Phantom Banjo by Elizabeth Ann Scarborough Read Free Book Online

swallowing them. The work situation may not be so bad
for him right now because of his established reputation, but there
were obviously a few drawbacks.
    She hated to add to his difficulties, but
faced with one particular question that occurred right beside her
name at the top of each questionnaire, she had to. "Josh, there is
just one tiny problem. It keeps asking for equity number and we're
not—I mean, we don't have one. Does that matter?"
    "What do you mean you're not equity?" Meeker
demanded.
    "You have to admit the dues are pretty
stiff," George said. "And it's not like they generate work for
us—in fact, the organizing they've done has scared off a lot of the
gigs we used to play, Elks halls and county fairs and so on."
    Dave ignored him and turned to Josh. "Josh,
Josh, I thought you knew these folks, babe."
    "We're fellow artists," Josh said. "I never
asked them about any of this crap before. They're wonderful
performers, write terrific songs—"
    "I don't care if they're Malvina Reynolds and
Woody Guthrie come back from the grave. If they ain't Equity, we
can't use them. I'm sorry, Josh, but you ought to know that. We
could be picketed, sued, for using non-Equity people, besides being
in violation of those new federal laws." He rattled the sheaf of
paper at each of them in turn. "And it is law, you know. Not just
Equity. Laws made to protect you people. Any place that hires you
or anyone else without complying with all of the requirements is
committing a violation."
    "Yes, but it was Equity that forced those
stupid laws through Congress without consulting any of us . . ."
Juli protested.
    "They could hardly consult you if you weren't
members," Meeker pointed out, wagging his turquoise ring in her
face.
    "Well, what do you care anyway?" she asked.
"Is your company going to buy up every lodge hall in the
country?"
    Josh laid a heavy hand on her shoulder and
squeezed, but to Meeker he said, "Sorry, Dave, I never gave it a
thought. Most places I play with the house artists but my friends
here needed a break and you don't have anyone appropriate to
open."
    Meeker had the grace to look abashed. "I'm
sorry too, Josh, but it's really cut and dried—nothing to do with
you or me or these people. The law is the law. We have to have
these papers filled out to satisfy federal regulations, and in
order for the papers to be processed properly, the Martins would
have to be Equity members. So I'm afraid it's back to the company
band, no matter how you feel about it." He shoved three stacks of
forms back into his briefcase, tied the concho-anchored thong that
held it shut, and departed two steps ahead of the Martins.
    But as George stepped out into the hall, Josh
caught Juli's hand and said, "I'm sorry, Julianne, but Meeker does
have a point. Look, I'll pay your dues. Here's the money. Join the
Equity, then I can help you. You know that folk musicians have
always supported the unions."
    "Josh, I'm sorry, but it's a lot the same
kind of problem as SWALLOW," Julianne told him. "Since the
musicians' union merged with Actors' Equity, the organization
doesn't do a thing for musicians except restrict us. Particularly
people like George and me. People who belong to other unions have a
steady employer, work the same place for years. SWALLOW and the
Equity are fine for big-name people like you who are so much in
demand that clubs will go through any amount of hassle and expense
to get you, or production companies like Meeker's will try to
monopolize you, but the pizza parlors, beer joints, and Unitarian
fellowships just aren't ready to go through all that legal
rigamarole just to give a job to a few starving musicians. I mean,
get real, who wants to fill out workman's comp papers and deal with
paying out matching social security for a fifty-dollar one-night
stand?"
    "It's for your own protection, Juli," Josh
said, pressing the money into her hand. "Join up. You're not going
to get anywhere if you don't."
    "We're not going to get anywhere if