Original subtitles

Boy, that surfing you was doing is finer than shit!

Boy, I tell ya, California sure is a strange place.

Nobody ever tells you nothing.

They just look at you like you're all spaced out

and talk about everything except what you want to know.

Say, can y'all tell me how far to Malibu?

Malibu?

Far out.

- Wanna buy some psilocybin? - A dollar a hit.

I'd like to.

Except all my money's... right here.

Psilocybin! Goddamn! I don't want none of that shit.

Out here you never know what's in it.

They put poison and stuff.

It's supposed to make you trip better.

But it don't - it just messes y'all up.

Yeah, look at that fucker.

Wished I coulda come out here on California on my chopper.

I'd chill that son of a bitch somethin'.

Except I didn't have no title for it.

Goddamn!

My old man told me I couldn't come out here,

leave the state, unless I have the title for it.

Had me a bunch of money saved up from working at Used Tool.

I saw this here old Mercedes just sitting on the lot, all beat up and shit.

And I fixed up the engine and traded my pickup,

and a few hundred bucks and split.

I tell you, it's fine so far.

Yes, Dr Braun. Yes.

Well, I assure you that I would be amenable to anything

that you feel would distract her from her neurotic needs and...

well, assume some responsibility for herself.

Well, the treatment seemed to be doing her so much good at first but...

they are frightfully expensive.

Geoffrey, will you do something about this leaky fountain?

Yes, Dr Braun.

Yes. Well, I will see to it that she never misses a session again.

You know my work is very demanding.

It takes most of my attention and all of my time and I...

I found this... This girl here was hitch-hiking and I picked her up.

So I seen on these tags here that this is where she belongs at.

Ah, trick or treat!

What was that, Geoffrey?

Er... ma'am?

My God!

Geoffrey!

Get her down to the pool immediately.

- Geoffrey, I'm sorry. - My arse!

Ow! Ow!

I'm sorry! I'm sorry!

You make me miserable, girl.

I'll never do it again, I promise.

Sit down, young man.

Dr Braun, some company has come in. May I call you back?

What's your name?

Butch.

Where d'you come from?

Houston.

- Texas. - Yes, ma'am.

What do you do?

Y... you mean right now?

Any time.

Well, I sort of drive around looking at things.

Well, it was very nice of you to bring my daughter home.

Oh, well, what kind of things do you look at?

Strange stuff.

What do you plan to do when you get through looking at strange stuff?

I mean what do you want to do when you grow up...?

I mean what would you rather do more than anything in the world?

Well...

Build me a flying saucer.

How would you go about doing that?

Well, I'd... go round to the men that knew how to build 'em

and what kind of materials to use

and the engines that I ought to have.

Well, do flying saucers have engines?

Well, I suppose they'd have to have something to make them fly.

Well...

How would you like to teach my daughter how to build a flying saucer?

I don't know.

I'll have Geoffrey take you and introduce you to her properly

and you can tell her you're going to teach her how to build a flying saucer.

Oh, well, are y'all fixing to be here for a while?

I mean... you know, cos I wanted to talk to you some more.

I haven't got time to build a flying saucer. I've got to go to work.

What'd you say your name was?

Butch.

- How'd you meet the princess there? - Well, I was...

You know, just coming from Houston.

I went down there to look at the ocean and everything.

I ain't never seen it before, and it was pretty too,

and I was thinking, goddamn, I'd sure like to have me a chick standing there with me.

Then, hell, all of a sudden

I seen this chick just hitch-hiking on the side of the highway.

- And she had her... - With her tits hanging out.

Yeah, how'd you know?

She's kind of proud of them.

Oh. Well, is she your chick?

In the immortal words of Brigham Young,

"The two worst things you can do is invade another person's privacy

"and kick a lady out of your bed."

Ah! I get you. You want a Necco?

No, thanks.

Goddamn! Look at that!

Never mind about that.

Just you trundle around the back and I'll go fix us up some grub.

Say, who's them pictures of you got there?

I'm preparing a portfolio

of friends and acquaintances I knew in New York during my modelling career.

Susan, you look FAB-ulous!

Anyway, I'm a star.

Anyway, I'm a star. That's it.

- A star of what? - Just a star.

You don't like that.

Yeah, but there's...

There's no room for such a blown-up ego.

It's not a blown-up ego. It's what you all say.

Why do you say that?

Miss New York, Girl of the Year,

millionairess, socialite bullshit,

Andy Warhol Superstar.

All this really had a bad effect on me.

Seems strange, wherever I've been, I've been quite notorious.

And quite innocently so but...

I've never been anywhere where I haven't been known.

I remember many times in New York,

I'd be out all day frolicking around the Lower East Side,

and then I'd come back and...

I was very heavy on my makeup then.

I'd spend about an hour and a half clowning up.

Then they said I'd stopped breathing.

And they called my mother, in California, and said that I was dead.

They thought I was dead.

In the next ten minutes I started to breathe.

Isn't that weird?

Goddamn! Sounds like you really got your tit caught in a wringer.

Maybe that's how come they stick up like that.

I finally I had to sell my Mercedes.

All my clothes.

Balenciaga originals, Chanels, all my furs, all my jewels.

For money for drugs.

Huh. Maybe if I stick around I can get me a little poon.

Boy, too bad my buddy Hank ain't here.

He used to go with a rich chick.

I guess all that bread makes them act real weird.

Geoffrey?

Did I ask you to make my lunch?

Look at that. She don't wanna do jack shit.

That guy Geoff that works here, he's kind of strange too.

He seems like a real nice guy all right, but...

What the hell's she doing now?

I cannot understand it.

It just don't make sense.

Here's this chick, and she's fine.

I mean she ain't ugly or nothing.

And I'm a guy, and I like chicks.

And there she is dancing and carrying on.

But it just ain't turning me on, no how.

Maybe it's on account of she's older.

My dad always went after older women.

They're supposed to be the finest.

Maybe she's doing something that older women does,

that's supposed to make you excited or something, that I don't know about.

Like love potion number nine - woo-woo!

She probably must do that for everybody that comes around here.

Hell, if she's doing it for herself, she'd be running naked through the woods.

So I guess she must be doing it for me.

I feel kind of sorry for her in a way.

But I don't exactly know why.

