1993(Melancholy) by Finkle
1993 Melancholy July 2018 draft finkle
1993(melancholy) by finkle
CONTACT: Beth Blickers | APA 135 West 50th Street, 17th Floor, New York, NY 10020 O: (212) 621-3098 | F: (212) 245-5062 [email protected] | www.apa-agency.com
1 1993 Melancholy July 2018 draft finkle
finkle 1993
NOTE ON PERFORMANCE: This piece is to be listened to with your eyes closed while sitting or lying in a comfortable position. However, you are free to open your eyes at any time.
The images displayed in this script will appear on the walls of the space – like waves, coming in and out of focus.
You may catch them, you may miss them, you may see them in partial development and/or disintegration.
2 1993 Melancholy July 2018 draft finkle SETTING The mind’s eye via the ear.
The space is varied in its seating options – couches, lounge chairs, futons, pillows, hammocks (?!!!) yoga mats, there’s a random row from a theatre in the space, which should look strikingly uninviting when surrounded by the rest.
3 1993 Melancholy July 2018 draft finkle PERFORMANCE/CONCEPT Several tape recorders on a table in front of finkle. One tape recorder plays the songs – 2 cassettes A second tape recorder plays the episodes – each episode has its own tape. The tapes are laid out on the table for the audience to see. A third tape recorder could be for sound FX or multi- layered voices – unknown number of cassettes.
Each tape recorder has a microphone pointing towards it to amplify sound. finkle uses the tape recorders to (try to) tell the story.
There is trickery here – sound can morph and grow out of tapes – i.e. – the sound in the room can build but audience shouldn’t notice this at first.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTION Are there other live performers besides finkle in this piece? Yes. However for a long while it should feel like – there’s a man at a table talking to us while also telling a story using tape players.
VOCABULARY OF PRODUCTION Rewind- going back in time Play – playing forward in time Fast forward – skipping ahead in time Pause – finkle has a comment, insight, inspiration, etc.. Stop – at the end of each episode and act.
this recorder reminds me of being a pre-teen. aka, this recorder reminds me of my childhood. I remember making recordings of myself telling stories to myself as early as 8.
4 1993 Melancholy July 2018 draft finkle INSPIRATION #1
The 2013 New Museum exhibition – NYC 1993: Experimental Jet Set, Trash and No Star https://www.newmuseum.org/exhibitions/view/nyc-1993- experimental-jet-set-trash-and-no-star
In particular
This opening image of the exhibition – 12 Televisions each for a different month of the year 1993.
TVs showed historical, cultural events and moments from that month.
I go to this exhibit with my friend Kim in February 2013 and am instantly brought back to the year 1993 and thrust unexpectedly into a mid-life crisis.
5 1993 Melancholy July 2018 draft finkle INSPIRATION #2/OBJECT #1/FORM/LOSS
Random cassette tape
This cassette tape represents the one and only copy of an “album” I made in the year 1993.
I had stolen a friend’s 4 track after I decided I wanted to be a pop star. I recorded 13 songs that I never played for anyone. I held onto that tape for a long time but somewhere over the last decade, in one of many moves, the tape was lost.
I’d like you to imagine that all the tapes that are part of this experience are a stand in for this one long ago lost tape of songs recorded on a 4 track and never played for anyone. I imagine myself not too far in the future finding these tapes in the back of some closet and listening to them for the first time in a long time. How will I hear the past now?
OBJECTS All objects in the space are displayed as if in a museum. Glass cases if possible. Some objects are seen from the start, like this cassette, some reveal themselves throughout the experience as they are mentioned or used in the stories.
6 1993 Melancholy July 2018 draft finkle CONTENTS OF THIS EXPERIENCE
Structure Three Acts 12 Parts -
Act One (Jan-Apr ‘93) has 4 parts • Low Romance – Swift • Last Lonely Nights of Loreena – Tremor • Low Romance – Swipe • Last Lonely Nights of Loreena - Terror
Act Two has 2 parts (April, May, June ’93) • Byronic • Lorena Bobbitt
Act Three has 6 parts (June-December ’93) • Low Romance – Seize • Last Lonely Nights of Loreena – Terrorist • Low Romance – Disappear • Last Lonely Nights of Loreena – Terra • Low Romance – No Romance • +
7 1993 Melancholy July 2018 draft finkle
1993 Soundtrack*
Side One • 1993 • Hard Like a Gun • 6&7 • Jean Wayne Genet • Loreena’s Theme • WonderBar/Backroom (instrumental) • This Cud B Luv • For All Time
Side Two • Warning Bells • Starting to Think I’m Going Crazy • Maybe I Should Runaway • Heart Deep • Biggest Crime • 1993 (melancholy) • Curtain Call (if u wanted to b w/me)
*music can be heard here - http://www.mynameisfinkle.com/1993-melancholy2018 in performance the songs should be played through a cassette player – though they may sonically develop in the space.
8 1993 Melancholy July 2018 draft finkle
CHARACTERS (in order of appearance) finkle1 Steven Tweaker Jean Wayne Genet Byron Loreena Radio Announcer Gym bunny Adamdon’tgiveadamn Maverick secretary Lorena Bobbitt John Wayne Bobbitt Berry And others
1 All footnotes, questions and inspirations spoken by finkle unless indicated otherwise.
9 1993 Melancholy July 2018 draft finkle
ACT ONE January-April 1993
10 1993 Melancholy July 2018 draft finkle
OPENING SONG - 1993
Music. finkle (singing) GONNA TAKE YOU BACK TO A TIME SIX YEARS BEFORE 1999 YEAH NINETEEN NINETY THREE IS THE PLACE TO BE AVENUE B IN THE EAST VILLAGE (NEW YORK CITY) EVERYTHING I WAS DOING I WAS DOING WRONG I WAS ONLY 21 (SO YOUNG!) WENT OUT EVERY NIGHT AND WORKED ALL DAY (I HARDLY WORKED) FOUND TRUTH IN THE DARK SLEPT THROUGH LIGHT WOULD GO TO BOY BAR ON THURSDAY NITES FLAMINGO EAST WAS WEDNESDAY RIGHT THE WONDER BAR HAD A BACKROOM AND IF YOU WERE THERE TOO I PROBABLY SLEPT WITH YOU. THAT WAS 1993
QUESTIONS Were you alive in 1993? Did you live in New York City? Do you remember anything that happened to you that year? Do you remember anything that happened in the world that year? What was your favorite song? Your favorite book? What kind of clothes did you wear? How long was your hair? Did you even have hair? I had a lot of hair then. But I hated it. I hated a lot about myself.
11 1993 Melancholy July 2018 draft finkle LOW ROMANCE – SWIFT January 1-2, 1993
SFX: PLAY. “3,2,1 HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!” It should sound as if we are in the midst of Times Square and then rapidly fade further away as we move downtown… MUSIC: muted sound from inside a bathroom at a club2.
SFX: PAUSE. Footnote.
2 WE ARE IN BOY BAR
15 St. Marks Between 2nd and 3rd (though much closer to 3rd) Boy Bar was only open on Thursday nights. I think the cover was $7? My friend from NYU, Derek took me to Boy Bar first in 1993. He knew everyone in nightlife. When we got to the door at Boy Bar, Derek explained that I was his friend and the door person, looked me up and down and said “$7”. And I think that was the first time I realized I wasn’t a – perfect 10, like my Mom had always told me I was. The Boy Bar was two floors, upstairs a lounge and downstairs in the basement, a dance floor.Lady Bunny, Rupaul, Lipsinka, Mistress Formika, Girlina – before she became Lena. It was sexy, it was cheap, it was THE place to be. It’s now the location of an “informal” Japanese eatery.
12 1993 Melancholy July 2018 draft finkle SFX: PLAY
TWEAKED OUT GUY Wanna do a bump?
STEVEN A bump of what?
TWEAKED OUT GUY You know. Special K
STEVEN As in the cereal?
TWEAKED OUT GUY As in horse tranquilizer. Ketamine. Come on, it’ll blow your mind And then I can blow you.
STEVEN Get your hands off me.
TWEAKED OUT GUY Fine... But do you still wanna do a bump?
STEVEN Sure?
SFX: The harsh inhale, catching his breath after. The music starts to warp.
STEVEN I’m having trouble putting sentences together.
TWEAKED OUT GUY It levels out. It’s good for dancing. I cut it with amaretto. Can you taste it?
Let’s dance!
BRIEF MUSICAL INTERLUDE – Hard Like A Gun!
finkle/Steven/the whole club I’M A VIXEN PAINTED LIKE A BOY NOT QUITE A MAN I’M AN EASY TARGET
13 1993 Melancholy July 2018 draft finkle
WELL THAN TAKE YOUR SHOT I’M MORE THAN YOU THINK I AM
I AM HARD LIKE A GUN PULL MY TRIGGER BABY LET’S HAVE SOME FUN YEA, HARD LIKE A GUN LET ME SHOOT OOH HERE I CUM!
TWEAKED OUT GUY (whispering,echoey – like we’re hearing it through Steven’s ears) Oh sweetie, are you ok in there? You can’t answer me. Try to move your arm. Are you trying? It’s ok. Don’t panic. You. Are. In. A. K. Hole. Just stand here and keep breathing Some time in the next 20 to 45 minutes you’ll regain simple motor functions. Biyyyyyye!
SFX: The sound of Steven’s heartbeat, getting faster and faster. The music, the scene fades away. For a moment we are inside Steven’s body. We can feel how scared he is. What does fear sound like inside your body?
And then –
THE MAN (whispering) Nice penny loafers. You look like you just came from a bar mitzvah. You’re in a k hole huh? Don’t take drugs from strangers kid.
SFX: The MAN inhales Steven’s scent.
THE MAN You smell nervous. I feel bad taking advantage of you right now. But a man’s gotta do what a man’s gotta do.
14 1993 Melancholy July 2018 draft finkle I’m gonna slide your wallet3 out of your back-pocket now See ya.
SFX: FAST FORWARD. PLAY
SFX: soundscape of the streets. Steven rushes out the door of Boy Bar, out of breath
BYRON Leaving so soon?
STEVEN What?
BYRON Whattsa matter baby?
STEVEN I - I- someone stole my wallet.
BYRON Le Boy Bar is not responsible for any items that are lost or stolen.
STEVEN There was a guy. He just left, I think. He was wearing a white t-shirt.
BYRON
3 Steven’s wallet. Object #2 Brown leather Nothing special. Full of paper – notes from people, phone numbers. 4 20’s and 2 dollar bills some loose change an American Express platinum a Visa a Mastercard a calling card
15 1993 Melancholy July 2018 draft finkle You are describing 90% of our clientele except you, look at your in your cardigan.
STEVEN It’s a v-neck.
BYRON Off with it. We don’t believe in SWEATERS below 14th street.
STEVEN Look I just want to find the guy who took my wallet.
BYRON That wallet of yours is gone and done for. Best to let it go.
STEVEN I need my wallet back.
BYRON And I need a million dollars. Let’s focus on things that are more realistic. Like you and me. What’s your name?
STEVEN Steven.
BYRON With a ph or a v?
STEVEN With a v.
BYRON Steven with a V. For v neck atrocity. Let me get a good look at you. Mmm, mmm, mmm. How old are you – 22?
STEVEN 21.
BYRON I give you two years max.
16 1993 Melancholy July 2018 draft finkle STEVEN For what?
BYRON Before your beauty abandons you. Right now in the glow of youth you are a solid 7.5. But when that light fades you’ll be lucky to be a 6. But that’s alright. Sixes and sevens are the hottest lays. Sixes and Sevens will take you to motherfucking heaven! My name is Byron.
MUSICAL INTERLUDE/TRANSITION -SixesSevens
BYRON BETTER THAN AN 8 or 9 TOO BIG (OW!!) SEVEN’s fine THEY WORK HARDER FOR THE PRIZE SIX AND SEVEN PLEASE BE MINE NOT ICKY WICKY TEENIE WEENIE SHAKE EM LIKE MARTINI SIXES SIXES SEVEN SEVEN TAKE ME TO HEAVEN
6 6 AND 7 6 6 AND 7 6 6 AND 7 TAKE ME TO HEAVEN HEAVEN YEA HEAVEN YEA DON’T WANT NO 8 OR 9 DON’T WANT NO 8 OR 9
SFX: As the song fades out, the sounds of NYC almost dawn through a window on the 4th floor. The creaking of an old hardwood floor. Three lamps turned on, one by one. The first a metal chain, the second a click, the third a rope chain -
STEVEN I like your apartment.
BYRON Tell me what you like about it.
STEVEN
17 1993 Melancholy July 2018 draft finkle I like the way you decorated it. I like how you have that cool shade over the lamp in the corner.
BYRON That’s a caftan.
STEVEN And this poster -
BYRON It’s not a poster darling. It’s oil. A gift from a French aristocrat who used to keep me in a cage in Paris when I was little thing like you.
STEVEN He kept you in a cage.
BYRON Let’s not talk about the past. Let’s talk about getting into bed.
SFX: BYRON kissing STEVEN.
BYRON But before we do, there’s something you should know. I got four t-cells. Eenie, Meeanie, Miney, and Mo. And every day one of them threatens to go. Have you ever been with someone with AIDS before?
STEVEN No.
BYRON Are you scared?
STEVEN No.
BYRON You should be. But I’m glad you’re not. I want to re-assure you that I only practice safest sex.
STEVEN Ok.
BYRON Do you practice safest sex?
18 1993 Melancholy July 2018 draft finkle
STEVEN I mean, I’ve only done like making out and … I mean, haven’t actually ever gotten –
BYRON You’re a top?
STEVEN I mean, no?
BYRON So you’re a virgin.
STEVEN I wouldn’t go that far. I’ve hooked up with a lot of, had have had sex with a lot of different guys.
BYRON But no one’s popped your boy cherry.
STEVEN No?
BYRON Are you asking or answering me? You don’t have to answer. I already know the answer. That’s alright. That’s good. Did you know my last name is Flowers? Byron Flowers. And I’m meant to deflower you. I’m going to teach you everything correctly. But safety first! Condoms are too unreliable and I want to make sure we are as safe as possible. My method of safest sex is to wrap my partner entirely in saran wrap.
STEVEN I don’t under-
BYRON It’s pretty straightforward. I have an industrial size box of saran wrap. I pull a long piece off.
19 1993 Melancholy July 2018 draft finkle SFX: Saran wrap being pulled out of box. Sliced off.
BYRON And then I wrap it around our waists sort of like a mini skirts.
SFX: Wrapped around bodies.
BYRON Then I poke holes for private parts.
SFX: The poking of holes. Maybe these are dings?
BYRON And then, finally I wrap our phalluses in saran wrap as well. And slide little pieces in between cracks.
SFX: The sound of this..though I’m unsure what that sounds like.
BYRON And now we get to it.
STEVEN This just seems like a lot of work.
BYRON But it’s already done.
STEVEN Doesn’t it all just fall off?
BYRON Hush up, you’re spoiling the mood. (more intimate now) Hi.
STEVEN Hi.
BYRON “Years from now when you talk of this, and you will –be kind”.
STEVEN Tea and Sympathy.
20 1993 Melancholy July 2018 draft finkle BYRON You’re literary.
SFX: Then the sound of screwing. …kind of gross…
SFX: FAST FORWARD. PLAY. Sounds of Sidewalk Café.4
BYRON My goal is to get myself a record deal and put out a jam for this summer. Premiere it at Wigstock. I already have several recordings and interest from several different labels including Tommy Boy and Maverick. You could be one of my backup dancers except you’re not really in backup dancer shape. Though you could be if you worked a little harder. But I get the sense that you don’t like to work hard for anything. Am I right?
STEVEN I work hard for things I want.
BYRON And what is it you want?
STEVEN I’ll know when I see it.
BYRON
4 Sidewalk Café - Location #3
94 Avenue A, north east corner of 6th Classic Alphabet City eatery On their own website they call themselves a landmark 24 hours food is so so ambience is authentic Steven wears a moo moo borrowed from Byron, Byron is dressed as Faye Dunaway playing Joan Crawford, holding court for all the divas and devoes to pay their respects.
21 1993 Melancholy July 2018 draft finkle Well I know what I want. More of you. I refuse to let you leave tonight. I refuse to let you out of my sight. I want to take you back to my place and play dress up with you till the break of dawn.
STEVEN I need to deal with the fact that my wallet was lifted last night.
BYRON And that will prevent you from coming back to my place?
STEVEN I should probably head home and -
BYRON And where’s home?
STEVEN I’m just staying with – some friends uptown.
BYRON I knew you were an uptown girl!
STEVEN It’s just temporary. Just until I find a place down here.
BYRON You could move in with me.
STEVEN You want me to move in with you? You don’t even know me.
BYRON You’ll move in and we’ll get to know each other. I’ll give you a drawer for whatever things you want to leave with me. Here’s a key.
SFX: Key jangle.
STEVEN I can’t just – take the key.
22 1993 Melancholy July 2018 draft finkle BYRON But you could.
STEVEN I need to think about it.
BYRON Well don’t think about it too long, my offer is only on the table for a limited time. – ooooooooh, look who it is!
GENET (walking up) Hiya Byron.
BYRON Give mama a kiss on her cheek.
SFX: Kiss on cheek.
BYRON Wanna piece of bacon?
GENET You know I don’t eat that shit. Besides, looks more like you’re having chicken.
BYRON He’s talking about you, you know.
MUSICAL NUMBER – JEAN WAYNE GENET
BYRON JEAN WAYNE GENET IS HIS NAME HE’S GOTTA A SORTA NEIGHBORHOOD FAME STEAL YOUR MONEY STEAL YOUR HEART SCREW YOU DEAD THEN MAX OUT YOUR CREDIT CARD Jean, Steven. Jean is my downstairs neighbor. And a vegan.
GENET Charmed I’m sure.
STEVEN I think I saw you at Boy Bar last night.
GENET Is that right?
23 1993 Melancholy July 2018 draft finkle
STEVEN I think maybe you -
GENET Maybe I what?
STEVEN …You just look like someone I saw there
GENET I can’t remember if I was there or not.
BYRON JEAN WAYNE GENET WAITS QUIETLY DON’T EVER DOUBT A MAN WHO NEEDS TO BE FREE Where are you off to?
JEAN WAYNE GENET Gotta see a guy about a thing.
BYRON You are the true definition of shady. Go on with your bad self. FIRST THING TO KNOW JEAN MOVES SLOW JEAN MOVES SLOW
GENET Pleasure meeting you Steven. See you around.
