Culture and Arts

When I was a student I lived in a dormitory and had two nice roommates, Joey and Ross.  We were all students in the Royal Academy of Art and we thought we would be extremely famous and successful one day.

When Joey was eighteen he was a poor and romantic guy and hoped to become an actor. He worked part time as an understudy, and he always attended lots of auditions. He sometimes got supporting roles but more often he wasn't successful. Joey was the most intelligent of all of us and he had very cultivated taste. His mother was a real opera buff and she knew a thing or two about a chorus or good conductors. We call such people culture vultures. They call us philistines. Joey's father was the playwright everybody raved about. He was quite recognized, rich and very inventive. All his plays were so intriguing that they would always become smash hits. His wife would sit in the stalls and enjoy the success. Backstage was like home for Joey, that's why he decided to become an actor. Frankly speaking, Joey had connections but he didn't have any talent. Every time we saw him rehearsing at home we couldn't stop laughing. His acting was a little far-fetched and not convincing at all. But our friend Joey was a very kind person so we tried to support him with all our strength.

Ross was a painter. If you come to our place at midnight you will definitely see Ross painting another still life with watercolor. First, watercolor was cheap, and second nobody agreed to sit for his pictures. That's why he had to paint inanimate objects and use those pale watery paints.  Nevertheless his paintings were really engaging. Very soon after graduation all his still lives and casts were sold and Ross suddenly became very rich.

As for me, I was a very sensitive guy and liked to watch thrilling movies, listen to romantic songs and read love stories. I was a soloist in a string quartet and I was in love with my group mate.  Our relationship was breathtaking - we used to break up twice a month and then get back together again. It inspired me to write many beautiful songs that later brought me fame.

When we all made our marks we had to adopt pseudonyms. Joey's name is now Jim Kerry. I am sure you know Ross very well as a brilliant painter called Salvador. And my name is George Michel.