Blimpy had a cough like this

when he hanged himself in my room when I was 12.

Who's Blimpy?

He was my brother.

I loved him. And I wanted him.

Just don't give it another thought, young fella.

Boy, I bet one thing she never had when she was a kid was a good arse-whipping.

Boy, I tell ya. Sure glad that cracker's gonna take over this spot.

Old nigger Geoff's gotta follow around after that jive-arse broad.

Slobbering all up and downside herself.

I didn't ask for this.

I want a job, man, I get bummer.

Bummer! No time to go to the beach.

Sick of this shit, for sure.

I got to get in the wind.

Feel sorry for the whole mess of them.

Feel a lot better when I'm gone.

Etcetera.

I gotta settle out my affairs with the old bag.

That old broad jumping on my chest every day.

Crazy old fool, anyhow.

All she wants to know about is pies.

Bunch of shit.

Speak to him, I mean, you know?

Yeah, well, top of the morning to you, Mum.

All right.

Toute ma vie je rêve d'être ici,

c'est ma nuit de chance... Geoffrey...

I was kinda hoping you'd have a minute to talk before you start your busy day.

What, dear?

Look, you know I like your daughter a whole lot.

And you know I like taking care of her and stuff.

You know, I don't mind running around and doing things for her and stuff.

I mean, you know, she's a nice girl, and I really like her.

- It's no big shit to me what happens... - Geoffrey...

You know, I really like to do those things. She's a nice girl.

Hey, don't get me wrong. I like working here a lot.

Ain't that I don't appreciate you giving me a place to crash and everything either.

I mean Susan's been getting a lot better lately.

I really don't mind taking care of her.

She's starting to see to her own things.

You know, Geoffrey, it really is wonderful

- what Dr Braun has done to help Susan. - It's not a bad situation.

I'm hip.

My uncle Scott never gave me a bum steer.

Gee, these things sure cover up a multitude of sins.

Right.

Those barbarians in that New York hospital!

"Twelve-Tuinol-a-day" plan.

You know, I should have reported them to the Medical Association ages ago.

Mm-hm.

Dr Braun's treatment really makes sense.

Oh, right.

Look at that. She looks just like that chick in Creepy comic books.

I'm going to get drunk!

What do you want to drink that shit for?

You want to drink something that'll do something for you.

You ought to drink you some Dr Pepper here.

Because it cleans you out, you know,

and gets you all energised and feeling real good.

And besides...

...it tastes fine.

Bullshit! She done that on purpose.

Ouch! Fuck!

I think your foot's bleeding.

Oh God, another scar!

Here, stick your foot up here.

Oh, goddamn!

Here, you better turn over.

I know - it's just like she's inside her own little bitty world, all by herself.

Oh God, I hate this stuff!

Hey, Butch, you want a drink?

But hell, at least she's having fun.

Oh well. I wonder if lunch is ready.

I want my lunch!

Never mind that, you better mind this here,

or else it's gonna get infected.

You got any Band-Aids or Merthiolate down here?

Methedrine?

Hell no, Merthiolate, anything that burns.

If it burns, then you know it's working.

Meth burns your brain cells out...

unless the injections are accompanied by massive doses of vitamin B-12.

Here, you better let me take your pants off, before you get blood all over them.

There we go.

When I was a child, I was very hyper.

We lived on an enormous ranch.

I used to ride from dusk till dawn.

I remember Mummy use to give me Nembutal whenever I got out of her schedule.

That ranch must have been finer than hell.

I used to live on a farm, you know.

And me and my cousin had us a horse.

It was real pretty, it was a gold, had a white tail and all that.

We used to ride him everywhere.

That stupid arse, man,

he used to drive 'em across cattle guards, all kinds of shit...

I got hooked on speed at the Factory... Ouch!

Then I had my little interlude with heroin for eight months, to get off speed.

I hadn't given up Paul. Oh, did I mention Paul?

No.

Paul...

Paul America...

He used to deal vast quantities of speed out of the Hotel America.

I think drugs are like strawberries and peaches...

I think strong drugs allow a person to rebuild their lives.

We're starting a new life...

Paul was such a strange, zombie-like...

Ooh, I don't know, I hated him.

But I had this strange fascination.

This kind of...

love and...

sexual addiction for him.

I'm not sure what attracted me to him

unless it was some kind of aberration brought about by drugs,

which I was so heavily inundated by.

Speed is the ultimate all-time high.

That first rush!

Wow!

Just that burning, searing,

soaring sense of...

perfection!

Like...

Oh, God! A 24-hour climax that can go on for days.

Just for a while I'd like to go off.

To the city or to the country?

To the country, to an island, near the sea.

And I can live there happily ever after.

There's no way to explain it unless you've been through it.

There's no way to tell anyone who hasn't tasted it.

I'd like to turn the whole world on just for a moment.

Just for a moment.

I'm greedy.

I'd like to keep most of it for myself and a few other...

a few of my friends.

Keep that superlative high.

Just on the cusp of each day.

So that I radiate sunshine.

And I could just see him like some strange vision.

He had such... I don't know if it's because he took so much acid

that he had this strange alienation from the human race.

And...

Sound like a real winner.

Huh?

- Who? - Paul.

Isn't that the guy you're talking about?

Yeah.

Paul...

I don't want any more.

I've had hundreds of men in my life.

Chick, if you're all so hung up on that Paul fucker,

how come you ain't with him right now?

Maybe she is.

Hell, who knows?

Maybe he's out there in the woods lurking and waiting for dark.

Where the fuck's my lighter?

I've got to find it!

My brother Wesley gave it to me.

He gave it to me just before he committed suicide.

It's funny.

He was the only one who had no sexual interest in me.

All my... All my other brothers did.

And the... ranch-hands, the butler, the foreman.

And Daddy.

He's been trying to fuck me ever since I was nine.

Where's your Daddy at?

Does he live here on this place, too?

He's, er...

dead.

His insides rotted out from cancer.

It's so strange.

Crazy.

I remember he used to beat the shit out of me.

Jump on top of me - he'd be a little drunk.

Jump on top of me, twist my arm, slap my face.

Once, I remember, he even...

He punched me.

With his fist.

And the worst time...

