Original subtitles

All right, I'm on my way.

Yeah, 10-4.

They're $5.00 down here, and they got all the hot water you want.

I get in there and be a pig with their hot water.

I just wash my hair about three times.

Oh, yeah, I'll bet.

I'm just thinking the coyotes and where they are.

Every morning.

I got a hose. I can move anywhere.

We should be good.

Let me grab my sunglasses. I'll be right back.

All right.

Rooster and ma chicken had a whole bunch of critters

outside their place when they were here,

and they were one of the few that gave the story about what they looked like.

Nice day.

It's getting warm though.

Goddamn pesky little bastards.

Ha!

I always told the kids...

You ain't got no business going around...

Stepping on ants...

Killing bugs.

Hell, they got a family. They got...

They got a life to live. I mean, they got stuff going on.

Leave those damn bugs alone.

Don't be going around killing spiders and such.

No, I won't have it.

I told them that when they were just barely old enough to listen.

Mm-mmm.

But then I said, “however...

We can make an exception when it comes to flies and mosquitoes.”

To leave a callback number, press 5.

Hello, Jennifer. This is your dad.

I just wanted to call and say hi and see what you were up to and stuff.

And, uh...

Uh, everything's going okay.

I hope everything's going all right with you.

Give me a call back when you get a chance.

I love you and I'll talk to you later.

Okay.

You wanna go with me or do you wanna stay?

You're gonna stay in the back?

Very bad.

I can remember the first... first night I had to spend out of doors.

This was more than 20 years ago, before I broke my hip,

before a lot of things had happened to me.

And, uh, for some reason,

I was there without a place to stay and night was falling,

and I think I had a dollar or something, so I went and got a cup of coffee.

This was back when a dollar would buy a couple cups of coffee.

I walked around all night long. This is in San Diego.

I can remember going down Broadway, back and forth, back and forth.

So finally, when the sun was coming up...

See, at that time I was too scared to sleep outside,

so I thought I'll wait till the sunlight and I'll go to the park.

So I bought a paper that morning,

and I walked out to one of the parks down by the bay.

Put a blanket over my leg and went to sleep.

A couple minutes later,

a San Diego police department police officer comes up to me.

He says, uh, “you can't be, uh..." He says, “what are you doing?”

I said, “well, I'm just... just sleeping.”

He says, “it's illegal to sleep in a park.”

I said, “I'm not sleeping in the park.

Look, I have today's paper here, I'm just here...

I've been walking all night and now I'm tired.”

And he says, “well, it's illegal to sleep in the park

covered up with a blanket at anytime.”

So I started moving east, up into the mountains,

where I was very familiar with.

I'll camp in the mountains.

Because that's what people are always telling you:

“Why don't all you guys go up into the mountains?”

Well, because it's illegal there too.

Not only do you have a two-week limit,

but if you're living there and you have no other place to live,

that's illegal too.

Even if you're abiding by the two-week limit.

It's called “illegal living on the public lands.”

So after I got cited for that... That's my only federal offense.

I have a federal offense on my record for living on the public lands,

even though I was obeying all regulations.

So then I said, “oh, okay.”

Well, then I came over the hill, down into the desert, where it's very big,

and they don't care because it's too big.

So here I can sit finally.

Don't have to worry about anybody coming up

and citing me for falling asleep out of doors,

and I can enjoy myself here and be comfortable.

Um, in town, you gotta hide.

It's all by luck, not by law, that you're going to survive in there.

I've learned all the tricks now, believe me.

I'd even climb inside of a dumpster to spend the night

just to be safe in the city, to avoid being arrested.

But out here I don't have to go through all those... those hoops.

This is freedom and security out here,

and I can have a campfire and walk over there.

I don't have to worry about my dog.

It's fantastic.

Keep track of your money at 6:23 and 7:43

on the morning show on 770 kkob.

Oh, fuck me, god!

I had a beautiful home...

A beautiful child...

A most gratifying career.

I spent just about my last dollar

fighting for custody for my son,

and I lost.

All these vehicles are blown up

and missing wheels,

and cars seem to have come here

like it's some kind of mental institution for road vehicles

to come have a psychotic break.

It just...

I mean, they're not even recognizable.

I look at my car out there,

parked next to that old Ford,

and I'm thinking, like,

“am I so attached to this place I'm going to be here so long

that over time my car's going to look like that one?”

Dying, dying for you to release the meatball recipe

that I've been listening to for five...

I'm so glad I got this hammock set up.

I've had this thing for years,

and I've been camped here for months, sitting in a chair with my back hurting.

And now I feel fantastic.

I waited so long because I had no other point to fasten the hammock to.

I can put one end on the bus, but what about the other end?

There isn't a tree here taller than your head.

So I remembered I'd found this door frame at the scrap yard.

So I hooked it up here and braced it

and took the rope down to the base of the tree.

And now it's just comfortable and secure,

and I can spend my afternoons here reading or thinking or writing

or doing whatever it is that I want to do.

And the reason I got the door in the first place...

Was because I could make it all glass and the sun would come in.

When I designed the bus from the very beginning...

I wanted to have a winter side and a summer side

so I could go in any climate and be comfortable.

Now, this is the winter side.

All that means is that there's more windows in it.

And with that door here, solid glass,

it's gonna have as much solar gain

as the rest of the windows all put together.

Check out this radio. I don't know if it works.

All right, I'm looking around to dump this last load of water,

which would be kind of a thrill.

Must be some thirsty people up there.

Yeah, I don't know what it is about the desert and the need for water.

It's always been confusing to me.

So when do you see yourself heading out of here?

Oh, it's kind of starting to get brutal already.

But, uh...

I reckon I'll try to live through April.

April is often a very difficult time here.

Sometimes I wonder how folks make it.

I'd like to have a swimming pool

and a couple of girls in bikinis with chilled wine.

But, yeah, you can't have everything, so...

Would you hold that for me so I can get it started?

Okay.

Okay.

- Got it? - It's working.

Yeah. Good.

Okay, when it's full, it'll start spitting water out right here.

- Right here. - Oh, yeah.

- The little thing right here. - That's for the air release.

- Uh-huh. - All right.

Here.

- There's ten. - There's two.

Okay.

- There's three. - Okay.

And I think I have a spare quarter. I was tipped a quarter earlier.

That'll work. That'll work. Yeah?

- That'll work. - All right.

- I appreciate the water. - Not a problem.

- I appreciate the water. - Okay.

I was thinking of going to Mexico, mexicali.

- Uh-huh. - To get glasses.

Oh. Okay.

- I know where the dentist is. - Oh.

Yes.

- If I could go across the border. - Sure you can.

All you need is your driver's license.

We'll take my rig, my truck.

We'll park it down there, and then we go across the border.

It'll be no problem. You know...

- You know what I mean. - Think so?

Yeah, sure. Why not?

I mean, we may have to change outfits.

- But it's at least... you know, it's a... - Yeah. Yeah. It's a thought. Yeah.

'Cause I talked to the guy. Cause he's the one who did my tooth.

- He spent a half hour with me. - Really?

He's the same guy that worked on you, right?

Dr. Cruz. And he charged me $10.00 for a half hour.

Wow.

I said, “do you do false teeth?” he says, “oh, yeah.”

