"My name's Corey Williams." "I'm sure you heard of me." "In less than a year, I went from working in a warehouse... to playing sold-out stadiums across the country." "As far back as I can remember, I wanted to be a rock star." "Rock stars have power, money, and chicks." "And, you know, all these things I like." "I had plenty of attitude and ambition... everything you need to become a star... except a little thing called talent." "Dude..." "Dude!" "Dude!" "You suck." "Thanks for the encouragement, bro." "Look, it's a 1957 Stratocaster... like the one Bobby McCain used to play." "Except his wasn't a repro." "Besides, man, you can't even afford the strap." "That's where you're wrong, buddy." "I don't even want to know where you got that from." "I just sold some old records." " Yeah?" " Yeah." "That would be an inspiring story... if you could play this damn thing." "Just give me some time." "I'll be as good as Bobby McCain." "Some hero." "Three platinum albums... he blows his brains out all over his guitar." "Yeah, but he had magic." "He just had some problems, that's all." "And I guess your problem is... you ain't got the magic." "Look, I'm just being straight with you." "Well, don't be, unless you want to be left behind... when I hit the big time." "That'll be the day." "I'll take this one." "Internet dating." "Trust me, man." "We'll make a fortune off of this, man." "Rick, you don't know the first thing... about running an internet dating service." "What are you talking about?" "Look, I know there's a lot of lonely, desperate girls... that'll fork over beaucoup bucks if we hook 'em up with hot guys." "What hot guys?" "Us!" "Look, man, the dry spell is over." "This idea is..." "Stupid, bro." "It's stupid." "Just being straight with you, buddy." "What the hell?" "Dude, that looks like blood." "Sunburst body... and the maple neck... and the pick guard." "It's chipped in the exact same place." "Yeah, and don't forget about the blood." "You don't get it, man." "This guitar..." "It was Bobby McCain's." "Corey Williams dreams of being a rock star... and all that it brings... fame, fortune, an endless parade of women." "But for some, this dream comes with a price." "For Corey, that price will be something far greater... than he ever bargained for." "You're traveling to another dimension... a dimension not only of sight and sound... but of mind." "A journey into a wondrous land... whose boundaries are only that of the imagination." "You're entering..." "Out of all the musicians in the world... why did I end up with Bobby McCain's guitar?" "I didn't know and I didn't care." "For me, this was the Holy Grail." "So maybe you're right, man." "Maybe it is the same guitar." "Did you grab the wrong bag or something?" "You saw me pick it up." "I mean, what the hell... is some sleazy guitar shop doing with McCain's guitar?" "That thing's got to be worth a fortune, man." "Whoa." "Ha ha!" "That was... nice." "I'm not selling this." "No way, man." "I'm not selling this." "If I knew then what I know now..." "I would have asked more questions." "But I didn't have time to look for answers... because things began to happen so fast." "Kirsten Lovejoy, a one-hit wonder... needed a new lead guitarist... so I wrangled my way into the auditions." "Right over there, man." "Ohh... you would think that someone... would have emerged from the pack by now." "Did you book Kirsten's photographer?" "Yeah." "Monday at 10:00." "I assume you have a name?" "Corey." "You have a last name?" "Yeah, of course." "Um..." "Corey..." "Corey Williams." "Well..." "let's see where you can take us." "So what do you want for lunch, sushi or Peruvian?" "1, 2, 3, 4." "He'll be fantastic for Kirsten." "Screw Kirsten." "Yeah, man!" "I think that's the one!" "Me, too." "It felt right." "He's everything you said, Dion." "I'll put the full weight of the label behind him." "You mark my words... this album's gonna go platinum in six weeks." "I want to go again." "Been at this since yesterday afternoon." "Fifty-four takes." "And every one of them better than the last." "Let's take it from the bridge." "Dion..." "his fingers are bleeding." "Roll it!" "You heard the man." "One million record sales in less than three weeks." "Six months ago... he couldn't even afford a $100 guitar." "You knew Corey back then?" "Tough times." "I couldn't let him quit, though." "I knew he had talent." "You might say I got a knack for spotting the next big thing." "Yeah." "Keep looking." "# Kiss the bliss inside of me #" "# You're everything you need #" " Ha ha." "Salud." " Cheers." "You're not gonna take a break for your own party?" "I'm not much for small talk." "Besides, this needs work." "You're different from most talent I've worked with." "How so?" "Well, you don't grope the groupies... you don't get blitzed with the band." "You don't seem to do anything but play your guitar." "You're not having any fun." "Yeah, I guess I am a little obsessive." "I like that." "When a guy's obsessed with the right thing." "# Opening inside of me #" "...the way you did "Spun Glass."" "I have to admit, I ripped off that opening lick from..." "Love Sculpture?" "How did you know that?" "Their stuff's been out of print for decades!" "I thought I was the only one who listened to them anymore." "My dad had