Well, it was an interesting time
in the early '90s, I guess.
I mean, if you mention that time,
I think of a pub called The Good Mixer,
which was kind of where all the bands went
and got drunk together.
It started there.
It was a feeling of something happening.
And then that kind of expanded
until it seemed like the whole country
had become that pub.
That's kind of what happened.
I first met Gary, I suppose, at that point
where his group seemed
to be doing something.
They did a tour.
On The One did a tour
and we were the support band,
and it was kind of...
I liked him.
He was the only one in the group
I did like, actually.
There was another bloke called Paul,
who was absolutely the biggest
pain in the ass I had ever met.
Who made the band a success?
I think Gary would disagree, but it was...
You know, it was me.
I was the driving force behind the band.
You know, while Gary would be sitting
whistling in the corner,
thinking of riffs and stuff,
I'd be powering us forward as a unit
and basically being creative
and a manager at the same time.
I sensed that he felt very trapped.
And he wanted to get out
and experience the world and life.
So we broke up.
And...
Yeah, it wasn't very long after that
that he met Dora.
He started going out with this girl
called Dora that I used to go out with,
and after wanting to kind of
really dislike this person
and even maybe thinking I might, you know,
hit him for going out with my ex-girlfriend,
we ended up getting on really well,
and I, you know, ended up really liking him.
I see Gary all the time.
You know, I see him...
I see him... I do, I see him a lot, but...
You know, I miss who he was, you know,
I miss... I miss that.
But I never thought
this is how he'd get famous, you know.
Well, I spoke to him a while ago
when he moved to New York
to be with Dora, I think.
And he rang me
and just asked me a question,
"Do you know where John Lennon lived?"
And I said, "No."
He knew where he lived. It was...
It was his way of telling me
that he'd gone for good.
Can you turn the heat up?
I'm sweating.
- Love you.
- I love you, too.
Okay, this is Mega-Life, "Back to School,"
30 seconds, version one.
Hey, is everything okay?
You've got to cut out
this artistic crap, okay?
You're weirding out the clients.
So, what do you mean?
- Can he hear me?
- No.
Norman said Mega-Life
played you an acoustic piece
so you could do a sound-alike,
and you gave them a fucking flute solo
and some slap bass.
I went with my instinct.
And it wasn't slap bass.
- Well...
- I wanted it to be original and great...
But they don't want "great," okay?
That's why they come to us,
that's why they come to me, okay?
Because they know they're going to get,
you know, "fine."
Yeah, but it has to be good.
Bad is good, okay?
And don't use words
like "Gershwin" and "Sondheim"
because that scares the shit out of them.
They don't know what that means.
They think you're making fun of them.
Okay? They want a Cheers sound-alike.
- Cheers?
- Yeah.
- The TV show?
- Yeah.
Don't, please don't do that. Don't.
This is going to be like
the second album again, I can feel it.
I don't... Do you know...
Seriously, I don't want
any of your self-sabotaging bullshit, okay?
Just, please, make it bad.
- Okay.
- Yeah.
- Okay, I'll make it bad.
- Good.
I'll see you at dinner, okay?
Paul Bernard.
- Hey.
- Sorry we're late.
That's fine. How are you?
- How are you?
- Good.
Nice to see you.
Hi.
I just wanted to tell you I'm sorry
about Sophie and that ashram.
Oh, it's fine. I'll just go next week.
So, it's happening.
Paul's getting the promotion.
- And I'm totally flipping out.
- Mate.
- It's official.
- What promotion?
- They're making me a partner.
- What? That's incredible! Tell us!
- I didn't know that was a possibility.
- I just didn't want to jinx it.
You remember the "Life is
the greatest refreshment of all" campaign?
They're extending that for another year.
That Jerome dick has gone to Belgium.
The field is open.
Suddenly I've become indispensable.
- That's incredible. Congratulations.
- That is incredible.
- Isn't it exciting?
- That is really great.
And we're gonna get
the country house for definite.
Terry spoke to Rob's friend,
and we're just going to do it, so...