- Wow. - Yeah.

- Wow. - 'Cause if you want to buy it here,

- you're screwed. - Oh, I know. Oh, I know.

What he did to me for $10.00 it would have cost me 200 here.

- Yes. - And two appointments.

Could have bent over a little further.

Yes. Absolutely.

Yeah, so, uh... so, what is your, uh...

Do you have plans? How long you're gonna be around or what?

Well, I would stick around for that.

Well, because there's here and there's also algodones.

We don't need anything but a driver's license

to cross the border and come back, this year.

Okay.

They're not bad. Well...

No, you want to keep as many of the bottoms as you can.

- Really? - Oh, absolutely.

Oh, maybe they can just clean 'em and fix 'em.

- Yeah. - Okay.

Because, you see... smile.

Uh, yeah, no, you're fine.

- See, it's the tops that are... - Yeah, just the tops.

Yeah, because you don't want to lose... Cause otherwise...

See, what happens, if you lose the uppers, which is no problem,

you find yourself, having bottoms... You bite up instead of biting down.

- Oh. - Yeah.

And, um,

it's just better to keep as many teeth as you can.

Now, the top ones gotta go.

- I had mine gone. - Right. Okay.

And actually, I took my... Oh, I got a dremel.

- And I replaced this tooth... - Uh-huh, uh-huh.

With an artificial tooth.

Then I carved it out and carved it out, and... tt, tt, tt.

Okay, get it and bring it over here. Come on.

Get it and bring it over here. No, no, over here.

Come on. Get it and bring it over here.

Okay, good girl.

Good girl.

Nomads, vagabonds,

tramps...

And scamps.

Snowbirds...

Crusty old codgers and...

Desert-dwelling...

Reptilian...

Humanoids.

I spent my whole life avoiding California.

But this ain't California. This is...

A foreign country.

No water, no electricity.

Okay, let's see.

Sea level.

We're out here.

Below sea level.

J livin' j

J we're livin' way out here below sea level j

What rhymes with “level”?

Level, level, level.

“Devil.” but we don't want to use “devil.”

Sons of bitches.

I don't know what the hell... What the hell Noah was thinking

when he put you bastards on the ark.

Worse than the damn mosquitoes.

I can't go there.

I don't want to go back to jail.

Uh, what scares me right now

is I understand I'm gonna probably do...

Three years at 35 percent.

I am going to get stupid.

No... no motherfucking nice guy.

I wanna come out... when I come out,

I'm going to buy me a 12-Gauge.

And guess what.

I'm just gonna go walking down the fuckin' street. Boom!

You're so full of shit.

- You think so? - Mm-hmm.

Steal from me.

Steal from me.

You're not gonna shoot anybody, Wayne.

Yes, I am. Cause I just don't even care anymore.

I am so fucking tired of being ripped off.

Flyswatter.

Get a flyswatter.

I'm gonna kill three of 'em at one time.

How you like me now, you bitch?

I'm content.

You lyin' son of a bitch.

Life is good.

The only thing that bothers me is the goddamn mice.

Lice?

Mice.

Mice.

Mice. Like the mouses.

- Yeah, the meeces. - Oh, the mouses.

- They keep me... they keep me awake. - Oh, god! It sucks!

I've got, like, I think, ten of 'em in my house.

Do you understand I've been tryin' to catch 'em on the fucking glue traps.

And you know what I found on my glue traps?

Whole lot of pills.

These mice are fucking attacking my pills

and dragging 'em up there and they're getting away.

I don't really mind 'em being here.

But what I don't like is when they wake me up in the middle of the night,

- and they're going... - What, running across your head?

No, you can just hear 'em out here going...

Oh, no, no, I have 'em running across my head.

- Gas station? - Yeah.

All right.

- Hey! Insane Wayne! - Yeah, buddy.

I got out just a couple days before Thanksgiving.

- Out of where? - Jail. County.

Yeah. I saw you there.

- So, how you doing, Cindy? - I've been pretty good.

- Been good? - Trying to start a new business.

Really? Uh-huh.

What you gonna do, you gonna open a store like me?

No, I'm...

Um, actually, it's gonna be a salon.

Uh-huh.

- For, uh, cutting hair and... - Oh, really?

That's going to be nice. Yeah, that's good.

And painting toenails and fingernails and things like that.

- Oh, really. Wow. That's good. - Mm-hmm.

That's perfect.

Come see me and I'll give you a haircut.

Oh, yeah. You think I need one?

- A little bit. - Okay.

Just around the edges.

- Yeah, sure, no problem. - Okay.

I will come. When you going to open it?

- Um, just next week. - Oh, next week? That soon.

Yeah, that's what the paint's for.

- It's part of making the sign. - Oh, okay.

In front of my motor home.

J now, we're livin' way out here j

j below sea level

J never... never could get on j

J society's track j

& well, we're livin' way out here below sea level &

j never could get on j

j society's track j

j hell, seldom bathed j

j and some say we're disheveled j

j but we like it here and we ain't going back j

j well, it's real quaint j

j some say that it's pretty j

j it's brutal in the summer j

j yes sirree j

j but this is our hidden desert city j

j a place for those who long to be free j

When I first came here, you know, I'd been traveling for years.

And so I didn't know anything about this place at all,

and I pulled in, and I saw lots of vehicles,

but everybody, it seems, they choose to pull in behind a bush

or underneath a tree.

They've all got their little spots.

And so I saw all these people living here, but I never saw any of the people.

I saw their campers or their trucks,

but everybody turns away from the main road

so that their front door is, like, behind a bush or something like that.

And so... I'm kind of a hermit, so that's why I tucked myself over here,

and gradually you see people walking by,

and first you don't say anything to 'em, you know.

Everybody's got their own private business and reason for here.

And maybe you say a little wave.

And then you might wave at 'em for two weeks.

And then maybe that person will say, “oh, you got a neat dog.” “oh, thanks.”

And then... and that's all they say.

Two weeks later they'll come by again and see you playing with the dog.

“Oh, I got a dog” or “il have a dog like that.”

But nobody asks questions.

It's nobody else's business why you're here.

Maybe after two or three months or two or three years,

you'll start actually being invited over to somebody's house to have a meal.

To be invited over to somebody's house for a meal

is really an incredible thing

because people, they want to have the sense of privacy.

They've got their own life here. They've got a disas...

Some disaster brought 'em here, more than likely.

It could be a natural one, a personal one, a social one, a medical one.

And they don't really want to recount it to every single person that comes along.

There's people here that I've gotten to know over the years.

But I could walk over there right now.

Where'd they go? They'd be gone.

I'm not going to, you know, chastise them,

“how come you didn't tell me where you're going?”

Cause that's none of my business.

And same, it's none of their business when I decide to leave.

Maybe next year they'll say, “oh, you didn't say good-bye. Where did you go?”

“Well, you know, you know, I just needed a change of pace

or I had something I had to do and I left.”

That's all the explanation that you need.

Nobody are gonna ask somebody where they get their money.

Whew. That'd be even worse than, uh, you know, an executive cocktail party

to ask somebody where they got their money from.

You can't in any way imply

that the person's a failure or that their place is a mess

or you don't like their barking dogs.

