2025-01-16 - America Has Zero Taste

[TXT to Brandon] Scarlett: nice tmz pics brando

[TXT to Brandon] Scarlett: you move quickly

[TXT to Brandon] Scarlett: this is scarlett btw hi you are now blessed to have my number! my manager got me yours lol

[TXT to Scarlett] Brandon: well hello scarlett nash

[TXT to Scarlett] Brandon: what do you mean i move quickly

[TXT to Brandon] Scarlett: tmz posted some nice snaps of you cozying up with miss ruby

[TXT to Scarlett] Brandon: oh yeah. sorry, i forgot you know her. or met her. or whatever. she's awesome

[TXT to Scarlett] Brandon: fucking tmz

[TXT to Scarlett] Brandon: cant leave well enough alone

[TXT to Brandon] Scarlett: drop the juicy deets brandy

[TXT to Scarlett] Brandon: you saw the photos

[TXT to Scarlett] Brandon: there was a boy, a girl and a rollercoaster. lots of fucking dwarves throwing rocks

[TXT to Brandon] Scarlett: rubes is gorgeous and adorable and i'm worried about a playboy like you breaking her heart

[TXT to Brandon] Scarlett: i kind of wanted that to be MY job. i want to break her heart myself

[TXT to Scarlett] Brandon: you think i'm a playboy? thats rich

[TXT to Scarlett] Brandon: but she is incredible. and i dont want to jinx it by saying too much. i hate that guy. i may have beat that guy up in high school

[TXT to Brandon] Scarlett: "that's rich"

[TXT to Brandon] Scarlett: wanna explain that one big brandon?

[TXT to Scarlett] Brandon: call wendy lockhart. she needs her heart broken

[TXT to Brandon] Scarlett: i mean look she's super pretty but even i wouldn't go that far

[TXT to Brandon] Scarlett: anyways i can't actually tell you what to do because i'm a disaster over here anyway

[TXT to Scarlett] Brandon: cool. look

[TXT to Scarlett] Brandon: there is no guy on this planet less interested in hurting ruby st james

[TXT to Brandon] Scarlett: oh sure but people don't usually mean to hurt other people don't they

Brandon stares at his iPhone in frustration, and sets it down for a moment to put his running shoes on. Slowly. One painstaking loop tied and then another. Taking a deep breath, he looks back at the phone and grits his teeth, starting to type again.

[TXT to Brandon] Scarlett: i'm kind of treating this like a chance to give advice to myself because my plan in coming to spellbound was definitely to lose myself in a cyclone of booze and girls sorry

[TXT to Scarlett] Brandon: look i am trying to say without the whole kiss and tell thing that i want the opposite of hurting her

[TXT to Scarlett] Brandon: ok. i get that. its not me but i get that.

[TXT to Brandon] Scarlett: OH BRANDON that's so romantic omg

[TXT to Brandon] Scarlett: okay nvm she's in good hands

[TXT to Brandon] Scarlett: we can go on a double date or something sometime it'll be fun

[TXT to Scarlett] Brandon: ... do you know what its like

[TXT to Scarlett] Brandon: half of you dies. and then someone kills most of whats left. and you just ... fade out. i told you i loved velvet heart. i did. which is maybe why im saying this to you b/c you wrote that and you know her

[TXT to Scarlett] Brandon: but she's a ray of light

[TXT to Scarlett] Brandon: this island was the clouds lifting. and then light followed

[TXT to Scarlett] Brandon: i think i might have a song

[TXT to Brandon] Scarlett: did you just write a song in your texts to me

[TXT to Brandon] Scarlett: okay but even i have to admit that's really sweet

[TXT to Scarlett] Brandon: awww thanks. i think that might be the heart of one. maybe

[TXT to Brandon] Scarlett: do you still write music?