The worst time...

he beat me up so badly,

that I couldn't stop crying

for about... eight days.

And they kept ignoring me.

Then finally, they decided to call a doctor.

After eight days of no sleep and crying.

Then he came in with a big needle.

I said, "Oh, no."

Oh, I'm sorry to hear about that.

Well, hey, Susan, you want a Kool?

Yeah.

Where'd all the pictures of them freaks come from?

From David. That's him there.

He's a friend of mine, artist in New York.

Had them all blown up for me.

Gave them to me as a present, when I was still in the hospital.

Who's that one there?

That one?

Oh, God!

That faggot.

Why I ever got into bed with him I'll never know.

Cost me the worst four years of my life.

Take another look at her. There she is.

Freeze her, Tom.

Yes, sir, Mr Verdecchio.

You know, Tom, I'm real glad I bought up that nightspot.

Nice place for people to get together.

- Yes, sir. - Good freeze, Tom.

Boost her up on your log pedestal.

Lock her up around 45 to 110 signal units.

No, no. There, that's it.

Full saturated black.

Thanks, Tom.

You know, Tom, it sure is one hell of a shame

to see the little gal just go downhill like this.

She's from such fine people.

That Mario is such a goddamn dummy.

She'll just clean the place out.

Yes, sir, Mr Verdecchio.

I mean, what was I supposed to do?

I mean, I knew you'd be upset

when I saw the three of them leaving the Too Far Gone last night after my last set.

But I thought you'd want to see it first on playback this morning.

I mean, I've only got 16 separate Vidacon units

covering every corner of the discotheque.

And for only $3,700 more,

I can install a cel-sync hook-up that'll let me drum and mix at the same time.

Yeah, well, Tom, that's all right.

I'm glad to see you're practising your drumming.

Why don't you go down and warm the car up?

Bring her around front.

- Yes, sir. - Bring her around front.

I'll meet you in a minute.

Up front.

You mean down front?

Up front, down front, what's the difference?

I don't feel very well.

Better call Dr Robert.

Oh, what a pretty ruffled shirt.

What's this plastic box?

Strange place to stash drugs.

I wonder what it's worth?

Oh, it's so beautiful out.

I wish I still had my car.

Maybe...

I could find someone to buy Mario's stash.

To pay for Yoli's abortion.

Yoli...

Yoli, wake up.

Shh...

We've got to go.

Listen, Wonder Woman, when do we eat?

I'm so hungry I can't remember the last time I ate.

All day yesterday.

Are we still broke?

Oh, we could go to the park for breakfast.

Everybody works out there.

Fabulous. Did you get the stash?

- Should be worth about 400. - Well, let's find some schmuck.

I ain't selling my roller-skates to pay for this abortion.

Uh-oh! Uh-oh!

Uh-oh, uh-oh, uh-oh...

Say, Tom, don't you think it's about time

we gave our friend over at the discotheque a little run for his money?

Yeah, I think we ought to give him a jingle.

- Operator? - New York mobile operator.

- This is V-1. - Yes, sir.

- Give me Trafalgar-72054. - One moment V-1, I'll connect you.

I don't understand you, Mario.

You mean anybody can just walk in off the street?

Walk into your apartment and clean the place out?

Mr Verdecchio...

Don't Mr Verdecchio me, young man!

Now listen, Mario.

You better get on the ball.

The League's got $100,000 riding on this deal, Mario.

Mr Verdecchio, $100,000 I know is a lot of money

How about this?

Should be worth about 400?

Holy shit!

What's that, uranium?

Cocaine?!

- Cocaine? - Sh!

That's a very serious drug!

Let's go hide it up at my mother's.

No! We have to go to Dr Robert first for our vitamins.

Fabulous. His shots are better than cocaine any day.

Heparin sodium, 1,000cc...

Dr Robert's office.

What's in these shots anyway?

Well, I'll tell you.

It's vitamin A 4,000 units, vitamin B 3,000 units...

Hold on, please.

Girls, stay in there and relax awhile. The doctor will take care of your friend.

Thanks a lot.

3,000 units...

So sorry, Mrs Miltown, Doctor is unavailable.

He'll take care of him, all right.

Ooh! Agh!

I don't know, it's just...

I think it's my imagination

but every time I get a poke... I get my energy back.

Yeah, I feel much better. I feel better if I take the sauna.

Cos I get so weak, so wiped out, that anything's gonna help.

Just like some sort of strange vicious cycle.

You feel better, you feel worse.

You come in, you sit in the sauna, and you're fine.

We should just stay in here. Why we have to go back outside I'll never know.

The first 15 minutes...

takes...

...a long time.

But the second 15 minutes takes for ever.

- Is he there? - Dr Robert cannot be disturbed.

He's in the injection room and there are three patients waiting.

Who? Anyone I know?

Who is this?

You know damn well who this is, it's Charla,

and I've gotta speak to him right away.

The doctor cannot speak to you now.

Susan and Yolijust brought in a new patient.

Susan and Yoli? I sent Susan and Yoli to Mario Disco...

I'll have to put you on hold.

Why don't you come out into my office and get up on the table?

OK, have a treat, have fun.

Meet you at the pass.

Mr Verdecchio, those girls.

They are friend of Charla. She sent them to me.

I never saw them before last night.

You're the most self-indulgent goddamn fool

I think I've talked to in a long time.

- Folic acid... - Dr Robert's office.

Mr Rush, Dr Robert has asked you many times to please call for an appointment.

Hello there, girls.

And how are we today?

5cc dextrose...

Yoli, you all ready?

OK, up-up.

Put all your weight on this leg, would you please?

Ready?

- All done. - God!

Dr Robert's office. No more vitamins today.

My God! This is like a battlefield.

Don't... Don't let it hurt.

No, no, just relax.

The digital-analogue computer enables us

not only to record for future playback, while viewing live

but to also...

Well, that may be all very true.

But the important thing now is that we called Charla

and we find out now that apparently the little gal just barged in on Charla

all hopped up on narcotics.

She brought along this goon called Paul America,

who obviously had little Susan there under his influence.

Charla feels that this young man is an opportunist

who seeks to exploit the little girl and us

without any regard whatsoever for the consequences.

Apparently he thinks we were born yesterday.

- Hello, Paul - Hey. Wes.

