“Okay.” There are so many options. “I know Ginny loved science, even though she pretended she didn’t, because I used to catch her reading her biology textbook for fun. She was afraid I’d tease her for being a nerd.”
“There’s nothing wrong with being smart.” Ginny sniffs.
“Her favorite movie growing up was this old Disney movie calledBrink!about an inline skater.” I laugh. “She had a huge crush on the actor. His catchphrase was ‘No problemo, man.’”
“You liked the ghost inCasper!” Ginny cries. “Trust me, you don’t want to play this game.”
“Okay,” Dr. X says. “As charming as that is, give me something with heft.”
I look at my sister. “She had a better relationship with my parents than I ever did. She was good at forgiving people.”
Ginny smiles. It’s small, but makes me feel hopeful.
“She wanted to have two girls,” I add. “She used to joke about naming them Virginia Jr. and Hannah Jr.”
“If guys can do it, why not us?” Ginny says.
“Good.” Dr. X nods. “That’s four. Last one. Something only the two of you knew.”
Ginny and I look at each other. I take a deep breath. “She was the only person who ever loved me unconditionally.”
For a long time, Dr. Xavier is silent. Then she looks away from the camera and clears her throat. “Okay, then. She existed, and she was important. Internet rumors be damned.”
I smile, feeling a weight lift from my chest, and turn to Ginny. And that’s when I see the strangest thing.
Ginny is starting to fade.
Chapter 35
Excerpt fromMusicians on Musicianspodcast episode 705: “Booker Morris and Ripper Ravishankar Talk Meaty Guitar Licks, Masculinity, and Taking Over the Saints” (Tuesday, August 13, 2024)
ARI SOMMERS:Welcome to another episode ofMusicians on Musicians, your favorite music podcast where we sequester two industry professionals in a sound booth and turn them loose. Today we’re privileged to have two modern rock legends with us, Dead to Rights front man, Booker Morris, and Future Saints bassist, Ripper Ravishankar.
BOOKER MORRIS:Thanks, Ari. It’s good to be back. And hey, Rip. It’s great to talk to you. Ripper and I go way back. I think it was 2019 when we went on tour together?
RIPPER RAVISHANKAR:That sounds right. We opened for you. It was a great tour. You guys taught us a lot.
MORRIS:Well, the student has become the master. Because these days I’m learning from you. Before we jump into anything, can we just talk about that viral video of you absolutely shredding at your Vegas show? I mean, what the hell, man? In one song you transition from some of the meatiest guitar licks I’ve ever heardto manic speed. I couldn’t even keep track of your fingers near the end. That’s some virtuoso stuff.
RAVISHANKAR:Thanks. That means a lot.
MORRIS:How does it feel to know that all around the country— probably around the world—little kids are watching that video and thinking,I want to learn to play like this Ripper guy.You’re probably a lot of people’s newest hero.
RAVISHANKAR:That would be a dream. There weren’t a lot of South Asian guys in rock music to look up to growing up. So it would be cool to give that to kids. And that Vegas show was probably one of the most exciting shows we’ve played to date. It was nice to get a chance to show people what I’ve been working on behind the scenes.
MORRIS:Yeah, let’s talk about that. Because I hope you don’t mind me saying this, but I don’t know if the Ripper I met in 2019 could’ve pulled off that performance. How’d you get there?
RAVISHANKAR:A year ago, as you know, I lost someone important to me. It made me reflect on what I wanted out of my life. You know, when I go, how I want to be remembered. I realized I wanted to get serious about playing. Be the best musician I could be. And that meant improving my technical skills. You know, I was kind of a pretty boy growing up—
MORRIS:You don’t say. For any listeners whose eyeballs haven’t been blessed by Ripper yet, rest assured he’s very pretty.
RAVISHANKAR:You’re making me blush. Anyway, I was also the baby in my family. And we were a big family. Five boys.
MORRIS:Wow, I didn’t know it was all dudes.
RAVISHANKAR:All dudes. Which meant I had a lot of people taking care of me, but it was also a lot to live up to. A lot of bro energy. And my brothers were all smart and ambitious. I was the dilettante.
MORRIS:Ooh, big word. You don’t have to prove you’re smart to me, Rip.
