Streetwise

Series
In The Dark
Original Broadcast Date
1995
Cast
William Reinert, J.P. Fenyo
Format
Real People, 24 minutes
Preceded by:	Lila And The Professor
Followed by:	Prayer (Remix)
Purchase or  Stream

"Basically time is just a dimension of the universe."

Streetwise is a program Joe Frank produced as part of the series In The Dark. It was originally broadcast in 1995.

Synopsis

'Basically time is just a dimension of the universe...' A homeless guy explains how people use sound to harm others.

2:20: Guy talks about what happened to him when he came to California, became homeless. He explains that America is a big dog, Los Angeles a giant tick on it that's going to explode.

4:30: 'Geneticists and computer scientists are really working together towards a better future for everyone' making perfect clones to replace people.

5:50: Guy explains why he hates garbage.

7:00: Guy says that his mother (adopted) flirted with him.

10:20: 'No one can dare say for sure one way or the other that a the universe is finite or infinite...' a different guy talks about the universe, how he had to drop out of Brooklyn College, was a bit autistic, dropped out (1987), spent nights on the street. He's living in Baltimore, gives advice on the street, sometimes goes to Washington (DC).

19:50: The first guy is back, tells the story of a fellow going down a road, seeing a group beating a corpse, allegedly because of his debts. The fellow paid off the corpse's debts; the corpse came back as a beggar who helped the fellow become rich.

22:50: The second guy wants there to be a Nobel prize for philosophy.

Legacy Synopsis

A street guy talks about time and music, Los Angeles as a giant tick, being sexually assaulted by his mother, drummers as time creatures. Another guy talks about his infinite uniqueness theory, "Einstein syndrome", going into business with a free advice sign. The first guy talks about dead body being beaten, vampire wealth, being raised from birth in a tiny room and trained to launch a nuclear war. Second guy talks about getting the Nobel prize.

Music

• "Rock Hammer" - Thomas Newman (from Shawshank Redemption Soundtrack, 1994) | YouTube [Intro]

Shared material

Joe re-uses the first 10:20 in Dreamland: A Compilation

Commentary

I've listened to a lot of homeless people in downtown LA - this guy talks coherently (his ideas are nonsense), more like an actor playing a part.Arthur Peabody (talk) 23:28, 29 July 2023 (PDT)