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== Synopsis == | == Synopsis == | ||
Joe tells us about Rose, the 30-something (at least 32, at most 37) | |||
manager of a (garden) nursery in Santa Monica. She lives in the San | |||
Fernando valley. She has a lover, a man.<ref>'Her lover doesn't kiss | |||
her as much as she'd like him to. She feels it is a very sweet, | |||
loving act and that's probably why he doesn't do it more often.' - A | |||
'lover' doesn't want to perform a sweet and loving act?</ref><ref>She | |||
washes with [https://www.myvitabath.com/ Vitabath].</ref> She drives | |||
an '83 Honda Accord. | |||
8:50: 'The drive to work is a ritual she's performed many times. She | |||
never gets on the freeway. She knows all the back roads and parallel | |||
side streets in her area… When she hits Sunset it's like | |||
reëntering civilization and she turns onto Montana.'<ref>The freeway | |||
she doesn't take is I-405, the infamous San Diego Freeway. The Santa | |||
Monica Mountains block most roads heading south from the Valley. The | |||
streets she most likely takes are Laurel Canyon (made famous by Joni | |||
Mitchell), Coldwater Canyon, Beverly Glen, and Sepulveda, east to | |||
west. Sepulveda is the fastest and the shortest route.</ref><ref>Note | |||
Montana Avenue, the street that divides the wealthy from the riffraff | |||
in Santa Monica appears again. There are no nurseries on that side of | |||
town in 2022 and one does not drive Montana unless going to a business | |||
on or near it.</ref> | |||
10:00: 'there's a country club she passes'<ref>The Brentwood, which | |||
Joe passes in [[Karma Crash]].</ref> | |||
11:40: 'She knows that she's addicted to grass. She can't imagine not | |||
doing it but she doesn't know why she has to do it so much.' | |||
12:20: Someone recounts sitting in his apartment with at least one | |||
other person, a woman, in the late afternoon, where they can hear the | |||
ocean: | |||
<blockquote> | |||
'We sit in my apartment in the late afternoon overlooking | |||
the parking lot, the sound of the ocean in the distance. The sun is | |||
going down now, casting long shadows across my floor on the wall. I | |||
look out at people strolling back from the beach; the ocean shimmers | |||
in the sunlight. We drink coffee. She smokes cigarettes and talks in | |||
a soft, thoughtful, relaxed, and yet, I think, extremely controlled | |||
manner. I don't think that even she's aware of it. This room is a | |||
microcosm of the world. She talks and I listen. | |||
'"Do you know that you were very angry at her?" He says this, leaning | |||
back in his easy-chair. | |||
'"What do you mean?" | |||
'"Because she's forced you to expose yourself. You couldn't hide your | |||
disfigurement from her so she compromised you - and you hate her for | |||
that." | |||
'"I know that. I told her myself how much easier it was before I met | |||
her. You're not telling me anything I didn't think of already." | |||
'"You've been hiding behind your voice and words." | |||
'"Of course I have." | |||
And she comes to my room in the afternoon. She talks and I listen. | |||
</blockquote> | |||
14:50: Joe describes the nursery Rose manages, the work she has to do. | |||
The boss is there 10 minutes a week, leaves the rest to Rose. She'd | |||
like to quit; the job stresses her so much. | |||
22:00: Joe recounts Rose's birth, her childhood. | |||
23:00: 'They [her family] didn't have a lot of money.' | |||
23:10: 'She had a small Shepherd and Siamese cats. And all the | |||
animals got ringworm and she got it too. And they had to put all of | |||
the animals to sleep because they couldn't afford to treat them except | |||
of course for her. And she still has little round scars on her arm.' | |||
<ref>[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dermatophytosis Ringworm] is a | |||
fungal disease. It can be cured by hygiene. If necessary, OTC | |||
topical anti-fungals can be used, the same stuff one uses for | |||
athlete's foot. It doesn't leave scars at all or permanent marks. It | |||
would cost more to euthanize a pet than treat it. Because it's hard | |||
to see underneath fur, it often goes unnoticed - it's rarely | |||
serious.</ref> | |||
23:20 'then she got measles and when that was over the muscles in her | |||
left eyes stopped working and she wore a patch over her right eye to | |||
force the left one to work. And she became nearsighted'<ref>This is | |||
believable. Quoth https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Measles, 'In the United | |||