All that stuff from the old apartment
is going straight up there.
You can be our permanent summer guests.
- That's incredible. Congratulations.
- I don't even know what to do with myself.
- Let's get some champagne.
- Well done.
You can have the two Andys
make you that gazebo.
Well done.
I can't believe you didn't tell me that.
- I want Christmas in the new house.
- Yes...
Have you ever thought of talking to Paul
about being part of the agency?
- You know, maybe that could be...
- Why do you say that?
I don't want to do that.
I've never wanted to do anything like that.
I know. I just... I don't know...
Does it really seem like scoring commercials
and doing it only halfway is really working?
I thought you liked my stuff.
I do. I think you're incredibly talented.
I just...
It doesn't seem like half-assing it
is really working for you.
I just...
I just want you to be happy, you know?
I mean, either do it or don't.
Everything is with an eye
toward film composition, documentaries.
I have to start somewhere.
Start? You've been doing it for seven years.
- Ever since the band broke up.
- Well...
I'm just saying, you know,
I liked the guy who was writing songs.
Maybe it was because it was after the group
and you had something to prove.
But now it's just like,
if you're going to give up,
you might as well
go teach music in the inner city.
One thing. One thing. I haven't given up.
All right?
Secondly, are you telling me that
that is my choice?
To either teach music in the inner city
or go and work for the agency?
I'm just saying
you're basically doing it anyway,
so why not just commit?
What about working in an art gallery
is so good for the world, Dora?
You know,
I knew my artistic limitations, okay?
- That's what we're getting to.
- I'm not saying you're limited.
I'm just saying I dealt with it.
You know, if you want to do this
for the rest of your life, that's fine.
Okay? Be my guest.
But you can't ask me to respect it.
- Or support it.
- Okay.
And you know what? You're so sensitive,
you think everything is an attack.
- Love you.
- I love you, too.
I'm sorry if I hurt your feelings before.
No, it's okay. You're right.
I'm taking off my watch,
so you're supposed to
take off your street shoes.
They said cords were okay.
Don't worry.
I think you look perfect.
Thank you.
I'm Gary.
A pleasure.
If you pay close attention
and close your eyes
you can feel a heartbeat in my lips.
You can't feel it like that.
Can you be here at 6:00
to let the guys in to fix the drain?
Yeah.
- Have a good day.
- Thanks.
This time could we just hear
a bit of the original please?
Thank you.
Wanna do something fun
for dinner tomorrow night?
- Yeah, like what?
- I don't know.
Anyone you want to see?
Any place you want to go?
I don't know.
I'll think of something fun. I'll surprise you.
You shouldn't have said anything.
- We don't have to.
- No, I want to.
Okay.
- Are you going to read for a long time?
- I'm just going to finish this chapter.
I have to get up early.
Okay.
- Love you.
- Me, too.
Hello.
I'm so excited to see you again.
Could you please tell me your name?
I'm Anna.
I'm Gary.
How are you?
I'm fine, Gary.
I'm all for you.
Fuck it.
Fuck it!
- What is it? Are you okay?
- Just had a nightmare.
- About what?
- I don't know.
I was blind and lost,
or drowning or something.
- Try to relax.
- Rats were eating my pillow.
For you.
For you.
For you.
For you. For you. For you.
For you.
- Don't come in, I'm in here!
- What?
I was just...
- Oh, my God.
- What?
It's 7:00 in the morning.
Do you know how weird that is?
- Well, sometimes I just... You know?
- This is so sad.
You're a fucked-up person.
Dora, listen, I don't... Christ, I don't know...
You have problems.
Make sure you scrub out the sink.
Gary? Gary? Are you here?
Gazo!
Hey, mate. Have you seen her yet?
- Here she is! No. Have you seen her?
- No.
She's, like, sort of tall and hot,
in a kind of short, ugly way.
Paul, why is she coming here?
You're such an idiot.
Someone's going to see you.
What if Terry finds out?
- Then it's curtains, isn't it?