BYRON JEAN WAYNE GENET NEEDS TO BE FREE
STEVEN So he lives below you?
BYRON Has been – going on five years now.
Small beat.
STEVEN
24 1993 Melancholy July 2018 draft finkle I think I will take that key after all Byron5.
SFX: PAUSE. Footnote. SFX: FAST FORWARD. PLAY.
Inside apartment: Snoring.
5 512 East 5th Street – Location #4
512 East 5th Street sits between Avenue A and Avenue B. A pretty non-descript tenement building. There are four floors and 7 apartments. Byron lives on the top floor. He rents both apartments and years ago broke the wall between them.
On the third floor in the back in a teeny studio right below Byron is Jean Wayne Genet.
The front apartment was destroyed in a fire and hasn’t been renovated.
On the first floor in the front lives an old lady, we’ll call her Mrs. Kravitz, she’s not important to this story. The first floor in the back is empty. Mr. Fritz died there two years ago.
On the second floor in the front apartment is Loreena. She’s just about to be 42. She and Steven become friends pretty quickly and frequently get high together.
In the back, Apt 2B is where I live with my roommate Brooke. We just graduated from NYU, well actually we graduated a semester early and we wanted to be in the heart of all the action so here we are. Neither of us has a job or any idea what we are going to do with the rest of our lives. I just know I’m young, freshly out of the closet and free free free.
25 1993 Melancholy July 2018 draft finkle Heard outside apartment: Steps in the hall, like climbing stairs, then walking very quietly.
Steven stirs in bed. Listens to the sound of the steps.
Inside apartment: Steven slides out of bed. His feet touch the creaky floor. He tries to sneak to the door. A couple times the wood floor creaks under him and he freezes. Heard outside: The footsteps outside the door seem to respond to Steven’s movement. Steven makes it to the door. Sound of the peephole being lifted. Just breathing for a moment.
It’s hard to tell if we hear two people or one person. Then we hear something placed on the ground outside the door. Then footsteps quickly receding outside the door. Steven waits until the footsteps are gone. Steven opens the door quietly -it, like the floor, squeaks. We can hear Steven picking something up. He inhales sharply!
MUSIC: Dramatic tremolo strings SFX: STOP.
QUESTIONS
Who was at the door? And what did Steven pick up? Who is Jean Wayne Genet? Is he the same guy that took Steven’s wallet at Boy Bar? I can answer that question – yes. Who is Steven? Is Steven me? Who am I?
SFX: FAST FORWARD, PLAY.
26 1993 Melancholy July 2018 draft finkle
VOICE OF FOREIGN MAN What are you doing here?
LOREENA I’m lost and need help –
SFX: STOP. REWIND. PLAY.
27 1993 Melancholy July 2018 draft finkle THE LAST LONELY NIGHTS OF LOREENA – Tremor February 25th-26th 1993
SFX: LOREENA doing STEVEN’s face. Intensely close sound – the sound of her rubbing make up into his skin.
STEVEN Why would you ever want to leave here?
LOREENA I moved in to this apartment, this shithole of an apartment in 19716.
SFX: PAUSE. Footnote. PLAY
STEVEN I was born in 1971.
LOREENA I’m fucking old. You’re 21 right?
STEVEN 22 in July.
LOREENA You’re a Cancer?
STEVEN July 24 – Leo –
LOREENA But with Cancer on the cusp. Masculine and feminine in perfect unison. I can see that. You have a very – soft
6 Loreena’s Apartment – location #5 2nd floor of 512 facing 5th street. Two windows, one in front of the fire escape. A crap futon, a jute rug, a faux fireplace, a run down kitchenette No art on the walls Lamp lighting A tired leather chair Three locks on the front door A double size bed against the wall near a window A small dresser On top of which sits a radio (more on the radio soon)
28 1993 Melancholy July 2018 draft finkle quality about you. That’s why you take so well to this make up. You are going to be the belle of the Gender Fuck Ball. Look at how your eyes are popping.
STEVEN Ooh that’s hot. Make me more vixen, like – Russ Meyer Faster Pussycat femme fatale. Byron just turned me on to that. He makes me watch one classic movie a day. Jonny at Kim’s7 is sick of me.
SFX: PAUSE. Footnote.
7 KIM’S VIDEO
85 Avenue A Started in 1987 by Youngman Kim – who turned part of his laundro- mat into an anti mainstream video store. By the time I started going there in ’93 it was its own store, with a vast and thoughtful selection of films from all over the world.
And also I used to love to rent porn from the back at Kim’s. Well, when I say love I don’t know if that’s true. It was a moral conundrum most of the time for me, or a fear thing – like I didn’t want anyone to know I watched gay porn –even though I was out, I was afraid of – being queer. So every time I went into Kim’s it was like an exercise in embracing my identity and being fearless with my sexuality.
29 1993 Melancholy July 2018 draft finkle SFX: PLAY.
STEVEN Can you make that vampy flip on my eyes? I need to seduce.
LOREENA Seduce who?
STEVEN No one. Everyone. Everyone I meet. I want to look dangerous and wild.
LOREENA But I was thinking sweeter, look at your sweetness.
STEVEN Fuck that. Everybody always says I have a baby face and I hate it.
LOREENA Don’t worry about your fucking face dude. Look at my ratted out piece of shit of a face. It’s all lines and things being pulled down and I don’t know dude I look at myself sometimes in the mirror and I look, like really look at my eyes, like try to see myself and like I don’t see anything. Like I’m blank inside.
SFX: Silence. The sounds of the space.
LOREENA I have no friends. I used to have friends but everyone’s married with kids and serious careers. Me, I’m still in fucking food prep at Windows on the World. Same shit job I got in 1980. You have to come by for lunch some time. Amazing view from up there. Have you ever been to the World Trade Center?
STEVEN I’m scared of it. It’s too – big.
LOREENA That’s the fucking point dude. It’s telling you it can fuck you so hard you wouldn’t be able to walk straight for a month afterwards.
STEVEN
30 1993 Melancholy July 2018 draft finkle Honestly that sounds so hot. Can I – tell you a secret?
LOREENA I don’t know dude, I’m not – the best at -
STEVEN I was lying before. There is someone in particular I want to seduce tonight.
SFX: A knock at the door.
LOREENA (whispering/freaked) Oh fuck, someone is at the fucking door.
STEVEN That’s Byron. I told him to pick me up here.
LOREENA Nothing bugs me out more dude than a knock at my fucking door.
STEVEN I’m going to hide in the bathroom, I want to make a big entrance.
LOREENA Wait, your secret.
STEVEN Never mind. I’ll tell you how it goes tonight, if anything happens, nothing is going to happen anyway, so..
LOREENA Put on the heels. I hung up your dress on the shower. And be careful not to touch your face
SFX: STEVEN’s feet scurry across the floor. A door shut somewhat quietly Another knock at the door.
LOREENA Who’s there?
BYRON
31 1993 Melancholy July 2018 draft finkle The boogie man. Who the hell do you think it is? Open the Damn Door!!!
SFX: The door swinging open dramatically.
BYRON Smells like weed in here. I thought you quit all your vices.
LOREENA Just for tonight. For baby face. He wanted to get stoned and I had a little left over for a rainy day. Wanna hit?
BYRON Yes. No. Yes.
SFX: Joint being lit and smoked by both.
BYRON I’ve been here for almost a full 15 seconds and two things are bothering me. First, where is my little sweetie and number B, you haven’t once commented on how I look.
STEVEN (muffled thru the bathroom door) I’m in the bathroom! I want to make a grand entrance.
BYRON He wants to make a grand entrance… from the bathroom. Isn’t he the sweetest sweetie?
LOREENA You’re in love aren’t you?
BYRON He’s too good to be true. He’s young, he’s cute, impressionable and seems to have his own money supply. I’m guessing Mommy and Daddy but he won’t talk about it.
LOREENA Just be careful Byron, you know how you –
BYRON Did I ask for your advice?
LOREENA We’ve known each other a long time and I know that you –
32 1993 Melancholy July 2018 draft finkle
BYRON Mind yourself Loreena. (to STEVEN) Ok, darling but let’s not take too long. Mama needs to be at the Tunnel8 early to prepare for the sneak preview debut performance of my first single, “6’s and & 7’s” My record is fierce. Look out here comes Byronic. That’s my stage name. Now do go on and compliment me. How do I look? Do you like my fur? What makes a legend most? Black Glama baby. In the words of the immortal Whitney Houston as stolen from Chaka Khan – (singing) I’m every woman! It’s all in me!!!”9
STEVEN (from the bathroom) Are you guys ready?
LOREENA/BYRON Yes!/ I was born ready.
SFX: The door open. Clunky walking in heels.
STEVEN Ta da.
Silence.
STEVEN Well?
LOREENA Jesus.
BYRON You’re beautiful.
SFX: FAST FORWARD. PLAY.
8 The Tunnel – Chelsea nightclub –1986-2001 9 The Bodyguard came out in ’92 and the soundtrack was one of the biggest selling albums of ’93
33 1993 Melancholy July 2018 draft finkle
SFX: The sounds of Loreena’s evening ritual Brushes her teeth Flosses Brushes teeth again Takes off her glasses Washes face Cleans glasses with breath and rubbing lens on pajama Turns on bathtub faucet Washes feet. Turns off faucet. Tries feet. Turns off light in bathroom. Turns off all lights in apartment. Double-checks that front door is double locked. Walks into bedroom Turns on her radio Sound of radio being turned on. Surfing channels. Then finally settling on one. During the following, the sounds of Loreena getting into bed.
ANNOUNCER -If confirmed Reno will be the first female Attorney General in the United States history.
LOREENA Good for her.
ANNOUNCER It’s Thursday February 25th, of the year 1993. It 10:37in the pm and we are more than halfway through with this HOUR OF POWER. Let’s keep it moving. In Uganda today - - - -
SFX: Loreena’s radio pop and sizzle. The sound melts away
34 1993 Melancholy July 2018 draft finkle LOREENA What the fuck? No. What the fuck. Giga’s radio10.
SFX: PAUSE. Footnote. PLAY.
LOREENA No. Giga! Fuck no. What am I going to do?
SFX: Loreena’s breath becomes erratic.
LOREENA Calm down Loreena, This isn’t the end of the fucking world. Just go to bed and after work tomorrow you can get it fixed. I’m not going to be able to sleep.
10Giga’s Radio – Object #3 Giga- Loreena’s name for her grandmother. Giga was Norwegian by way of Germany who eventually migrated to Queens and met a horrible Italian who gave her 7 children – 3 of whom she liked. Of the 7 grandchildren, she only liked Loreena. When she died she left Loreena her most prized possession – a 1933 Philips 634A AM radio..
and tonight it has died.
35 1993 Melancholy July 2018 draft finkle Take a sleeping pill. Do I even have any sleeping pills?
SFX: LOREENA’s bare feet across the floor into the bathroom cabinet door open she’s rifling through the contents panting. She finds a bottle Shakes it.
LOREENA Expired in August 1991. Expirations dates are bullshit. Take it Loreena. Just take the pill and wait. I haven’t really eaten anything.
SFX: LOREENA get a glass out of a cabinet. Turn on the faucet, fill the glass Faucet off, drinking water.
LOREENA The pill should kick in quick. Just breathe Loreena. Relax Loreena. I can’t breathe. I can’t relax. Giga’s radio. Her childhood radio. Her connection to the outside world. The most valuable object she had in her entire life. And she left it to me because she knew I loved it. And her. I loved her more than anyone. Her daughter. The other grandkids. Papap. No one loved her like I did. It’s an authentic, genuine fucking radio And it’s never had a problem but tonight for no reason, the fucking thing just fizzles? It’s like a fucking omen. Fuck!
I should probably set an alarm to wake up on time. Last time I took a sleeping pill I overslept. And I’m already on probation at work. Fuck you Carl! I don’t have a fucking alarm to set. It’ll be fine. I have a natural alarm clock. I just wake up when I’m supposed to. I just have to mentally imagine the time. I have to be up at 4:15 in order to get to work by 5:30. Fucking breakfast shift.
36 1993 Melancholy July 2018 draft finkle It’s now 10:50. This pill hopefully should start working by 11:15 – which will give me five solid hours of sleep. I’ll make up the rest when I get home, I mean after I bring my radio in somewhere to be fixed. What if they can’t fix it tomorrow. I’ll pay extra. They have to fix it tomorrow.
SFX: FAST FORWARD. PLAY.
LOREENA It’s 11:22 and the pill has not kicked in. Why hasn’t the pill worked. My heart is racing. I’m too anxious. I’m not going to be able to sleep at all without my radio. I need to get this fixed right away. Maybe someone will come over and fix it. A repairman. A sexy repairman who’ll fix my radio and then fix me. When’s the last time I got laid. Don’t think about Loreena it’ll depress you.
SFX: FAST FORWARD. PLAY. SFX: A cab speeding through the streets.
LOREENA It takes 25 minutes to get Jersey City That gets me there at 12:07am. The guy fixes my radio, let’s say that takes 45 minutes – if it’s an easy fix like he thinks it could be. That takes me to 12:52. Then I’m back in a cab. Maybe I should ask this guy to wait. Maybe there won’t be cabs in Jersey City. You’ll have the guy call you a car service. You’ll get a car service, another 25 minutes back without traffic. That takes me to 1:12 am and I have to be up at 4:30. That gives me like 3 hours to sleep but at least after work tomorrow I don’t need to run an errand and my radio will be fixed,
SFX: Sounds of the city, traffic.
37 1993 Melancholy July 2018 draft finkle The sound of the cabbie’s radio playing a college game
LOREENA Hey man, would you put on W.O.R.D. The Dream station. 88.8 on the dial.
CABBIE I’m listening to the game lady.
LOREENA As a passenger I have the right to ask you to put on whatever radio station I want and you have to do it.
CABBIE Look lady, I’m driving you to friggin Jersey City.
LOREENA And your point.
CABBIE My point is – you’re already pushing it.
LOREENA Fuck you!
CABBIE Do you want me to pull over so you can find another cab?
LOREENA Sure. Fine. Pull over.
SFX: The cab pulls over. The door opening, LOREENA stepping out.
LOREENA And fuck you! TAKE A FUCKING SHOWER!
SFX: Cab door slam. The cab pulling away. The cityscape takes over.
LOREENA what am I doing? This is ridiculous. I should head home. Go to bed Loreena. But I won’t be able to sleep. I need another taxi.
38 1993 Melancholy July 2018 draft finkle Taxi! Taxi! Fuck it, I’ll walk to the PATH.
SFX: FAST FORWARD. PLAY. SFX: LOREENA’S shoes on cobblestone. Her breath.
LOREENA My timeline is shot to hell. I’ll be lucky if I get two hours of sleep before work. I shouldn’t have done this. I’m old enough to know better than to get wound up about things I can’t control in the middle of the night. Or at least I thought I was. Fuck. It’s fucking cold.. I can. Hardly. Breathe. Where the fuck am I going? 22 Vroom Street Vroom. Where the fuck is Vroom. Mal is the guy’s name. I can call him if I can find a pay phone. Where are all the payphones? Do I have a quarter? I didn’t come prepared for this. I’m not wearing enough warm clothes to be walking around in the dark in the middle of the night in the middle of Jersey City. It’s like a ghost town here.
SFX: Voices of several men speaking in a foreign language – Arabic - in the distance Then getting louder as its clear LOREENA is approaching.
LOREENA Excuse me! Hello! Hi! Hi!
SFX: The men’s voices get louder. Angry. Panicked.
LOREENA Do you speak English? What? I don’t understand. I’m lost.
39 1993 Melancholy July 2018 draft finkle
VOICE OF FOREIGN MAN What are you doing here?
LOREENA I’m lost and need help finding an address. 22 Vroom Street?
VOICE OF FOREIGN MAN Not here. Go. Not here.
LOREENA Right but maybe somewhere near here? Do you know this area? Maybe one of your friends?
SFX: Other men’s voices calling to the man in a foreign language. We don’t speak this language but we know they are saying – get away from her.
VOICE OF FOREIGN MAN It is time for you to go.
LOREENA Look man, I just - (to herself) Something about this is not right. Something about this guy and the others. A Ryder truck outside a warehouse in the middle of the night. This can’t be good. This can’t be good at all. (to the man) Sorry to bother you.
SFX: LOREENA turns and walks away.
LOREENA Act casual. Walk slow. Walk slow. Don’t turn around and see if he’s looking at you He could have a gun. He could be aiming it at my head right now. I think I hear him following me. I’m going to pick up my pace. I’m going to move faster now. He’s behind me.
40 1993 Melancholy July 2018 draft finkle I know he is. Don’t turn around. Run. Run for your fucking life!
SFX: LOREENA running, out of breath She trips on a cobblestone and falls to the ground. She loses her grip on Giga’s radio. The radio smashes to pieces. The radio smashing is violent and potent.
LOREENA My radio.
SFX: LOREENA desperately trying to pick up pieces of the broken radio. She’s out of breath, scared, hurt, frantic. Someone’s coming closer! Footsteps, running towards her.
LOREENA Who’s there?
SFX: The footsteps get closer, MUSIC: Dramatic music swells SFX: STOP.
QUESTIONS Who is coming towards Loreena? Is it the foreign man? Who is the foreign man? What were a group of men doing in the middle of the night in Jersey City in February standing next to a Ryder Truck? Is Loreena’s life in danger? Are you worried about Loreena?
41 1993 Melancholy July 2018 draft finkle LOW ROMANCE – SWIPE March 21-22, 1993 (the vernal equinox, in case you’re into those sorts of things)
MUSIC: WONDER BAR/BACK ROOM11 (footnote spoken over music)
11 Wonder Bar - Location #8
505 East 6th It’s a tiny narrow bar with a lot of personality. previously Eastern Bloc It’s now Club Cumming – I have a lot of mixed feelings about Alan Cumming, which probably make me a bad gay. It’s just that I had a strange experience with him that I’m partly culpable for but mostly it was him. If you want to know about this experience you can ask me about it at a break… Porn plays on the TV monitors, cool music fills the air. Cigarette smoke, a light waft of marijuana. A dull roar of conversation. Most men though aren’t talking. They are cruising. Wonder Bar had a backroom. It was a small backroom but that’s what made it so hot. Everyone was pushed into it, all sweaty and gooey This was one of my favorite places to go. I usually left there all sweaty and gooey, drunk and tingly. I always say - I met all my favorite STD’s here. Which I think is funny. Now.
42 1993 Melancholy July 2018 draft finkle
SFX: PLAY.