States, measles affected approximately 3,000 people per million in the | |||
1960s before the vaccine was available. With consistent widespread | |||
childhood vaccination, this figure fell to 13 cases per million by the | |||
1980s, and to about 1 case per million by the year 2000.' It damages nerves, not muscles.</ref> | |||
23:50: After her ophthalmologist's appointment, 'her mother would then | |||
take her to Norm's, a restaurant across the street for a big | |||
lunch.'<ref> Norm's is a cheesy diner chain in LA. In 'Better off | |||
without a wife', mentioning the odd things he has eaten, Tom Waits | |||
includes 'weird patty melts at Norm's' - which gets a laugh, at least | |||
at his shows in LA.</ref> | |||
24:00: 'She grew up in a tract house in Reseda where attractive land | |||
was bought by a developer and a bunch of little houses were put | |||
in… it stood on ⅓ of an acre and they had the best | |||
skateboard driveway in the neighborhood.'<ref>No way a family that had | |||
'not a lot of money' has ⅓ acre nor did a developer who put in | |||
a bunch of little houses give them lots that large.</ref> | |||
26:20: 'Rose got into trouble twice at school once when she | |||
was a member of the student Peace Union in the war resisters League. | |||
She was only 11 years old in the seventh grade. …This was in 1961.' | |||
<ref>Thus she was born 1949/50. Seventh-graders are usually 12-13.</ref> | |||
28:20: When she was 18 she corresponded with an inmate at Soledad, a | |||
maximum-security prison; he was a friend of her older brother. She | |||
drove up to visit him. He recommended that she meet a friend of his, | |||
Detroit, who lived in San Francisco. She did, and they became lovers. | |||
Detroit was a pimp, alcoholic, and drug user. After their | |||
relationship ended she moved back to LA. | |||
37:30: | |||
Someone recounts sitting in his apartment with at least one other | |||
person, a woman, in the late afternoon, where they can see the ocean: | |||
<blockquote> | |||
'We sit in my apartment in the late afternoon, overlooking the parking | |||
lot. I can see the ocean in the distance. I watch the people walking | |||
by beneath me. She smokes cigarettes. She talks in a soft, | |||
thoughtful, voice. | |||
'I ask him, "Why are you smiling? What's funny?" | |||
'"Nothing is: my smile is ironic?" | |||
'"I'm supposed to be comforted by that?" | |||
'You have battle scars not only battle scars but I am embattled. And | |||
I'm losing the war. | |||
'"Don't look at me." | |||
'"No - I will not stop looking at you. I will look at you whenever I | |||
want to." | |||
'It's not my fault, the things that happened to me are not my fault. | |||
But you know I don't really believe it. Sometimes I feel I'm getting | |||
what's coming to me. I haven't been good enough. I've been too | |||
selfish. She'll play whatever game you want her to play. She's a | |||
good friend, a companion, because she can give herself over. That's | |||
one of the reasons she's so important to you. | |||
'And I want to lose myself in you. I want to be injected into your | |||
bloodstream to swim everywhere inside you.' | |||
</blockquote> | |||
40:20: She had a relationship with another pimp until his liver burst. | |||
41:20: Another strange interlude: | |||
<blockquote> | |||
'"Why are you smiling? What's funny?" | |||
'"Nothing is: my smile is ironic." | |||
'"What's happened to you is, well…" | |||
'"Don't look at me." | |||
'"No - I will not stop looking at you. I will look at you | |||
whenever I want to." | |||
'I want to roll down another hill with you and never let go. We're | |||
all battle-scarred, all damaged goods. We're all wounded. I've never | |||
known anyone who wasn't. | |||
'"You know, I just filled my bladder with water about an hour ago and | |||
my bladder just about burst. And now my colon's getting the business. | |||
Do I get anything for this, like a candy or a present when this is all | |||
over?" | |||
'"We'll think of something." | |||
'"I should hope so and I'm thinking what is all this stupid banter? | |||
Why don't you just shut up instead of trying to be cute or whatever is | |||
you're trying to do." | |||
'"Self-loathing - I guess - I'm just nervous." | |||
'"Don't be too hard on yourself." | |||
'Here's my blood I can't give you my body just yet. I hope my blood | |||
passes this test - I've always had problems passing examinations.' | |||
</blockquote> | |||