- Exactly. How can it be worth it?
What are you talking about, worth it?
It's like being on tour again.
She wants to be a gymnast.
Have you any idea
how flexible those chicks can get?
- A gymnast? What is she, 11 years old?
- That's what I said to her!
I said,
"Your tits are too big to be a gymnast."
Because they've got to be flat
and, like, super Chinese, you know?
Why are we in a fucking hobbit hole?
We're not in a hobbit hole.
I'm just checking some things out.
Don't touch my books.
Listen, do you have a lot of dreams?
- What does that mean?
- Well, do you have dreams?
Like, I don't know, dreams that, when
you're sleeping, that you have one night,
and then the next night you have it again.
I don't mean the same dream,
but say, one closely related
to the one you had before?
Well, I don't know, probably.
I don't really remember my dreams.
Unless I leave a little something in my PJ's,
if you know what I'm saying.
Well, yeah. This is...
These are all PJ dreams,
but without the "leaving something."
I've had a couple of them and they just...
They were amazing.
I just thought I'd find out about it.
Okay, well, now you come to mention it,
I did have a dream once
where I killed a man,
which is pretty cool.
And I fucked my mother.
I'm kidding. I'm kidding.
No, I'm not. But it was sick. I didn't enjoy it.
Yes, I did.
Look, don't tell Dora I said that
because that's, like, bad.
That is bad.
- There she is.
- This her?
Yeah, she's waiting for me.
- Hey. Hey, how're you doing?
- Hi.
- Don't kiss me.
- Okay.
This is Gary. He works for me.
- Hi.
- Hi, Gary.
- You're the keyboardist?
- Yeah.
- Tica with a "T."
- Hi.
- Oh, wow. I'm just such a big fan.
- Oh, thank you.
She is, honestly. She knows all the words
to Checkpoint Carlos.
She likes to hum it when we're in bed.
Do you like any of the other songs?
Checkpoint Carlos is really
one of my favorite ones.
We should get the hell out of here
because we've got stuff to do.
You make up those changes
and call my assistant,
- because she'll know where I am, okay?
- All right.
- Take it easy.
- Don't slap it.
Whatever, let's rock.
Excuse me?
Can you tell me, do these books tell you
what your dreams mean?
Yeah. Yeah, those books will tell you
everything you need to know.
But see this book right here?
I mean, this book will tell you shit
you didn't even want to know.
I mean, because, like, Alan Weigert's like
the John Grisham of lucid dreaming.
All right. Of what, sorry?
You want a tip?
Yeah, what?
You want to learn about dreams
and dreaming, right?
Yeah. It seems interesting, yeah.
Okay. I've got a place you should go.
Okay.
- Everything is going to be okay, honey.
- Go on. Go on, cry your eyes out.
You're a sick human.
If it happens again, Mel, I'll call the cops.
- They were egging me on, man.
- They're children, for God's sake.
- You know how dark kids can be?
- No, I don't.
Little horrible adults in tiny bodies.
I didn't do anything.
I heard you, Mel. You can't call
a seven-year-old girl a vapid narcissist.
They just stand there,
staring at themselves in a mirror!
They're supposed to be looking
in the mirror. It's part of the exercise.
- Turn-out into pas de boure.
- Don't be mad at me
just because you hate yourself.
- At 6:00 the room is mine.
- What? What did you say?
- You heard me.
- There is always going to be some overlap.
It's a small room.
We're trying to make it work.
Listen, you speak to one of my girls
like that again,
there will be consequences.
- Meanie!
- Lolita!
See, honey? Just like my father.
- Anabella, did you bring the Jell-O?
- You said pudding on Tuesday.
- Hi.
- Yo, my man! Karate's at 7:00.
No, no. I'm here for the dreaming.
This is the lucid dreaming group?
- Yeah.
- Great.
Unhappy with your life?
Looking for some control?
Maybe, yeah.
Let's get to it, people!
- All right, Constance and Bomba?
- Yeah?
You team. Rita and Shiraz, you hook up.
