Road Story

Two musicians deal with sex, drugs, fame, fortune, love, and ultimate betrayal. Billy and Ron are lounge musicians and singers traveling on the road in the summer of 1979. Everything is easy for Billy. At 20, he plays jazz better than most of the old school players. Billy's singing causes more of a stir than his playing. Billy can't help getting noticed. Things don't come so easy for Ron. Ron plays guitar and sings. Ron lives in Billy's shadow. Ron doesn't seem to mind at first, but then his jealousy consumes him. Billy and Ron work for Paul who sings in hotel lounges wearing loud polyester suits and sporting a bad comb-over. Paul wants Billy to play simple. Billy refuses to dumb down his unique style. Billy fights Paul over costumes, contracts, and hotel rooms. Billy and Paul butt heads every time they're together. Paul books the band in Phoenix where the boys score some killer Thai-stick. On their week off, Ron and Billy go home to Atlanta where they see their girlfriends and play tricks on a redneck. The next gig is in Memphis where Billy insults the memory of Elvis and starts a bar fight. Later, they meet a recording artist, Wilton, who recognizes Billy's star quality. Wilton raves about Billy's playing and singing, but he won't take a minute to listen to Ron's original song. Billy brings his girlfriend Mandy on the road after he promises her mother he will take care of her. Mandy's brother, Dan, warns Billy he will make him pay if he hurts Mandy. Ron's sixteen year old girlfriend, Penny, comes on the road against her mother's will. The boys take their girlfriends to Mobile for the next gig. Their mothers constantly nag them to send the girls home. Ron gives in to pressure from Paul and sends Penny home. Ron hooks up with a lot of homely women in a short time. Billy breaks up with Mandy. He won't tell her the real reason. He suffers from obsessions that drive his creativity and threaten his sanity. He doesn't want to put her through that. Paul hires a photographer, Linda, and she and Billy soon discover they're more than soul mates. They share the same obsessive nature. Ron realizes he could never have a woman like Linda and his jealousy starts eating at him. Paul wants to replace Billy, but he needs him so the group can audition for a gig in Las Vegas. Billy dares Paul to fire him after Paul ridicules his jazz style during a show. Billy leads the other musicians in a revolt against Paul's repressive contract. Paul gets fed up with Billy. Dan and the rest of his biker gang come looking for Billy. Paul tries to throw him off track. Paul tells Ron to warn Billy. Mandy tells Ron to warn Billy. Ron chooses not to warn Billy. Ron tells Dan where to find Billy. Dan and the biker gang circle Billy. Dan hits him in the face with a chain to mess up his pretty looks. Dan cuts his throat to mess up his pretty voice. Dan grinds Billy's hand into the asphalt with his chopper to mess up his pretty piano playing. Linda and Paul risk their lives for Billy. Twenty-five years later, Billy is rich and Ron is poor. Billy owns hotels and casinos. Ron is an unemployed heroin addict. Billy married Linda. Ron married Mandy. Mandy cooks for Billy's family to make a living. Ron gets in trouble and makes Mandy ask Billy for money. Ron watches through the window as Mandy begs for help. Ron's jealousy comes to a boiling point. Ron sees Billy still in pain from his betrayal. Ron ends his life - not out of envy, but out of regret.