Yeah, this is Wes.

- How about some coke? - Cocaine?

Much too hot to handle.

No man, not if you get yourself a backer.

And I've got us the perfect situation.

This guy's so fucking big, he can't even see his toes.

He's a retired old tycoon.

He's bought himself onto the board of every pharmaceutical house in the world.

He does it all through international banks

and stock manipulation or some shit.

It's incredible!

Nobody's seen him in years.

But me and Susan have this fantastic in to him.

Well, what do you think, Tom?

Well, Mr Verdecchio, I'm not paid to think.

I'm just paid to act.

Yes, I know, but you've been very much concerned.

But I think we've got everything under control.

Yes, sir, Mr Verdecchio.

Tell you what you do, Tom.

You drop me off at the house, and pick me up around 5.00.

I don't know what the hell she's bitching about that old guy for.

I bet you with all that power he's got, he could really do some fine stuff.

No telling.

He could probably even help me build my saucer.

I'd just walk right up to him and say, "Hi, fucker."

He's probably just lonely, that's all.

You was a model back in New York, huh?

Is that what you was doing there?

Yeah, I was a model. The model.

LIFE did an article on me as Girl of the Year.

That's it on the wall there.

And the other one's Vogue.

I ought to call Diana Vreeland in New York.

I need some more reprints. These are kind of dishevelled.

Could you hand me the telephone, Butch?

It's under the magazines, over there.

And some vodka.

Some vodka. And my lip gloss.

Not the lipstick, lip gloss!

Would you please pour me a glass of vodka?

Operator.

I'd like to place a personal call to Diana Vreeland

in New York City, at Vogue magazine.

Yes ma'am, do you have the number?

No, I don't have the number.

You can dial New York information direct, 212...

Could you please place the call?

Who are you calling?

The editor of Vogue magazine.

Susan! It's been years.

Well, at least months.

I'm very depressed.

Is it drugs or money?

And I'm really out of it.

Oh, both.

I finally know true love.

Well, I hope he at least has a title.

Ha! These are pretty. When did you get these?

No.

I ain't never had no hamsters before.

I always had reptiles, like my iguana lizard and my turtles and alligators.

It's taken me a long time to realise it

but Paul's the only person I've ever truly loved.

Why not meet me at the UN?

We're doing a spread on "quivering youth"

with this new French model,

big sensation, Bidibou.

She's only 12, can you believe it?

Susan, you look FAB-ulous!!

Fabulous?

I look like a squashed potato bug.

Well, she's very... she has been very vulnerable.

She's a funny... She really is the poor little rich girl.

I forgot - I can't come.

Paul and his speed-freak friends stole my passport and my leopard-skin coat

while we were living at the Chelsea.

No, you don't need your passport, we're only shooting there.

Oh, great, I'll bring Paul.

Boy, this is fine! Did you really used to look like this?

Excuse me, ma'am. I spoke to the janitor.

He says Vogue magazine is closed. It's after 9.30 at night New York time.

I was just speaking to my party before you so rudely interrupted me, for God's sake!

You cannot speak to me in that tone of voice, I am a high school graduate.

Those operators are so damn stupid.

Oh, I've got to get ready.

I have to be at an important fashion show at the United Nations.

I wonder if Geoffrey's washed out my underwear.

Geoffrey?

Geoffrey!

Argh!

Wow! Poor chick. She's really wasted.

Butch.

Would you please have Geoffrey comb out my fall now?

Here, she wants you to comb this out.

Hey, what's all this shit about fashion shows and United Nations and...

I overheard the old bag talking it over with some doc,

this big German specialist, once.

They call it PBD, permanent brain damage.

Man, that chick used to like to get high!

About three times a week I drives her way up in the San Bernardini Hills,

to that ole fucking doc's joint.

They got her under some sort of special treatment.

Supposed to be the last stop before Lobotomy Valley.

Anyway, whatever it is, she must get off on it all right

cos when I brings her back, she just lays there like a turd for about eight hours.

Soon as she starts freaking again,

the old bag ups and calls in Dr Braun for one of his $100 house calls.

House call, my arse!

He just sits there tickling on her titties for a half an hour or so.

All this is supposed to make her forget her experiences in New York City.

She keeps trying to live back in the time that was happiest for her.

Which figures out to be the time she was highest.

Goddamn!

You know, I just seen her have an imaginary conversation

with some chick down there on the phone.

Imaginary to you, but as real as piss to her. Start combing.

I ain't never combed no hairpiece before.

Yeah, well, you'll be getting plenty practice.

- Now listen here, Butchie. - Hey, wait a minute...

The old bag's going to be looking for someone

to fill in a prime position here on the premises shortly.

And I just might be able to pull some strings for you.

Well, that sounds all right, cos I was looking for a job anyway.

Yeah, well, this here ain't no job. It's a golden opportunity.

First off you get yourself a palatial residence all your own

and all the pies you can eat, ranging from Oregon blackberry to Texas pecan.

What's all that about?

Well, let's just say the ground you're treading upon once belonged

to an old geezer who sunk all his money into oil off the Santa Barbara coast.

The old bag there is grieving widow and she's all holed up in the house,

sort of out of guilt for all the seagulls and grunions killed in the oil slick.

She sold all the assets and went into the pie business for herself.

Pies?

Yeah, she put all her bread in a pie franchise business

so she could reach young people with all that's good and clean and USA.

Ha! That's where the Texas pecan comes in, huh?

Yeah, and 49 other fruity varieties. One for each state.

Sort of sees herself as the all-American earth-crust mumma.

Where we going now?

We're just now getting to the juicy part.

Boy, Susan, you look finer than hell.

I combed out your hairpiece, here.

Hope I did it OK.

When I was Girl of the Year in New York,

I made a mask out of my face.

I really freaked out on a physical level.

I'd do things like...

Well, I sprayed my hair silver,

stripped it and streaked it silver.

I'd use this awful sticky silver spray. It went all over.

And I did that first in Andy Warhol's studio

but it wasn't inspired by Andy's hair.

I really wanted blond hair and I couldn't get a blond spray so I used silver.

But that went down in the papers as being...

making me a twin of Andy's,

which was bullshit.

That whole scene was bullshit.

