No, I'm not writing about your band

"So, tell me the truth. What band is the Aught Nines supposed to be?"
"None. It's fiction."
"Ha! I thought you'd say that. You just don't want to tell me."

I'm hearing this more and more these days, as advance copies of World Enough go out and readers – members of the local scene – weigh in. But I'm not hiding anything, it's true: While I try to depict the rock scene of the mid- to late-'80s, with all it wild fun, fury, and excess, the people in my mystery are not based on real characters. The scene, however, well, that's real. I mean, did I ever see a drummer get so drunk that he vomited and passed out, falling off his stool before the band could play its first song? No. But did it happen? Yeah, probably. That's how things were back then...