44:30: Joe tells us about Rose's friend Katie, a nursery school | |||
teacher, who's getting married. A few weeks before the wedding Rose | |||
visits her at her house on Laurel Canyon<ref>must be expensive; she | |||
has cocaine, too.</ref> They make love. | |||
Katie's parents fly everyone to their home on Cape Cod for the | |||
wedding. The night before Katie takes Rose to see her old boyfriend, | |||
David. They drink wine, visit a lighthouse, skinny-dip, have a | |||
threesome. Katie leaves, tells Rose to stay with David. Rose and | |||
David make love. In the morning Rose and Katie make love. | |||
51:40: Joe talks about desert plants: ephemerals and creosote. | |||
53:10: Someone recounts sitting in his apartment with at least one | |||
other person, a woman, in the late afternoon, where they can see and | |||
hear the ocean: | |||
<blockquote> | |||
'We sit in my apartment in the late afternoon, overlooking a parking | |||
lot, the sound of the ocean in the distance. The sun is going down | |||
now, casting long shadows across my floor and the wall. I look down | |||
at people strolling back from the beach. The ocean shimmers in the | |||
sunlight. We drink coffee. She smokes cigarettes and talks in a | |||
soft, thoughtful, relaxed voice. | |||
'"Do you know that you are very angry at her?" he says, leaning back | |||
in his easy chair. | |||
'"What do you mean?" | |||
'"Because she's forced you to expose yourself - you couldn't hide your | |||
disfigurement from her. So you see she compromised you and you can't | |||
help hating her for that." | |||
'"I know that. I told her myself how much easier it was before I met | |||
her. You are not telling me anything I didn't think of already." | |||
'"You've been hiding behind your voice, your words.' | |||
'"Of course I have." | |||
'It's not my fault, the things that happened are not my fault. I | |||
can't really believe it. | |||
'"Don't look at me." | |||
'"No I will not stop looking at you. I will look at you whenever I | |||
want to." | |||
'I want to lose myself in you. I want to be injected into your | |||
bloodstream where you can't see me. We're all battle-scarred; we're | |||
all damaged goods; were all wounded; I have never known anyone who | |||
wasn't. | |||
'Here's my blood. I can't give you my body, not just yet. I hope my | |||
blood passes this test. | |||
'I drive along a Pacific Coast Highway late at night - up and | |||
down the highway. | |||
'We sit in my apartment in late afternoon. I listen to the | |||
ocean. It's getting dark. It's quieter outside. I watch her mouth | |||
moving - I can't hear her talking anymore. I wonder if she knows. | |||
And after she leaves it's back in the car and up and down the | |||
highway.' | |||
</blockquote> | |||
<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="width:100%; overflow:auto;"> | |||
<div style="font-weight:bold;line-height:1.6;">Legacy Synopsis</div> | |||
<div class="mw-collapsible-content"> | |||
The story of a pot-smoking nursery worker, her daily life, her communist parents, meeting a guy in prison and dating his friend, Detroit. Joe speaks both sides of a dialog: "What's funny, . . . don't look at me. . . I just filled my bladder. . . " Sleeping with Katie at her wedding. Ephemerals in the desert. | The story of a pot-smoking nursery worker, her daily life, her communist parents, meeting a guy in prison and dating his friend, Detroit. Joe speaks both sides of a dialog: "What's funny, . . . don't look at me. . . I just filled my bladder. . . " Sleeping with Katie at her wedding. Ephemerals in the desert. | ||
</div></div> | |||
== Music == | == Music == | ||
{{She's Leaving The Bank (Ry Cooder)}} [Intro] | {{She's Leaving The Bank (Ry Cooder)}} [Intro] | ||
Line 36: | Line 302: | ||
The original broadcast credits state: "[R]ecorded and mixed by Tom Strother." | The original broadcast credits state: "[R]ecorded and mixed by Tom Strother." | ||
==Commentary== | |||
Who's talking in the interludes? The narrator talks in the | |||
first person, mentions a woman. A 'he' says 'Do you know that you are | |||
very angry at her?' - who's that? Is the narrator talking to himself? | |||
Joe had a club foot, made his living with his voice and words, lived | |||
in Santa Monica near Montana Avenue - does he allude to himself? Is | |||
he talking to himself? I can imagine it all as internal monologue. | |||
==Footnotes== | |||
[[Category:Serious_Monologue]] | [[Category:Serious_Monologue]] | ||
[[Category:Narrative_Monologue]] | [[Category:Narrative_Monologue]] |