You know, to go up to somebody and say,

“ll really appreciate if you didn't run your generator from 6:00 to 7:00

because that's when I want to watch TV and it's disturbing me.”

I mean, that would get you rolled down the road real fast.

That's the whole point of being out here.

If you don't like it, you start your thing up and you leave.

You never imply that somebody else has to change their life,

unless, of course, they're burning a giant bonfire of old tires

or they're shooting.

That's one thing that I'll do if that...

There. It just went off again.

Now, if that guy comes over here, I'm only tolerating it

'cause I'm kind of wedged here behind the bus

and there's pretty small risk.

But if that guy decides to come here...

See, now I'm getting mad.

I won't hesitate to walk right up to somebody with a gun.

I don't care if they're standing right there.

I'll walk right up to 'em and say, “look, what are you doing?

You can't be shooting out here. There's people around here.”

“Oh, well, it's dove season and I've got..."

I don't care what you've got, all right?

I'm going to call the sheriff if you don't leave.

Or you go off over the banks.

So now... he's been doing that all morning.

So you decided to move. You're gonna sell the trailer, huh?

Yeah, I'm going to sell the trailer and the camper shell too.

Well, I'd like to go out and look at that

because I'm always lookin', you know, for something else

that fills some of the holes I got.

Yeah, and I got two solar panels that go right along with it.

Wow. Well, why are you getting rid of all that stuff?

- Well, I... I wanna move. - Yeah.

- I wanna get away from here. - Yeah.

From out here on the slouch area for a while.

I do that every once in a while.

Yeah, that's what I... You gotta get a break sometimes.

And... yeah.

And I got three dogs to take care of, so, you know, it's kind of...

Yeah. Puts me in a bind

tryin' to take care of the three dogs.

And I gotta buy gas. Gotta buy propane all the time.

In and out, in and out, carrying everything.

So you got a place where you know you're gonna go?

Yeah. A motel up there. Uh-huh.

For...

Oh, about a month. Uh-huh.

So I can apply my sign over there at sears...

- Uh-huh. - And make about 700-$800 in three days.

- You're kiddin' me. - Nope.

Huh.

I got a real nice sign now. It's called... it says on it,

“please help. I'm homeless. Just recently burned out.”

- Yeah? - Yep.

And that happened back... just before July.

You know, I've never run a sign.

I never had the chutzpah, or whatever, it takes to run a sign.

And, uh...

But, man, I didn't realize you could make that kind of money running a sign.

- Oh, yeah. - Especially, like in El centro.

I thought it would've been like...

I've made up to... in El centro,

I've made up to, uh, 75 bucks in an hour.

Wow.

Man, that's small.

That's beautiful.

Wow.

Put that in the back of my truck or in a bus.

That's the thing I always hated about having a motorcycle.

It's so big, you know. That's great though.

Yeah, you just take... take right here.

A couple of turns. Uh-huh.

Lift that. Locks it in.

Do you have to have a registration for this?

=no. - No?

They don't count it as a moped or anything like that?

- No. - Beautiful. That's some cheap driving.

- All right, here. - It's economical on gas.

Abso... yeah. Absolutely. Well, here.

- Okay. - All right, hey, thanks a lot.

- Yep. - Maybe we can go riding sometimes.

- Okay. - All right.

Sounds good.

I think I'll take another spin on this thing.

Let's see. What do I do?

- Flip the switch. - Yep.

Go on ahead.

Okay, actually, that's pretty good. Let's see. Come on. Up.

Okay.

I just got over pneumonia too.

And so, breathing in...

And out, completely.

Go on.

Okay, here we go.

You have a good night now.

Okay, I'm clear. Bulletproof.

Don't you have anybody over there to pick on tonight, Carol?

No, I don't.

I could get started, like me and Kenny used to do,

and tomtom.

But I'll be a good girl.

You know, that sounds like a great idea.

Carol the good girl.

Well, you've always been a good girl.

Uh, you've always been nice.

Uh, I don't see nothing wrong with Carol.

Carol's always been a good girl.

You don't know me very well, do you?

Well, let's see.

The first time I met you,

I was with, uh, Andy.

Oh, that's right.

And you was coming out of the canal with your dog, I think.

I've never really had to use it,

but I'm probably glad that I never have to,

'cause I could actually carry it right here.

And I carry it underneath my shirt.

Nobody even knows I have it.

And if I need it, you know...

I've got it...

It goes through a window.

All because of some people's attitudes.

I just carry it with me, for I feel a little safer.

I want the Phil... the Phil mickelson look.

The Phil mickelson...

And don't tell me you don't know who Phil mickelson is.

I don't. I don't.

You don't? =no.

He's a... he's a... he's that real famous golfer from San Diego.

And he's...

- He looks kind of like me. - Oh, okay.

But he has, you know... Like, I want the pro golfer look.

The pro golfer look.

Yeah. With... with just...

Still a little beard though. Just trimmed a little.

Okay.

The hair. You can be as creative as you want with the hair.

Make me look like a young investment banker

just fresh out of his mba at the wharton business school,

getting ready to go to work for Goldman sachs.

- How's that? - Good. I got you. I got you.

Okay.

I think I can do that.

This gal goes into the hairdresser.

She's got to get her hair done cause she's getting ready to go on vacation.

And the hairdresser says,

“you're going on vacation. Where you going?”

And the gal says, “we're gonna go to Rome.”

And the hairdresser says, “you don't wanna go to Rome.

That nasty, dirty, stinky place.

Weather's bad. You know, it rains all the time.

The streets are dirty.

Thieves, pickpockets everywhere. Horrible, horrible.”

Then she says, “how are you gonna get there?”

The gal says, “we're gonna fly continental.”

“You can't fly continental. That's a horrible airline.

The planes are late. The pilots are always drunk.

Where you gonna stay when you get there?”

She said, “oh, the hotel verdi.”

And the lady says, “we stayed there a few years ago.

That's a horrible, cockroach-infested mess.

Not a good place. Ah, not a good idea. Well, what else are you gonna do?”

And the lady says, “well, we think we might get a chance to talk to the pope.”

And the hairdresser says, “ha. Good luck with that.”

A few months go by, and she's in there gettin' her hair done again,

and the hairdresser says, “well, how'd your vacation go?”

And the lady says, “oh, it was just wonderful.

Rome was just beautiful this time of year, you know.

The people were really friendly. The weather was great, you know.

Continental overbooked us and bumped us up to first class.

The planes were on time.

The hotel just underwent a $5 million face-lift.

The rooms were immaculate.

The staff was warm and friendly. The food was delicious.

We just had a wonderful, wonderful vacation.”

Hairdresser says, “well, that's great.

Well, what about the pope? I'll bet you didn't get to see the pope.”

She says, “well, you know, the funniest thing happened.

I was going by the basilica there one day,

and one of the Swiss guards came out and he says,

'you know, every now and then, the pope likes to have an audience

with a regular old citizen, and today he picked you.'

and so I was up there talking to the pope, and I asked him,

'your eminence, what was it that caused you to pick me out of the crowd?'

and the pope says, 'hell, I was just wondering

where you got that crappy hairdo.'”

oh, that's good.

Don't tell...

I thought that was pretty good.

It takes a little... takes a little while to run it down, you know.

It's not real brief.

But usually you can get people's attention with it.

