Title
From Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, where the title characters are described as "a pair of star-crossed lovers" (ie astrology is thwarting their relationship). The characters in this chapter are likened to Romeo and Juliet. The "romance" of the title refers not only to a love story, but is often used for medieval tales.

Quote
Another one from Shakespeare – A Midsummer Night's Dream. My second favourite play by The Bard!

Rudi and Miranda
Pete and Viv tell Julian and Noel the story of another pair of soulmates, Rudi and Miranda. They met at the Waystation many years previously, without ever meeting on Earth, as they both died when young. I pictured them as being similar or identical ages to Noel and Julian in the story, ie late teens and early to mid twenties.

Rudi and Miranda fell in love at first sight, and had three days of perfect bliss together before they had their assessments. Miranda was sent Forward, while Rudi was sent back to Earth. Although Miranda studied to gain work at the Waystation and waited faithfully for Rudi to return, each time he came back, he failed to remember her, having had his memory wiped. Their encounters were therefore extremely painful for Miranda.

While Miranda eventually chose to move on and go Forward permanently, Rudi continued to live life after life on Earth, always being sent Back each time. And so these star-crossed soulmates were separated, and have been apart for many years – with Rudi not even realising it. This is the tragic fate which Viv worries Julian and Noel will end up emulating.

Boosh Reality Check
The character of Rudi is inspired by guitarist Rudi van Disarzio in "The Priest and the Beast" from The Mighty Boosh TV show; he is played by Julian Barratt. 

Rudi is partially based on guitar legend Jimi Hendrix – note the similarity of their first names, and the fact they both have Dutch surnames. Rather controversially, Julian portrays Rudi wearing an afro wig and darkened skin. 

"The Priest and the Beast" is generally disliked by fans, but is Julian and Noel's own favourite episode. They enjoyed playing different characters for a change, and had a very giggly time writing the script together in a vegan café.

In the episode, Miranda is the name of Rudi's guitar. Rudi's wife left him after she discovered him in bed with Miranda (he put his balls inside the guitar, and strummed himself to ecstasy). Rudi explains this incident by claiming that he was attempting to change a guitar string in the dark while naked, and became entangled by mistake.

However, he demands, "Is it so wrong for a man to love a guitar?" and later whispers to the guitar, "Don't worry, Miranda. We are alone now." It seemed to me that the episode could be saying that Miranda was Rudi's true love.

I think this is meant to be a sly allusion to the close relationship a guitarist like Julian has with his instrument. In the DVD commentary for The Mighty Boosh, Noel said that Julian often wrote the music for the show very late at night wearing only underpants. Julian laughingly confirmed this, and said he wrote most of it while stressed and exhausted. You can see how this could be turned into a joke about "accidentally" having sex with the guitar.

Miranda seems to be another Shakespearean reference, as Miranda is the heroine of The Tempest – my favourite play by William Shakespeare!

Rudi the Troubadour
In Between Life and Death, Rudi was a troubadour in the lifetime before he met Miranda. This fits in with Rudi being a musician in the show.

The troubadours were composers and performers of lyric poetry in the High Middle Ages, between 1100 and 1350. The movement began in Occitania – a region comprising southern France, northern Spain, Monaco and parts of Italy. "The Priest and the Beast" is set in Mexico, which suggested a vaguely Spanish origin for Rudi.

Troubadour songs were philosophical in nature, usually involving courtly love. Although this is the origin of our modern idea of romantic love, the troubadour was supposed to keep himself at a distance from his adored lady, professing a belief that she was far too good for him. Could this have been a sign that Rudi was primed to meet his soulmate, while not being fully prepared for the experience?

One theory is that the troubadours were heavily influenced by Arabic and African poetry, and I imagined Rudi as a multi-ethnic Occitanian troubadour in this tradition. (His full name may have been Rodouf).