Goddamn, sounds weird,

especially that Andy Warhol dude.

I done heard about him.

I got my first introduction to heavy drugs at the Factory.

Heavy drugs and big jugs.

OK now, Butchie-boy, come on up here.

I gotta have a talk with you, man-to-man like.

Cos the old bag wants me to run down the medication trip with you.

OK, this here is for her metabolism.

Ascorbic acid, 100 millies twice a day.

Theragram, 250 millies three times a day.

Now comes the heavy shit.

Your Dilantin twice a day,

100 millie Thorazine twice a day,

your Ducolax and Tylenol as needed.

And here's a tricky one, six to eight Nembutal,

and you got to get them down her hatch before the clock strikes for higher wages.

Geoffrey! Would you please bring me my lunch, right now?!

Sure thing, Mr Benny.

I'll tell ya, there's one thing I can't stand,

and that's a chick telling me what to do.

Geoffrey?

After lunch can we go out to the movies?

Yeah, well, sugar, I'd really love to,

but your mama's been kind of tight with the petty cash of late.

So I figured we'd just hang around here and look at some slides

and sort of introduce Butchie there to your career aspects.

I'm hot and sweaty and tired.

OK, now, Butchie-boy, just so you know who you're dealing with.

Give me a minute to get set up here and you'll put on some slides

that commemorate the highlights of the silver sixties

when the princess here hit ole Gotham!

My goodness! How in heaven did that get in there?

Oh my God - that night!

The grand gala opening of Dr Robert's spa.

It was sort of his big dream.

A preventative medicine health spa.

He practised preventative medicine.

Vitamin shots and lots of methadrine.

Wow, what a scene that place was.

And this night,

I was already so bombed out I don't know how I got there.

And I had this strange sensation that Verdecchio was downstairs.

- Easy on the back. - Hello, Mr Verdecchio.

Sure glad to see you finally got your new spa.

I'm so glad you like it.

The doctor's so grateful that you made it all possible.

- Ah, that feels good. - To carry off, to ravish.

Carl, look at those people.

Aren't you glad your daughter's not here?

Yes, sir, Mr Verdecchio.

Ah, Mr Disco, how's everything? Think we have one right here.

No, right here.

Very good, that's for someone but for you... Anything for you.

Have a good day today? It's a beautiful day.

I don't know how anyone could be unhappy on a day like this.

Can I hang this up for you?

Give me your tie, we'll put you in the shower and everything's gonna be great.

Everybody's here, everybody.

The grand gala opening of Dr Robert's spa.

I've gotten this whole damn thing together.

They think they know how to get high.

Yeah, they might. Dr Roberts?

I don't think he knows anything about anything.

Speed?

What does speed mean?

Well, if you look up what "Dexadrine" is you can call it amphetamine.

I mean, I personally call it that.

But Dexedrine is dextroamphetamine sulphate.

Desoxyn is methamphetamine hydrochloride.

Methadrine is methamphetamine hydrochloride

but they're brand names for each drug.

And that's the help that I need.

Not the Bircher-Benner clinic in Zürich.

Not Arden's, not Sunshine Terrace, not hospitals in Mexico, not Roosevelt.

Just my amphetamine.

And if I die at 40, I don't give a damn!

In about five minutes, I'm gonna go up there

and face that madness group of a million people

and yes, I'm going swimming!

Weight problem or no weight problem.

And I used to be very uptight about wearing a bathing suit but fuck it.

Now I take it all off and show it all! What difference does it make?

Love is the thing that makes the world go round, you know?

It's the most important thing on earth,

- and the hardest thing... - Listen, you talk too much!

I think we get distracted many times by falling too much in love with ourselves.

And material things, you know?

The most important part of love is the spiritual element.

The ability to be able to give to one another.

And then you get all the comforts of life then.

And it seems to me that once you accomplish the spiritual part...

I don't think you are right to give to the people

what the people are not supposed to have.

No, but it's not giving material things.

It's giving of oneself, from in here.

Anybody can give a pair of cufflinks or, you know, a beautiful garment.

You're on video. You know what, look, you're on camera.

What kind of cufflinks?

- You're going to be on tomorrow. - Like yours?

I am sure you never in your life had cufflinks.

No, the last pair of cufflinks I had I got in the pawnshop.

Oh, Carl, that's the answer to an old man's prayer.

That's just awful good.

I'm really glad you like it, Mr Verdecchio.

Very good.

I've got to get up to that goddamn pool.

If I don't do it in five seconds, I am never gonna get a swim.

Woooh!

And, let me see, the right side or the left side.

It doesn't matter if you go to the left or the right or go drop dead!

Bing!

But, you see, I have to take two.

Three...

And four!

Now! My name is Brigid Polk, P-O-L-K.

For four pokes, right?

And I'm a star!

Born star, born actress.

There's no time, there's no place.

Dr Roberts?

That didn't do anything for me.

Wanna see me take that whole bottle? I could do it.

You know what I'll do?

I'll leisurely go up, dive in the pool,

say hello to everybody,

fix my hair, put my dress on.

Because, you know, I can be chic too.

My life has been a double strand of pearls around my neck, loose.

Mr Verdecchio, you know I catch the wasp girl.

But later on, she got away.

But don't you worry...

I have to worry about these things.

That's why I'm Mr Verdecchio, and that's why you're Mario.

Now I'm going to tell you something.

You know, you're getting to be a boil on the arse of progress.

What's the big idea?

Anyhow, Mario, don't you have any philosophy in life beside self-indulgence?

Mr Verdecchio, you know what happened...

Yeah, I know what happened.

We called Charla, and we find out now that you called Charla for two girls.

You're the most self-indulgent

goddamn fool I think I've talked to in a long time.

What's going on, Mario?

What are we ever going to do with you?

Don't you think I'm responsible to other people too?

You think the League just lets me run loose?

You better straighten yourself out and start thinking the way we think.

Don't you worry, Mr Verdecchio, I going to straight everything out.

Yeah, I know you're gonna straighten everything out.

You'll straighten it out in bed, that's what I think.

You!

Go right now downstairs, and tell Mr Verdecchio it's not my fault.

Excuse me, Mr Verdecchio.

Ah!

Titus, Lorenzo.

Sorry about that the little wasp getting away.

