When he switched from the piano to the guitar, that was the last straw; we’d all got fed up. Especially Jerry, who felt very threatened because Nev was catching on fast. The Charleses were floating us by then—everything we’d done that was worth anything was subsidized by them—and because of that we felt obligated to keep Nev in the mix. But he was clearly eager to break out. At the shows the crowd would clamor for him, and he’d make his way to the front, standing next to Jerry like it was his rightful place. He made us look like the backing band, the accompaniment. At which point, as kindly as
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