According to Viv, Rudi's career was a contributing factor in him being sent back to Earth. At his Assessment, he kept talking about the new style of music he'd been working on, having pledged himself to develop a new sound. This is taken directly from the TV show, as Rudi is searching for "a new sound" to perform. Most likely, this tendency to look back instead of looking Forward would have convinced the judge that Rudi was not ready to move on.

Julian feels an uncomfortable sympathy for Rudi, because only the night before, Julian himself had been working on a new style of comedy at the Waystation. This suggests that Julian and Rudi are parallel characters. It is also a hint that Julian is not ready to move on either, and is still attached to his earthly ambitions.

A Waystation Mystery
An interesting conundrum is how Rudi apparently ended up at the Waystation for people from Britain. Here are some possible explanations:

1. Rudi travelled to England - troubadours did travel around, including to foreign courts, if they received patronage. If so, this would have been most likely under Henry II and his wife Eleanor of Aquitaine, a noted patroness of troubadours, around 1152-1173.

2. There were fewer Waystations in the Middle Ages, as the population was much smaller. Perhaps there was a Waystation for Europe, or even just one for the whole world, at that time.

3. A slightly more mind-bending theory – there are multiple Waystations, but they are all in the same "place", existing simultaneously. Or at the very least, people like Pete and Viv know about all the other Waystations and feel just as connected as to them as part of their community.

Rudi's Lives
The Troubadour – possibly in the 1100s. He died young, thwarting his pledge to discover a new form of music, and before he could meet his soulmate Miranda on Earth. These factors were crucial in Rudi being sent Back after his Assessment.

The Monk – In his next life, Rudi became a monk, and took an extremely strict vow of chastity. He kept himself away from women to such an extent that he was not permitted to even look upon them. (This is like the real life Greek Orthodox monastery on Mount Athos, where women have been banned for 1000 years). Rudi as a monk is taken from the TV show, as Rudi van Disarzio is a member of the Brotherhood of Psychedelic Monks, and has sworn off contact with women to maintain his chastity.

Rudi's calling seems somehow in keeping with being a troubadour – that same wish to remain at a distance to women, and to transform emotion into spiritual feelings. An intelligent reader thought that it could also reflect a desire to protect himself from love after having his heart shattered by meeting his soulmate.

After he died, Rudi the monk remained faithful to his pledge, and would not meet Miranda when she came to see him. Her plan to use her skills as a Case Worker to help him was thus foiled. She gave up the idea and became a gardener at the Waystation instead – we learn it was Miranda who planted the stunning red roses down Love Avenue.

The Family Man – Rudi was blessed with a long span of years in his next life. He married and had twelve children - Noel exclaims that he was making up for being a monk in his last life, which seems reasonable. It could also be his soul yearning for his perfect match, because Rudi's marriage was happy and loving, and he was devoted to his wife.

I wrote this specifically to make it clear that marriages on Earth may rarely be with a soulmate, but that doesn't mean they aren't genuine. Earthly love is still beautiful, joyous, richly rewarding, and worthwhile. Just because your soulmate has already gone Forward, it doesn't condemn you to loneliness or unhappy relationships on Earth.

When old Rudi died and went to the Waystation, Miranda loved him just as much as she had when he was a handsome young man. However, Rudi did not remember her, and couldn't understand why a "very young girl" was interested in spending time with him. He didn't realise that Miranda had actually been born many years before him, or that he would no longer look old once he went Forward.

Rudi could only think of being reunited with his beloved wife when he went Forward, but he was sent Back yet again. Viv's opinion is that Rudi had a pattern of remaining committed to vows he had made on Earth, showing he was not ready to move Forward. However, it also shows how loyal he is by nature – his marriage demonstrates he is capable of lifelong devotion.

The Next Life – We know nothing of this, only that when Rudi died and came back to the Waystation, he fell for another new arrival and kissed her while strolling in Mandala Park. Miranda was working in the park at the time, and witnessed it. Rudi literally walked past his soulmate, and never looked up to notice her (just imagine – you might have done that yourself without knowing it!).