STEVEN Fancy meeting you here.
GENET Do I know you?
STEVEN …I'm Steven. We - you- I'm Byron's -
GENET Oh yea, the twink with the twinkly eyes. Nice eye shadow.
STEVEN Thanks. It’s from the Jacquelyn Smith collection.
GENET I'm Genet. Jean Wayne Genet.
STEVEN I know your name.
Beat.
STEVEN Anyway, I just wanted to thank you for giving me back my wallet.
GENET I don't know what you're talking about.
STEVEN You lifted my wallet at Boy Bar and then –
GENET Are you accusing me of being a thief?
STEVEN No. No. No.
GENET I’m just teasing you. Everyone knows I’m a thief.
43 1993 Melancholy July 2018 draft finkle You’re welcome.
Beat.
GENET Where's Byron?
STEVEN Out of town. Doing a show in Philly. He’s been going every Sunday night for the last couple weeks. He comes back in the afternoon tomorrow.
GENET So you’re free for the night.
STEVEN I’m free whenever I want to be.
GENET I thought you two were –
STEVEN I don’t want to talk about Byron.
GENET Yea sure.
STEVEN He told me to stay away from you, you know.
GENET I thought you just said -
STEVEN He said you're trouble. Are you trouble?
GENET Are you flirting with me kid?
STEVEN Maybe I am Daddy.
GENET Don't call me Daddy kid.
STEVEN Don't call me kid Daddy.
44 1993 Melancholy July 2018 draft finkle
MUSCLE BUNNY Hey.
STEVEN Hey?
MUSCLE BUNNY Can I buy you a drink?
STEVEN I’ve got a drink thanks.
MUSCLE BUNNY I’ve seen you at Mega Fitness12.
SFX: PAUSE. Footnote. PLAY
STEVEN Oh yea I just joined there.
MUSCLE BUNNY We work out at the same time. We should spot each other.
STEVEN Yea sure, ok, listen I’m talking to my – friend here.
MUSCLE BUNNY Who?
GENET Hiya.
MUSCLE BUNNY
12 Mega Fitness was on the corner of Houston and Broadway. It’s where the Crate and Barrel is now. That was my first gay gym. Oh my god I love a gay gym. I used to hook up there all the time. Do people still say hook up or is there any more modern term for this? I worry about unknowingly losing touch with popular vernacular and clothing, especially at the gym. Have you ever seen someone at the gym and you’re like – they are wearing gym clothes from another generation – I’m horrified of being that person, which means I probably am. Ugh
45 1993 Melancholy July 2018 draft finkle I don’t actually see guys who are over the age of 33. Like literally. Well anyways, if you ever need a spot. I’m Trey. And you are –
STEVEN Robbie Neville.
MUSCLE BUNNY Ok Robbie Neville. You know where to find me. (Trey then hisses at Genet)
GENET He just hissed.
STEVEN Oh my god that was ridiculous. First of all he’s an idiot. Anyone who doesn’t know that Robbie Neville sang “C’est La Vie” and that I’m clearly NOT Robbie Neville, and that I was making a joke, does not deserve to exist. As if I would ever hookup with him. He’s so not my type.
SFX: GENET inhales STEVEN’s scent.
STEVEN Did you just – smell me?
GENET I have a thing for scents.
STEVEN I have a scent?
GENET Everyone has a scent.
STEVEN What’s my scent?
SFX: GENET inhales again.
GENET Sweat. Soap. Fruit. Post sex funk.
46 1993 Melancholy July 2018 draft finkle
Nice long silence between them.
STEVEN Have you ever been in the backroom here?
GENET What do you think?
STEVEN I've never been before.
GENET Yea right.
STEVEN I haven't. I'm thinking about going.
GENET If you want to, you should.
STEVEN You trying to get rid of me?
GENET I'm not trying anything right now.
STEVEN I think I'm going to go in.
GENET Just keep your wallet in a safe place. Wouldn't want someone to swipe it.
STEVEN Ha ha hah. I don’t carry a wallet anymore. I just stuffed some cash into my bikini bottom. Don’t believe me?
GENET I believe you. Good seeing you kid.
STEVEN Don't follow me.
47 1993 Melancholy July 2018 draft finkle SFX: Then the tape gets tripped up and sounds like its going to unravel. finkle has to stop for a moment and manually feed the tape back into the cassette, whilst doing this, finkle “improvises” about what happened in the back room – which is basically nothing, Steven went back there, got felt up then Genet followed him and … It should feel like no big deal..Once tape is fixed, PLAY.
SFX: Utensils, orders being taken, someone knocking on a bathroom door over and over again. MUSIC – THIS CUD B LUV-underscore
STEVEN Why aren’t you eating any of the fries?
GENET I don’t eat starchy things.
STEVEN We could have ordered something else.
GENET I’m not hungry.
STEVEN But you’re the one that wanted to go out for food13.
SFX: PAUSE. Footnote. PLAY.
GENET
13 Leshko’s – Location #9
Leshko’s coffee shop. 111 Avenue A on the northwest corner of 7th and A. Opened 1957 A Ukranian diner, distant cousin to Veselka and the Kiev, may it rest in peace. It closed in 99 and is now some non descript Latin place..
48 1993 Melancholy July 2018 draft finkle Maybe I just wanted to get to know you better.
STEVEN Well, Then ask me some questions. You’re just - sitting there staring at me.
GENET You want another drink?
STEVEN I shouldn’t. The room is practically spinning.
GENET Lemme see your hand.
STEVEN Why?
GENET I read palms.
STEVEN Bullshit.
GENET Why would I lie about that? Gimme your hand
STEVEN Fine
GENET Your skin is soft.
Alright, look here, this is your lifeline Which is actually um Well, Very short.
STEVEN So you’re telling me I’m going to die young.
GENET Looks like you’re going to live Hard though.
49 1993 Melancholy July 2018 draft finkle STEVEN I come from a long line of people who live deep into their 90’s.
GENET Not you kid.
STEVEN How long do I have?
GENET From the looks of this maybe one, or two- minutes.
STEVEN Ha ha ha
GENET Laughing.
STEVEN Can you even read palms?
GENET No. just wanted to touch your skin again.
STEVEN So are you a professional pickpocket?
GENET Amongst other things, sure.
STEVEN What other things?
GENET Dark things. Not things for a kid with a mug like yours ever to worry themselves about. How much money do you come from?
STEVEN That’s a weird question to ask.
GENET No it’s not. You look like money.
STEVEN
50 1993 Melancholy July 2018 draft finkle I don’t come from money.
GENET Sure you do, you have good teeth. You’ve been to a dentist and an orthodontist. Look at my teeth.
STEVEN They’re not that bad.
GENET They’re not good either. They’re poor people teeth.
STEVEN Well I’m not like super rich.
A VERY BRIEF MUSICAL INTERLUDE – THIS CUD B LUV
finkle THIS COULD BE LOVE THIS COULD BE TROUBLE THIS COULD BE BOTH BETTER RUN BETTER RUN
STEVEN I have a confession to make.
Don’t you want to hear my confession?
GENET I’m waiting.
STEVEN Well I didn’t know, you didn’t ask.
GENET What’s your confession?
STEVEN I’ve been following you.
GENET Following me.
STEVEN Well, not following, I don’t know – Kind of
51 1993 Melancholy July 2018 draft finkle I know your routines I shouldn’t be telling you but For example Mega Fitness I only joined there because I know you go there And I go at the same time as you do but I stagger myself like 15 minutes so it doesn’t look like I’m there at the exact same time as you. Either fifteen minutes earlier or later than you. I tried to get your attention at the Gender Fuck Ball but it was like you didn’t even see me. I literally got in your way three times but whatever. And I know you come to wonder bar on Sunday nights. You never see me. But I see you, sitting at the end of the bar, drinking your bourbon, keeping to yourself. And On Thursday nights sometimes I shadow you when you pick pockets at boy bar. I’ve tried to pick pockets too but I’m no good at it. I keep getting caught and have to run like hell. I don’t think I was meant to pick pockets. How do you do it?
GENET I’m smooth like a surface. The knife slice is thin. Therefore the knife must be sharp. Swift, swipe, seize, disappear.
STEVEN Swift, swipe, seize, disappear. Swift, swipe, seize, disappear (Repeats)
GENET Try the swipe with this knife. Try the motion.
SFX: STEVEN trying to swipe the knife.
STEVEN I’m not –
GENET Your hands are too delicate.
Beat.
STEVEN I have fantasies about you.
GENET What kind of fantasies.
52 1993 Melancholy July 2018 draft finkle
STEVEN Rough stuff.
GENET Do you want me to rough you up?
STEVEN …I want you to break me.
Beat.
GENET Your disco fries are getting cold.
STEVEN I’m not hungry anymore. For food at least.
SFX: FAST FORWARD. PLAY.
STEVEN Wait, I have a condom in my fur coat14.
SFX: PAUSE. Footnote. PLAY. GENET I don’t believe in condoms.
STEVEN You mean you don’t believe in their existence?
GENET Very funny kid. No I don’t believe in using them. I can’t stay – focused with one on.
STEVEN But what about –
14 Genet’s apartment – Location #10 A spare studio facing south, it looks at the back of another building. A stove and European fridge, a small dresser, a simple wood chair at a simpler wood table, a small transistor radio sits on top. Off to the side a small bathroom/shower. There are no closets. There’s one bookshelf with one book on it. Being and Time.
53 1993 Melancholy July 2018 draft finkle GENET I’m negative. Are you?
STEVEN I – think I am – I don’t know. I should get tested. I’ve never gotten tested. I’ve only had sex with condoms
GENET Just trust me alright?
MUSICAL NUMBER – FOR ALL TIME (the sweetest moment in this entire story)
STEVEN WAKING UP NEXT TO U FEELS SO RIGHT I’D LIKE TO B HERE 4 ALL TIME U CAN JUST LAUGH ABOUT IT SAY ITS NOT RIGHT BUT I COULD B HERE 4 ALL TIME
MAYBE U THINK ITS QUICK ALL MY FEELIE FEELS BUT I KNOW WHEN A FEELING’S RIGHT
EVERYTHING ABOUT U IS SO FINE I’D LIKE TO B HERE 4 ALL TIME (I’D LIKE TO B HERE 4 ALL TIME) B HERE 4 ALL TIME B HERE 4 ALL TIME I’D LIKE TO B HERE 4 ALL TIME B HERE 4 ALL TIME BE HERE FOR ALL TIME I’D LIKE TO B HERE 4 ALL TIME
ON AND ON AND ON OUR LIFE CAN BE A SONG I’D LIKE TO B HERE 4 ALL TIME
ON AND ON AND ON OUR LIFE CAN BE A SONG I’D LIKE TO B HERE 4 ALL TIME
ON AND ON AND ON
SFX: We hear GENET stretching, yawning.
54 1993 Melancholy July 2018 draft finkle STEVEN Good morning sleepy head.
GENET Hey kid. Come here..
SFX: Sound of a beeper going off.
STEVEN What’s that?
GENET My beeper.
STEVEN You have a beeper?
GENET Yea.
SFX: Sound of Genet getting up and looking for the beeper. He pulls it out his pants pocket, across the room. The sound gets louder then stops.
GENET Fuck. Fuck.
STEVEN What is it?
GENET Nothing. Fuck. Look, I have to – you have to – this was fun but –
STEVEN Wait, you’re kicking me out?
GENET Yes. No. For now. I have to go – and so do you. We can’t be here. Get dressed.
STEVEN Um –
55 1993 Melancholy July 2018 draft finkle
GENET Kid you’re not understanding the danger we’re in.
STEVEN Explain it to me.
GENET I don’t want to get you involved.
STEVEN I can handle whatever it is-
GENET I need money to pay off these people.
STEVEN What people?
GENET Bad people. I don’t want to tell you. I don’t want you to know. But I need to pay them. This morning. And last night, you took me off my game and I’m short.
STEVEN How short are you?
GENET …two grand.
STEVEN Two thousand dollars!
GENET I know I know but I’ve gotten that amount of money in one night before. I’d done it before.
STEVEN But don’t you have any money saved? I mean, you pick pockets all the time –
GENET I give them practically everything I make. You think I live like this by choice? I need to go, we need to go.
STEVEN
56 1993 Melancholy July 2018 draft finkle But what are you going to do?
GENET I don’t know kid.
STEVEN What happens if you can’t pay?
GENET Best-case scenario they beat me to a pulp. Worst-case scenario I get the Chicago overcoat.
STEVEN Chicago overcoat?
GENET Cement shoes. They’d stand me in a bucket of cement and hold me there until it dries, which takes hours and hours then drop me into the east river alive.
STEVEN Oh my god.
GENET I’m doomed kid. Unless. No no.
STEVEN Unless what?
GENET I hate to ask you this kid. But maybe, you could help me?
STEVEN Me? How?
GENET You got a credit card don’t you?
STEVEN Um –
GENET I remember in your wallet, you had a credit card, a gold MasterCard didn’t you? We could go to a bank and get cash. What do you say kid?
57 1993 Melancholy July 2018 draft finkle Will you help me out?
SFX: Beeper goes off again and this time it gets louder and louder.
GENET Fuck That’s them again. Will you help me kid? My life is in your hands.
SFX: STOP.
QUESTIONS Do you think Genet is conning Steven? Or do you think he’s in real trouble? Or both? Do you think Steven can trust Genet? Do you think Steven knows he can’t? Do you think Steven cares? Do you think they had unsafe sex? Do you think that was a good or bad decision? I’m asking you to judge. Do you think it was good or bad? Right or wrong? Dangerous or Safe?
SFX: REWIND. PLAY.
58 1993 Melancholy July 2018 draft finkle
ANNOUNCER It’s Friday February 26th, of the year 1993. It 10:37in the pm and we are more than halfway through with this HOUR OF POWER. Let’s keep it moving. We’ve been spending this whole hour processing and talking about what happened this morning at the World Trade Center. For those of you just tuning in and somehow have missed this, today at 12:17pm a bomb went off in the basement of the North Tower of the World Trade Center.
So far there are 6 known SFX: Radio news of deaths. It is unclear who immediate response to is responsible for this bombing on the 26th mixes in though many believe it to and takes over creating a be the Bosnians. I – I’ve myriad of voices responding been in news for a long – fury, fear, confusion, time folks but tonight, I’m pain, despair, mixing – well, goddamn it, I’m faster and faster scared –
SFX: FAST FORWARD. PLAY
59 1993 Melancholy July 2018 draft finkle
THE LAST LONELY NIGHTS OF LOREENA - TERROR April 23, 1993
ADAM DON’TGIVEADAMN (or should be this the announcer from HOUR OF POWER?) And we’re back tonight on WWWTHREE, Your world, Your city, Yourself. I’m your host Adam Don’tgiveadamn. It is April 23rd at 4 in the am and for those just tuning in we’re talking about the Feb 26th terrorist attack on the World Trade Center. 6 people were killed and thousands of others injured. Is our government to blame? Has the government done enough to make us feel safe? On the line right now we have Loretta from the East Village, who was in the World Trade Center when the bomb went off. Hi Loretta thank you for coming on the show tonight
LOREENA First its Loreena you fucktard.
ADAM DON’TGIVEADAMN Whoa whoa whoa whoa whoa Loreena, we can’t curse on the radio, the FCC -
LOREENA Sorry man, I forget about how the government basically rapes us on every level all the time. We have freedom of speech but we can’t say what we want to say on the radio? The radio is monitored by -
ADAM DON’TGIVEADAMN We’re talking about the World Trade Center bombing tonight –
LOREENA I was there man. I was there when it happened. I was a witness to the event. No, I was part of the event.
ADAM DON’TGIVEADAMN And what was that like?
LOREENA Most terrifying moment of my life. I was in the elevator on my way down to the friggin’ basement. My idiot boss, ex boss wanted me to get something out of his Camry. I was basically doing grunt
60 1993 Melancholy July 2018 draft finkle work for this prick that lorded all this bogus power over me over a decade! Carl if you’re listening -
ADAM DON’TGIVEADAMN So you were on your way down to the basement when the bomb went off, wow!
LOREENA Yea. Wow. I was like on the 6th floor in the elevator.
SFX: FAST FORWARD. SFX: The sound of the bombs shaking the building grows – like its taking over LOREENA’s head. Is this the sound she hears all the time now?
LOREENA It wasn’t so much that it was loud It was vibrational, It made me feel so – small. Like, inconsequential.
SFX: Stay in this sound for a good amount of time. How long does it take to truly experience the sound? When ready, FAST FORWARD
LOREENA It’s a long story but I was in Jersey City a little after midnight, the night before, on the 25th because my radio broke and there was supposed to be a guy who fixes radios out there but I got turned around and I ended up on this one street and there was these guys, all foreign, like I guess, well now I guess they were muslim or arab or whatever and they were packing crap into the back of this Ryder truck and I’m pretty sure now that they were terrorists.
ADAM DON’TGIVEADAMN You’re telling me that you saw the terrorists the night before the bombing.
LOREENA I’m pretty sure yea. Mahmud Abouhalima - when I saw his picture in the paper I was like – that’s one of the guys I saw. I talked to him man. I stood like three feet from him, no, closer than that.
ADAM DON’TGIVEADAMN What did you talk about?
61 1993 Melancholy July 2018 draft finkle LOREENA I was trying to get directions. I was lost and kind of frantic. He came over to me, I was approaching them and he came over to and the other guys started talking loud in some other language and I think they were gonna kill me but Mahmud saved me. Or spared me. Or I don’t know but I guess I’ve been tripping hard on that, that I saw them. Because I mean, look I know I couldn’t have done anything about it then, I mean I didn’t know who they were or anything but my gut told me they were bad you know? And I didn’t say anything to anyone. (getting increasingly frenetic) I ran for my life you know and then I met this guy, a cabbie who saw me fall, I fell, dropped my radio, its destroyed now, I have this fucking shitty transistor now. And that fucking destroys me. I’m destroyed you know. That radio was like –
I just keep freaking myself out because I think maybe I could have stopped it. If I had gotten into the elevator like 2 minutes earlier, I would be dead. I would be dead.
I quit my job at WTC, I’m never going back in that building as long as I live or that building stands. You read in the paper what Steven Coll said, about the letters Yousef sent before the attacks. This is just the beginning. This is just the frigging beginning. They are going to blow that building up. I know they are, I know it’s going to happen, when I saw their faces, these are men who are serious.