That's a good one. I like that one.

Okay.

All right.

It looks all right, I think.

With your hat it kind of sticks out a little bit.

But I think it's just because of your hat more than anything, I think.

What kind of dog is that anyway?

It's a chihuahua pug-bull mix.

That's the most unusual mix.

Yep. Yep. But they're good dogs.

I've had two of them now. They've both been good dogs.

How long did you have the last one?

Oh.

Nine months before he got stolen.

It must have been, uh... What time of year was it?

About the time the snowbirds leave. Ah.

No, actually, it was in, um...

Early August.

- Wow. - Early August.

Cause me, bill and robbin went to town,

and when we came back, there was no more Damien.

And then alsace died the next morning.

- Ooh. - Heatstroke.

Kenny, could we have a demonstration?

- What, it go out in the sun too much? - Just got too hot for her.

- She couldn't handle it. - Geez.

She couldn't even handle it when she was layin' in the pool.

She got to goin' into convulsions and everything else,

and finally that morning there she went up to the handyman's and died.

- She died up at the handyman's. - Huh.

Um, I don't know what the hell she was doin' walking up that way there.

But she did. She went somewhere to die.

Maybe she was lookin' for the pet cemetery.

Might have. I don't know.

- It's up in that direction, isn't it? - I think so, yeah.

Dig herself a hole or something.

Yeah, Mike and I are gonna, uh, be taking the rest of bill's ashes

and throwing them out by my spot.

Do one final salute.

Yep.

That way bill's always, uh, guarding my spot.

Right here.

“Shoot me!”

I go, “fuckin' shoot me.”

And then...

And then the cop said,

“don't ever tell a drunk to shoot you.”

Oh.

I saw the gun go off.

It hit me.

- Oh, my god. - I went down on the ground.

I stood up.

I went...

“No bullet, and then there's no hole here.”

No hole.

- Okay. - Oh, my god.

And I go, “oh. Did the bull..."

I go, “you motherfucker, you shot me!”

I saw the smoke come from the goddamn gun.

- Whoa. - I saw the smoke.

It was right there. I saw the smoke coming from the gun.

Oh, my god.

- I saw it. - Oh, my god. Where'd it go?

It went in here.

Ricocheted, busted everything in my goddamn face.

Busted all my goddamn jaw and everything, right?

Okay, that's why they call you bulletproof.

- That's why they call me bulletproof! - Oh, okay.

Cause I got a bullet right there. Oh, I didn't know that. Okay.

That's why.

- You know what I mean? - Mm-hmm.

Okay, this stuff is like... whew, boy.

It is really something, isn't it?

- You're shaking too much, honey. - I know it.

- You're shaking. - I know.

- Do I scare you? - No, I'm just...

No. Not at all.

- Okay. - I"m just gonna do a quick one.

- And you're almost done, sweetheart. - Okay.

Okay.

- One more. - The big one.

The big one, okay.

Oh, man, that's pretty.

Oh, my god.

Oh, this one I like. If I can get to it, then I can see it.

Like, what you waiting for?

Like, what the fuck am I talking about?

So if I was to eat you, if I was to kiss you...

- Mmm. - Where his panties would be,

would you like that?

I am not a nice person.

I don't want to be a nice person.

I want to butt-fuck Jesus.

Actually, I want to get his priestesses.

Oh, Carol, I know you got a priestess.

You're a priestess.

That's what I want, baby.

I want... I want you. I want your body.

Anytime you want me to be.

Will you be my friend?

- Always have been. - Not just this way.

Mmm.

- Thank you. - Mm-hmm.

Will you help me pull my pants back up?

Mink!

What was that zipper sound?

Are you gettin' dressed, woman?

Yeah.

Want me to bring your shirt to ya?

Are you mad at me?

No.

Uh-uh.

No.

Why'd I be mad at ya?

You're not mad at me? No.

Oh, then why'd you bring my fuckin' shirt up here?

Cause it's got the cigarettes in it.

Fine.

I'll get my ticket tomorrow.

Sure I didn't insult you? Hmm?

I got my bus ticket.

I'm figuring you got, like, 100, 115.

I know it doesn't to you, baby.

You work on me that hard.

- Doesn't matter. - Exactly.

How many wings... how many wings you got?

- What, are you being silly? - You don't have any wings, do you?

- Well, obviously... - Answer the question.

- No, no wings. - What do you mean, answer the question?

All insects have got two pairs of wings so they can fly.

- What, like a spare pair? - How many legs do you have?

- Uh... - You got, uh, two, I believe, huh?

- Mm-hmm. - All insects have six legs.

They can walk a lot better than you,

and, of course, they can really fly a lot better than you.

And, uh, you know... And where's your skeleton?

You know, it's on... it's on the inside, you know.

So when it breaks, you know, it's so incredibly difficult to mend.

- It often leads to immobility or death. - Is there a fucking point to this?

Yeah, an insect's skeleton is on the outside.

- He just grows his skeleton out there. - Is that why they call 'em extroskeletal?

They-they... well, yeah. “Exoskeleton.” you're close.

Yeah, well... You're not doin' too bad.

You might pick up on this language after all if you keep at it.

Yeah, well, the insects taught me everything I know.

But anyway, they just shed their skeleton and they do fine.

And then, you know, how many kids you got in your litter, you know?

One, maybe two, sometimes three, you know.

Insects got two, three, four, ten million...

- God... - __.In their litter.

I mean, it insures their survival.

They are so much more highly evolved than we are.

How do they remember all their names?

And, uh, it's-it's incred... I mean...

And flies... Flies are the most amazing ones of all.

Now, you look at a bee, and we've all seen bees.

They drive us nuts, 'cause they buzz around,

and they fly around all over the place everywhere,

and they're wonderful fliers and all that.

- They're gettin' to drive me nuts. - A bee is nothing compared to a fly.

I'm tellin' you, a fly can be goin' around, doin' everything...

Loopty loops, barrel rolls and dives and everything like that...

And a fly will literally just fly circles around it the whole time.

A fly is the absolute, most highly engineered,

most sophisticated flying machine in the history of nature.

And I'll tell you why,

and then I'll sort of ease off on the lecture here.

But you'll like this. Cause you look at a fly.

He don't look like he's got two pairs of wings, does he?

I mean, he looks like he's got one pair of wings.

I never sorted them out.

You look at a fly, you see just one pair of wings.

Everybody sees that, you know. And the reason it looks like that

is because their other pair of wings has evolved in a specialized way,

where they've turned into these tiny gyroscopes rather than wings.

And that's why a fly can do anything in any direction...

Upside down, sideways, diagonal.

It doesn't matter to them because those gyroscopes keep them perfectly balanced.

It is an elegant advancement in evolution,

one of the most creative and thoughtful, um, evolutionary techniques

ever to come up with.

It's kind of hard to think of a fly as being thoughtful,

but... but, uh, it's amazing what-what-what they...

You know, most of us, we can't stand the damn things.

All we do is SWAT at 'em,

and they're unbelievable, you know, in terms of their...

They're the epitome of evolution. That's enough about that.

What do ya think? What do ya say we go scatter bill?

- Well... - I don't think anybody's gonna show up.

I'm beginning to wonder and understand

why you don't have a woman in your life. You've got this insect mania.