Come on. Get in, get in, get in. Look at it.
Check it out. Open up. Open up for him.
Yoshi, Sherry, you do that, you pair up.
...like, through the rooms,
and there was all these people.
People are in there, you know?
And then, the thing about it is, you know...
Look, you don't want to read
any of those books by Alan Weigert.
- Really? Why not? They seem pretty good.
- They're illusion.
They should be in the fiction section.
He's a sellout.
What you want are hard-hitting facts.
What you need is the truth.
I wrote it myself. Begin at Chapter 1.
You gotta look at your hands
just before you go to sleep. That's the thing.
That's the biggest thing in a lucid dream.
You gotta, you know, study each line
and crack and imperfection.
Gotta get a long-lasting impression
in your mind,
because they are your safety blanket
in the dream state.
In case the nightmare begins
or some stressful event
creates a dream monster,
you have to use this technique to stop it
while you're still sleeping.
- Otherwise, you'll wake up...
- Sorry, did you say "dream monster"?
- Yeah.
- You're kidding.
No. It's like getting shot, falling down,
or being chased around,
all the classic side effects
of a dream monster.
- So it's not like a real monster?
- Could be.
To some people, it's a feeling
that knocks them out of the dream.
For others, it's a giant Muppet.
It's different for everybody.
And the thing about when you go to sleep,
you fall asleep,
as soon as you do,
you look for light switches, right?
You turn them on and off, inside,
indoor light switches, to see what happens.
If you find a mirror or you look in a mirror,
it's very good.
If you already know
what you want your dream to be about,
then how can you get that going?
Is that possible?
Well, that's in Chapter 7,
but don't skip around
because there's a math to it.
Yo! Karate chop! What the fuck?
Knock, knock. I got two more minutes.
- Go wait outside.
- They have swords.
Every week, these fucking warmongers...
It's a full-on emotional exploration.
It's not dangerous,
but sometimes it's emotionally alarming.
Just a preparation, okay? Read the book.
Okay? That's it. Not that guy. Not...
Not the Weigert guy.
All right, everybody, let's go. That's good.
That's enough for today.
She okay?
When I first met Mel in 1962 at Berkeley,
I was at MIT.
My father said,
"Never go to California, it's full of shit."
Because he was a pilot, he was
convinced that the United States were tilted
and all the crap, dirt and filth
slid towards California, Berkeley.
He said, "Never go there."
I went there
and I did find that filthy hell hole
full of stupid hippies,
but I enjoyed myself there.
That's when I first met Mel, yeah.
He belonged there.
What are you doing in there?
Are you on the toilet?
Yeah, I'll... I'll be done in a minute.
Turn the fan on.
I wish you had waited
till I got ready for bed.
Sorry. Sorry. I'm almost finished.
Are you in there
playing with yourself again?
Light a match.
Love you.
Me, too.
I thought I'd never see you again.
I'm here.
Will you make love to me?
Yes.
All day long?
Of course.
- Even after it hurts too much to continue?
- Anything.
Can we make babies?
I'm just kidding.
Remember...
Everything you need to make it great
is in you.
Look at your hands, quick!
What's up?
Sorry, nothing. It's just the same old stuff.
- Gary?
- In the bedroom! Wait one second.
I just saw Angel. He said
they're going to redo the entire lobby.
- Oh, wait.
- What are you doing?
Look, I'm sorry about the mess, okay?
I'll have that cleaned up.
You know,
I've not been sleeping or anything.
So I just thought the best thing
would be to get it really quiet.
Wait, wait. This looks totally horrible.
That siren last night was so loud,
I was screwed.
- I was like a zombie at work today.
- I called you at work. You weren't there.
Yeah. I cut out early to get this stuff set up.
Don't you think it's a good idea?
I mean, we'll sleep so much better.
- I sleep fine.
- It'll be good. Trust me.
Gary, this is insanely inconsiderate.
I can't believe you've done this
without even consulting me.
Now we're going to breathe in all this foam?
It can't be good for you.