They are focused, strong, they looked to me like, I had a boyfriend once, he was a professional athlete, a swimmer, the 500 freestyle. Beautiful strokes and beautiful man, just – I probably peaked with him. He was the best it was going to get and I screwed it up, I was young and I hooked up with his coach, it was a thing I think for me, like a fetish thing or a power thing, it was definitely a power thing, going after the daddy or whatever, I don’t know it doesn’t matter what I’m trying to get to is that when he had a goal, like that involved swimming, like to get his time faster or to improve something or beat someone, he’d get this look in his eye. If you’ve never seen the look you may not understand but it’s the look of determination. Steely. Like they only see
62 1993 Melancholy July 2018 draft finkle you as a shape in front of their goal. And that’s what these men looked like to me.
They have a goal. And they failed. And they are going to come back and finish it. It’s already happened for them. They are already celebrating it. And man, this is what trips me out, its like no one even cares here. Like it was a big inconvenience for everyone that the power was knocked out for a little while. Like that was biggest problem and I’m here tonight, I called in because you’re talking about the government reaction to this and I’m telling you that the government is downplaying this. That like we are so – we are so screwed. Like we have to WAKE UP TO WHAT IS HAPPENING! America was attacked. That was the beginning of a war but its not like a war that we’re used to and we’re already dead. I know this sounds, I don’t care how this sounds, I know its crazy, I know it sounds that way but if you look into everything I’m saying its all true. Look into who these people are and why they hate America. And ask yourself if they are right or wrong. They sent us a warning shot and we are acting like nothing happened. We are acting like that was just some crazy thing that happened. But I’m telling you that the same way I got all shook up in that elevator and changed forever, so did America. But I’m quicker to recognize it. Maybe its because I live in the last remnant of bohemian purity in New York City and I see how capitalism and greed and money money money is destroying this city and if its destroying this city its destroying the entire country you know? We are all being destroyed by our need to chase after the almighty dollar and I’m saying that that attack should be a wake up call for everyone. We should all be thinking about why we built two massive phalluses up to the sky and filled them with money.
SFX: Knocking at her door. Silence
ADAM DON’TGIVEADAMN Loreena, are you still there?
LOREENA
63 1993 Melancholy July 2018 draft finkle (whispering) I gotta go.
SFX: LOREENA hang up the phone quietly.
LOREENA Who’s there?
SFX: STOP.15
15 During this break audience can survey the objects and other ephemera, look at images and do all the other stuff audiences do at intermission.
64 1993 Melancholy July 2018 draft finkle
ACT TWO April, May, June 1993
65 1993 Melancholy July 2018 draft finkle
MUSICAL NUMBER - WARNING BELLS
BYRON appears live to sing this song. Will the audience see BYRON?
BYRON This song is a warning Listen up. DON’T GO TO THE HAUNTED PLACE LISTEN TO MY SOLID CASE HERE NOW YOU THINK DANGER IS YOUR KIND OF RACE BUT FEAR SHINES RIGHT ON YOUR FACE CLEAR NOW OH LOVE YOU’RE WARNED WITH THESE WORDS FROM ME YOU BETTER WATCH YOUR BACK BETWEEN THE SHEETS IF THESE WORDS REVERBERATE DON’T BE STAYING OUT TOO LATE (LATE LATE LATE LATE) WHEN YOU FALL IN LUST NOW BABE YOU GOTTA KEEP YOURSELF ON LAND WINDS WILL BLOW YOUR HEART AROUND AND YOU WILL NOT KNOW WHERE YOU STAND SO IF THESE WORDS REVERBERATE DON’T BE STAYING OUT TOO LATE
BYRON joins finkle to play tapes. (who’s doing what tape when/why TBD)
66 1993 Melancholy July 2018 draft finkle BYRONIC: EPISODE ONE OF ONE April 1993 but also backwards and forwards in time.
SFX: PLAY (rapid fire) Heart beat. Knife stabbing flesh A guttural moan. A quiet “no”. (switch, rewind sound?) running down stairs, being chased knock on door. LOREENA! Who’s There? REWIND. PLAY.
BYRON This is an out-loud testament To the air, to the dust, to the trees outside I’ve not enjoyed getting older Even if I was supposed to be dead years ago I can’t get over youth.
SFX: REWIND. PLAY. Then sound of plate being picked up.
STEVEN Where’s the dishwasher?
BYRON You wash your own dishes here.
SFX: Sound of plate being dropped in the sink.
STEVEN I’ll do it later.
SFX: FAST FORWARD. PLAY. MUSIC underscore.
BYRON where do you go when you sleep do you live another life? where are you from? what is your middle name?
67 1993 Melancholy July 2018 draft finkle Who was your first love? What was your favorite subject in school? It’s the middle of March and I don't know any of these things about you And where have you been going in the evenings And with who? Do you have friends? Or do you have a lover? Do you have another lover? Do you have another lover? (another lover echoes)
SFX: FAST FORWARD. PLAY. Sounds like a secret knock. Byron coming to the door.
BYRON Who's there?
SFX: sound of footsteps retreating. Byron rushing to unlock the door and catch the person. Calling into the hallway, the stairwell.
BYRON Who's there?
SFX: REWIND. PLAY.
SFX: Shift in time/over time each gets faster and faster, like a record speeding up
STEVEN Hey can I borrow some cash?
BYRON Sure baby.
SFX: sound of a cashier's box - ding! (MONEY!) SFX: FAST FORWARD. PLAY. (rapid fire) Heart beat. Knife stabbing flesh A guttural moan. A quiet “no”.
REWIND. PLAY
STEVEN Hey can I borrow some cash?
68 1993 Melancholy July 2018 draft finkle
BYRON sure baby.
SFX: sound of a cashier's box - ding! (MONeY!) FAST FORWARD. PLAY out of breath running down stairs, being chased knock on door. LOREENA! Who’s There?
REWIND. PLAY
STEVEN Hey can I grab some cash?
BYRON ...sure baby.
SFX: sound of a cashier's box -ding! (MONEY!)
STEVEN Actually, can I have a little more?
BYRON How much more?
STEVEN maybe $80? $100, a sold $100.
BYRON Where are you going tonight?
STEVEN Atlantic City.
BYRON Why in the world –
STEVEN April Fools.
BYRON Ha ha ha. Very funny.
STEVEN Just going - to the usual. Flamingo East first and then - I
69 1993 Melancholy July 2018 draft finkle don't know, probably end up at Wonder Bar or -
BYRON who are you going with?
STEVEN Just some people, no one really. So can I have extra?
BYRON ...sure baby.
SFX: Sound of a cashier's box - ding! (MONeY!)
BYRON You should bring an umbrella, it looks like rain.
SFX: Door slam.
BYRON Did you hear me? Not even listening.
SFX: FAST FORWARD. PLAY. BYRON picks up the phone. Dial 7 digits. The phone ring twice.
PHONE SEX LINE VOICE Welcome to the number. The only place to make connections with guys right now16. Press one to –
SFX: PAUSE. Footnote. SFX: PLAY. Press a button on the phone.
16 Does anyone remember the phone lines? I used to love to call phone sex lines. They were advertised in the Village Voice or on Channel 35 during Robin Byrd. Something about hearing voices turns me on. And secrets. Anonymity. There are some places I used to love to go to get this same feeling in the flesh. There was a sex shop with video booths on the corner of 14th and 3rd – it’s a Duane Reade now. I used to LOVE to go there. You could press a button in your booth if you wanted your curtain to raise and then you could see the person on the other side of the glass. And that was so hot. Except when it wasn’t. And then I’d be like trying to casually but frantically pushing the down button. Or there was a place on 13th and 3rd – it was an old movie theatre and if you walked behind the screen there were all these booths and rooms and totally darkness. And my favorite was the Bijou, which is still there, on e4th right across from New York Theatre Workshop. All my favorite places to escape, I discovered that year. I think a lot of people come to New York to reinvent themselves but sometimes I think I came to New York to just lose myself completely. .. I miss the phone lines. I called one of the numbers while working on this piece but it was out of service.
70 1993 Melancholy July 2018 draft finkle PHONE SEX LINE VOICE Here’s the next guy.
VOICE OF GUY Sup.
BYRON Sup.
VOICE OF GUY Looking. You?
BYRON Big black cock looking for tight white hole. Safe play.
VOICE OF GUY How old are you?
BYRON 48. like older guys?
SFX: The person on the other end clicks off the call.
PHONE SEX LINE VOICE Here’s the next guy.
VOICE OF WHISPERING GUY Hi.
BYRON Why are you whispering?
VOICE OF WHISPERING GUY My Mom is in bed with me. I don’t want to wake her up.
BYRON What are you doing in bed with your – oh you know what -
SFX: Byron clicks off the call.
PHONE SEX LINE VOICE Here’s the next guy.
SFX: Silence.
ICONIC MASCULINE DEEP VOICE GUY
71 1993 Melancholy July 2018 draft finkle (quiet) Hey.
BYRON Hey.
SFX: Silence.
BYRON …still there.
ICONIC MASCULINE DEEP VOICE GUY …Yea.
BYRON I like your voice. …what keeps you up so late. Or is it early. I lost track of time.
ICONIC MASCULINE DEEP VOICE GUY ..Horny.
BYRON Me too. And also I can’t sleep.
ICONIC MASCULINE DEEP VOICE GUY …me neither.
BYRON Why can’t you sleep? … Probably none of my damn business. You probably don’t wanna know why I can’t sleep either. You just wanna know my stats am I right? I’m surprised you haven’t clicked off yet.
ICONIC MASCULINE DEEP VOICE GUY I like to listen.
BYRON To what?
ICONIC MASCULINE DEEP VOICE GUY You’re pain.
BYRON My pain? I’m not in -
72 1993 Melancholy July 2018 draft finkle
ICONIC MASCULINE DEEP VOICE GUY Warning signs all around you. But you don’t listen. You only want to be heard. Listen more.
BYRON To what?
ICONIC MASCULINE DEEP VOICE GUY Everything. Follow the sound.
SFX: Silence. But the silence changes – we can hear the street sounds first then the low hum of electricity that is continual in the city. Soon the hum gets louder and louder …
Then, the sound of the guy clicking off.
PHONE SEX LINE VOICE Here’s the next guy.
SFX: Byron hangs up the phone SFX: FAST FORWARD. NO. REWIND. NO. FAST FORWARD. PLAY
SFX: Tip toes on creaky floor quietest attempt to open a BYRON (overlapping) drawer. Snooping, There was this one morning continually snooping It was the end of March
BYRON He thought I was asleep He slid out of bed Naked skin glistening in the late winter sun He tiptoed around the room, looking at things. At first I thought he was getting to know me better. But then I noticed he wasn’t looking AT things he was looking FOR things.
Things of value. He was sizing me up. It was around this time that he started asking me for money. Cash for things. Groceries, movie rentals, for drinks at a bar.
73 1993 Melancholy July 2018 draft finkle Then..things started to go missing. Little things at first. A gold-plated snow globe.
And soon, objects of value. A vintage St. Laurent I’d worn once.. A signed copy of Abbey Road And then, I got a call.
SFX: Phone rings. BYRON has the most beautiful ring. BYRON stomps across the floor. Picks up the receiver. BYRON Byron Flowers speaking how may I assist you.
BORIS Hello Byron. This is Boris. I run Pawn Shop on –
BYRON I know who you are Boris. You’ve been to my home for dinner parties.
BORIS But this was long time ago. Two winters. You don’t invite me anymore.
BYRON It’s just that I have a long list. You’ll cycle back in.
BORIS This is not why I call. I call to say that boy with angel eyes come into shop two days ago with painting I believe I see in your apartment. The French –
BYRON I don’t see how that could be. I’m sitting here staring at the painting right this very second.
BORIS I did not accept the painting. I told boy with angel eyes it was worth nothing. I ask him where he got but he wouldn’t say. This make me worry that boy is thief.
BYRON It’s all been some sort of misunderstanding I’m sure. I know the boy.
74 1993 Melancholy July 2018 draft finkle Thank you for the information Boris.
SFX: FAST FORWARD. PLAY. SFX: Elevator door opening.
BYRON Is this the right floor? Is this- oh I see it ok thank you.
SFX: Doors shut. Slinging glass doors Sounds of phone ringing, busy office, lots of people talking quietly on phones at once, hustle and bustle.
Byron's platforms hit the marble floors
MAVERICK FRONT DESK Hi welcome to Maverick -
SFX: Phone ring.
MAVERICK FRONT DESK One sec. Maverick Records17. no Madonna isn't in. and even if she was do you think I would tell you? do you realize the kind of risk that would be taking for a total stranger on the phone?
17
Maverick Records - founded in 1992 by Madonna and her manager at the time. She released Erotica and the Sex Book through this label. Biggest hit – releasing Alanis Morissette’s Jagged Little Pill…I could go on and on about how important Madonna was and is in my life. I worry though about talking about her too much. People don’t tend to take me as seriously when I explain how Madonna shaped my life. When I was a teenager Madonna’s music was liberation and a promise of something. A coded message that I got. When Erotica came out I internalized that album as if it were my personal manifesto. But I read her messaging wrong. I thought it was telling me to be as slutty as I wanted to be. Is it an accident that 92 is the year I started having consistent anonymous sex with men? I blame Madonna. No I don’t really. I blame myself.
75 1993 Melancholy July 2018 draft finkle Don't call here again. We are tracing calls. Sorry, hi, do you have an appointment.
BYRON Hi mama, I like the brooch.
MAVERICK FRONT DESK What?
BYRON The pin.
MAVERICK FRONT DESK Oh this? This is irony. It's a long story. who are you here to see?
BYRON Well that depends. Who do you think I should see?
MFD I'm sorry?
BYRON I'm here to talk to someone in your A&R department. I just don’t know who.
MFD Oh ok did someone come to one of your shows or -
BYRON Yes.
MFD But you don't know their name.
BYRON It's on the tip of my tongue. It’s the one who goes to all the downtown dance pop shows.
MFD ...I'm ...look, a lot of people come here and -
BYRON I had sent in my demo. And I am following up. I’m going to be performing at Wigstock in August.
76 1993 Melancholy July 2018 draft finkle Have you ever been?
MFD …no…Wigstock? No. Look.. Someone will call you after they-
BYRON It's just that I think I forgot to put my number on the tape.
MFD Well - what was the name on the tape?
BYRON Byronic.
MFD B-I -
BYRON B-Y-R-O-N-I-C That's my stage name. My real name is Byron.
MFD Right ok. So if you want to give me your number I can -
BYRON I just think it'd be easier if I spoke to someone directly.
MFD You are speaking to someone directly. this is my job. Like it's actually literally the job descript-
SFX: Phone -
MFD Hold. Maverick Records. No...Madonna is not here.
SFX: Phone hang up.
MFD So, like I was saying. What's your number? SFX: FAST FORWARD. PLAY
77 1993 Melancholy July 2018 draft finkle (rapid fire) Heart beat. Knife stabbing flesh A guttural moan. A quiet “no”.
REWIND. PLAY A key is found The key in the hand Then drawer close Then tip toe across the room Then the key in a door The door of a closet Opening so quietly.
BYRON I knew he would find it It’s not that well hidden. Well that’s not entirely true. It’s hidden well enough if you’re not looking. But if you’re looking, and he clearly was - you’re going to find the false wall inside my closet and inside that closet you are going to find a very large gold samovar gifted to me by a Russian spy after services rendered and then some18.
18 RUSSIAN SAMOVAR – Object #4
Antique, 3 ft high, 2 ft wide, empty weighs 10 lbs Gifted to Byron by a Russian descendant of royalty at the end of a love affair
78 1993 Melancholy July 2018 draft finkle BYRON According to Boris in the Pawn Shop it’s very valuable. Inside it I keep…my stash.
Cash Cash and more cash. And even more cash after that. My lifetime savings.
SFX: Opening of closet door Stepping in A light turned by a metal hanging rope Click STEVEN stepping deeper into the closet Moving a box, sliding across the floor A false door slightly jimmied open STEVEN pulling something heavy out Taking off some kind of top (this is the samovar) The sound of STEVEN picking up cash
STEVEN Holy shit.
SFX: FAST FORWARD. PLAY.
STEVEN Look Byron its not that I don’t want to go but I need to stay here and – I promised a friend I would meet them for brunch tomorrow. She’s all fucked up because her Dad just died.
BYRON What’s her name?
STEVEN Victoria.
BYRON First time I’m hearing about Victoria. First time I’m hearing about any friends.
STEVEN There’s a lot you don’t know about me.
BYRON And is that my fault? How many times have I asked you questions that you’ve managed to avoid answering? You clearly have no interest in being intimate with me.
79 1993 Melancholy July 2018 draft finkle
STEVEN I don’t like to be wrapped in saran wrap. I can’t feel anything.
BYRON That is not what I’m talking about.
STEVEN I hate it. It’s – depressing.
BYRON I just don’t want you to get –
STEVEN You think you’re the only person I’m having sex with?
BYRON – I hope you are safe with whoever you are with. That’s all. People won’t protect you. You have to -
STEVEN I don’t need a lecture. You’re not my parent. You’re not my lover. You’re not even really my friend. You’re just some old fag that I live with.
SFX: BYRON slaps STEVEN hard.
STEVEN Is that all you got?
BYRON I do not like this side of you. You have no sense of right and wrong. You have no moral compass. Who raised you?
STEVEN A pack of slutty wolves.
BYRON I’d like to get on the phone with your Mom and Dad and –
STEVEN Good luck with that, since they’re both dead.
BYRON Are you lying right now or telling the truth?
80 1993 Melancholy July 2018 draft finkle
STEVEN It’s none of your fucking business.
BYRON I can’t decide if you’re wounded or if you’re a liar or if you’re both or what. I’ve been hung up on you and I’ve let you take advantage but starting now that is going to change. I’ve made a decision. You need to start paying rent.
STEVEN That wasn’t our deal.
BYRON You wouldn’t have to pay a lot.
STEVEN Or what?
BYRON Or.. you’ll have to move out.
STEVEN Yea right.
BYRON It’s not that I don’t want you here. All you need to do is show some good faith, some respect and –
STEVEN I’ll leave your key under the doormat.
BYRON I’m not asking you to leave right now. We can talk about this when I get back. Or you can come with me to the march. And we can talk on the way there. It’s 3 hours to DC, plenty of time for us. We can make a plan … Come on you don’t even have to pack anything, you don’t even have to change, you can make my ACT UP shirt you’ve cut into a mid riff tank top to some actual use. You’ll regret this years later if you don’t go. You’ll look back when you’re my age, you’ll look back and feel like a fool.