Well, it's just a hobby.

All right. Well, let's go do bill.

Get in so I can get out.

- Hey, bill. - Oh, is that all of bill that's left?

That's bill.

- Ooh. Spilt a little of him. - Geez.

Sorry about that, buddy.

- You got the shotgun. Okay. - Yeah.

- I"ll take this. - Let's do it out there.

Yeah. Yeah, yeah.

All right, bill.

I well, we're livin' way out here below sea level j

j we never could get on j

j society's track j

j well, we seldom bathe j

j and you might say we're disheveled j

j but we like it here and we ain't goin' back j

- Let's try it... - & well, we like to chop... j

just sing it like that and let me try to find where your voice is at.

- All right. - Find what key you're singin' in.

Just go ahead.

J well, we're livin' way out here below sea level j

J never could get on j

j society's track j

- that don't work. - It's gettin' there though.

I'm not followin'... I'm not doin' this right. Let me...

Hold on a minute.

Um...

J well, we're livin' way out here below sea level j

j we never could get on j

j society's track j

j yeah, we seldom bathe j

j and you might say we're disheveled j

j well, we like it here and we ain't goin' back j

- you"re singin' in d. - In d.

In the chord of d is what you're singin' in.

Is that a good thing?

Well, it sounds better than what you were doin'.

Which was what?

Well, I tried every one of them, so.

But you're singin' in d. That's where your voice is at right now.

Well, I'll be happy... I got a d in algebra once too.

Yeah. Well, try it again. We'll do it in d, see what happens.

All right, all right. Okay.

Anytime.

Ji yeah, we're livin' way out here below sea level j

j never could get on society's track j

j well, we seldom bathe and you might say we're disheveled j

j but we like it here and we ain't goin' back j

j yeah, we like it here and we ain't goin' back j

oh, I forgot... I forgot you were gonna do that twice.

- Oh, yeah, you were gonna... - L1 forgot about that part.

I'm always been...

Always been the forward thing, you know.

That's... that's what I think is the most important is...

You know, that you learn after years of bein'...

Disaster comes, you just go on.

You lose everything. You lose your rig and you're back on foot again.

All right. You're allowed a day or two or a week or a month or...

Who knows? It might turn into six months of just...

But still, you gotta get up, you know. Wipe the dirt off.

“Well, I guess I better find another bike or a truck or a car or somethin'.”

And that's happened to me so many times.

But I've had this bus for five years now,

so it's, you know, that's a pretty long time.

But I feel pretty confident you could drop me off, you know, anywhere,

and I'd just go... that forward, you know,

not gonna give up, not gonna give up, not gonna give up.

And you gotta have that or you will give up, you know?

Yeah, well, givin' up isn't enough

'cause you're still sittin' here breathin', eatin',

shittin', freezin', you know.

You know, givin' up doesn't even help none.

Well give up the clean clothes. I mean, you give up the...

I mean, like, if this burned down.

Let's say you're in a car and it burns down.

You wake up in the morning.

- Every time my car turns over... - Yeah.

When I put the key in, I know I have one more day

when I'm not dead in the road. Uh-huh.

Do you understand how much pressure that is?

I'm a thousand miles from nowhere,

and I got one day I can count on to get there.

Well, I'm always mildly surprised every single time I start the bus.

- I-i"m never... - Mm-hmm, yeah.

I'm always like, “whoa, phew. There it went again,” you know?

Yeah.

Yeah, it's a...

Scary thing.

Okay, now you have to readjust your water probably.

You'll get it. I know you will.

- It's beautiful. I'm jumping in. - All right.

Go away.

Hmm, I don't know what it was.

It's not a message.

Maybe somebody was tryin' to call me.

I'll bet that's what it was, huh.

Anybody there? Nope, nobody there.

Oh, shit.

I don't know. Those phones really really mess me up.

I don't understand them.

How long have you...

How long have you been, um, doin' the beauty business?

- Um, not very long really. - Really?

- Yeah. About a year and a half. - Oh.

I kinda had to... I just changed my lifestyle really is what I did.

I heard that you were, um, a marine. Is that true?

No, I was in... in the Navy.

- And, uh... - Really?

Yeah, I'm not a jarhead. I never was a jarhead.

That's what we called 'em was jarheads.

Does it fit?

I always thought that kind of fit too, you know?

But anyway, yeah, I was in the Navy.

In Vietnam and all that kind of stuff.

And, uh, I think it changed me, changed my whole life.

And I think I spent the rest of my life fighting it.

Because, uh, the psychological part you just can't get over.

And the bad part about it was was when we came home,

everybody treated us like we were some kind of criminals.

And that was hard to take.

You know?

Because we weren't criminals.

You know, we were doin' what we were told to do.

But that's not how they looked at it. So...

So later this afternoon, I"m...

When I'm feeling pretty, I will, uh, follow up on this phone call

for this live-in position that I'm trying to get.

- So if I can feel it, I can do it. - Oh, okay.

You know.

Well...

I think you can do it.

You can do anything you wanna do really.

All you have to do is just make up your mind to do it, huh.

You know?

Well, it used to be like that.

Yeah. It still is.

How about this? It's kind of a pastel.

- Yeah, something natural. - Okay.

So I don't look like a... a party girl.

Um, last year, um,

I had some affairs,

and I had, um, quite a few friends... boyfriends.

And, um, it was like I was a teenage girl,

just realizing that she has breasts, and, you know, and having fun.

I mean, I can't even... it's so amazing.

Because I've had six marriages, okay. I've had six marriages, all right?

And one thing that I did learn from all those marriages,

that if I ever find a man, and if he's the right man,

I'll guarantee you I'm gonna do everything under my power

to make him the happiest man you ever saw in your life.

And that's the way I feel.

I wanna look good for him all the time.

Um, I wanna spoil him, you know.

Um, I'm gonna wait on him.

I'm gonna, you know, make sure that, by golly, I'll get your coffee.

You just sit there and relax.

You know, I'm gonna spoil him.

Because men have a... They have a sense of...

My god, if they're treated that way...

It's like women are treated that way, okay?

But when a man's treated that way, it's like,

he's goin', “holy cow. This is nice.”

Go ahead.

Can you see out your window at that school bus slab

and see if auntie's up there yet?

Yup. She's there.

All right. Thank you.

And she's having a sale this morning if anybody wants to know.

At the school bus slab.

And for all the newcomers out there that are listening,

the school bus slab is located at main and low road.

I don't mind getting old. It's just lookin' old.

I don't get by with a free ticket anymore. I gotta earn it.

I didn't know how easy it was to rely on that,

to get by on that, to skate on that.

It sure is different without that face.

It's all gotta come from the inside now.

And there's nothin' in there...

Except the same thing that's on my face...

Fire, burning,

wind beating around my head and my brain.

It's dried up. It's dried up.

Formless.

Have you ever seen a photograph of my daughter?

No.

Open that top drawer.

There's a green thing in there.

- This? - Mm-hmm.

This is her mother.

And this is her about three months before she was...

- Ah! - _..Devastated.

This is your daughter with the red hair? Mmm.

Far out!

She went down to Australia as an exchange student,

and, uh, she was down there surfing in Sydney

when she got into a car one day and...

August 23, 19... or 2003.