You don't have to apologise about the little wasp.

I heard all about it.

Mario told us to come over and tell you it wasn't his fault.

Well, probably it wasn't his fault.

But we seem to think it was his fault.

Isn't that little gal there a friend of Charla's?

Didn't Charla send those girls around to see Mario?

You fellas know Charla.

Don't you think you boys ought to go down there

and kind of find out what the facts of life are?

No rough stuff, no rough stuff.

- Yes, sir, Mr Verdecchio. - Yes, Mother.

See that no one gets hurt.

Give you $10,000 you'd spend it on a bunch of fairies.

- Goodnight, Mr Verdecchio. - Goodnight.

If you can't get the pure crystal that looks like snow...

If you can't take a sterling silver knife

and light a match underneath it

and get Rockefeller Center's ice-skating rink on top of it,

you're through!

But it's Mother's Day.

Well, she must be pretty thin. She must be getting back to her girl again.

My theory in life is women don't need sex.

Men have to have a wonderful time.

Right across the street from Mayor Lindsay's office.

No! No!

If you're gonna be a good phoney, be a good phoney.

And there's nothing harder to be than a good phoney

because you can't trip once.

I might've given them the first "up" they ever had

and then said, "How do you do?"

I always wanted to see pornographic slides and stuff.

I just know something fine is going to happen.

Only thing is I can't figure out who's hustling who.

Butch, do you love me?

I guess.

Goodnight, Mrs Calabash, wherever you are.

Boy, I tell you.

Lucky me that cracker showed up.

If I had to listen to one more of them lame stories of hers

I'd have split without them heirlooms.

Now I can hit up the old bag for next month's coin.

I made a fantastic deal for this Boulevard Haussmann site that you like so much.

And let me tell you something.

It's going to be the biggest thing to hit Paris since the hamburgers.

That's wonderful, I'm so pleased.

How much?

Oh, Geoffrey, how is she?

And the young man?

Oh, yeah, she's fine.

They're down there enjoying some of your "Caribbean Rum Delights"

And glomming her slides.

So I kind of figured I'd...

take the night off, if you know what I mean.

Say, how's chances I could get a little advance out of petty cash on next month?

Without messing up your books or anything.

All right, Geoffrey, I suppose so.

Oh, and, Geoffrey, if that young man cares to spend the night,

you fix up a nice place for him in the pool house, now.

Oh, don't forget she has an appointment with Dr Braun at 8.00 in the morning.

Now don't forget.

Come on, I ain't gonna let you down.

And now, how is your beautiful daughter?

Say the secret word, and the doc'll come down and give you a free trip to Acapulco.

Butch, do you think I'm beautiful?

Yeah, I think you're pretty.

Your tits sure did get bigger since then.

Yeah, I eat better now, and I do my exercises.

Now chick, just be quiet for a little while.

Wow, this is gonna be fine, I think.

I always wanted to have a situation just like this.

Well, I was about 19 when I first had sex.

That's pretty old.

So many affairs, it's hard to say.

I know that was nothing compared to Paul...

Paul... Paul...

Well, I guess I ain't worth a shit.

What with all them orgy pictures and stuff,

I figured this really would be something.

She just wants somebody to hold on to.

That's all. She sure as hell don't want me.

Do you remember that night, the one where

at least I thought that we were here together for eternity?

Then you must be very stoned.

Don't you think it's nice to be able to get out of the city?

What? I think you're from another planet.

That would be nice too.

Hah! So you know about that stuff too, huh?

What?

The saucer people.

You and that guy Paul knows about them too, huh?

Boy, I wish to build me my own flying saucer.

Not a real one. Hell, I ain't smart enough for that.

Just an earth version.

Then I'd go up there, where all the real ones was

then fuck around until they all see me.

So they'd know I wanted to help them and do stuff for them.

Don't you think that's fine?

Oh, it's great. I just forget that it's possible.

Sure it is! Hey! What's going on down there?

Oh, that's the Revolution of the Youth.

It's sort of like a mockery, in a way, of reality

because they think everything is smiles and sweetness and flowers

when there is something bitter to taste.

And to pretend there isn't is foolish.

Yeah, but the saucer people seen for a long time

how things here on earth is getting stagnated.

And maybe they reckon that acid and stuff

was needed for a while to kind of get things going.

Well, I think something very weird is going on now

cos the power that is permitted to the youth is quite extraordinary.

And they all sort of run by that kind of power.

You mean like that old guy?

Now, that there is real strange.

Because the first time that you was talking about him

I kind of figured that he might have something to do with them,

on account of the way he was watching you all and stuff.

Boy, he must be real smart.

I'd like to meet up with him some time and watch him run stuff up close.

Run?

You know, operate. Mess around with people's heads.

- Charla. - What?

It seems as though you've forgotten how to smile.

Mr Verdecchio, I just got raped.

Well, that may be all very true,

but the important thing now is that we're on our way to the convention,

and when we get there, we must have dissention.

I want to appear there as one big happy family.

Whether it's you, whether it's Mario here, or whether it's Wes...

Now look at Wes.

- Wes quit pushing. He's off the streets. - That's right.

He's now with us, and we've got a nice solid situation.

Oh, quit kissing that dog, Wes, you'll get worms.

Sit down there. Goddamn.

If you want to romance anyone, go romance a gal.

Mr Verdecchio, can I just go comb my hair?

Your hair is fine, leave it be.

Now, what is the problem that you wanted to talk to me about

that Mario here is involved in?

Mr Verdecchio, you got the wrong information, believe you me.

- No! - Mr Verdecchio...

- Here is something wrong... - We are not wrong!

You know very well, I have nothing to with this.

- We are not wrong. - Those girls, they have a friend...

That Paul America.

Don't tell me about Paul America.

We've had all of Paul America we can take.

We've had problems before, we've solved them before.

There mustn't be dissention. We've taken care of Paul America.

Now what we have to do is straighten out the problem with Charla.

Charla has been raped.

Paul's boys did it.

- Let's see where we go from there. - How do you know his boys didn't do it?

We know his boys didn't do it.

You know very well, I never would do such a thing.

Charla, we will get to the bottom of it.

We mustn't have dissention in the ranks.

We're on our way to the convention, everything must go smoothly.

