Prologue

                                    

                                          
*** Los Angeles, May 1976 *** 


"Why don't you move over here a little bit." a dark haired man, fairly short for a guy, ordered as he brought the camera back up to his eye. He wore a black v-neck t-shirt he had tucked into a pair of white linen pants. He looked like straight out of a Mexican telenovela with his pointy moustache and his incredibly fake tan.
"What like over here?" John was confused as he found his assigned spot a bit too much in the centre, usually that's where the girls were placed. He was huddled together with his fellow band members standing barefoot in a park in the middle of Beverly Hills. He wasn't sure what was more artificial, the lush green grass sticking out between his toes or the smile on his face, as the sleazy photographer was starting to get on his nerves.
"Come here Johnny." Christine grabbed his wrist, pulling him towards her wrapping a hand around his neck. He cleverly took advantage of the situation pinching her left but cheek sending her shrieking in surprise. "Go easy there sailor. We're in public." She tamed him.
"I know..." he casually replied moving his hand up to her lower back swinging her to his other side so forcefully she had to hold on to him tightly as not to fall. "That's why I married you, so I could do those things to you in public..." he pressed her body tightly towards his, playfully caressing her shoulder moving up to her neck until he reached her lips with his. 
"No no no," the photographer put a sudden end to the lovebirds entanglement. "I can't work like this!" He shook his head. The two broke apart as if busted in a forbidden act, vowing to cool it down. Usually photographers would eat up this kind of behaviour like cinnamon sugar puff pastry palmiers, but this one didn't seem to be a sweet tooth at all.   "We can't see Lindsey now... would you come farther to the front?" he further directed at Lindsey, whose brown locks were stubbornly hanging into his face. He stepped to the front in his loosely tied kimono revealing the hair on his chest. As of now, Mick stood in the centre, slightly in the back due to his hight, already regretting having agreed to this photoshoot. Lindsey and John were placed to either side of him looking like little kids next to their dad. Farther out on either side stood Christine and Stevie next to their respective partners feeling completely out of place. It was a weird arrangement but the photographer seemed finally happy, frantically marvelling through the lens of his camera. The lightning people, two overweight men managing huge burning spotlights to the right and left of the scene exchanged disbelieving looks.
"Zimmerman, get me another roll of film." he ordered a young blonde girl standing next to him. She rolled her eyes, grabbing it out of the kit standing nearby. He was already impatiently holding out his hand for her to give it to him. She placed the small roll of film in his hand reluctantly letting go waiting for a thanking gesture.
"You are very welcome, Paul!" the girl said exaggeratedly sarcastic as none such a gesture had arrived. Chris had to chuckle watching the scene. Paul just flashed the girl an angry look.
"What do you want? Hugs and praises? It's your job..." he snarled unkindly. The girl just rolled her eyes at him, for the second time, mouthing a silent 'well actually it's not but fine'. The band was as much amused as confused on how this shoot was progressing.
"Now I want the guys to come more into the centre and the girls to rake into the boys arms." Paul was setting them up. They reluctantly complied, figuring he must know what he was doing although they thought it a bit weird. The blonde girl next to him flashed them an embarrassed smile shrugging her shoulders apologetically suggesting she felt the same.
"More light on the centre!!" Paul screamed in agony. "Tom, could we get more light on them? And could the girls go a bit farther back." he ordered a by-standing assistant making the most ridiculous requests, leaving the band members puzzled. The girls slowly moved backwards resulting in them disappearing almost completely behind their spouses.