There was four kids in the car, the two in the front seat...

What happened?

Well, they had a car wreck.

Yeah, but what happened?

The two in the front seat lived and the two in the backseat didn't.

Who was driving?

- Sarah was in the backseat. - Oh.

The kid drivin' is doin', like, 15 years in prison now for...

- Damn it. - They don't... they don't take lightly

to that sort of stuff in Australia.

But, damn it, she'd only been down there like three weeks.

God, she's beautiful.

She was doin' her senior year in high school.

Thanks for listening to me. I don't mean to moan about that.

Goddamn, it's just a horrible thing to lose a daughter.

I would've never thought...

She called me up when I was in rehab.

She says, “dad, I'm so happy you quit drinkin'.

I'm gonna come and move to San Diego and hang with you and surf

for the rest of my life.”

“Well, that sounds good, kid.”

And you missed it.

“You could be an anthropologist over here.

Hell, San Diego... San Diego's dyin' for anthropologists.”

Yeah, but somebody else took... took her. And there was a reason why.

- Fuckin' automobiles! - They needed her.

My son, it happened too.

He died in my arms. He was 22 years old. He died in my arms.

Okay?

- I deal with it. - Yeah.

The lord wanted him.

What killed him?

He got shot.

That'll do it.

Yeah.

It tore me apart.

Why did they shoot him?

Huh?

Why did he get shot?

He took my place.

Hmm.

It doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me.

I was gonna get shot... shot.

And he pushed me out of the way and took it, okay?

That makes sense.

Why were they going to shoot you?

Because somebody couldn't deal with their father dying.

You didn't fuck 'em? You didn't give 'em a reason to shoot you?

Nope.

No.

But they wanted to shoot you nonetheless.

His father died, and he wanted...

He just couldn't deal with it, so he was gonna take it out on me.

Goddamn, Carol, that's one of the saddest fucking stories

I've ever heard in my life. Yeah?

Your son took a bullet for you? You've never told me that before.

Come here.

Come here.

It's okay.

And that's why I moved out to the slabs, after he died...

Then we'd be able to end...

Um... um...

Moved me out here to get away from everybody,

'cause they wouldn't leave me alone about my son...

That died in my arms.

And Wayne found me, and Wayne... Wayne found me.

You never told me that before, Carol.

I don't want nobody to know. It's my, okay...

Goddamn, I'm talking about my daughter.

I mean, she just got in a fucking car wreck.

I mean, everybody gets in car wrecks.

No big deal. I mean, not too many people's children...

- Yeah, but a part of you... - Take a fucking bullet for their mother.

A part of you is gone.

- I died. I died. - My daughter didn't take a bullet for me.

I died, okay?

She just got in the wrong car.

J Carol was just 19 and waited so long j

j waitin' and a-hopin' that she'll get her call »

j up in the crowd there's a boy who looks up j

j waitin' and a-hopin' till she catch his eye j

j soon as Beau sees her he steps in the line j

j goes to his pockets and pulls out a dime j

j she smiles so sweetly when it's his turn to pay j

j lays down a dollar then they're dancin' away j

j it's a dime-a-dance romance gentleman's choice j

J so lay down your money and shine up your shoes j

j a dime-a-dance romance is waitin' for you j

j a dime-a-dance romance is waitin' j

j just for you j

Come here, babe.

How's that for an asshole?

So anyone wanna light me a fuckin' cigarette?

Then I'm gonna kill god.

- Thank you, sweetheart. - Yeah. Yeah, right.

Trust me. Would I lie to you?

Is this fucking thing live?

I'll just pull the fuckin' pin and throw it on somebody.

Anyway, um... um...

Oh, thank you.

Somethin' that works! How bout that fuckin' shit?

In this house?

- Oh, my god. Amazing. - Everything works in here, honey.

Would you fucking get off my ass?

You have reached Jennifer.

Please record your message.

When you're finished recording, you may hang up, or press 1 for more options.

To leave a call back number, press 5.

Jennifer, this is your goofy father.

Call me back at this number when you get...

When you get home if you're gone or something like that, but...

Ll don't know.

I... i-l-l need you. I need... I need you.

It's fairly small, I think.

Maybe about six by five or somethin' like that.

It's actually got a truck bed.

Um, I was lookin' at it closer but I was thinkin' that somebody out here

might be interested and so I thought I'd mention it.

That's good. That's great.

Uh, the reason I ask for so many picayunish details

is because other people will ask too.

How long was this rv?

If it's 15 feet high, how many feet long would it be?

With the hitch and everything, it'll probably come to about 16 feet.

Okay, you're not visualizing a windage problem on this by any chance?

This is snowball.

And I like him.

Uh-huh, whoa-whoa-whoa-whoa.

'Il never hurt you. I'll never hurt you, baby.

Hug me. Love me.

Or bite me.

I don't care which.

Oh, please, bite me, bite me, bite me. Call me dirty names.

Ooh, you little wench.

Oh... oh, god.

Oh, you're somethin'. Hey, your breath stinks!

The whole bed...

Is on a wood frame, you see? Uh-huh.

So the last step of the plan is that I'm gonna put eye bolts

in the corner of each of this frame.

I'm gonna put pulleys up here. And then there'll be a wire...

Two wires that lead over to this side, and there'll be a crank here.

So this whole bed will rise up to here, and then you can use the tub underneath

without having to take the blankets or sheets off or anything.

Oh. This is good. Mm-hmm.

So you're actually multiplying your space.

It's like having a multilevel... Split-level home.

And then over here there's gonna be like a love seat,

so you can sit there and use the tub, and then you can get and sit here.

You can still look out all the windows while you're using the tub.

Whenever I see those ads in the paper, real estate ads, for multilevel homes...

I don't think I'm ever gonna see that word the same way.

Yeah.

The motor came along before the boat did, but I knew I'd need a motor.

It was such a great deal that I bought the motor first,

and now I'm looking for a boat, you know.

If the boat had come along first, I would've bought the boat first

and worried about the motor.

So that's why a lot of the disarray seems

is because I'm not, like, buying part one, then part two, then part three.

If part seven comes up first in the system, I'll buy that part first.

And then finally when I get enough, I'm gonna make them work.

So the motor's there for...

Now I know, “oh, there's a boat, a canoe.”

Like aluminum canoe, like 18 foot long, you know?

You're like, bam!

Somebody says, “200 bucks.” you're like, wham, wham, wham.

Throw the canoe on the roof

and then all you gotta do is find some water

and you got the whole motorized operation.

So... and then... 1 like it there too.

A-as angular as it is with all these things...

It's not dangerous. You can't... The way it's positioned behind that grill

and up here, you can't hit your head on it, you can't run into it.

- So this is a motor looking for a boat. - Yes.

Okay.

Yeah.

Okay.

Salzbury, I think, was the name of the street.

I can't remember. God.

Now...

Oh, my god.

I just received these from my son Travis.

Pictures.

Travis and Adam growing up.

Look at all the things they went to, the things...

The things I missed.

Cause... I missed a lot.

Yeah, a lot.

Wow.

Long hair.

God, I had long hair there.

And a beard. Oh, my god.

It was in my house in Santa Barbara.

Oh.

Unbelievable.

Graduating from high school, 1964.

That was the year I went to Vietnam.

