David Gordon
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David Gordon - ‘90s ARCHIVEOGRAPHY - part 2 1 #1 1993 - Poetry Project, NYC - Serious Fun!, Lincoln Center, NYC - 1994 - Dance Theater Workshop, NYC - 1995 - NY Theatre Workshop, NYC 1995 î The Family Business - David as Auntie Annie - Ain as Paul - Valda as Mrs. Wonder. Ain Gordon - 31 - is the responsible only child - of only child Valda - and of responsible oldest child David - son of oldest child Rose. Rose Gordon dies in 1992 - after Sam Gordon dies in 1991 - sheshouldrestinpeace - and - heshouldrestinpeace - Valda - David and Ain inherit auntie Pauline Cooper - in 1992. David is teaching in LA. He don’t fly back for the funerals. Don’t go to no more funerals - David says. Ain kindly takes charge. #2 Rose has been co-signer on Paulie’s bank account - and F trains - to Manhattan to go with Paulie to the bank’n - the podiatrist - and takes her to the eye doctor or - goes shopping with her - on Clinton Street for stockings - or - Orchard Street fa bloomers but after Sammie dies - Rosie has cataract surgery - and - beginsta ask David -- to take care of auntie Paulie - and David - begins to ask Ain to help. #2 # #1 Family comes 1st - David says Fannie always useta say. We live in Manhattan’n Paulie lives in Manhattan - 1 of us - goes with Paulie - to doctors’n does kosher takeout shopping - and to the supermarket’n - Essex Street Market’n - we buy Pauline’s papers. She loves the Star’n - the Enquirer. And TV Guide - she says - is my bible. I can't see the TV - so good no more - and I need a goddamn magnifying glass - ta read the goddamn TV Guide. #2 After Rosie dies - once in awhile in bad weather - or she don't feel so well - auntie Paulie calls - but - after a while - she never feels well’n I always call - David says. Or I do - Ain says - and Ain gets to be co-signer - on Paulie’s bank account - and takes her to doctors - and buys the newspapers’n does the take out shopping. I say hello - it’s me - Ain says. She says - I know who tattelah. How are you? Ohm toy-ed. What did ya do? She laughs - Nothing. But ohm still toy-ed. I'm calling to find out what you need. Ohhhhh tatelah - I dunno. It’s Thursday. Ya want the boiled chicken tops? Noooo - dey don't clean it good. I'll tell ‘em clean it. Noooo. Ohm toy-ed a chicken. It's comin’ outta my eahs. Hows gefulte fish? Nooo. Last time the pieces were too big. I’ll tell ‘em smaller pieces. Noooo. I dunno. How about 2 pieces? Okay - but watch they put carrots in da soup. Last time dey didn’t put. Okay I’ll watch. But not hawse pieces. Last time ya got hawse pieces. David Gordon - ‘90s ARCHIVEOGRAPHY - part 2 2 #1 She goes on binges. Lima bean soup 4 weeks in a row. If ya go by da store with da lima bean soup - get me. Then she don't like it no more. Noooo - they put in too many lima beans. 6 weeksa potato blintzes. Smacks her lips. Then no blintzes. Nooooo - too much onion - it gives me the diarrhea. #2 I arrive with food - David says - Inna beginning I lie about the cost. It’s on sale. Ya think yaw puttin one over on me, huh? She writes down what she owes me - in a little book - David says. After a while she don't ask. Can I throw away what's left of whatever this is from last week? She never throws anything away. Something’s in the refrigerator I didn't buy. She musta called for a delivery. She gets seltzer bottles delivered by Barry - every 2 weeks in wooden boxes. Sometimes the bottle needs shaking. Tatellah - she says - gimme a glassa seltzer - but be careful. Seltzer is dangerous. #1 Hard to run in with shopping’n run out again. Paulie wantsa talk - I hung up on Irene - she says - woulda hung up on Yettie too. I’m mad at ‘em both. Don’t think I don’t know Yettie told Irene. How come Yettie tells Irene - but not me? Why do I hafta hear it - from the big mouth yenta who lives by Yettie? Sometimes I say - David says - I don’t wanna hear all this - but she don’t stop. Sometimes she stops’n says - don’t look at me with ya mother’s eyes! #2 David’s in L.A. when Pauline falls - and cracks her head open. Rosie calls me - Ain says. Paulie ain’t answering her phone. Something’s wrong - Rosie says. Ain uses his key. Auntie Paulie’s onna floor - covered with blood. I call the 1sta the emergency ambulances - Ain says - and I go inna ambulance - with Pauline - to the 1sta the hospitals. Valda is back from tour of The Mysteries. She meets Ain at the hospital. Ain Gordon saves - Valda says - his great aunt Pauline’s life. Simultaneously Ain - the artist - and writer - hasta save his own