I got to go.
81 1993 Melancholy July 2018 draft finkle Tell me you’ll be here when I get back. Steven.
STEVEN Maybe I will, maybe I won’t.
SFX: FAST FORWARD. PLAY
THE MARCH ON WASHINGTON:
SFX: Visceral. Rage. Empowerment. The need for change. The need to be heard. People talking, walking, marching, chanting. It feels like we are in the middle of the crowd. We are Byron’s ears. We have the feeling we are inside Byron- we hear his voice as if it is our own. A speaker far in the background. A moment of silence19.
SFX: PAUSE. Footnote. PLAY The rolling break in silence after.
19 I didn’t go to the march on Washington in 1993. To be honest, I don’t remember what I was doing on that day. But April 23rd is my birthday so I’m guessing on the 24th at some point I was walking home from whoever’s place I’d landed the night before. Though to be honest I don’t remember hooking up on my 22nd birthday. I hardly remember being 22. I don’t remember ANY of my birthdays earlier than 35. I mean I remember my bar mitzvah I guess but for whatever reason I’m sure I rationalized not going to the march and was in the city. Why didn’t I go to the March? I didn’t have any friends that were going. I didn’t have that many queer friends. My friend Derek, my friend Joe…other queers scared me because obviously I was still scared of myself. Why was I scared of myself?
82 1993 Melancholy July 2018 draft finkle SFX: Then time speeds up - The entire trip home in a matter of seconds. Sound of train, Penn Station, the subway, walking on the street, unlocking the downstairs door for 512, walking up the stairs, the key in the lock, the door of Byron’s apartment opening.
SFX: GENET and STEVEN in the midst of sex.
BYRON When I walk into my apartment I remember its early evening. The first thing I notice is my giant antique Russian samovar outside the closet on its side.
As my eyes acclimate I see the cash strewn on the floor, beating a path towards the bed where I see Steven and Genet making love. Genet, of course Genet. Why hadn’t I realized it before. Then -seeing their bodies entwined, in my bed. In such a state of true passion, true – love. I thought – oh, that’s what love looks like..
Everything happens so fast from here on. I don’t remember the sequence of events I know that I gasped. And that broke their spell. Scrambling, yelling -
SFX: the tape from here on is warbled and warped, skipping and indecipherable version of the scene You can almost hear but not enough to make sense of it. It should be clear that part of this tape is missing or taped over..
BYRON A struggle ensues. I run out of the apartment, down the stairs
SFX: BYRON running down the stairs, steps behind him, chasing him.
BYRON I go to Loreena’s door. Knocking frantically
SFX: Frantic knocks.
83 1993 Melancholy July 2018 draft finkle
BYRON Loreena calls out,
LOREENA Who’s there?
BYRON I open my mouth to answer when someone comes up behind me and covers my mouth. I don’t know who it is, but I think its Genet. He grabs me and drags me upstairs. I’m fighting, screaming, kicking to no avail. Back in the apartment Steven and Genet are both on top of me. They are trying to talk to me but I’m not listening. First I see the knife in the distance. Then the knife is closer. It breaks my skin, breaks my heart. I don’t feel it but quite suddenly I can’t breathe Genet is right in front of me but I’m looking at Steven.
I can’t breathe. I gasp.
Steven, I say, Steven -
You stabbed me Heart deep. I feel like I will die. I’m bleeding. Heart Deep.
SFX: The knife going into flesh again. A guttural scream, how would it sound to be stabbed in the heart?
BYRON Steven Kills me.
SFX: STOP.
84 1993 Melancholy July 2018 draft finkle THE UNAUTHORIZED MOSTLY UNTRUE TALE OF LORENA BOBBITT June 23, 1993 (and earlier)
The entire company performs this episode live. All the actors except finkle and LORENA trade off narrating. All sound effects are made live as well. Maybe we are trying to record this part? – we can never quite capture the energy of the performance on tape – maybe that means that once or twice we stop to do a moment again for the tape?
Inspiration #3a The True Story of Lorena Bobbitt
June 23rd 1993, summer solstice, exact half point of the year, longest day of the year as well In Manassas, Virginia Lorena Bobbitt is raped by her husband John Wayne. In retaliation she slashes his penis off with a kitchen knife. Drives several miles with the severed member in her hand before throwing it into a field. Soon there after she pulls over and calls the Police from a payphone to tell them what she’s done. The police retrieve his penis from the field and rush it to the hospital where it is re-attached in an 11-hour surgery. Status: Divorced, both re-married with children.
Sidenote: Later that year John Wayne stars in a pornographic film directed by Ron Jeremy appropriately titled John Wayne Bobbitt: Uncut.
85 1993 Melancholy July 2018 draft finkle
INSPIRATION 3b/Performance Style - Black Lips Performance Cult
Quoted from their website - Blacklips.org “Blacklips Performance Cult was a bizarre collective of downtown artists that banded together in the then abandoned Avenue A dive The Pyramid20. Each member of the cult took turns writing and directing their own script with room for solo performances within the loose structure of the play. The Cult had a three-year life span starting in 1992.
I saw Blacklips perform many time and a couple of my friends were members. They were rough, messy, as wild as they could be. I desperately wanted to part of it but never was. This is I guess an homage to them.
20 The Pyramid – 101 Avenue A, used to host fantastic 1984 night on Fridays. Great 80’s new wave and pop dance party. Status: Alive and kicking.
86 1993 Melancholy July 2018 draft finkle SFX: A sad song on Spanish guitar music plays.
NARRATOR All Lorena Bobbitt ever wanted was the American Dream.
LORENA One day I’m going to leave Ecuador and go to America. And there I will find a handsome husband and have two kids with blue eyes and we’ll drive a ford and I’ll make them microwave dinners and we’ll go on a family vacation to the Grand Canyon. And he’ll call me mother, except when he’s nailing me. When he’s nailing me I’ll call him daddy. Oh Daddy, Ay papi, sock it to me, por favor.
NARRATOR On her 18th birthday her father buys her a one-way ticket to Virginia.
LORENA Pero why Virginia. (silent gs???) I never heard of this place.
LORENA’S DAD You go. Go now. Don’t come back. We are moving. Not sure where yet. We’ll let you know.
LORENA Why, the way you’re treating me, a girl could think you don’t want her around.
LORENA’S DAD Yes ok, safe travels, bye.
SFX Door slam. Plane taking off
NARRATOR In Virginia, Lorena finds a safe haven at the local YWCA.
SFX: Peels of laughter.
LORENA You girls are such a - how you say – hoot! Hoot! HOOT!!!
VIRGINIE GAL Oh Lorena you are a funny one!
VIRGINIE LADY
87 1993 Melancholy July 2018 draft finkle I bet the boys down at the base would like you.
LORENA Boys. Base. Are any of these boys down at the base the marrying type?
VIRGINIE GAL and LADY giggle.
VIRGINIE GAL and VIRGINIE LADY Oh Lorena!
LORENA No really.
SFX: Knock on door.
BERRY Lights out in 5 ladies.
GIRLS Thanks Berry.
Up close to Lorena.
BERRY How you doing girl. You adjusting alright?
LORENA Berry, I just don’t know. It’s all so much. I thought it’d be easier than this.
BERRY You’ve been here less than a full day. Give it time.
LORENA Thank you Berry. You’re my best friend.
BERRY I love having these talks with you. And listen this is also goodbye.
LORENA Goodbye?
BERRY
88 1993 Melancholy July 2018 draft finkle I gotta job managing a beautiful motor home community at the edge of a mysterious forest on the outskirts of some unreal idea of Virginia.
LORENA It sounds so nice.
BERRY When you find a man, you all can get a motor home direct from me at Icon Falls. That’s the name of the community. Icon Falls. Don’t forget me I’m Berry Rudabaga.
NARRATOR And so Lorena makes a plan.
LORENA Step One: Find a Man. Step Two: Move into Icon Falls Step Three: have children. Step Four: Be happy.
NARRATOR Step one – find a man.
SFX: Jukebox music. Sound of a boring bar.
LORENA This base is boring. Oh look. A man.
JOHN WAYNE Sup.
LORENA Oh wow that’s so masculine. I love it. Say it again.
JOHN WAYNE Sup.
LORENA I’m wet. Do you want to feel how wet I am?
JOHN WAYNE Yea.
LORENA Give me your hand then.
89 1993 Melancholy July 2018 draft finkle
SFX: Squishy
LORENA Grab it. Grab it like you want it. Do you like this? Could you get used to this?
JOHN WAYNE Yea.
LORENA What color are your eyes? Let me look at them. Look at me. They look green.
JOHN WAYNE My mama called em hazel.
LORENA What is this hazel? Your eyes are pretty though But I wish they were blue.
JOHN WAYNE I’m an alcoholic, have a history of abusing women and don’t want kids.
LORENA La la la. Will you get us a mobile home at Icon Falls?
JOHN WAYNE Yea.
LORENA I love it. I love you. Wait, what’s your name?
JOHN WAYNE John Wayne. John Wayne Bobbitt.
LORENA That means that soon I’ll be Lorena Bobbitt. Do you like the way that sounds baby? I’m so into it. It’s gonna be so hot. I’m so into being married.
90 1993 Melancholy July 2018 draft finkle I’ve seen in the store contact lens that can change your eye color. When are we going to get married?
JOHN WAYNE When do you want to?
LORENA Tomorrow.
JOHN WAYNE Can’t tomorrow I gotta work.
LORENA But baby it’s your wedding.
JOHN WAYNE Shit that’s true.
SFX: Here comes the bride, wedding bells The sound of Lorena crossing step one off her list.
NARRATOR Step two – move into Icon Falls
BERRY Damn but you worked that out fast girll.
LORENA I know right? So look what unit will be best suited for our needs? We want something that we can grow into you know? We are planning on having babies as soon as we can. Like the second you give us keys so –
BERRY I’d recommend the deluxe unit that is adjacent to mine. It has an extra bedroom and a pull out couch.
LORENA Did you hear that baby?
JOHN WAYNE Yea cool.
BERRY He’s a man of few words.
91 1993 Melancholy July 2018 draft finkle LORENA I like it. We’ll take the deluxe unit then. Does it come with a bed?
BERRY There is a bed in the unit already. Someone was murdered in that bed.
LORENA It sounds so romantic.
SFX: The sound of LORENA crossing Step Two off her list.
NARRATOR Step three – have kids.
LORENA What do you mean I have to get a job?
JOHN WAYNE I’m not made of money.
LORENA I’m Ecadoruan royalty. I was not meant to work. Look at my hands. They are soft like a baby. Speaking of which, guess what – I’m pregnant. We’re expecting. I can’t feel it kick yet because it’s just a fetus but sometimes I imagine it’s kicking. Kicking so hard in my belly that it breaks through and pops right out of my stomach fully formed. And he’s a blond boy with a big smile who loves his mama and papa and plays football and has girlfriends and drinks a lot of milk and eats red meat and goes into finance and makes a lot of money and buys his mama jewelry and a home in a gated community after his papa passes from a sudden heart attack.
JOHN WAYNE I don’t wanna have kids. Get rid of it.
LORENA But that’s not good. That’s my third goal on my list. To have children. We have to have children. It is my American destiny. We should have talked about this before we got hitched.
JOHN WAYNE We did talk about it. I told you the first night I met you.
92 1993 Melancholy July 2018 draft finkle I said “I’m an alcoholic, have a history of abusing women and don’t want kids”.
LORENA I don’t remember that.
I do remember that, I just don’t want to admit it to myself. (shocked by herself) Lorena no! NO!!! NO!!!!! (gets all echoey)
NARRATOR Soon thereafter Lorena gets an abortion.
SFX: Sound of scraping.
LORENA Ow. Ow. Ow. Ow. Ow. Can I see it? Can I see my baby?
BERRY You don’t want to see it.
LORENA Yes I do! YES I DO! BRING ME MY BABY! LET ME HOLD MY BABY.
BERRY But it’s just a – unformed fetus. It’s just –
LORENA LET ME HOLD MY BABY!!!
BERRY It’s not even the size of a penny. But here you go.
SFX: I don’t know what this could possibly sound like. But I think it should be disgusting. Squishy and dripping
LORENA Oh look at you, you are so precious. The most perfect child. I’m sorry your Daddy didn’t want you but you’ll always have a place in my heart. You are my baby. MY BABY! MY BABY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
BERRY Maybe I’ll see if I can get you a sedative or something.
NARRATOR
93 1993 Melancholy July 2018 draft finkle On the way home, Lorena sees John Wayne stumbling out of a strip club flanked by strippers.
LORENA Is that John Wayne? And who are those ladies? And why are they all walking out of a strip bar? They must be his girl cousins that he’s never mentioned before to me. Or his female co-workers. Where does John Wayne even work?
John Wayne is cheating on me with cheap whores in the middle of the afternoon while I aborted our baby (shocked by herself) Lorena no! NO!!! NO!!!!! NO!!! (gets all echoey)
MUSICAL NUMBER - STARTING TO THINK I’M GOING CRAZY
BERRY IM GONNA DO YOUR HAIR UP FIX A STRONG DRINK WE’RE GETTING’ OUTTA HERE YOU’RE ON THE BRINK
LORENA STARTING TO THINK THAT I’M GOING CRAZY EVERYTHING IN MY LIFE IS GETTING HAZY
BERRY GONNA DANCE IT ALL OUT MAKE A FRESH START NEED TO FLY CUZ THERE’S PAIN IN OUR HEARTS
LORENA STARTING TO THINK I’M GOING CRAZY EVERYTHING IN MY LIFE IS GETTING HAZY
BERRY SOMETIMES ITS BEST TO ESCAPE LEAVE BREADCRUMBS ON THE PATH THAT WE TAKE
LORENA BUT A WIND JUST BLEW THEM ALL AWAY
LORENA/BERRY HERE IT COMES IT PULLS ME IN ALL THE PULP AND ALL THE SIN
LORENA STARTING TO THINK I’M GOING CRAZY
94 1993 Melancholy July 2018 draft finkle
EVERYTHING IN MY LIFE IS GETTING HAZY YEA.
NARRATOR Later that night on the dance floor at a local bar.
BERRY Kiss me baby!
LORENA Oh BERRY! IF Only I feeled that way too.
BERRY Hush up and just kiss me.
LORENA No Berry it’s not right for me!
BERRY You don’t know what’s right for you. KISS ME MOTHERFUCKER!
SFX: Sound of forced kissing, LORENA pushing BERRY away, it’s a rougher fight than you’d want.
LORENA NO! NO! NO! NO! NO!
I did not see this coming. You have betrayed me. You were my first friend. And now you are my first ex friend. You are dead to me. look at my eyes. They are dead eyes. Now drive me home.
NARRATOR On the drive home, as Berry cries Lorena re-evaluates
SFX: Sound of BERRY crying.
LORENA I will never achieve my American dream here. As soon as I get back to Icon Falls I’m going to pack a bag, maybe two bags and leave this shithole Virginia. And I’m going to go to another place like maybe Pittsburgh or maybe Cleveland.
NARRATOR But, back at the motor home.
JOHN WAYNE Where the hell have you been?
95 1993 Melancholy July 2018 draft finkle
LORENA I killed our baby Then I went out to celebrate. And now I’m going into the other room and packing a bag. No two bags. I’m leaving you.
JOHN WAYNE The hell you are.
LORENA Get outta my way you big louse! I forgot to tell you that I saw you this afternoon. With your 3 slutty cousins at the strip club!
JOHN WAYNE Those weren’t my cousins!
LORENA I know that! I know it all! You and your cheatin’ heart can go to hell in a hand basket for all care.
SFX: JW slaps L.
LORENA You slapped me.
JOHN WAYNE You deserved it.
LORENA Oh yea then maybe you deserve this!
SFX: L punches JW in the face.
JOHN WAYNE I think you broke my nose!
LORENA Yea well I was aiming for your jaw.
SFX: L punches JW in the jaw.
JOHN WAYNE You wanna fight!?! YOU WANNA FIGHT! ALRIGHT, LET’S FUCKING FIGHT!
96 1993 Melancholy July 2018 draft finkle SFX: This fight is violent and real And horrifying. Eventually JW gets on top of L
LORENA Get offa me! GET OFFA ME!
SFX: L’s dress rips.
JOHN WAYNE Shut up! I’m bigger and stronger. I’m the man and you’re woman. Take it you immigrant bitch.
SFX: Screams of pain as JW tries to penetrate
LORENA NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO!! (all echoey again)
NARRATOR Later that night…
SFX: A door open and close Footsteps on a rug. Then on kitchen floor A drawer opens Someone looking for something frantically. Another drawer opens Rifling around. The sound of a large knife Heavy breathing Footsteps on the floor The creak of a door being opened Tip toes Stepping onto a bed The rustling of sheets being pulled off Snoring of John Wayne, passed out drunk Sound of Lorena unbuttoning his pants, unzipping. And then - We hear a slice that sounds un-natural Gushy, gooey but also clean, one big slice We hear John Wayne let out a scream but its muted The knife hitting the floor Feet running Keys pulled off counter The door swinging open Running barefoot on gravel The car door open
97 1993 Melancholy July 2018 draft finkle The car door shut
The ignition turning on The car backing out of the gravel Speeding off. Down the road into the night
NARRATOR TEN MINUTES LATER ON THE ROAD
LORENA Pathetic. So mushy. Never got much bigger than this did it. I thought he was a grower not a show-er but I was wrong.
SFX: Sound of rolling down the window. The wind on the road.
LORENA Goodbye John Wayne Bobbitt’s penis. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!!!
SFX: We hear the penis flop into a field.
LORENA Oh but now I feel bad about all this. John Wayne was nothing but good to me Except when he wasn’t. But he got me a motor home in a beautiful motor home community and he got married to me even if the ring was cheap and his eyes weren’t blue. And even if he didn’t want to have kids and was an alcoholic and a womanizer and an abuser. He still loved me. And I loved him. It was a fairytale romance and I was the heroine. Oh John Wayne I hope you’re not dead. I should call someone and tell them so someone goes over there and sees if he’s dead or alive I will confess. If I confess maybe I can be free. Maybe they’ll understand. If I tell the truth, they’ll understand. I’ll do it – how you say – anonymously.
98 1993 Melancholy July 2018 draft finkle SFX: Sound of phone booth opening and door shutting. Picking up of phone.Lorena picking up the phone. It’s rotary. We hear her dial the 9 and 1 and 1. The ring, then pick up.
911 OPERATOR 911.
LORENA Operator! This is an emergency!
