Well, anyways, I was working as a part-time engineer for a sort of smaller record label that was trying to find a big break. They thought they found it with Symmetry Icon, because the group was very talented, especially for being so young (all three were 19-21 age). It was crazy how they could just start playing around on their instruments and just come up with a tune catchier than anything else the label had produced.
While Symmetry Icon was signed on for our label, their manager was an outside hire that came with them like a package deal. This guy was the definition of weird, he looked like a stereotypical slimy businessman. He was super close with the band, though, and they wouldn’t drop him no matter what deals the label dangled in front of them. At every recording session and every meeting, that weird manager was right there, whispering into the band’s ears. It felt like behind every song and every decision was that creepy guy. The band was even comfortable telling us that for the most part, their manager was coming up with the ideas for their songs.
So, one day, the band misses a recording session because the lead singer’s girlfriend is caught in a car accident that destroys her face. I had seen the girl before, she was absolutely beautiful, but after the accident she looked like a monster. No right eye, lips gone, a forehead that caved in. It was horrific, and she knew it too, so she unfortunately ended up killing herself, though I’m not sure exactly how. We were all very bummed about it at the studio.
The lead singer for the band, Andrew, was devastated. We told him to take some time with any new material, but at the next session we saw him he came in with a new song the band had written themselves. They had given their creepy manager the slip. When we asked where he was, Andrew just said, “He can go fuck himself”.