It's full of chloro-fluorocarbons or whatever.
Dora, I'm doing this for you, too.
I'm going to tidy up.
You won't even know it's there.
This is crazy.
Don't they at least make it in white?
What are you doing?
Jesus Christ, Gary, I'm reading.
What's wrong with you?
What's wrong with me?
What the fuck is wrong with you?
Why are you doing this to me?
Are you having nightmares again?
I mean, basically, but I still want to sleep.
Jesus, Dora!
You're kidding me.
Can't you read in the other room?
- This is so fucking rude.
- I get scared in there alone.
Oh, you get scared. Jesus.
It's the living room.
Why can't you be nice to me?
I don't feel well. I take care of you.
- Okay, what's wrong with you then?
- I've got a tickle in my throat.
Jesus Christ!
What do you want me to do about it?
You're a real jerk, you know that?
I would never do this to you.
I hope you have terrifying nightmares.
I hope you shit your pants.
I'm sorry.
I'm sorry, I love you.
Here they are. Hi, guys.
- Sorry, we're...
- Hi.
Is everything all right?
- Terry!
- Terry!
What's that all about?
She broke into my e-mail, okay?
She found a letter from that girl
who I've been seeing a little bit.
Tica with a "T"? Oh, my God!
It was just kind of...
It was regular kind of girl shit, you know?
But then she added this fantasy
where she kind of ended up
with me breaking her arm
and knocking a couple of her teeth out!
Which is fine, that's fine, you know?
But when your wife reads it,
you realize that, you know, it's wrong.
- Well, this is serious!
- Is it? I don't know, you know.
I thought I'd be more frightened
of Terry leaving.
But it's kind of like...
It's like an exciting prospect.
You know, I'm kind of a bit of a hotshot
at work at the moment, you know?
It's like I haven't felt like this
since the band.
It's like being on tour, you know?
Women kind of look at me differently.
I don't know.
I'm just going to see how things go,
you know?
In the meantime,
I wish she would just shut up
and go to her mother's
because I'm just, you know...
What's wrong with you? You look terrible.
My sleeping's all screwy, you know...
Right, the dream stuff. How's that going?
Yeah, things are very good.
I feel like an idiot saying this, but...
I have this girl and she's amazing.
I mean, she loves me.
She's passionate and supportive
and inspiring.
I don't know, like I said,
I feel like an idiot saying this, but...
I don't know, I just... I just...
I read these books, right,
they teach you how to control your dreams.
I mean, it's ridiculous, but I feel good.
And I haven't felt good about myself
in such a long time.
I'll tell you,
it was just like the early days with Dora.
God, that sounds great.
That sounds so great
because there are no problems.
You can't get caught.
You should lend me
one of your dream books.
- No, thanks.
- Yeah, and then I can get a dream girlfriend,
and then we can, you know,
we can double up.
Or better yet, we can swap.
- I don't want to swap.
- Consider it.
So where's Terry?
- She's gone to her mother's.
- Yes!
I didn't...
What did you do with the NyQuil?
Is it not in the medicine cabinet?
Do you want to do that?
Do you want to have sex e-mails
with some bimbo?
That's so fucked up.
Do you know how dark that is?
Hold on. It was just an e-mail.
We don't know that he's cheating.
Oh, come on. Don't do that.
Don't defend him. It's me.
Do you think about stuff like that?
What's thinking about something?
You know, what...
You could say, do I think about suicide?
Well, yes, I do think about it.
Would I do it?
Well, you know, bad example...
- Right. So you do think about it.
- No, I'm kidding. I'm kidding!
- For Christ's sake, it's so abstract!
- The relationship is on the line.
- Do I think about something?
- It's depressing.
- What do you want me to tell you?
- How about the truth?
- Okay, do you think about it?
- No, I don't, and I have a lot of opportunity.
- Sorry, what does that mean?
- Guys like me. They make it clear.
Go fuck one of them, then. What do I care?
It's not like we do.
I don't want to, Gary! That's the point!