- Like a big show, right? - When we get there...

- We must be one big happy family! - Like a big show.

Look at that old son of a bitch.

That's very patriotic.

He don't really wanna hurt nobody.

He just wants to sort of rattle their heads and have some fun.

What the hell, they'd all just be wasting time socialising, partying and stuff.

At least he makes them get up off their arses.

How chic.

Are those really their voices?

I guess.

Or...

Do they come from somewhere else?

Like the way I see it, the saucer people don't come down

and infiltrate on earth like they show on TV.

They just uses their mental energy to influence certain people.

Like him.

Then he uses his power to influence other people.

A lot of them are in a daze.

They really don't know where they are.

Probably it's better that way.

They'd all get uptight if they ever found out who was controlling them.

Controlling them? Nobody's really controlling them.

Well then, where's he taking them off to?

An ideal villa, full of happy people.

That can really turn into a scary thought.

Wow, this here is that convention he was talking about.

Yeah, that's one of them places that are designated for contact points.

Wes! Mario! Would you look down there?

You've been looking for Susan for three days.

There she is, right there.

She doesn't know where she's going.

You fellas didn't know where she's going.

They don't know where she's going.

She's going inside.

And I'm going downstairs, and I'm gonna talk to her right now.

Ciao, boys!

Well, what do you have to say for yourself, young lady?

Well, it's nice to be in the country,

but it reminds me of...

I don't really know what it reminds me of.

Well, I'm very glad to hear you say that.

It's too bad. The little gal isn't well, fellas.

It's a sad and tragic matter.

We're gonna be in touch with our people downtown, and see if we...

There, see, that old guy wasn't pissed at you after all.

That's true.

He's one of them silent contacts that I read about

that meets with the saucer people in secret.

They got a whole sort of underground network of them.

We really should know more of the underground.

The real underworld.

All I know is they get called off at certain times

to these desolate landing areas.

On account of the saucer people is worried,

cos we've been messing around with unknown quantities and stuff

and might upset the balance of the universe.

They've been watching how the inhabitants of the earth is greedy

and letting technology and stuff just ruin everything.

But, hell, they could stop the whole planet from functioning if they wanted to.

That'd be easy for them.

But they'd rather get someone important, like that old guy

and set him up as a Trojan horse inside the business world

to try and get people pointed in the right direction.

Well, what is the direction?

He just wants people to live with each other in harmony.

He's a pretty cool guy, all right.

Wow, I hope he's still messing around in New York City by the time I gets there.

On account of I wanna talk to him about helping me build my saucer.

How in the world are the banks going to get their money?

We can't swing any deals. The fact is we have to swing them through the banks.

It's the only way we can operate, and operate properly.

I don't know if you understand that or not.

Do you understand that, Wes?

Do you understand that, Mario?

- Barry, you seen Paul? - The only way we can...

Paul? Look down there, young fellow.

Look down there. They know where Paul is.

They must know where Paul is.

Where was he?

Huh? Who?

Paul! Didn't that old guy say where he was?

I never found out.

Maybe you're Paul.

Hell no, I'm Butch.

Yeah, you're Butch all right.

Don't know anything about what they're doing...

Hey! Goddamn!

Hey!

- Cut that shit out. - Why aren't you at the doctor's?!

What's the matter with this damn thing?!

You're supposed to be at the doctor's and here you are screwing!

Now, Tom, I'm gonna tell you something.

Everything we seem to do now...

goes a little bit haywire.

Mm.

You young people all seem to have the same ideas.

You want to be men on payday and men at night.

But goddamn it, why don't you pay a little more attention

to the equipment around here?

I'm hip.

Incidentally, what about the equipment down front there in Paul's cell?

What's happened to the equipment out there?

We aren't receiving properly.

We should know what's going on, we must know what's going on...

Mr Verdecchio, can I please have $2,500 to go over to Harvey's Electronics

to pick up one of those new fibre-optic

- high-frequency camera transmitters? - Well, Tom, that's all right.

We're not concerned with the technical aspects of this matter.

Just go on out there

and see if you can shed some light on that Paul America character.

But do something about your appearance

so you don't scare the wits out of the folks out there.

I don't know what I'm going to do with America.

He's a mess of problems, you know.

Mm-hm.

This is a dope charge, or a series of dope charges, he's held for.

They have him on three narcotics counts.

The selling count brings a 20-year minimum in this state.

And the prosecution is gonna do a job on him.

Uh-huh, sure.

Maybe by some technicality...

...I can spring him, as they say.

But then he'll go back to Manhattan.

- It's not dope that's his problem. - I'm hip.

It's himself.

What's best for him I don't know.

As I said...

he's a mess of problems.

Maybe you should see him.

Maybe you can figure him out.

Let's try that.

What do you want?

America.

He's in cell three.

OK, America, on your feet. There's someone here to see you.

Hey, I know you.

You're the drummer at the Too Far Gone!

Hey, Guard! Guard! Get over here!

This guy's no priest! Guard!

He's the drummer at the Too Far Gone!

Guard, goddamn it, get over here!

Poor boy. Too far gone.

Too far gone? You're right.

Too far gone.

But I'm innocent.

These slobs out there think they can keep me locked up, but they can't.

My soul is free.

They don't even know what a soul is.

What's your angle?

What are you doing in here?

You don't bring in a thing, nothing.

No cigarettes, nothing, not even a cigarette. What good are you?

Guard! Get him out of here!

What did you bring in? Nothing!

You damn vampire, you're just draining energy.

Guard! Open the door!

Got a zombie in here, not doing anything except draining all my energy.

Guard, get him out of here. Get him out of here quick!

What are you doing? Move!

What's he doing in here anyway? He's no prisoner! Get him outta here!

Bad karma.

Bad karma?

Don't sling that hip bullshit at me. I don't need it.

I know what bardos and Buddhas are.

The kind of thing Susan was into.

I don't need that kind of mind torture in here.

I got that in the nuthouse

when they gave me a shock treatment that wiped out my brain

so I couldn't even remember my name for two weeks.

I don't need that in here.

I don't need it in here.

You know what I need in here? Help!

You say you can help me? Well, then, get me out of here!

I'll give you my cross for your key.

Now I see... You!

That's why you're here.

This is your final possession.

