We All Want to Be a Rock Star

"Wake up man! Your alarm has been going off for twenty minutes," my band mate said. It was one hell of a night last night, well, from what I remember. It is 3:30 P.M. and in this lifestyle it's early morning. There are beer cans everywhere, and the smell of smoke lingers in the air. I couldn't think of any better way to wake up. What else could I ask for in life? The sun is shining and the only worries I have are which guitar pick to use and which venue to play at. By the way, I'm Steve - lead guitar and vocalist for L.A's most popular band: The Puzzles.

As I begin to eat my normal, well-rounded breakfast of leftover pizza and a cigarette, I hear a faint noise coming from my bedroom. I slowly creep over to the door and reassure myself the music is coming from my bedroom. I didn't realize that as I opened the door I would be stepping into one of the most incredible moments of my life. There is a man on my bed facing the opposite direction. "As I find myself in times of trouble, Mother Mary comes to me, speaking words of wisdom, Let it be," the man sings. I instantly recognize that voice. The man turns around, takes off his rose-colored glasses, and introduces himself. "Ello bloke, I'm John Lennon...but I am sure you already recognize me," he said, "I am here to change your life". Time instantly begins to slow as he takes my hand. "I must be tripping out," I thought to myself. I begin to blackout and instantly become extremely tired. I mumbled as I fell asleep, "What...is...go...in...g....on".

I awake in what seems like an endless sea of red. Everything is red - from the soil to the trees. "Ah! You're finally up; I've been waiting all bloody day," Lennon said as he smokes a cigarette. "Where the hell are we!? Why are you here?! You died 30 years ago," I said. Lennon begins to explain, "Calm down there, rock star, I'll tell you all about this place. We are in the Inferno, or as you might call it, Hell. I am here to change your life, to help you keep from straying on the wrong path. With stardom come many risks. Being a rock star means easy access to many things that can ruin your life. You will see firsthand how easy it is to end up here. You might think its rubbish, but you'll thank me eventually". Realizing I have no other choice, I reluctantly agree to the trip.

We arrive at our first destination. "Now, bloke, this is our first stop, the first circle of the inferno. You know how souls end up here?" Lennon asks. I shake my head no. Lennon finished, "Greed, son, greed. Blokes who can't share their wealth. They keep it all to themselves. They buy expensive things they don't need just to say, 'I'm better than you.'"As I look around, I witness a horrible sight. The souls of this circle are being pelted by an endless shower of coins. The welted, greedy souls frantically try to gather the coins, only to realize that as soon as they pick them up, the coins disappear forever. Lennon calls one of the souls over. The weathered soul skeptically trots over. Lennon introduces us to the soul. "I'm Bret, Bret Michaels. You might recognize me, I sang for the band Poison," the soul said. "I can't believe my eyes. Bret Michaels in Hell? How did you end up here?" I asked. The soul explained, "Greed, son, greed. Did I really need 20 motorcycles? Did I really need a $10 million house? I guess not. That is why I ended up here. Who knew fame would land me here? I could have donated to charity; I could have shared the wealth. But I didn't, and now I must suffer for it." The soul mumbled to himself and returned back to the circle. "So what? Greed can land you here. I'm not greedy, and I would never buy 20 motorcycles," I explained. "As of right now, kid. Who knows? With all the fame, in five years you might buy 30 bloody motorcycles!," Lennon said.

We continue and eventually reach our second destination. "Ah, the second circle of Hell, 'Land of Lust' I like to call it," Lennon said. "Wow, that's a cute nickname," I commented. As I began to look around, I once again realized a horrible sight. I tried to keep myself from expressing my horror to John. The second circle was shaped like an endless football field. "What is happening to them? Why are they here?" I asked. Lennon began to speak, "I'll let one of the souls explain." Lennon called one of the souls over again. "Ay kid, nice to see ya John, I'm Eddie. You might know me better by my last name: Van Halen. You wanna know why we're here? We are here for Lust, Steve. We committed many acts of Lust in our lifetime. We are made to carry an extremely heavy throne through treacherous terrain, on which sits the one we lusted for most in life. Our bodies are being used just like the many bodies we used in our lifetime." The soul said. "So I might have lusted a few times, so what? I'm sure every rock star has," I said. "I am sure they have", Eddie explained, "But that is what landed me here. Don't take this lightly. The rock stars here wish they would have had a chance like this to redeem themselves." I nodded my head in agreement in order to get rid of him.

John hurries me along to our third and final destination. As we reach the third circle of hell, I notice that there are a lot more souls in this circle than there were in the first two. John explains that this third circle is for Drug Abusers - people who harm themselves using drugs. Like clockwork, John calls over another soul. I begin to feel a knot in my stomach as I realize who the soul is. "What's up, cool cats? Steve, I'm Jimi Hendrix - one of the most infamous guitarists in the world. Some call me the best there ever was. But that's all wasted now," the soul said "You want to know what happens here? Well then, brace yourself. Steve, the souls in this circle are here for abusing drugs. In this circle, souls are addicted to their drug of choice in life. The souls have an endless amount of drugs but they can never reach a high and experience endless withdrawal symptoms. They are never truly happy and are always trying to reach that high. Remember Steve, these souls, including myself, have to live with this for eternity. The rock star lifestyle is no laughing matter, and it has serious consequences. I finally began to break down in front of my idol. I quickly realized that my life was no way to live if I wanted to avoid this place. I thanked Jimi passionately as he returned to his stash.

"I never realized how destructive my lifestyle is and where it could land me," I said. John began to explain, "You are finally ready to make a change, bloke. You no longer need me. Keep your head up and wise up, son. Rock on and keep the peace." In a matter of seconds, a familiar feeling washed over me. Time began to slow and I became increasingly tired. This time, I knew what was going on.

"Wake up man! Your alarm has been going off for twenty minutes," my band mate said. I instantly looked at the clock: 3:30 P.M. Had this all been a dream? Confused, I got out of bed and pushed the beer cans out of the way. As I walked over to my dresser to grab clothes to wear, I heard that familiar song coming from under my bed. "When I find myself in times of trouble, Mother Mary comes to me, speaking words of wisdom, Let it be," the voice sang. I smiled, and for the first time in years, I didn't light up a cigarette that afternoon. Hell, I even cleaned up the beer cans. It was time to realize how fortunate I was, because in the end, everyone wants to be a rock star, right?