Jesus, nobody jerks off
at 7:00 in the morning
unless they're really unhappy!
And it's sure as shit not me
you're thinking about in there!
I don't know how to respond to this, okay?
Don't lump me in with Paul
because he's fucked up.
It just seems like
we're heading in that direction
and if we're going to end up like that,
it's better to talk about it now.
- We could have a normal conversation.
- Conversation about what?
About how I've watched more TV
in the last three years
than I have in my whole life because of you.
We don't do anything and
you're always the depressive, you know?
Does it ever occur to you that maybe
I need a little cheering up, you know?
That I want to feel special?
I don't think you do need cheering up.
I think you need tampons.
What a response. Fuck you.
- I'm so tired of this...
- Dora!
- I can't sit around here anymore.
- Dora! Come on, I'm sorry.
- Go! Be messy, and go camping...
- What am I apologizing for?
...and live life and drive race cars!
- Jesus Christ, I'll just put you in a cab.
Are you okay? You look tense.
Do I? Shit. I feel like such a liar.
- What do you have to lie about?
- You. This.
Gary, you're a good person.
You haven't done anything wrong.
Then why am I so anxious all the time?
Why do I feel like everything I do is bad?
It's nice to feel the breeze on my face.
I think our relationship was
less complicated than his one with Dora.
But I think he was challenged
by complicated people.
He was challenged by people
who scared him.
Dora scared him.
- Dora?
- Hi.
Hey. What are you doing?
Ellen had to cancel her trip to Venice.
I had to decide at the last second,
but I'm going to go in her place.
It's a big deal for me
representing the gallery over there.
Wait, are you kidding?
This is great news,
but you didn't want to consult me?
Why should I, Gary?
You know, I mean, I think it's probably
the best thing that we have some time apart.
- I'm not making you happy...
- Best thing?
...you're not making me happy, so...
- Hang on, I'm not making you happy?
Oh, come on.
Let's just cut the bullshit, okay?
- This is ridiculous.
- The whole thing has just gotten totally...
It's just fear, you know?
I'm just afraid of being alone.
I don't want to get into the whole thing.
I'm not saying anything official.
I just want to go and do this.
- That's fine. But don't go like this.
- Come on.
You and your idiot friend can do
whatever you want while I'm gone.
I really don't care.
Paul has moved out of Terry's.
I'm thinking I might stay there
for a few days when I get back.
That's fine.
You do whatever you have to do, all right?
But don't blame me for everything.
I'm not blaming you, Gary!
That's the whole point.
It's just not fun anymore.
I feel lousy about myself all the time.
And that's how I feel.
I can't do this today.
It makes my joints ache.
Do you have your passport?
Yeah.
Okay.
Of course that's all you have to say.
You're such a dead person.
You're just so absent. You're so absent.
How did you get like this?
What's wrong with you?
- That is exactly the way you are with me.
- No, no, no, Gary.
You don't just reciprocate the complaint,
okay? You can't throw back the same insult.
- I never do that. That's what you always do.
- Oh, Jesus Christ! Goodbye!
Think of it this way,
you've got two weeks off, right?
Dora is out of town.
You know,
you can have wet dreams every night,
even work on this nocturnal thing
you're developing, you know,
and try and put it to use in the real world,
you know, in the real-life population.
I mean...
- What's your name, beautiful?
- Shawna.
- And do you have a boyfriend?
- Just you, sugar.
Correct answer. Straight A's for Shawna.
And what do you look for in a guy,
other than deep pockets and V. D?
I like funny guys.
Well, take my friend Gary here, okay?
Now, if he was a funny guy,
okay, and he's not by the way,
but let's pretend he is,
if he was a funny guy,
could he be your type?
Oh, sure.
You know, Shawna can be inspiring.
She wants to be a singer.
- A rapper.
- Even better!
Shawna, don't you want to rock Gary's mic?
Yeah.
Come on, Gary. Let me rock your mic.
Okay! That's fine!
Oh, make him stay, Shawna!
Please, you've been great.