[TXT to Scarlett] Brandon: just picked up a guitar this week

[TXT to Scarlett] Brandon: first time in a year

[TXT to Scarlett] Brandon: it was weird without ansel. but it feels good to play

[TXT to Brandon] Scarlett: oh let's fucking go that's so good to hear

[TXT to Scarlett] Brandon: TY

[TXT to Scarlett] Brandon: how about you

[TXT to Scarlett] Brandon: i'm just glad this weird magic shit hasn't screwed with my ability to sing or play

[TXT to Brandon] Scarlett: i have song ideas CONSTANTLY running through my head, but haven't sat down to write anything since coming here. mostly just incoherent scribbles in my notebook when I've gotten home drunk lmao

[TXT to Brandon] Scarlett: i'd like to get some kind of production setup going in my suite at some point tho

[TXT to Scarlett] Brandon: that's cool. i'm game to jam sometime

[TXT to Scarlett] Brandon: i would not have said that two weeks ago.

[TXT to Scarlett] Brandon: but now? yeah

[TXT to Brandon] Scarlett: i would ask what changed but.......

[TXT to Brandon] Scarlett: i have a pretty good guess

[TXT to Scarlett] Brandon: thank you for not tmzing my life

[TXT to Brandon] Scarlett: just don't cross me

[TXT to Brandon] Scarlett: we also should jam i've always liked your lil britpop songs

[TXT to Scarlett] Brandon: someone needed to write them once oasis turned shit

[TXT to Brandon] Scarlett: and now they're back to keep you out of business

[TXT to Scarlett] Brandon: their US opening act is cage the fucking elephant

[TXT to Brandon] Scarlett: LMAO

[TXT to Scarlett] Brandon: because america has zero taste

[TXT to Brandon] Scarlett: oh darling i know - remember who I was opening for?

[TXT to Scarlett] Brandon: remind me

[TXT to Brandon] Scarlett: the 1975. america does, in fact, have zero taste

[TXT to Scarlett] Brandon: matty f---ing healy is a pretentious ass

[TXT to Brandon] Scarlett: in person he's......

[TXT to Brandon] Scarlett: i mean he's incredibly funny but still a pretentious ass

[TXT to Brandon] Scarlett: incredible music tho i had him produce one of my songs

[TXT to Scarlett] Brandon: pretentious enough he could write for pitchfork?

[TXT to Brandon] Scarlett: hahahaha easily

A few hours pass before Brandon texts again.

[TXT to Scarlett] Brandon: if you do want to jam. i found out there’s a practice space on the employees island. i know you don’t work here but that should not be an issue

[TXT to Brandon] Scarlett: omg

[TXT to Brandon] Scarlett: can you sneak me in

[TXT to Scarlett] Brandon: if i can’t do it ben Franklin probly can

[TXT to Brandon] Scarlett: oh trust me i'm BESTIES with bennie right now

[TXT to Scarlett] Brandon: he’s a pal isn’t he

[TXT to Scarlett] Brandon: i don’t suppose you have a 12 string rickenbacker in your luggage

[TXT to Brandon] Scarlett: well.....

[TXT to Brandon] Scarlett: i do have MY guitar and she's a beauty

[TXT to Brandon] Scarlett: can bring her at least

[TXT to Scarlett] Brandon: it’s ok. i should probably avoid the urge to jangle and chime again for a while

[TXT to Scarlett] Brandon: i have a bunch of pedals here actually

[TXT to Scarlett] Brandon: i’ll be okay

[TXT to Brandon] Scarlett: i didn't ship all my pedals out but can def order things, and i've got a decent online setup on my laptop to replicate stuff

[TXT to Brandon] Scarlett: curious to hear you play in person - never managed to catch one of your gigs

[TXT to Scarlett] Brandon: thanx. it’s weird without ansel

[TXT to Scarlett] Brandon: i don’t think my sound will be like OUR sound was if that makes sense

[TXT to Scarlett] Brandon: you have a fuzzy dizzy dreamy shoegaze side

[TXT to Scarlett] Brandon: i have some ideas to bounce off you with that in mind

[TXT to Brandon] Scarlett: OOOOO

[TXT to Brandon] Scarlett: bounce any and all ideas