon from events or e-mail her photos of himself with the guys from whatever band with which he was working as the time. Jeff’s work with Pantera was a part of his life he really didn’t seem to want Shannon to see. Even as his relationship with Pantera and other bands grew, Jeff never took her to the parties or concerts they hosted. His relationship with Shannon remained platonic, but it was obvious that Jeff was smitten with the dark-haired beauty. His father Frank refers to Shannon as “the love of Jeff’s life.” To that end, Jeff wasn’t about to risk tarnishing his reputation with Shannon or her family. He didn’t permit her to see him “acting up” or sharing in the shenanigans that often was a part of parties thrown by rock bands.

Shannon was Jeff’s outlet. He felt completely comfortable and free to be himself and say what he wanted. The two spent quiet time together at dinner and at Shannon’s home. He arrived at her door almost weekly to take her out to dinner. His favorite haunt was Outback Steakhouse, where he would start his meal with a shot of Crown and Coke.7 For dinner, he loved a well-done steak with mashed potatoes or steamed veggies. Jeff spent nearly every holiday with Shannon and her family. If neither had a date on any given Valentine’s Day, they shared it together while pounding Guinness with dinner at a steakhouse. On Thanksgivings, he spent the majority of the day with Shannon before jumping on his motorcycle to ride to Austin, Texas, to spend time with Shadow’s family. Jeff boasted to his friends that each year he had two Thanksgivings.

As much as Jeff loved his “Texas Family,” the holiday season prompted his thoughts to move slightly northeast and he would speak of his “Arkansas Family.” Few in Texas besides Shannon and Shadow knew much of Jeff’s blood relatives in Arkansas. Both knew that Jeff and his father had experienced an acrimonious parting of the ways the year Jeff moved to Texas. However, over the years they had witnessed a softening of Jeff’s frustration as it evolved into regret.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.