I'm going to call you tomorrow.
Come back, Shane.
Anna?
Anna?
Hey, Gary.
Are you coming to Venice?
You're friends with Dora, right?
He knows her.
Hey, Gaz. She's going to rock the mic.
Oh, shit!
Gary didn't fear rejection.
What Gary feared
was being a mediocre talent,
which, to be brutally honest, he was.
Hey, Gary! What happened to you?
I thought you were going to be
a new addition.
Yeah, I'm sorry.
I've just been real busy, you know?
- Listen, do you have a minute?
- Well, I'm actually on my way to work.
- So, if you want to walk me, it's okay.
- Work? Hang on, isn't this your job?
You can't take sleeping pills, man.
That's Dream Science 101.
Well, it doesn't say anything in the book
about not doing it.
I mean, that's quite a major warning, right?
It should say so.
That's where all the incoherence
and the melting faces
and the dream monsters breed, man.
That's like inviting gremlins to a pool party.
Hey, see if you can help me with this, huh?
See, I don't know, Mel.
I've been reading this guy, Alan Weigert,
and he says that
you should take long baths...
Alan Weigert?
I told you not to read that crap!
Alan Weigert is a scummer and a sell-out.
I know him. You don't know him.
- What do you mean, you know him?
- He's a sick man and a goddamn capitalist.
- Wait, how do you...
- Do you know what a traitor is, man?
- Who, me or him?
- Balls. I gotta go to work.
Jesus Christ.
Mel...
Look, man, you gotta come to the group.
That's where we work these things out.
I'm not good with groups.
I just need some tips, like...
Does anybody else have these problems?
For most people, it's recreation.
You know, inner child shit, midlife crisis...
- But that's for me, too, though, right?
- It's not sounding like it.
Can't you just give me
something to help with the sleeping?
- Do you eat healthy?
- Healthy? What, like granola bars?
- Do you... Do you exercise? You like sports?
- Not really, no.
- You jog? You look like a jogger.
- Do I? No, I don't jog, Mel.
Well, start. Start running. Run till you drop.
You'll sleep like a baby.
God, I never thought of that.
Yeah, there's nothing better
than blowing it out,
because nothing will make you more tired.
Jeez, I can't believe I didn't think of that.
Mel, you're a genius.
If there's anything
I can ever do for you, then...
- You got 50 bucks?
- Sure, yeah.
Here, take my card. We'll treat it as a private.
- Okay.
- If you have any problems, you call me.
Thanks.
- Do you have an invitation, sir?
- No!
Gary, there's only so much
you can control, man.
You can't think that you can be in charge
of every element.
- Well, why not? Isn't that the whole point?
- You just can't.
No, isn't that the whole point?
Listen, do you have a more advanced book?
Because I really feel
that I've graduated to a higher level.
- I'm better than the average dream reader.
- I'm late, I'm late, I'm late.
- Are you encountering dream monsters?
- Yes, I am!
And they're not fucking Muppets,
let me tell you. They're Italians.
- You have any coherent conversations?
- All the time, Mel,
but it's not sleeping pills. I'm totally clean.
By the way, bring the thermos in tomorrow,
will you, Tony?
This sounds like
deep control aggression, man.
I mean, you having a lot of problems
in your life?
Yeah, all I have are problems,
and now my real-life girlfriend
is showing up in my dreams.
What about getting away for a few days?
You know, sometimes getting away
from your waking-life problems,
it clears your dreams.
I can't, not in any real way.
- Meet me tomorrow at noon at the studio.
- Fine.
- We'll go somewhere.
- Okay, where?
I'll take you on a field trip. Be there at noon.
Field trip.
See how relaxed you're getting?
Girlfriends, man...
Let me tell you something.
I haven't had a real-life relationship
since 1966.
You should enjoy this time.
Embrace your freedom.
And more than anything, relax.
It's a pillow-top. This is good.
Try this bed. It's good.
I used to really believe that everybody
was at the center of their own universe.
You know, like we're all suns
being orbited by the people in our lives.