both albums... and I played them until the grooves were flat." "Really?" "Here, come with me." "Where are we going?" "My place." "I got a surprise for you." "Vintage Love Sculpture on vinyl." "Mint." "You expect to take me to your place... play an old record, and then take me to bed?" "Something like that." "Good." "You know, we'll have more fun if you put this down." "Yeah." "Are you OK?" "Bitch!" "What?" "Not you." "The guitar." "Corey..." "Oh, my God, you're bleeding!" "OK, the bleeding stopped." "How's it feel?" "Stings like hell." "Is that better?" "It's getting there." "What's wrong?" "You're shaking." "Are you cold?" "Did you move the guitar?" "No." "Why?" "Never mind." "You know, Ashley, you don't have to rush off or anything." "We could grab some breakfast and hang out." "I'd like that." "This looks like the Strat that Bobby McCain used to play." "That's 'cause it is." "You are full of surprises!" "You know who had it before McCain?" "C.C. Hollister." "Didn't he jump out of a hotel window?" "Northwood Marquis." "Tenth floor." "Makes you wonder if this thing is cursed or something." "Ashley, I don't think you should be playing that." "Thanks." "I'm just..." "I'm..." "I'm a little weird about that kind of thing." "Ashley?" "Are you OK?" "Ashley?" "Ashley?" "Ashley!" "I don't believe it." "One minute we're making love..." "Here, here." "Take these pills." "Paramedics said they'd help you relax." "She was so beautiful." "Yeah." "I've known her since she was a kid." "It's all my fault." "Corey, now you listen to me very carefully." "As far as the police, the media, and your fans... this was a terrible..." "a tragic accident... and nothing more." "What..." "You think I..." "Are you nuts?" "I didn't kill Ashley." "I just..." "I should've never left them alone together." "Left who together?" "My guitar and Ashley." "Don't you get it?" "The Strat killed Ashley!" "Do me a favor, kid." "Take the pills." "Forget the pills!" "She wants me all to herself... and I know what we had together was beautiful." "It was really, really special." "I know that." "I know that." "But she's just a guitar." "OK, after the video shoot... you're gonna go to Bali for a couple of months... if I have to drag you there myself." "OK?" "Ashley was the one person I really loved... in all this madness... and the guitar took her away from me." "It wanted my mind, my body, and my soul... but I wasn't gonna let it win." "I don't care if nobody believes me." "I know that you did it!" "And I don't need you." "You don't own me!" "I don't need you!" "My talent made me... not some haunted piece of plastic and metal and wood!" "Oh, you don't think so?" "You don't think so..." "We'll see about that!" "We'll see about that!" "How do you like that, huh?" "How do you like that?" "!" "Come on, people." "Let's go!" "Let's go!" "Mind your backs." "Camera's coming through." "Where's the Strat?" "I'm using this for the video." "All right." "How's it looking over there, Steve-o?" "Camera one's ready!" "Camera two's up!" "All right, stand by for rehearsal!" "How's that look?" "All right?" "Help him!" "He's frying!" " Is he all right?" " No, he's not, pinhead!" "You just electrocuted him!" "Didn't you check the grounding?" "Of course we did." "Everything was fine." "What the hell happened?" "!" "I don't know, man." "I'm gonna find out, all right?" "You must have did something wrong, man." "No!" "I checked everything." "Look, check over the amps." "You don't see nothing?" "I don't believe this, man." "We're gonna be needing a whole new tech man." "This is all wrong, man." "What's that doing here?" "What?" "You didn't bring it?" "No." "I don't want that thing anywhere near me!" "Well, we didn't load it!" "You want to play?" "Let's play." "1... 2... 3... 4." "# You see, you find, you feel #" "# You kiss the bliss inside of me #" "# You're everything you need #" "# You know that you're the perfect beast #" "# I keep opening #" "# Inside of me #" "# You keep opening #" "# Inside of me #" "# I keep #" "# Opening inside of me #" "# You keep #" "# Opening inside of me #" "He's freakin' out!" "All right, somebody stop him!" "You can't come in." "That's him!" "Corey!" "Corey!" "Corey... wait!" "Forget it!" "I can't take it anymore!" "We'll talk this out!" "# 1, 2, 3, 4 #" "Don't you get it?" "It's over!" "Sure, it was beautiful when we played together... but you had to keep pushing for more." "You had to keep pushing for more!" "It wasn't enough for you!" "How many lives did you ruin?" "C.C. Hollister..." "Bobby McCain..." "I wonder how many others." "There must have been countless others." "Well, it all ends here." "Well, there you have it." "It wasn't a long trip... but it certainly was a strange one." "Maybe this is why the guitar picked me... because she knew I had the passion to become a star... to press the pedal to the metal... and never let up until I flamed out... as all true rock icons must." "Barely scratched." "This one?" "One thing's for sure..." "I wasn't the first musician to live fast and die young." "And I certainly won't be the last." "A warning for all you wannabe rock stars... make sure you have the talent to back up your ambitions... because sometimes dreams die hard." "Just ask Corey Williams... currently on tour... in the Twilight Zone."