From the next dozen interviews, he learned that in fact everyone knew someone who knew someone who had once been to a Fogtown show, or had wanted to attend one. He roamed through all the high schools whose gymnasiums could have served as a stage for the band, all the empty basements which once were a club or a pub. One of the interviewees told him that he had heard from someone that in its early days Fogtown used to promote itself on posters, but the posters were blank, only photocopied whiteness. No date, no band name, no location. But those who knew the band understood the message anyway. Balázs found a poster like that in the storage room at ——— High School. There was indeed nothing on it, just the blankness of the paper, Xeroxed several times over.

Then he found someone who really knew someone.

Name: Gábor Szabó

Current occupation: locksmith

Formerly: nothing

Dirty flat.

B: So did I understand correctly that you’ve been to a Fogtown concert?

G: Me? No, I haven’t. I didn’t go to any concerts, I’m a disco guy. I went to rave parties, techno . . . you know, I went because of the girls.

B: I was told that . . .

G: Yeah, I know why. I’m Big Sabesz. That was Little Sabesz. He liked this shit. The kid was a big artist.

B: Your brother.

G: Yeah. Half-brother from my father’s other marriage. We always got along well.

B: So he liked rock?

G: Yep. But there was a minor obstacle. He was deaf as a stone. He had tumors in his ears. The operation resulted in a complete loss of hearing when he was nine. He didn’t handle it so well. It caused his death too. He wasn’t looking when he was walking and some motherfucker ran him over with a truck.

B: My condolences. But he still went to concerts.

G: He did, poor kid. I guess it was easier to put up with the guitar screeching when you were deaf.

B: And he went to a Fogtown concert.

G: That’s what he said. We learned sign language together, but when he got home he was so excited that he just waved his arms chaotically. I had to calm him down so that I could understand him. We went up to my room and discussed it there. I don’t know if what he said actually happened. I don’t think so.

B: What did he say happened?