That is why the concept of the book is so exciting: it would have been about the growing-­up of a generation. However, the truly interesting thing about the manuscript doesn’t lie in the wasted potential of the musicians. After thirty-four interviews, it was in the thirty-fifth that a reference was first made to Fogtown, although not yet called by name.

Name: Boriska Schramoweck

Current occupation: magazine editor

Formerly: groupie, girlfriend of the guitarist of Today Bleeds for Roses (emo/hardcore).

Attractive woman, slightly crooked teeth, leather jacket with thigh-high boots. A lot of rings. The flat is minimalist, modern, and rich.

…

B: So you went with them to every concert.

Bo: Yes, I did, but not because it was my duty as a girlfriend or anything like that. I mean, I’m an independent person, I was an independent person even back then, you know. The reason why I went to their concerts was because I believed in what they were doing, that they were conveying an important message to their audience, to the kids, you know. There are so many lost souls that need guidance. I felt like we were starting a revolution.

B: How was the atmosphere?

Bo: Always ecstatic, we really killed it. I think it also elevated the mood that during the concerts everyone wanted to flirt with me, so Tibi (A red note on the printed paper saying that Tibi is the band’s guitarist.) would play with even more intensity. They always headlined. Except for one occasion, when those idiots played after them. Tibi and the others had a fight with the promoter about it.

B: Which band was it?

Bo: I don’t remember. I was a little high by then, I didn’t wait for it. It was a bad night, the only bad night I think.

B: Where was this?

Bo: In the gymnasium of the —— high school.

Balázs didn’t attribute special importance to this incident. Nonetheless, a certain change in his focus can be dated back to around this time period. Although his goal was to explore the life course of his generation up until today by mapping a particular segment of the past, he got more and more bored by the stories. He wanted more. He wanted the exact details.

Not only what happened, but also what stale beer or an empty street smelled like. How an ear rang after a show, how the pillow’s touch felt on a hungover morning. What a first kiss tasted like around midnight. He couldn’t get these details from the interviews, no matter how hard he pushed. (Márton, where did you get this from? Is there a journal too? Let’s not write things we can’t prove. I want to delete this – the Editor).

He became impatient.

It was in the forty-fourth interview that the band was named for the first time.

Name: Sándor Kiss (Piglet)

Current occupation: event organizer, promoter

Formerly: concert organizer, festival organizer, publisher