911 OPERATOR Then you’ve called the right number. What is it?
LORENA Put me through to the Police Precinct! Give me the Chief of Police!
911 OPERATOR Hold.
SFX: Beep.
HUTCH Police Precinct.
LORENA Oh thank heavens! Thank heavens. I need to report a crime.
HUTCH Ok.
LORENA I like your voice.
HUTCH Thanks.
LORENA What color are your eyes?
HUTCH Blue.
LORENA I thought so. I can hear it in your voice. I wish they were ocean blue though.
99 1993 Melancholy July 2018 draft finkle
HUTCH You said you had a crime to report.
LORENA That’s right. Tell me Detective –
HUTCH I’m just an officer.
LORENA Oh but one day you’ll be detective won’t you. And after that Chief of Police and then Commissioner and then maybe one day President of the United States. I love American men and ambition. Why look at me, painting such a beautiful picture and I don’t even know your name. What’s your name?
HUTCH I’m - Hutch.
LORENA Hutch. Hutch. Is that your first or your last name?
HUTCH It doesn’t matter. You had something to report.
LORENA Oh yes, thank you for reminding me. I need to confess. I committed a crime. A crime of passion. And- well you see, it’s just dawning on me right now that I don’t regret it. I don’t regret my actions at all. My name is Lorena. Lorena Bobbitt and I cut my husband’s penis off and then threw it into a field.
SFX: STOP.
100 1993 Melancholy July 2018 draft finkle
FINKLE ASKS 93 QUESTIONS: A LIVE INSTALLATION FOR INTERMISSION
1. What does it mean to have a mid life crisis? 2. Are you in mid-life? 3. What does mid-life look like to someone younger? 4. What does mid-life look like to someone older? 5. What does mid-life look like to other people in mid-life? 6. What does it mean to be in between times? 7. What is this story’s relationship to time? 8. What is my relationship to time? 9. What is your relationship to time? 10. How do you mark time in your life? 11. Do you look back at your life? 12. Do you believe you should never look back? 13. Do you ever look back and wish you made a different choice? 14. Do you ever look back and wish you made a different choice but also at the same moment realize that you wouldn’t be where you in this moment if you had made a different choice? 15. What is the biggest mistake you’ve ever made in your life? 16. What do you consider your greatest accomplishment in your life, so far? 17. Do you feel you deserve more? 18. Do you feel you’ve become the person you wanted to be when you were little? 19. When you were little, did you think about who you were going to become? 20. Have you ever looked in the mirror and thought – who is that? 21. Have you ever looked in the mirror and tried to see your own soul?
101 1993 Melancholy July 2018 draft finkle 22. If so, were you successful? 23. If not, why not? 24. Do you believe in the concept of a soul? 25. If so, do you believe that a soul can be good or bad or both? 26. IF you believe that a soul can be good or bad or both, do you think that most souls are both? 27. Do you think your soul is good and bad? 28. Do you believe in words like good and bad? 29. Does that question annoy you? 30. Do you want to focus more on the story? 31. If we were to focus on the story what would you want to focus on? 32. What questions do you have? 33. Do you wonder why Steven and Genet killed Byron? 34. Do you wonder what happens next with them? 35. Do you care about either of them? 36. Did you care for Byron? 37. Do you care for Loreena? 38. Do you care for me? 39. Who am I? 40. Do you think that question is a trap? 41. Is the past a trap? 42. Looking back at Act One and Act two what part do you love the most? 43. Why do you love this part? 44. What did it make you feel? 45. What did you see? 46. What did you hear? 47. Looking back at Act One and Act Two what part do you hate? 48. Do you think hate is too strong a word? 49. Is it wrong to hate something? 50. Is it wrong to be hated? 51. Have you ever been hated?
102 1993 Melancholy July 2018 draft finkle 52. Have you ever been rejected? 53. Have you ever been alienated? 54. If so, how did you overcome this? 55. Did you overcome this experience? 56. But if you HAD to hate something in Act One and Act Two, what part would you say you HATE? 57. Why do you hate it? 58. If you could rewrite that part how would you rewrite it? 59. How would it change the story? 60. If you were to tell a friend about your favorite part of the story, do you think you would tell it exactly right? 61. Or do you think you’d remember the story differently? 62. Looking ahead what do you think is going to happen next to Steven? 63. What do you think is going to happen between him and Genet? 64. What do you think is going to happen next for Loreena? 65. Do you think Lorena Bobbitt will return? 66. What does that story have to do with the other stories? 67. What are all these stories about? 68. If there was one word that would connect all these stories what would it be? 69. Why are you supposed to listen to this with your eyes closed? 70. Have you kept your eyes closed? 71. Why (not)? 72. What is your relationship to sound? 73. What is the relationship between sound and time? 74. How often do you go to the theatre?
103 1993 Melancholy July 2018 draft finkle 75. Why did you come here tonight? 76. What do you want the theatre to give you? 77. Why is this story about the year 1993? 78. What’s the big deal about 1993? 79. How does this story connect to today? 80. Do you crave straight lines or do you like lines that swoop and swerve? 81. What does that question have to do with anything? 82. Who is the protagonist? 83. Is it Steven? 84. Who is Steven? 85. Is Steven finkle? 86. Is finkle the same as the author? 87. Is the author playing finkle? 88. Why is the author playing finkle? 89. Is this finkle’s story? 90. What is true in this story? 91. Does it matter what is true? 92. How do you know if something is true? 93. Who is finkle?
104 1993 Melancholy July 2018 draft finkle
ACT THREE June-December 1993
NOTE: Actors appear and disappear in the space during this act. Sometimes they are just watching, listening, sometimes they are performing the scenes on top of the recordings.
105 1993 Melancholy July 2018 draft finkle
LOW ROMANCE – SEIZE
Inspiration #4 New Queer Cinema of the early 90’s
The Living End – Greg Araki My Own Private Idaho – Gus Van Sant Poison by Todd Haynes I saw all these movies in the early 90’s and internalized them as an alternative way of being gay in America. Gay as outsider. Gay as sexual deviant. Gay as outlaw. I thought they were so hot. Sexy, rough, messy, pulpy. Particular note about Poison which tells 3 different stories – one of which is very much inspired by Genet’s A Thief’s Journal.
106 1993 Melancholy July 2018 draft finkle
Inspiration #5
Lolita – Stanley Kubrick film based on the book by Nabokov. Not particularly 90’s (made in the 50’s) but I saw it in the 90’s – rented from Kim’s video.
Querelle – Fasbender film based on Genet book. Rented from Kim’s. ooooh, 3 daddies… hot. Am I a daddy? I think I’m post daddy. Do I like the idea of being a daddy? In graduate school I wrote a short play called DADDY. Do I regret not having kids?
107 1993 Melancholy July 2018 draft finkle Inspiration #6
I read this book the summer of 1993. I’m pretty sure this was cover of the version I had. I love this book. So torrid! So vivid! So tragic! A good chunk of Low Romance is inspired by this book. Along with slight nods to Querelle and Thief’s Journal. What attracted me about Genet back then as a young man? Did my attraction to his voice have anything to do with the social political landscape I was living in? Or was I just turned on by the high-end smut? Or was that what it meant to be alive in 1993?
But let’s get back to the fucking story.
SFX: REWIND. PLAY.
SFX: Sound of saran wrap being pulled out of an industrial size box.
SFX: Sound of GENET picking up BYRON’s body. Which is awkward, maybe he slides out of GENET’s hands because of the blood everywhere?
GENET STEVEN God damn it. Oh god oh god oh god oh god. Now wrap him. Wrap!
SFX: STEVEN wrapping BYRON’s body continuous.
108 1993 Melancholy July 2018 draft finkle He sounds like he’s starting to hyperventilate.
GENET Don’t work yourself up. Just listen to my voice and do what I tell you to. Ok?
STEVEN Ok.
GENET This is what we’re gonna do. We’re gonna finish wrapping his body and then we’re gonna stuff him into the false wall in the closet, we’re gonna clean up this mess and then we’re gonna skip town with the cash and lay low for a little bit, see what shakes down.
SFX: FAST FORWARD. PLAY. SFX: Sound of the AC on very high. Radio spouting news.
ANNOUNCER - released the code today for their hypertext project entitled - the World Wide Web, which many believe will change the way we communicate and share information. In my humble opinion this will be the death of our society. Machines are the new species. But no one out there is listening. Which is why at the end of this year we are going off the air. But don’t think about that now. That’s 6 months from now. And afterwards you won’t even remember that I was here at all. This is the Hour of Power and let’s get back to it. And now entering its 1000th week at number one on the pop charts, at least that’s what it feels like, here’s Whitney Houston singing “I Will Always Love You”…
SFX: warbled version of song starts in background..
STEVEN One hundred and twenty two One hundred and twenty three One hundred and –
SFX: Motel door swinging open, brief sound of the
109 1993 Melancholy July 2018 draft finkle highway outside. But not just the highway, for a brief moment, its like we hear the whole world turning faster and faster outside21.
SFX: PAUSE. Footnote. PLAY.
SFX: Then the door shutting and the sound of the room restores.
GENET It’s freezing in here.
STEVEN I like it cold. It gives me goose bumps. Did you get me what I asked for?
GENET Large cherry coke, three bags of skittles, one bag of jolly ranchers, four slim jims, three bags of Cheetos, one un-heated beef patty, one tin of silver polish, one cheap rag.
SFX: Bags of crap hitting the bed.
STEVEN Yum….what to eat first. Sweet or savory. Savory or sweet.
SFX: STEVEN going through the bag, looking at items.
GENET I also got something else.
SFX: FAST FORWARD. PLAY.
SFX: Sound of a meth pipe being lit The extra long flame, the sound of the flame against the glass bowl. Inhale
21 Roadside Motel Location # Somewhere between here and there. Classic pulp motel room Fill in details for yourself.
110 1993 Melancholy July 2018 draft finkle
GENET Hold it. Hold it. And now let it out.
SFX: Sound of exhale.
STEVEN It has a weird taste22.
GENET You get used to it. Give me that.
STEVEN What a rush My heart is racing.
GENET Shit it’s been a long time since I had some of this.
STEVEN I didn’t know you did hard drugs.
22 CRYSTAL METH, METH PIPE AND TORCH LIGHTER – Objects #5,6,7
Meth is just making its eastward expansion in ’93. I’ve tried a lot of drugs but I’ve never tried meth. I know I would love it and I’d disappear completely.
111 1993 Melancholy July 2018 draft finkle
GENET There’s a lot you don’t know about me kid.
Beat.
SFX: STEVEN opening a bag of Cheetos, biting into one. Crunch, crunch, crunch.
GENET I hate the smell of Cheetos, Chew with your mouth shut kid.
SFX: Steven chewing louder on purpose. Crunch crunch CRUNCH. SFX: REWIND.
SFX: BYRON running down stairs
GENET Shit.
SFX: BYRON being chased by GENET Frantically knocking on the door.
BYRON LOREENA!
LOREENA Who’s There?
SFX: GENET running down the stairs.
BYRON It’s me! It’s –
SFX: GENET grabbing BYRON from behind. His hand over his mouth. Sound of BYRON trying to scream but unable to now. Muffled, horrified. Continuous. Sound of GENET pulling BYRON back up the stairs with much force. STEVEN bounding down the stairs.
STEVEN What are you doing?
GENET Just help me get him back –
STEVEN He’s bleeding –
112 1993 Melancholy July 2018 draft finkle
GENET I know he is -
SFX: BYRON bites GENET’s hand.
GENET FUCK! Grab him!
BYRON HELP! HELP!
SFX: BYRON running up the stairs screaming Into his apartment. He attempts to slam the door but GENET pushes it open.
GENET YOU HAVE TO CALM DOWN BYRON!
STEVEN Byron calm down, it’s ok, it’s –
SFX: BYRON has been wrestled to the floor. Is GENET on top of him or STEVEN? BOTH?
BYRON Get off me! STEVEN! Look at me! Look at me!
STEVEN Put the knife away.
GENET Get off me kid!
SFX: Struggle between the three. STEVEN trying to wrestle the knife away from GENET. GENET trying to fight him off. BYRON trying to get up. STEVEN grabs the knife but loses control of it. The sound of the knife piercing his flesh.
MUSIC (underscore) – MAYBE I SHOULD RUNAWAY Slow rise from here, continuous through next sequences.
STEVEN Byron! No!
BYRON
113 1993 Melancholy July 2018 draft finkle
You stabbed me. Heart Deep.
SFX: We hear another stab. This time more intentional. Is it STEVEN? Is it STEVEN guided by GENET?
SFX: FAST FORWARD. PLAY.
GENET What color do you want to dye your hair?
STEVEN Why do I have to dye it?
GENET We gotta lay low. Disappear.
STEVEN I’ve always wanted to be a bleach blond.
GENET That’s not exactly laying low. We’ll bleach your hair. I’ll grow a mustache.
STEVEN Mustaches are hot.
GENET We’ll move to the Caribbean. Buy a little – shack of a place – on the beach. Wake up every morning to the waves, the sun. Take naps on a hammock. Make love at sunset. We could open a curio shop on the beach. Sell knick-knacks. I’d learn the steel drums.
STEVEN I hate steel drums.
GENET I could get fat and you could ride a moped. I’ll convince you to become a vegan.
STEVEN Never.
114 1993 Melancholy July 2018 draft finkle
GENET I know things got a little more complicated but keep your eye on the prize. You and me. We’re free.
STEVEN Why don’t I feel free?
GENET You don’t know what it means to be free.
STEVEN Free. No cost. No baggage. No guilt.
GENET No. Free means – getting away with it.
STEVEN The way the light is hitting your chest right now I can see all the grey.
GENET Have another hit.
MUSIC morphs and mixes with SFX: The sound of the highway diners with clinking clanking utensils, a cheap motel ice bucket being filled the sounds of love making er scratch that, fucking. Ticking of a clock. But the clock is all fucked up. Time is spiraling forward at a rabid pace. The sound of lighting the pipe. Repeat. This time faster. Repeat. Even faster.
115 1993 Melancholy July 2018 draft finkle SFX: splashing in the pool23. SFX: PAUSE. Footnote. PLAY
23 Roadside Motel #2 - Location #? Nothing special here. Weeks later. The two have moved further south Near mythical Icon Falls, Virginia. There’s a pool here.
It should be noted that the two are driving a Honda Civic –object(?) #8 A red Honda Civic.
116 1993 Melancholy July 2018 draft finkle GENET Put some clothes on.
STEVEN I like skinny-dipping. Doesn’t my skin look so milky in the moonlight?
GENET I hate the smell of chlorine.
STEVEN I wish you’d come in the water with me.
GENET Maybe when we get back.
STEVEN When we get back we’re just gonna get high. Come in the water with me. For a second.
GENET I wanna get to the club kid. That chick said the guy isn’t there all night.
STEVEN We have plenty of time.
GENET Kid, get out of the pool.
Quick beat.
STEVEN We don’t have to keep smoking.
GENET I’m not ready to come down.
STEVEN Just for a couple days maybe. Eat some healthy vegan food. Or I don’t know, go to the gym, maybe?
GENET I’m. not. ready. to. come. down. Do you understand that? I’m. not. ready.
STEVEN
117 1993 Melancholy July 2018 draft finkle Maybe I’m ready.
GENET You don’t have to do it if you don’t want to.
STEVEN It’s just – I haven’t been feeling well, like maybe I have a stomach thing and the water makes me feel better. Come swim with me.
GENET Goddamn it I said, no.
STEVEN Ok you don’t need to get like that. But…What if though I – pulled you in.
SFX: STEVEN grabbing GENET’s leg from inside the pool. Pulling.
GENET Let go of my leg kid.
STEVEN Only if you promise to come in.
GENET Kid this isn’t funny
SFX: STEVEN grabs GENET’s leg and pulls him into the water. Genet splashes frantically, flailing, choking on water, gasping.
GENET I - can’t – swim.
SFX: GENET struggles more for breath. SFX: FAST FORWARD. STOP. PLAY.
VOICE May I come in? We have some test results.
SFX: FAST FORWARD. FAST FORWARD. STOP. PLAY. SFX: A finger being sliced.
LOREENA Fuck. Ow. Fuck. First aid kit!
118 1993 Melancholy July 2018 draft finkle I need the first aid kit! Out of the way! Gotta gusher!
SFX: LOREENA opening a cabinet. Rifling around in it.
LOREENA Where’s the kit? Where the fuck is the kit? ANYONE KNOW WHERE THE KIT IS? Am I speaking the wrong language here guys?
SFX: LOREENA walking through the hall quickly. Sound shifts as she’s now in the backside of the hotel.
LOREENA Hey. Hi. Do you know where the first aid kit is?
HOUSEKEEPER I think the front desk has one?
LOREENA There’s not one back here? There’s gotta be one back here. It’s code.
HOUSEKEEPER Right, so I don’t know.
119 1993 Melancholy July 2018 draft finkle SFX: LOREENA huffing off. Through a heavy door and into the lobby of the hotel. Hustle and bustle, this hotel is hopping24. PAUSE. Footnote. PLAY. Lobby sounds heighten.
LOREENA I’m looking for the first aid kit.
TODD THE NIGHT MANAGER Right. Well, you’re looking in the wrong place. This is front of house. We can’t have bloodied kitchen staff wandering –
LOREENA I’m not fucking wandering dude. I’m fucking looking for the fucking first aid kit because I cut myself and there isn’t a first aid kit in the back of house, which is a blatant health code violation. And if you don’t fucking help me find the first aid kit right now I’m going to call the Health Inspectors and let them know
24 ROYALTON HOTEL – location#?
44 E 44th Street (between 5th and 6th avenue) Established – 1988 Owned by former Studio 54 scion Ian Schrager Designed by Phillipe Starke. The epitome of 90’s cool. A celebrity hotel. With perfect lighting. The restaurant 44 – a hotspot, lunch their favored by the publishing house set. I worked there –the night shift – in 1993. This seemed like a big deal to me at the time – first of all the pay was amazing, second everyone who worked there was beautiful, so that meant I must be beautiful too. Though I worked the night shift, which meant maybe I was just beautiful enough for the night shift when Gaultier or whoever the celebrity was at the moment would stumble into the lobby at 3am totally plastered. I was beautiful enough for them. at that moment.
120 1993 Melancholy July 2018 draft finkle about it. Along with a whole bunch of other things I’ve learned in the past 4 months I’ve been in this hotel’s employ.
Beat.
TODD THE NIGHT MANAGER Follow me.