A lot of readers were almost screaming at Rudi by this point, but when you think about it, some vague soul memory might have told him that his soulmate was at the Waystation. Unfortunately, he latched onto the first person he formed any kind of bond with, and it stopped him from noticing Miranda.

This was the final straw for Miranda, who gave up waiting at the Waystation for Rudi. She went Forward and is still there. Noel's theory is that Miranda is not heartbroken over Rudi – she must be hopeful or she would never have gone Forward. He believes she is faithfully waiting for Rudi with nothing but love and hope in her heart. 

By the way, it must have been the 14th century by the time Rudi died in this life. There's a good chance he died from the Black Death, and he was probably still relatively young. That's another reason he might have had a "grab a chance when you get it" attitude.

Other Lives – Rudi continued living, dying, getting assessed at the Waystation, and being sent Back to Earth. In his multiple lives, he was reborn as both male and female, had his appearance change each time, and had many different careers – he had another religious vocation in one, becoming a preacher (I imagined him as some sort of street preacher or travelling revivalist in the 19th century).

I calculate that Rudi may have had sixteen more lives after the 14th century one, making his current life on Earth his nineteenth since meeting Miranda. Hmmm ...

The Sunshine Kid
Julian jokes that he'll have to start calling Noel 'The Sunshine Kid' due to his sunny, optimistic nature. In "The Power of the Crimp" from The Mighty Boosh TV show, Vince/Noel refers to himself as "the sunshine kid" after Howard/Julian tells him, "You're made of sunshine."

Sweet Pete and Stitch
Viv's nickname for Pete is 'Sweet Pete' 'or Pete Sweet' because of his sweet tooth and sweet nature. Pete calls Viv 'Stitch', but cannot say why.

Pete Sweet and Stitch, played by Noel and Julian, are the main characters in the 2000 short film Sweet. They are friends who unexpectedly become lovers, and it is made clear that Stitch is into BDSM – Julian wears nipple clamps. Although the reason for his nickname is unknown, it may be because he likes to be smacked around until he needs stitches. There is a slight suggestion here that Viv and Pete may have a similar relationship.

https://youtu.be/737SXPVfT5w

Something to Consider
Viv and Pete go to some trouble to tell Julian and Noel the story of Rudi and Miranda. But are all the details true, I wonder? It isn't possible to lie at the Waystation, but it is possible to pass on slightly incorrect information that is sincerely believed. It seems likely that a game of Chinese Whispers may have taken place at the Waystation during the intervening centuries, with poor Rudi an unwitting 'celebrity' of great interest whenever he turns up again.

You also have to remember that Viv and Pete are ordinary workers at the Waystation with a limited Afterlife education. Viv certainly backs down very quickly from his assertion that meeting at the Waystation breaks Cosmic Law, after Julian says that Marcus believes that Julian and Noel did in fact first encounter each other on Earth. I think it would be wise to keep an open mind about the story told in this chapter.

A Fun Fact!
"The Priest and the Beast" is not my favourite episode of The Mighty Boosh. However, it was a major inspiration for the plot of Between Life and Death.

The episode is primarily about the friendship Rudi has with his band mate, Spider Dijon, played by Noel – they are a musical duo called The Bongo Brothers. Rudi and Spider have an argument and go their separate ways, but when Spider proves his loyalty to Rudi, they become psychically connected and reunite. 

Much like Rudi and Spider, Julian and Noel ended up going their separate ways after a punishing set of tours while Julian had twin baby sons at home. The media love to ask them when The Mighty Boosh are getting back together, but once Noel simply said, "We're bongo brothers. We'll always find a way back to each other."

It struck me that Noel was using 'bongo brothers' in the same way as 'soulmates', so I thought it would be cool to write a soulmates story with Julian and Noel finding each other and connecting on a deep level, since Noel basically already said that's what they are.