And the key was mine.

That's why we're here.

To see if we can give away our final possessions.

Look at your clothes.

They're the same as mine.

Meaningless uniforms.

But now we're free.

So use that key, and open the door.

But this time...

leave it open.

Are you sure you ought to be getting your daughter wet like that?

I think she's really sick.

Will you get her in that car and do as you're told?

I have been hearing imbeciles like you saying what is good for her

and what is bad for her for 27 years of her life.

Now take a look!

Now, get her in that car!

Yes, ma'am. Anything you say.

Just what kind of a numbskull are you anyway?

"I think your daughter is really sick."

You're like every other goddamn Texan that I ever knew.

You've got Brillo Pads between your ears.

Now get her in that car!

She's got a doctor's appointment that she can't miss.

Go on!

Hey, Susan, come on, we gotta haul arse!

Yeah.

I have a strange feeling Paul's gonna be there.

Never mind that shit, we gotta git. Come on!

Oh, piss on everything!

I shoulda oughtta stayed in California.

Hey, that a Sifton cam you got in there, huh?

I was running a Sifton cam when I was riding with the Oakland Angels.

But shit, I come here, can't even ride round the block without rousting the pig.

Really pisses me off.

Soon as I get some bread together, I'm splitting.

Yeah, I know what you mean.

A Sifton's a pretty wild cam all right.

Except on my bike, I didn't put the right rocker-arm set up on it

and, hell, the son of a bitch was just breaking.

I had to change it as often as my oil.

If your bike never breaks down

you're never gonna learn how to fix it when it does break.

Yeah, I know it. That's how come I left it at home.

Boy, I was really pissed when my dad didn't let me take it out of Texas.

Um... Hey, I'll be right back, OK?

I'm going to go get me some iced tea over at the diner there.

I'll see you in a minute.

Goddamn!

I ain't even reached New York City, and I got me my first contact already.

This here is pretty much a coincidence, but...

Did you ever, did y'all know this chick that lives out in California?

And she lives in a swimming pool, with a great big old tent over it?

And her mother's real crazy.

Is you sure you ain't fucking me around?

Cos I done seen pictures of you.

And do you still work for that boss of yours?

That there big shot back in New York City?

Sorry, man, you've got the wrong party.

You mean you never used to drive this big ole Mercedes?

Like I said, brother.

You got the wrong person. I just drive a truck.

Susan. Yeah, that's her name.

She used to be a big fashion society model back in New York, I think.

You sure you didn't used to maybe see her, when she was messing around there?

Or maybe you know her boyfriend...

Paul America.

Well, I'll be a son of a bitch!

I guess all that stuff she was telling me was imaginary.

I wondered how come she acted like that.

Probably on account of that deal she was getting at that there hospital.

Her old lady used to send her to this real weird hospital. I took her up there once.

It was way up in the mountains, real pretty like.

She didn't mind going up there.

It wasn't like she was being forced to go, or anything.

But she was real quiet.

Didn't say a word for the whole drive.

I couldn't shut her up before that.

We was late for her appointment,

on account of my old Mercedes I had at the time finally went kaput.

Boy, that place was real strange.

It wasn't exactly like a hospital.

Everybody was wandering around, and dressed real fine.

And was friendly to her, and greeting her.

It was kind of like a club, or something.

I mean, there wasn't no poor people and stuff.

I saw this big old guy coming down the corridor,

who was dressed real casual, and acting important.

And I figured he was the doctor.

They put me in a little bitty room I was supposed to sit

but, hell, there weren't nothing to read

so I kind of peeked through the door.

I reckon when we came in

that they was gonna give her shots and talk and act like psychiatrists.

But then they started to hook her up to this machine.

So I figured they was gonna do tests like encephalographs or something.

Then they started wiring her in and everybody started whispering.

It was just like when I saw Frankenstein's Bride,

when they gave the chick electricity to keep her alive.

And when I drove her home she was mumbling about you.

And that guy Paul she's always rapping about.

Course, I didn't pay it no mind at the time.

But when I seen you just pull into the diner I started thinking about it.

She was telling me that the reason how come Paul couldn't come get her

was on account of...

Say, do y'all have any iced tea?

Oh, you don't.

How come ain't nobody never has no iced tea up here?

You know something else is strange, too.

You know that guy that was sitting right here?

You remember him.

Excuse me, Mr Verdecchio.

But do you remember that Texan cat

- that used to hang around...? - Tom! Tom!

Right now we're not interested in the damned Texan.

Our problem is America!

Well he's, er...

Come on now, Tom, you know better than that.

Your hair's getting in the way.

Remember what Jack Kennedy said.

"Long hair's great, provided you've got something to wear it on."

Well, I don't give a shit.

Do you want video and audio transmitted

or do you just want video transmitted?

Either way it's going to take me a while, you know.

I mean I'm not an octopus.

Tom, Tom, I'm always thinking about Truman.

You know what he said?

Truman said, "If you can't stand the heat, get the hell out of the kitchen!"

Mr Verdecchio, I'm not trying to aggravate you.

I'm just trying to set the transmitters.

I must tell you what Hoover once said.

He said, "The reason a lot of people are out of work

"is because we have a lot of unemployment."

Please, just let me set the transmitters, I'm not CBS.

But...

I didn't...

She, you know...

They figured I was imaginary, but she was the one that's imaginary.

They didn't know...

Everything she told me was imaginary, I guess.

That's the way I figured it now, I just guessed everything was.

Oh shit, I know who that is.

You, go away, goddamn it!

Hey, I was just fixing it.

Never mind there, Mario. Come on over here, young fella.

Take a good look at her. She's a real beauty, ain't she?

You don't see this kind of workmanship every day.

It's just like people today.

No one seems to give a damn quite what happens to themselves

or how they look or what they do.

Look at the detail and craftsmanship of the upholstery.

Don't be bashful now, young fella.

Nowhere on earth is there a prettier car than this.

Such workmanship is a lost art.

Damn shame, isn't it?

A car like this is something to work for.

You can have one like this too, if you want to work for it hard enough.

Just takes a little time, a little hard work.

Young people today expect to have everything handed to them

on a silver platter.

Damn shame. They get it. They waste it. Damn shame.

How about that?

So long, young fella.