SFX: FAST FORWARD. PLAY SFX: TODD is cleaning LOREENA’s finger. Throughout the following we can hear him rifling through a first aid kit, etc.. blasé blah.
LOREENA I’m usually not here this late. But I told that chick Candice I’d cover for her tonight. It’s always good to do someone a favor, you know? Just in case you need something. I like the lunch shift, it’s pretty – expected. Dinner is kind of a shit show. Ow. Ow.
TODD THE NIGHT MANAGER Sorry.
LOREENA But whatever it’s cool. Do you smoke?
TODD THE NIGHT MANAGER We can’t really smoke in the –
LOREENA That wasn’t my question. Do you smoke – do you smoke weed?
TODD THE NIGHT MANAGER I’m not really at liberty to say, we don’t know who’s listening.
LOREENA We DO know who’s fucking listening. The fucking corporation. Fucking Ian Schrager and his crew are sitting in some room nearby listening to our shit right now. And the government, they’re listening too.
121 1993 Melancholy July 2018 draft finkle But we’re small man, we got nothing they want, so they may be listening but they’re not listening you know?
TODD THE NIGHT MANAGER I love your energy. We have a spot open at the Front Desk for the night shift. You should join my team.
LOREENA I could never work the night shift. I need to be in bed by 10:30 every night or I’m fucked. Not that I’ve been sleeping. I have insomnia. Since February. That’s when my Giga’s radio got smashed and then the World Trade Center -
TODD THE NIGHT MANAGER Blasé bla, I hate politics.
LOREENA It’s not politics. I’m talking about my life.
TODD THE NIGHT MANAGER I love how straightforward you are.
LOREENA Thanks for patching up my finger dude.
TODD THE NIGHT MANAGER The pay is better on the night shift.
LOREENA …How much better?
SFX: FAST FORWARD. PLAY. SFX: Sandwiches being unwrapped. Messy eating. Could we hear the lettuce fall on the paper? The low hum of hip hotel music still playing. A phone ringing every once in a while.
LOREENA I’ve never gone on a vacation. Fuck vacations. Vacations are so – middle class middle America. Fucking Grand Canyon, fucking mount Rushmore, fucking America. Land of the Free, Home of the fucking brave!
122 1993 Melancholy July 2018 draft finkle TODD THE NIGHT MANAGER You’re so – dark. I love it. Personally even though you didn’t ask, my next vacation is going to be to New Zealand. And I know we’ve only known each other like a week but I think you should book with me. (in a really bad Australian accent) We could travel together mate!
LOREENA That’s Australian dude.
TODD THE NIGHT MANAGER What’s the difference?
SFX: Radio station switching channels.
123 1993 Melancholy July 2018 draft finkle ANNOUNCER This is the HOUR OF POWER let’s keep moving. It’s been announced that the first of two trials in the Lorena Bobbitt case has been set for early January of next year. In June Mrs. Bobbitt severed her husband’s penis in a crime of passion. That one still smarts25.
SFX: PAUSE. Footnote.
25 NY Times January 22, 1994- Lorena is found NOT GUILTY of malicious wounding and is said to have acted out of “irresistible impulse”.
In a statement read in English by Janna Bisutti, owner of the nail salon where Mrs. Bobbitt has worked as a manicurist, Mrs. Bobbitt thanked her supporters and urged other battered women to seek the help of friends and counselors. "She did once and will again seek her American dream when she is able, and if the publicity of her abuse can help one person find freedom, then all of this is not in vain," said the statement, which was later read in Spanish.
“Irresistible Impulse” is really a different way of saying temporarily insane. But its such a lovely way to say it. It sounds so much more – natural. Irresistible – seduced beyond our control, impulse – human action without thought.
Something beyond our control causes an action without thought.
124 1993 Melancholy July 2018 draft finkle
SFX: PLAY.
TODD THE NIGHT MANAGER I LOVE this fucking story. It’s so funny that you two have almost the same name. Maybe you and she are the same person.
LOREENA We’re nothing alike dude.
SFX: The door of the hotel opens.
TODD THE NIGHT MANAGER Someone’s coming. Your turn. I’ll put the sandwiches away.
SFX: TODD collecting their sandwiches, the paper they were wrapped in crinkling.. We hear quiet footsteps on the carpet. It takes a while to get from the door to the front desk.
LOREENA Good evening and – Oh.(inside her head) Ramzi Yousef26. SFX: PAUSE. Footnote.
26 RAMZI YOUSEF Born in Kuwait in 1968 In 1993, he’s 24 years old A member of the cell who attacked the World Trade Center back in February. The man Loreena believes spoke to her that night in Jersey City.
Status: Life imprisonment in Colorado
125 1993 Melancholy July 2018 draft finkle
SFX: REWIND. REWIND. PLAY
FOREIGN MAN Go away. Not here. Not here.
SFX: The sound of the radio breaking on the cobblestones.
LOREENA Giga! No!
SFX: The bomb exploding in the tower.
FOREIGN MAN Not here. Not here. Not here. Not here.
SFX: FAST FORWARD. PLAY
LOREENA (inside LOREENA’s head) It’s him. What’s he doing here? Does he recognize me? Why would he recognize me? He probably doesn’t even remember me, the night we met a blur for him. He was kind to me. No he wasn’t kind. He wasn’t trying to save me. Was he trying to save me?
SFX: LOREENA typing into the system throughout
FOREIGN MAN Is everything ok?
LOREENA …Yes. Checking in?
FOREIGN MAN I have no reservation. Do you have room?
LOREENA
126 1993 Melancholy July 2018 draft finkle Hmmm. Let me see. I’m sorry I didn’t get your name.
FOREIGN MAN Mohammed.
LOREENA Mohammed, and your last name. - I need it for the system.
FOREIGN MAN It is long last name. Just put in system Mohammed Doe. Like John Doe, you get this?
LOREENA Yes. Ok. Mohammed Doe. We require a credit card, to put on file for incidentals.
FOREIGN MAN No. No credit card. I pay in cash. Please I’m very tired, give me room.
LOREENA I’m so sorry we cannot give you a room without a credit card on file.
FOREIGN MAN I have very much cash to give you as deposit please.
LOREENA Right well even if I could help you, it wouldn’t matter, it seems we are completely booked.
FOREIGN MAN This is not true. I know you have room.
LOREENA (inside LOREENA’s head or is it?) How would you know that? Why would you know that? What are you doing here? Where are you coming from? Who are you meeting here? Do you remember me?
FOREIGN MAN I’m sorry my English I don’t understand this.
TODD THE NIGHT MANAGER
127 1993 Melancholy July 2018 draft finkle Good evening sir. I couldn’t help but overhear. Loreena, why don’t you go in the back and start to organize for the night audit.
LOREENA But Todd-
TODD THE NIGHT MANAGER Now. Sorry about that. She’s new on the job. Let me see if I can help you. Sometimes our computer gets a little stuck. You said something about – cash?
SFX: FAST FORWARD. PLAY
TODD THE NIGHT MANAGER Um, that was weird. Why were you acting so weird with that guy?
LOREENA That guy is a terrorist. He is one of the bombers from the World Trade Center. We need to call the Police. Or the FBI. Or.
SFX: REWIND.
TODD THE NIGHT MANAGER (faster) Um, that was weird. Why were you acting so weird with that guy?
LOREENA I just – I don’t know, I just wanted to give him a hard time.
TODD THE NIGHT MANAGER I love that. You’re so horrible. He gave us $500 for helping him. Here’s your half.
LOREENA I don’t want that blood money.
SFX: REWIND.
TODD THE NIGHT MANAGER
128 1993 Melancholy July 2018 draft finkle I love that. You’re so horrible. He gave us $500 for helping him. Here’s your half.
LOREENA …thanks…
SFX: REWIND. REWIND.
FOREIGN MAN Go away. Not here. Not here.
SFX: The sound of the radio breaking on the cobblestones.
LOREENA Giga! No!
SFX: The bomb exploding in the tower. The sonic rumble now continues and builds throughout the rest of the episode.
FOREIGN MAN echoey Not here. Not here. Not here. Not here.
SFX: FAST FORWARD. PLAY. Pushing an elevator button. door opening. Stepping into an elevator. Door closes 14 floors indicated through a ding on each floor. Tinny cool music in the elevator Sound of the door opening. Feet padding down a hall. Then stopping at a door.
Slides a ghost key out of her pocket As quiet as possible slides it into the lock. We hear this, the painful slow quiet action, the click of the door being unlocked.
Slowly opens the door…then ever so quietly closes it behind.
129 1993 Melancholy July 2018 draft finkle We hear the man breathing heavily, asleep peacefully.
She pulls scissors out of her pocket. We stay in this suspended moment. We can hear LOREENA trying to steady herself.
SFX: LOREENA stabs the MAN. He wakes up, screaming in pain, There’s a struggle but she continues stabbing him until he stops.
Loreena’s erratic breathing. She drops the knife. Runs out of the room.
SFX: FAST FORWARD. PLAY Cop sirens.
COP Stop! FREEZE!
LOREENA I KILLED RAMZI YOUSEF! I SAVED AMERICA!
COP Put your hands up where we can see them –
SFX: FAST FORWARD. PLAY. Judge gavel.
JUDGE You are now sentenced to life in jail without parole.
LOREENA NO!!!!!!
SFX: Prison bars slamming shut. Echoing. REWIND. PLAY. Click of the door being unlocked.
Slowly opens the door…then ever so quietly closes it behind. We hear the man breathing heavily, asleep peacefully.
She pulls scissors out of her pocket. We stay in this suspended moment.
130 1993 Melancholy July 2018 draft finkle We can hear LOREENA trying to steady herself.
The MAN stirs. LOREENA hides the scissors in her pocket.
MAN Who’s there?
SFX: Lamp flipping on.
MAN Oh. It’s you. Why are you in my room?
LOREENA I – I –
MAN You should not be here.
LOREENA I –
MAN You are very beautiful woman. Come. Lie with me.
LOREENA No. I –
MAN But you come up to room. You must want this. We had moment at front yes? You find me attractive, yes?
LOREENA I – do.
MAN Then. Come here. I travel long way today. Very tired but beautiful woman make me feel better. Take off clothes.
SFX: Sound of LOREENA undressing.
MAN
131 1993 Melancholy July 2018 draft finkle You are very beautiful woman. Come. Lie down. Let me caress your body.
SFX: LOREENA crawling into bed. The sound of his hands on her body.
MAN Does this feel nice?
LOREENA (whispering) Yes.
MAN Why whisper. Say it. Tell me. Does this feel nice?
LOREENA Yes. YES. YES!
SFX: REWIND. STOP. PLAY. Pushing an elevator button. door opening. Stepping into an elevator. Door closes 14 floors indicated through a ding on each floor. Tinny cool music in the elevator Sound of the door opening. Feet padding down a hall. Then stopping at a door.
Slides a ghost key out of her pocket As quiet as possible slides it into the lock. We hear this, the painful slow quiet action, the click of the door being unlocked.
Slowly opens the door.
SFX: REWIND. REWIND. PLAY.
STEVEN Come swim with me.
GENET Goddamn it I said, no.
STEVEN Ok you don’t need to get like that. But…What if though I – pulled you in.
132 1993 Melancholy July 2018 draft finkle
SFX: FAST FORWARD. PLAY. SFX: GENET gasping for air in the pool.
GENET Kid. (gasping) Help me! (gasping) Please! (gasping) Steven. (gasping)
SFX: GENET losing his battle with the water, goes under. The sound of the water. Then his body being pulled out up, out of the water. Lifted with much difficult onto the concrete. The sound of STEVEN panting. Then collapsing on the ground next to Genet Who is choking up water.
STEVEN I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I’m sorry.
SFX: FAST FORWARD. PLAY.
STEVEN Good morning sleepyhead.
GENET Hey kid.
STEVEN You slept all night. That’s the first time I’ve seen you sleep in weeks.
SFX: GENET sniffing the air.
GENET I can smell everything. The polyester in this bedspread. The lingering crystal dust The salt on our skin The chlorine The rotting Chinese leftovers in the trash. The piss in the toilet
133 1993 Melancholy July 2018 draft finkle The stench of our shoes The money You.
SFX: Silence between them. Then GENET getting out of bed.
STEVEN Where are you going?
GENET I’m gonna flush the drugs down the toilet.
SFX: GENET entering the bathroom. A plastic bag opening, Things plopping in water Sound of toilet flushing. GENET re-entering the room.
GENET I think you were right.
STEVEN When? About what?
GENET We should go back to the city and confess.
STEVEN I never said that we should do that.
GENET Sure you did. And you are right. I can’t live with the guilt. We can’t live like this anymore.
STEVEN But –
GENET But first let’s treat ourselves.
SFX: The sound of the highway. FAST FORWARD. PLAY.
SFX: Restaurant ambience behind them. High-end affair, subdued tones,
134 1993 Melancholy July 2018 draft finkle Forks hitting plates. THEN – more pronounced Sound of a knife slicing through a steak. You can tell it’s bloody from the sound of the cut.
STEVEN I can’t believe you’re eating steak.
GENET I love steak. I should have never given it up.
SFX: Chewing. Maybe sound of drinking wine. A small burp
STEVEN Do you think we’re doing the right thing?
GENET I don’t know what’s right and what’s wrong. That’s always been my problem. I have no moral compass.
STEVEN I don’t think I have a moral compass either.
GENET You do you just don’t want to admit it yet.
Beat.
STEVEN Have you ever been to prison?
GENET …a couple times…
STEVEN For long sentences?
GENET Once for a year, once for 3 months.
STEVEN Was it horrible?
135 1993 Melancholy July 2018 draft finkle
GENET It’s not the Four Seasons27
SFX: PAUSE. Footnote.
27 Restaurant at the Four Seasons Rittenhouse Square – Location #?
The Four Seasons on Rittenhouse Square in Philadelphia is is beautiful, lush, in that way that fine hotels are. Has anyone ever been there? I’ve never stayed there but I was there for a cousin’s wedding. In the fall of 1993. They gave everyone in the wedding party beautiful tote bags – I still have mine though I lost the strap like 15 years ago so I used this other strap that is a different color and doesn’t work as well. And the bag itself is kind of frayed and ratty. But it’s the right size for a weekend trip so – I‘ve kept it. Is anyone from my family here? Ugh, I hope not. That’s not true. Yes it is. I don’t know what’s true.
136 1993 Melancholy July 2018 draft finkle
SFX: PLAY
STEVEN How long do you think they’ll give us?
GENET I don’t know.
STEVEN What are we going to say happened?
GENET We’re gonna tell the truth.
STEVEN But what’s the truth?
GENET We were stealing Bryon’s money, he got in the way and we took care of him. We don’t remember who stabbed him.
STEVEN Is that what I’m supposed to say?
GENET Say whatever you want. I don’t remember who stabbed him.
STEVEN Did I stab him or did you?
GENET I don’t care. It doesn’t matter.
STEVEN But it does matter.
GENET You’re ruining the mood kid.
STEVEN I can’t stop thinking about what’s going to happen.
GENET There’s no way to know.
137 1993 Melancholy July 2018 draft finkle Try to enjoy this moment. Look at us. Tonight we’re at the top of the world. You look handsome. Eat your steak.
STEVEN I’m not hungry. I don’t feel great. My stomach.
GENET Do you want to leave?
STEVEN No. I’m ok.
SFX: Sound of restaurant for a moment. Silence between them.
STEVEN I grew up close by here. Not in Philadelphia but not far. Like half hour, not even, by car from here in New Jersey. I hate that I’m from New Jersey. I used to come into Philly on Saturdays when I was in high school. I’d go to the gay gym on 12th street and then sit in a coffee shop and hope any random guy would pick me up.
The first time I had sex with a guy was in a buddy booth on 13th street in the back of a porn shop. I had a girlfriend but she wouldn’t let me have sex with her. I think maybe she could smell something wrong with me. During my senior year I interned at a theatre on Walnut Street. I got to be an assistant to a director on a show. There was an actor in the play, his name was Fil with an F. He was in his early 50’s probably, built like a – I don’t know like a football player, but gone to pot. One night he invited me to the apartment the theatre put him up in. He was from New York. He opened the door and told me to get undressed and crawl on the floor to the bed. And then - well you can imagine the rest. I’ve always liked older guys. But you’re the first guy I’ve ever loved.
138 1993 Melancholy July 2018 draft finkle Beat.
STEVEN Is it true?
GENET Is what true?
STEVEN What Byron said about you.
GENET When?
STEVEN That day. Right before.
GENET I don’t remember what he said.
STEVEN That you…you know. Are you.
GENET Am I what?
STEVEN Do you have. Are you. Have. You. Do. You. Have.
SFX: Restaurant ambience drops out on a bump. SFX: STOP. PLAY. Silence. FAST FORWARD. PLAY. Harsh silence of a hotel room. Steven fumbling on the side table, grabbing a bottle of water, unscrewing the cap. Drinking the entire bottle. Swallow. Exhale in pleasure.
The hotel sounds all seem to get unbearably loud for a moment. The AC unit, ticking of a little electric alarm clock by the bed, maybe a drip in the bathroom sink.
STEVEN Hello? Genet? Are you here?
SFX: Silence echoes back to him. STEVEN running to the closet, swinging it open.
139 1993 Melancholy July 2018 draft finkle Everything is gone…how to convey this in sound?
STEVEN No. No.No no no no no no no.
SFX: Then sound of Steven running across the room. Sound of vomiting.
MUSIC INTERLUDE - HEART DEEP
STEVEN WHAT’S WRONG WITH ME THAT ALL I WANT IS PAIN WHAT PART OF ME AM I TRYING TO KILL
SOMETHING IN MY MIDDLE JUST NOT RIGHT SOMETHING IN MY MIDDLE KEEPS ME UP AT NIGHT FEELING SO LITTLE MAKES ME WANNA CRY SOMETHING IN MY MIDDLE SOMETHING IN MY MIDDLE
YOU STABBED ME HEART DEEP FEEL LIKE I WILL DIE AM BLEEDING HEART DEEP OH FOREVER HEART DEEP THE WOUND WILL SCAR AND SCAR FOREVER HEART DEEP OH
MAYBE I’VE GONE CRAZY MAYBE IT’S JUST GOTTEN TOO HAZY OR MAYBE I SEE RIGHT THROUGH MY SMOKE AND MIRROR SHOW (OH NO OH NO) MAYBE I’M MEANT TO BE NOBODY MAYBE I’M NOT SMARTER THAN ANYBODY MAYBE THERE’S NOTHING RIGHT ABOUT ME.