Geez.

Wow.

You were pretty lucky, dad. You had your hair.

Huh.

Wow.

Geez.

& oh, it's real quaint j j some say that it's pretty I

j it's brutal in the summer yes, sirree j

j but it's our little hidden desert city j

j a place for those who long to be free j

j a place for those who long to be free j

j now, we don't really care what you look like j

j we don't matter much about where you come from j

j on an rv or the ground or a dirt bike j

j they'll welcome you and say here's where you belong j

ji yeah, you're welcome here this is where you belong

let's tell "em, boys.

Arthur James on the roof.

A classic movie...

Come on, baby. All right.

- What the hell is that noise? - That's the brake.

Oh, we died.

Is that your car dyin'?

Yeah. No, it's the, uh...

It's just the hand brake catchin', but we definitely

don't wanna go down any farther and wonder what's down there.

You mean that's like a security thing?

Your brakes don't work? Your brakes don't work?

I heard you say your brakes don't work. I'm just gettin' your brakes don't work.

Yeah, yeah. Yeah, my brakes don't work.

And so, what, your tire stops blowing so you don't...

Do you know what's behind you...

- Whoa, people! - Before you back up?

I looked at it when we were goin' by.

When the brakes started failin', I said, “well, there's a spot.”

“When the brakes started failing.”

Thanks for keeping me, uh, you know, on notice.

You know, all systems can't always work, and I know the brakes...

I've already budgeted out the money for the part.

But also up here my alternator Gauge doesn't work.

My fuel Gauge is inaccurate.

My temperature Gauge is all right.

My oil pressure Gauge doesn't work.

- And my... - Oh, that stuff's not important.

Yeah, yeah. I know.

Well maybe we should find a place around here.

Yeah, well, we passed a good spot back here. A nice spot.

I was just coming down to check it out, but when I saw it get steeper,

I thought, “well, we better turn around.”

How it varies so much right in here.

I mean, here's some more of the delphiniums.

- Oh, it's so beautiful. - Hey, what is that?

- It's so beautiful. - Hey, that's lamb's quarter.

Whoop. Where in there?

I'm pretty sure that's lamb's quarter back under there.

Not lamb ear?

No, it's not. =no.

It's a path that people used to cross the border,

because Mexico is only about three or four miles away.

And, of course, they've gotta go through all the most rugged and remote places.

And this is about as rugged as you can get. So this is a path.

And that's not somebody's garbage over there.

Well, it is in a sense.

Guy probably got tired and said he didn't need a pair of...

He'd get pants when he got to where he was goin' and just threw 'em down.

The goal always is... it's not really like to walk to Los Angeles or something.

That's almost never done because it's just, it's an incredible journey.

So they're all tryin' to get, say, ten miles past the border,

where they'll have somebody...

Like maybe there's a cell phone stashed for 'em there,

or they bring cell phones with "em and they get up there.

You know, “I'm at the spot.” and then...

Then some people come pick 'em up.

You said it was a little cramped in there.

Where's the plumbing part?

I didn't tell you it's not hooked up?

Well, you could crap in a box.

Why does it have to look like a toilet? It's not a toilet.

Well, I'll get the hole. I'll drill a hole here soon.

And then we'll put it in.

It just sort of makes you feel at home 'cause it looks like a toilet?

Well, you gotta store it somewhere.

Oh, I know where... we didn't clean out the cabinet over the bed there.

I got a whole bunch of sweaters and junk in there.

You know, you're making your project bigger every minute.

Oh, yeah. Here's another backpack.

You'll love this.

I mean, you could just leave the clothes for another project,

'cause you kind of got enough...

You bit off more than you can chew. =no.

Do you really wanna start another project?

Cause this is what I feel like these backpacks are.

You're homeless. I'm homeless.

- You don't have an automatic objection... - The last thing I want in my life

is another homeless man.

Well, then hit the road.

You know, if you don't want another home... I'm a homeless man.

- But I need companionship, - Oh, I see.

Company, love, trust, friendship...

And I saw that in you.

- And it's still there in me. - I'm not...

I was obviously completely mistaken after what you just said there.

Well, you just slammed me saying, “oh, a homeless man.

That's the last thing I need is a homeless man in my life.”

Well, excuse me. You're homeless.

- Are you better than me? - I know that there isn't another man

in this world that's gonna pick up a homeless chick

unless it's for dysfunctional reasons.

- Well, so it's not... - Exactly.

Right. So it's not weird. Where else is a homeless person gonna meet somebody?

You're taking this as an emotional value judgment.

- I'm talking reality here. - Oh, I see.

I'm talking about practicality here.

What's more practical than two homeless people together?

Ah... okay, you got one person with desperate, unsolvable problems,

and now you've got two people with desperate, unsolvable...

Seems to me, duh, you got twice as many problems as you had to start with.

I don't see unsolvable problems. I just see problems.

Problems are solvable. I don't see unsolvable problems.

You don't get something out of nothing.

- I"m not nothing. You're not nothing. - I am.

- Well, I'm sorry you feel that way. - What is it you're looking for?

I'm lookin' for conversation and companionship

and intellectual conversation.

- And an interesting person, all right? - Right.

So what's the big deal?

Cause I'm homeless and you're homeless and that can't happen?

This isn't okay for me.

Okay. Well, that's all you had to say. You never said that once

- in all the time we've known... - Oh, yes, I did.

The first time I walked in your bus, I was stunned and I let you know it.

That's right. But you hadn't had the opportunity

to come in and see the real work there was.

I saw a filthy, dirty, grimy,

- uninhabitable space. - Oh, come on.

You don't have to... You can be homeless and be clean.

- Is it clean now? - It's not easy. It takes a lot of work.

Is it clean now? =-no.

All right. Why're you sitting on this bed?

Aren't you worried about gettin' some disease?

Absolutely.

Well, if you think that I'm just such a pig as that,

then I don't even see why you're even talking to me.

Because I'm willing to risk getting scabies or crabs...

- Oh, come on. I've never had... - Because I'm that fucking lonely!

I've never had lice, scabies, crabs, VD...

When was the last time you had a shower?

- When was the last time you had a shower? - Since the time...

When was the last time you washed your sheets?

Wait! We got here the same time. I had a shower...

- Whose chairs have we been sitting in? - I had a shower the last time you did.

- I have water. - Yes, you do.

I can go down the road. That's why I'm livin' big time. Not cause I have a bus.

Okay, here it is.

And it's okay with you.

- It's okay with me! - That's the problem!

Because it's not okay for me

to live this way with myself or anybody else,

and nobody else should be living like this either.

If you wanna have that, I'm curious and interested in that.

You know, you're mistaken in thinking that this is the end-all and be-all.

It's not okay for me 'cause I'm gettin' out.

- I am too. - I"m probably gonna die first.

No, wait, I'm getting out too.

Sweet.

Ah, crap.

This snuck out.

Good. Good.

Get them copters over here.

You know, this is a wonderful place.

It's... it's totally desolate.

It's out in the middle of nowhere.

You know-=-

you know, dad, how I always, you know, I love desolation,

you know, I love being away from everything.

That's why I spent most of my time in the wilderness of new Mexico.

But this place is like...

It's not like being in California at all.

It's totally different than California.