life. #1 Ain visits Pauline daily - writes down everything that happens - what doctors say - n’nurses - what Pauline says’n - how she says it. She can’t lift the metal lid - offa the food so - lunch time - I go - see she eats - and what - n’I write it down. If ya don’t want me - to write what you say - I say - ya better not say it. #1 #1 #2 AA 1994 - The Poetry Project - at St. Mark’s Church - ê David Gordon - ‘90s ARCHIVEOGRAPHY - part 2 3 The Poetry Project invites Ain to read new work aloud - he says - my new work is Pauline - Ain says - I ask David to read - at the church - with me. David reads - for the 1st time - what Ain is writing. #2 We follow Allen Ginsberg. Is it alphabetical? Gordon after Ginsberg? We are surprised at the audience size - n’the size of the reaction. We are suddenly the Sunshine Boys. The Sunshine Boys is the play by Neil Simon. David says - ya think we can we work on this together? I mean - David says - can I work on it with you? - Ain says okay. #1 Last of David’s typewriters - Italian red molded plastic - dies - Ain teaches him - to use a word processor. Pass the machine back’n and forth - write dialogue - pass processor - David answers - passes - Ain answers - pass. Ain Gordon and David Gordon write and edit together - a play - called The Family Business - about Phil’n Paul - father’n son plumbers n’their old aunt - Annie Kinsman. #2 In The Family Business - a kinda comedy about life’n death - we can do it with 3 performers - Ain says - n’we are - with Valda - 3 performers. David’ll be auntie Annie - in a flowered housedress - n’hair clips from the 5 &10. I don’t shave my mustache - he says - pants stick outta my housedress’n I wear sneakers. I tell Pauline - David says - I’m gonna be you in a play about your life. She laughs. You guys are nuts - she says. Ain plays a character like himself named Paul‘n - 1 like David named Phil’n - 1 like David’s father. Valda is Mrs. Wonder - n’takes care of ‘em all - and - the family business. She’s every home health aide’n every other character - every woman and every man. #1 Valda shreiks ambulance noise as David - as Annie - careens at top speed - balanced on 2 old naugahyde rolling desk chairs - held together by David’s feet - wheeled by Ain. Family Business is performed at Dance Theater Workshop n’1 show at Lincoln Center - David says - Pauline has a heart attack between dress rehearsal - n’performance. David rushes to hospital - finds her n’says - don’t ya dare die till I come back after the bows - n’she don’t. David has an attacka vertigo - before NY Theatre Workshop run - and - Ain startsta see a shrink - before 8 showsa week - for 4 weeks at Mark Taper Forum in L.A. - where we add recorded overture - Life is Justa Bowla Cherries - sung - I think I remember - David says - by Ethel Merman. In 1996 we begin - Ain and me - a new production - together - David says - named - Who’s Anne First? We keep working on it till 1999 - renamed once - Silent Movie - and renamed - finally - First Picture Show - David Gordon - ‘90s ARCHIVEOGRAPHY - part 2 4 #2 1995 - MARK TAPER FORUM, LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA- VALDA - DAVID AND AIN DO 8 SHOWS A WEEK AT THE MARK TAPER. FAMILY BUSINESS IS PERFORMED - NIGHTLY - AND WITH MATINEES. Artistic Director of the Taper - GORDON DAVIDSON è meets with ‘em - Ain’n David - to offer research’n development money - think about - Gordon says - possible next project. Ya know - they say right away - we walk around downtown - they say - to Gordon Davidson - where people shop - for food - and clothes - tee shirts and sneakers - in kinda open spaces - framed by elaborate - deteriorating old movie house marquees. Ya can read namesa old theaters - that useta show the 1st silent movies. #1 We talk about the story of an aged - and forgotten filmmaker - an old guy lives inna retirement home - or a community - he lives with other “invisible” - film folk - guys who made the movies - the movies the public lined up to see - but - the movies disappeared - ’n the movie makers disappeared - and that’s the story - David says - some of ‘em are still here - but they got invisible. Whattaya say? Gordon says okay. #1 Back in NY - Ain calls David from the Performing Arts Library - didya know - Ain says - there were women - they made and acted in their own movies? There’s books about ‘em -they produced’n directed - wrote screenplays - they had studios - they had their own studios - didya know - Ain says - numbersa women - working inna middle of the men - in Hollywood? Forget the old guy - Ain says.