YOU STABBED ME HEART DEEP FEEL LIKE I WILL DIE AM BLEEDING HEART DEEP OH FOREVER HEART DEEP THE WOUND WILL SCAR AND SCAR
140 1993 Melancholy July 2018 draft finkle
FOREVER
SOMETHING IN MY MIDDLE JUST NOT RIGHT SOMETHING IN MY MIDDLE WAKES ME UP AT NIGHT FEELING SO LITTLE MAKES ME WANNA CRY WHAT’S WRONG WITH ME? SOMETHING IN MY MIDDLE WHAT’S WRONG WITH ME? SOMETHING IN MY MIDDLE
SOMETHING IN MY MIDDLE JUST NOT RIGHT SOMETHING IN MY MIDDLE WHAT PART OF ME WAKES ME UP AT NIGHT AM I FEELING SO LITTLE MAKES ME WANNA CRY TRYING TO SOMETHING IN MY MIDDLE KILL? SOMETHING IN MY MIDDLE
SFX: A door opening in a slight distance. SFX: Footsteps on concrete/driveway. The sound of a car system unlocking. A trunk opening. A bag being placed inside. Footsteps back into the house.
STEVEN Mom. She’s small. She’s wearing her favorite pants. Her hair is pulled back in that way she does it when she’s not trying to do anything with it. She’s got new sunglasses. She seems young. She had me when she was 21. Fuck what if I had a kid right now. That kid would be dead. I’d forget it somewhere. She’s the same age as Loreena. She’s just a little older than Genet. Why don’t I want to talk to her? Why did I leave here? I do not feel good right now.
SFX: STEVEN’s body hitting the pavement. FAST FORWARD. PLAY Sound of hospital – beeps and blips and announcements – rises.
141 1993 Melancholy July 2018 draft finkle STEVEN What day is it?
VICTORIA Sunday. Night. The Doctor ran some tests..
STEVEN What tests.
VICTORIA You have hepatitis. And possibly – other things.
STEVEN What other things.
VICTORIA You’re very sick Steven. You’ll stay with me. For a while. Until you’re better at least.
STEVEN But I have somewhere to be.
VICTORIA Where. Where do you have to be? And where have you been?
STEVEN Mom I’m tired -
VICTORIA I thought when I cut you off I’d at least hear from you then, if nothing else then to complain but -
STEVEN Get out. Go away go away go away go away.
VICTORIA What has happened to you?
STEVEN I’m not here. I’m not real. This isn’t real.
142 1993 Melancholy July 2018 draft finkle VICTORIA Steven.
SFX: VICTORIA exhales.
VICTORIA I’m gonna get a Tab.
SFX: VICTORIA’s heels clink on the floor, the door open -
DOCTOR GIORDANO Oh Mrs. James.
VICTORIA It’s Ms. James Doctor. I’m divorced. Single.
DOCTOR GIORDANO I’m a homosexual.
VICTORIA Oh well, maybe you’d be interested in my son.
DOCTOR GIORDANO - Steven, you’re up. I’m Doctor Giordano. You’re very lucky your mom brought you in.
We have some test results. May I come in?
SFX: FAST FORWARD. PLAY.
Phone ringing, then answering machine picks up. LOREENA “This is my number and if you know who this is if you know who this is”. Beep
JUDY (she’s very old) Loreena. Hi. This is Judy. Your landlord for 512 East 5th Street. You haven’t paid the rent since August and its now the end of November. You’ve been a good tenant here for the last 22 years and so I’ve been turning a blind eye but ah, listen kid, life is
143 1993 Melancholy July 2018 draft finkle about change and you see, I’ve got a problem. And because I got one you do too. My son and his brother have decided that I no longer have the faculties to run this property and they have taken me to court. My lawyers advise me that I am going to lose this case. This means that –
SFX: Answering machine beep. Phone ring. Answering machine picks up. Loreena: you know what to do Beep.
JUDY So I don’t know where I got cut off if you’re there you can just pick up and, are you there Loreena? Alright, you’re not there, so look some time very soon my sons will own 512. I suppose this was inevitable. I’m 98 years old kid. It’s likely I’m gonna kick it in the middle of this message. But let me tell you, those boys are snakes in the grass. I don’t know who raised them. I took them to the theatre. I took them to the art museums. I took them to all the culture but they tell me “ma, we just want to make money”. We’re moving into the information age ma. You know what’s happening in Byron’s apartment. Where did he go? He was such a wonderful man. A true spirit. When they’re done renovating up there, they’ll set the rent 10x what you’re paying. Who will those people be that can afford that rent? What will they stand for? What will be important to them? These boys will throw you onto the street Loreena if you don’t start paying the rent. So, start paying the rent. Goodbye
SFX: Dial tone. FAST FORWARD. PLAY.
SFX: The sound of a bell as she opens the door.
BORIS (with warmth, joy) Loreena!
144 1993 Melancholy July 2018 draft finkle
LOREENA I’m sorry I don’t remember your name.
BORIS I am Boris.
LOREENA Boris.
BORIS We met at Byron’s once or maybe twice yes?
LOREENA You have a good memory.
BORIS I remember beautiful woman. You come to sell me fur coat?
LOREENA Yes.
BORIS This is nice piece.
LOREENA I hate fur. In principle. But I love it on my skin. This was my Mom’s fur coat. It’s from London. Very expensive. Fox fur. It’s in excellent shape. Vintage too.
BORIS You should keep. It’s going to be cold winter.
LOREENA I have a winter coat that’s fine.
BORIS But beautiful woman should have fur coat.
LOREENA I need to sell it.
145 1993 Melancholy July 2018 draft finkle BORIS How much you want?
LOREENA $700.
BORIS Bullshit. Goodbye.
LOREENA $450.
BORIS There’s door.
LOREENA $350
BORIS $150.
LOREENA Look, Boris. I wouldn’t be here if I wasn’t strapped for cash.
BORIS Yes I understand this. This is concept of pawnshop.
LOREENA I was working at the World Trade Center the day of the bombing. So that kind of fucked me up. I was working for a while at a fancy hotel but I – frankly man, I flipped out on some dude I thought was a terrorist but he wasn’t. So…I got fired from there and they are fucking suing me and I don’t have two fucking cents to rub together. I got a job at that little Italian place on 2nd? You could come by in a couple weeks and I’ll buy you a drink…
I’m behind on the rent. And I’m gonna end up on the fucking streets man.
So please.
Beat.
146 1993 Melancholy July 2018 draft finkle BORIS $150.
LOREENA Fuck you. $250
SFX: The phone rings.
BORIS Hold on. Hello. No. No. No. I said no Joseph. I said no! Hold on. Loreena just wander in store for minute. I need to take this –
LOREENA Come on, just buy the coat.
BORIS In minute. I am enjoying negotiation. Go. Wander. Maybe you see something you want to buy.
LOREENA I’m not here to buy anything. I’m here to –
BORIS Ok just minute.
SFX: We hear LOREENA start to move away from Boris, looking around the store. We hear her pick up a couple things, shake something.
SFX: We hear LOREENA gasp.
LOREENA Giga’s radio28.
28 Giga’s Radio – Object #3
147 1993 Melancholy July 2018 draft finkle
SFX: PAUSE. Footnote. PLAY. SFX: She picks the radio up and holds it in her hands.
LOREENA This is what I’ve needed. I need this to go to sleep. With this, everything will be alright. I’ll make enough money for rent. The lawsuit will be dropped. Everything will work out.
Well not literally Giga’s but one just like it – a 1933 Philips 634A AM radio..
SFX: FAST FORWARD. (something goes wrong here but I’m not sure what, something like – the tape gets unraveled and finkle can’t fix it, forced to skip an episode – maybe finkle says what you missed, maybe finkle doesn’t. Eventually finkle puts another tape in and presses PLAY. We’ve jumped ahead a month or so..
148 1993 Melancholy July 2018 draft finkle STEVEN What about Genet – have you seen him?
LOREENA I never see that dude. I didn’t even know you two knew each other. He’s not around either? Dude I don’t know. I didn’t even know Bryon or you were gone for like – I don’t know when I noticed. Maybe end of June? But even then I figured you were out at Fire Island Pines And then sometime in October or maybe November they came and cleaned out the place, painted –
STEVEN Who’s they?
LOREENA Painters and contractors. I thought at first Byron was redecorating but then you guys never came back. And then Judy called. And now you’re saying you weren’t with Byron? I’ve been caught up in my own shit man, I haven’t like –
SFX: Keys unlocking the door.
STEVEN Who’s at your door?
LOREENA Boris. Hey hon.
BORIS Hello darling beautiful woman.
SFX: Walking across the hardwood floor. A kiss on the cheek.
BORIS It’s you.
LOREENA This is Steven, he –
BORIS You are boy who bring painting to me.
STEVEN Uh –
149 1993 Melancholy July 2018 draft finkle
BORIS I run pawnshop.
STEVEN I don’t –
BORIS I remember. I know who you are. I call Byron.
LOREENA Steven was Byron’s – what exactly were you two?
STEVEN He was my, I was his –
BORIS What happened to Byron. He just disappear.
LOREENA That’s what we were talking about hon. Steven doesn’t know.
BORIS It is suspicious.
SFX: Silence.
LOREENA I thought you were getting my dry cleaning.
BORIS I forget. I be right back. You stay Steven. We have dinner together. I make fish for dinner in Loreena crap apartment.
LOREENA It’s not a crap apartment Boris. And my kitchen has served me fine all these years. I can do wonders in any kitchen.
BORIS My kitchen better.
LOREENA Your apartment is in fucking Rego Park and we’re not going there.
SFX: BORIS getting his keys and leaving.
150 1993 Melancholy July 2018 draft finkle The door shutting. We hear him walk down the stairs and the front door of 512 open and close.
LOREENA Don’t ask. Don’t judge. It’s new. I like him. And you guys met, that’s crazy.
STEVEN I don’t know. I think he has me mistaken for someone else.
LOREENA Boris has a really good memory.
STEVEN I don’t know. Oh yea. I, Byron wanted me to appraise something for him, maybe that’s it?
LOREENA Maybe...... I just don’t get it dude. So you left in April. You weren’t with Byron. You didn’t say goodbye to me. You didn’t stay in touch with Byron. You’re asking about Genet who I didn’t even know you knew What the fuck is going on dude?
SFX: the tape seems to be spliced with another scene here. Its STEVEN’s flashback but also his confession and also the thing he never wanted anyone to hear.
STEVEN I - SFX: it skips back and forth
STEVEN I - SFX: Then PLAY.
BYRON Get out. Both of you. Get your clothes and get out.
GENET Now look here Byron. Let’s talk this through for a sec.
BYRON
151 1993 Melancholy July 2018 draft finkle There’s nothing to talk through. You are both lucky I haven’t picked up the receiver and notified the authorities that I have trespassers. Thieves in my temple.
GENET We will leave Byron, but we’re taking the money with us.
BYRON The hell you are.
GENET What do you think, that you’re going to stop us?
BYRON I’m stronger than I look.
STEVEN It’s ok. We’ll go.
GENET No. We’re not leaving without the samovar. That’s what we came here for.
STEVEN We’ll find money somewhere else Daddy
BYRON You call him Daddy.
STEVEN I didn’t want you to find out about this Byron.
BYRON That doesn’t make me feel better. If you truly cared for me, you would never have gone to him.
STEVEN I do care for you.
BYRON You don’t know what care means. You don’t know what you’re doing. You’re not even awake.
Beat. Silence between the three.
152 1993 Melancholy July 2018 draft finkle A stand off of sorts.
GENET Kid. Pick up the cash from the floor. I’ll grab the samovar.
BYRON Don’t either of you move.
GENET Just do what I say kid.
BYRON You’re listening to the wrong person Steven. He’s going to betray you. He probably already has. You just haven’t noticed yet. What was the first thing I told you about him? First thing to know, Jean moves slow. Jean moves slow. What did he tell you?
GENET Stop talking Byron.
BYRON Why does he need the money?
GENET Byron stop it.
BYRON To pay off a debt? To run away together and live happily ever after? To pay for meds?
STEVEN GENET Is that - He’s lying. No. I told you I’m –
BYRON Have I ever lied to you?
STEVEN I don’t know what to –
BYRON GENET Genet is just like me. Stop it. SICK. DYING. DEATH. DISEASED. STOP IT. STOP IT!
153 1993 Melancholy July 2018 draft finkle SFX: Swipe of Genet’s knife. Swift. The air we hear as the knife moves through space. The slash of skin.
STEVEN No! BYRON Sliced!
SFX: BYRON running down stairs
GENET Shit.
SFX: BYRON being chased by GENET Frantically knocking on the door.
BYRON LOREENA!
LOREENA Who’s There?
SFX: GENET running down the stairs.
BYRON It’s me! It’s –
SFX: GENET grabbing BYRON from behind. His hand over his mouth. Sound of BYRON trying to scream but unable to now. Muffled, horrified. Continuous. Sound of GENET pulling BYRON back up the stairs with much force. STEVEN bounding down the stairs.
STEVEN What are you doing?
GENET Just help me get him back –
STEVEN He’s bleeding –
154 1993 Melancholy July 2018 draft finkle
GENET I know he is -
SFX: BYRON bites GENET’s hand.
GENET FUCK! Grab him!
BYRON HELP! HELP!
SFX: BYRON running up the stairs screaming Into his apartment. He attempts to slam the door but GENET pushes it open.
GENET YOU HAVE TO CALM DOWN BYRON!
STEVEN Byron calm down, it’s ok, it’s –
SFX: BYRON has been wrestled to the floor. Is GENET on top of him or STEVEN? BOTH?
BYRON Get off me! STEVEN! Look at me! Look at me!
STEVEN Put the knife away.
GENET Get off me kid!
SFX: Struggle between the three. STEVEN trying to wrestle the knife away from GENET. GENET trying to fight him off. BYRON trying to get up. STEVEN grabs the knife but loses control of it. It stabs BYRON.
155 1993 Melancholy July 2018 draft finkle The sound of the knife piercing his flesh.
STEVEN Byron! No!
BYRON You stabbed me. Heart Deep.
SFX: We hear another stab. This time more intentional. Is it STEVEN? Is it STEVEN guided by GENET? Is it GENET?
Then- FAST FORWARD. FAST FORWARD. PLAY. (but who is fast forwarding, who is playing?) NURSE finkle?
SFX: FINKLE standing up, walking through a door. Door closing. Someone sitting down. Flipping of pages.
NURSE Ok, so your tests came back positive for HIV.
SFX: STOP. finkle I remember that moment so vividly. The moment the words were connecting to me. As if it is happening right now for the first time.
SFX: REWIND. PLAY.
NURSE Ok, so your tests came back positive for HIV.
SFX: STOP. finkle Words are slower than images. They take a long time, in the scheme of things, to get from one person’s mouth to another person’s ear.
156 1993 Melancholy July 2018 draft finkle
SFX: REWIND. PLAY. NURSE Ok, so your tests came back positive for HIV.
SFX: STOP. finkle Sound waves move like water. A vibration is made. It travels through the air It vibrates again.
SFX: REWIND. PLAY.
NURSE Ok, so your tests came back positive for HIV.
SFX: STOP. finkle Do words change shape as they travel through space? Do words change meaning as they travel through time?
157 1993 Melancholy July 2018 draft finkle SFX: Sound a small transistor radio29 being turned on. Interference as someone tries to find a frequency.
ANNOUNCER -claimed “irresistible impulse” but refused to cooperate with authorities in finding the body. Convicted of murder in the 2nd degree, Mr. James, 22, has been sentenced to 10 years in the Bedford Hills Correctional Facility.
Well folks, it’s 10:53pm and we are almost at the end of our final show. For those of you who have been here with us from the beginning, a special thanks from me, your host. For those of you just tuning in, hello, goodbye and good riddance. What does the future hold for me? I just don’t know.
This is the HOUR OF POWER and let’s bring this home. In California -
SFX: Once again interference on the radio. Then -
29 Transistor radio – Object #9
kind-of vintage transistor radio bought from Boris for a song.
158 1993 Melancholy July 2018 draft finkle
MUSICAL FINALE - MY BIGGEST CRIME
GENET I’d like to dedicate this song to a special someone doing time. This one’s for you kid.
NOT GONNA TELL YOU THAT I MISS YOU NOT GONNA TELL YOU I LOVE YOU NO NOT GONNA TELL YA GONNA TELL YA NOT GONNA TELL YA NO
NOT GONNA GIVE YOU NO ANSWERS NOT GONNA COME BACK TO YOU NOT GONNA TELL YA GONNA TELL YA NOT GONNA TELL YA NO
NOT GONNA RUN INTO ME YOU’RE NEVER GONNA FIND ME. NOT GONNA TELL YA NOT GONNA TELL YA NO
NOT EVEN FOR ONE NIGHT EVEN IF THAT’D FEEL SO RIGHT NOT GONNA TELL YA NOT GONNA TELL YA NO
THIS IS MY BIGGEST CRIME AT LEAST THROUGH YOUR EYES GONNA SAY IT TWO TIMES THIS IS MY BIGGEST CRIME
NEVER PROMISED HONESTY NEVER PROMISED ANYTHING GONNA SAY IT TWO TIMES NEVER PROMISED YOU HONESTY
I WILL NOT APOLOGIZE YOU DON’T SEEM TO REALIZE SO I SAY IT TWO TIMES I WILL NOT APOLOGIZE
WHAT YOU WANT YOU’LL NEVER GET FROM ME
NOT GONNA TELL YOU THAT I NEED YOU
159 1993 Melancholy July 2018 draft finkle
NOT GONNA TELL YOU I BLEED FOR YOU NOT GONNA TELL YA GONNA TELL YA NOT GONNA TELL YA NO
NOT GONNA TELL YOU THAT I MISS YOU, NO NOT GONNA TELL YOU THAT I LOVE YOU NO NOT GONNA TELL YA GONNA TELL YA NOT GONNA TELL YA NO.
The song plays out as strings mix and take over becoming “1993 Reprise”
finkle (almost a whisper) 1993 1993 And then, the tape 1993 unravels. finkle takes the tape out but unlike last time this happened, finkle does not try to fix it. finkle pulls the tape out of the cassette, unraveling and unraveling. -an unexpected amount of tape unravels, covering finkle, the space, until all we see is tape, all we hear is
UNRAVEL. UNRAVEL. UNRAVEL.
UNRAVEL.and then finally - STOP.
160