I mean, I always avoided California like the plague, you know, my entire life.

But being here is like being, well, I don't know,

somewhere way out in the middle of nowhere.

It's not at all like California.

Probably because you are way out in the middle of nowhere.

Yeah. Yeah. That's it. That's it. Yeah.

And, um, you know, we...

We like it here and, um, we ain't goin' back.

Yup.

Well, good.

- So anyway, here's the... here's the song. - All right.

J we're living way out here below sea level j

j never could get on society's track j

j well, we seldom bathe and some say we're disheveled j

j but we like it here and we ain't goin' back j

well, that's amazing.

The musicians are something else.

They're... they're the ones that I really need and, uh...

And... and it's a kick to have these great musicians around.

Didn't you like that guitar work? I mean...

It's pretty good. Wasn't twangy at all.

No, no. Yeah.

It was almost in the sort of the Perry como deal.

- I mean, you know... - Well, not quite.

But, uh, yeah. They took it... They took it real easy and, uh...

So anyway, this is the... This is the deal that we're doing,

and, you know, and, uh...

You know, I'd like for you to come down and check us out.

I know you probably wouldn't want to be here for more than a day or so,

but everyone would enjoy meeting you, even Sterling.

And if you, uh...

If you come down and hung around for a day or two, it'd be great.

Especially the last week in January when we do the talent show

with the Mike bright band featuring the slabettes.

You know.

- Yep, it's... - That's too much.

It's true. I got five of them. Yup.

- “Slabettes.” - Yeah, five slabettes.

And they're all these crusty old broads, you know?

They're all great buddies of mine, you know, and stuff.

I just wanted to get up there and dress garishly and sing inappropriately.

Mm-hmm.

That's sort of what we're up to.

I"m... yeah.

I'm really used to a shorter wig.

However...

This was a gift from a friend and, I'm not kidding you,

it's like I love it.

Oh, god.

I'm used to a shorter wig but, I'm not kidding you, this is so outrageous.

It's like, oh, my god.

Nothing should be perfect.

Everything should have a little bit of...

Nothing should be perfect.

You probably don't mean anything to anybody else, but, I'm telling you,

it's like, my god, when I put you on, it's like you're just a part of me.

And it's wonderful. God, it's so wonderful.

I'm just gonna try to feather you a little bit.

Mmm. Mmm.

All right.

Let's see what it looks like.

Now is when the tellin' is.

Oh.

All right.

Ooh, my god.

This is a lot better than it looks. It's not so hard.

A lot of these tumors have melted down and gotten reabsorbed.

But she's still got some.

Too much lymph goin' on, and a new little lump there.

Yeah, I did those counterclockwise.

Disperse the accumulated lump

of stagnated chi.

Oh, there we go. This is good.

I remember that this body used to be somebody that someone touched.

This was a body that somebody felt and a body that felt things back.

It's like some kind of abandoned car looking for a driver.

And I don't know how I could've lost every last bit of my life.

I don't understand why there couldn't be one piece

that I could pick up, find another.

There's just that little boy out there...

And I gotta stay around in case he needs somebody.

If that is my purpose in life or some future that doesn't exist.

That's my purpose in life, and it's just not enough anymore.

The mama in me... The only thing left of me was that mother.

And she's starting to disappear too.

And I don't wanna leave that little boy.

And a mama without a mama.

So I'm gonna eat this...

And I'm gonna make it through one more of these days.

Can't really hide behind that thing anymore though.

My teeth look bad.

But one thing at a time.

Yep, one thing at a time.

It feels the same as the last time I was here

when, you know, I got really upset...

And you took it really personal and I didn't mean it.

It was like, I was really scared to be a part of this kind of lifestyle,

and the fear turned to anger at you

for having such a trashed-out bus with all this time to fix it and not fix it

and what the heck was goin' on here.

And I put it all on you.

And what it was was I'm a full-fledged participating member,

you know, of, uh...

- The residentially challenged community. - Yeah.

You know, and I was appalled and horrified,

you know, and to be perfectly honest, you know, I feel the same way now.

- You know, and... - Well, it's worse now, don't you think?

I understand how you get into, you know, you get in and you can't get out,

you know, because, um...

You know, you spend all your money and investment

trying to keep things going, and you can't ever get to the next step, you know?

Well, at least last year I had, uh...

I was still on the positive. I was still on the upswing.

Sure, it's a mess, but I got these projects.

Everything's under control. I do this, this, that and the other thing.

And then, now what's different is that I realize that I'm not in control.

And that the projects may never be done.

I mean, look at this... I don't even have any windows anymore.

I was gonna rebuild all these windows, custom made windows and everything,

and now, not only do I not have the bad old windows,

I have no windows at all.

And so that's $500 off the value of the thing too for no windows, you know, and...

Well, you know, we can't do it by ourselves,

and it seems like nobody can get along enough

in their own families or with each other to be able to really...

Yeah.

You know, do it together.

Cause that's how it works in other cultures.

I almost called my dad, like, two nights ago.

- I was sitting there. - Mm-hmm.

I gotta call him. I feel kind of bad about...

You know,

we never were that close, you know, but...

And I kind of got upset at him for some perceived fault or something.

And I said, “all right. The hell with it. I'll just go my way.”

And then I think, “man, my dad, he's old, and he's disabled.”

You know, I'm not gonna call him up to ask him for anything.

I just wanna call him up and say, “hey, dad.

You know, it's been a couple years,

but I'm sorry I didn't keep in touch with you.

And at least let's just say hi

and talk on the phone every once in a while or something.”

Hey, beeb.

It's your dad. How's it goin'?

Well, not too well.

Well, what can I do for you?

- I'm always waiting for that call... - Mm-hmm.

And maybe that's a little childish to be thinking that.

I should just be, you know. It's my dad, call him up.

I'm sure he's lonely, you know?

He doesn't see very good anymore. His hip's screwed up.

He's old, you know?

Yeah.

But he's got three houses, and I don't so...

You know, I'm a little...

Come on, corky.

You're getting too fat. You can barely even make it in here.

- She does good. - Sit down.

I am not gonna be here this summer, I can guarantee you that.

Mmm. I wish you well. Yeah. I wish you well. Very well.

- Mm-hmm. - I know it'll work out for us.

All right.

Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. Welcome.

We're gonna do a little song out here in the desert tonight

with the curious George band.

And for the first time on stage, let's give it up for the slabettes!

This is flabio over here on the bass, Trish on the drums.

Mr. Chris over here on the guitar.

Yeah!

And I don't know who the hell I am.

Ready?

J we're livin' way out j

are you ready?

Come on!

- Keep it going! - That wasn't me, man.

No, it was me. I know. But, I mean, I asked you if you were ready.

- What are we gonna do? - Let's do that over again.

J we're living way out here below sea level j

j we never could get on society's track j

j well, we seldom bathe and you might say we're disheveled j

j but we like it here and we ain't goin' back j

j yeah, we like it here and we ain't goin' back j

j hell, we like to chop it up with the snowbirds j

j they got lots of money and they got real good grass j

j but the crusty codgers they don't mince no words j

j saying shut your mouth, boy and you can kiss my ass j

j and just shut your mouth, boy you can kiss my ass j

all right. Let's hear a little guitar now, boys.

Curious George.