But at a certain point,
if things don't go your way,
maybe it's better just to pick someone
or something great and just orbit that.
- You know?
- I felt like that's what I was doing with Dora.
Sometimes I wish you could just
hit the sack and never wake up.
If your favorite song never ended
or your best book never closed,
if the emotions mustered from these things
would just go on and on,
who wouldn't want to stay asleep?
Now, the guy who discovers
that perpetual dream,
he's my man.
He's going to make a billion dollars.
I gotta tell you, Gary,
hanging out with you is pretty depressing.
- I know. I'm sorry.
- Think I'm going to go take a nap.
- No, come on. Let me get you some food.
- No, I got no appetite.
- Please.
- No, I'm going to jog it off.
- Okay.
- Watch this.
I know it's crazy, but this is her.
I swear to God.
In, like, seven magazines.
I'm flipping out here!
- I can see that.
- This is surreal. But this is Anna.
What, you've given her a name?
I haven't given her anything.
That's her name.
She is absolutely hot as shit,
it's got to be said.
This doesn't just happen in life, Paul.
This means something.
This is like a motivating force of destiny.
This is fate!
- So what's her real-life name?
- Well, that's the trouble.
None of these magazines
have any credits or anything.
I was hoping that
maybe you could help me track her down.
Do you know what's happened?
You've seen this woman in,
like, one of Dora's magazines,
or on a billboard or something like that.
And that's how she's got
inside your head, right?
I was reading one of those dream books,
and it said that all of our dreams
have a basis in reality somewhere.
- Sorry, what book?
- So that's...
When did you start reading a book?
Well, you didn't lend me yours, did you?
I had to go out and find my own.
I bought Alan Weigert, you know?
I just want to understand
what you're going through a bit better.
- So how's that working out?
- Really, really good.
- Actually, you remember the Keppel twins?
- Yeah.
- I fucked Sandy last night.
- Jenny was the good-looking one.
She watched.
Listen, I've got this covered, all right?
I'm on it.
Stop sleeping!
Get out of bed!
I know you're sleeping, you fucked up mess.
Hello?
Come on. Hello?
All right, look, just get out of bed, shower,
and meet me at 2:00 p.m., okay?
And brush your teeth. Bye.
There are a lot of things in your life
that you owe me for, okay?
But this one
will be the biggest one of all time.
Her name is Melodia and I've hired her
as "The Greatest Refreshment on Earth."
Hi, Melodia. Hello.
I just wanted you to meet
a very good friend of mine
who's a musician I work with.
This is Gary Sheller.
- Hello. Nice to meet you.
- Hi.
Nice to meet you.
Just as good.
Gary composes a lot of the music
for the commercials we do.
And if this goes to a TV commercial,
he'll be doing that, too.
But it's actually his fault
that you're here today
because he saw you and said,
"That is the face of refreshment."
And I always listen to Gary.
Sweet.
- Thank you, Gary.
- You're welcome. You deserve it.
Why?
Because you're great.
Did you write the music for this?
This what?
This.
Not really...
Write for the photo shoot?
- He wrote it.
- Yeah, I wrote it.
Cool.
Are you coming to the dinner tonight?
- What dinner?
- He's coming.
Cool.
Maybe you can save me a seat.
Will you do that?
Yeah, I'll do that.
- Cool.
- Okay.
- Well, listen...
- Okay.
Thank you very much for your time,
and you're doing some great stuff today.
- See you later, Gary.
- Yeah.
Gary, meet Karl Heinz.
He's Melodia's ex-husband.
She hates me.
It was a marriage of dependence.
She needed a passport and I needed to be...
Punished? As in scolded?
Yeah, like burned with a cigar.
- I need him, don't I?
- Well, she'll be here, I swear.
- Hey.
- Hey, there she is!
The lady of the moment.
- Hello.
- Welcome, welcome, welcome.
- Move, Karl Heinz. Don't touch me!
- Hello, warrior princess.
I thought maybe you'd left.
Left? No.
I thought maybe you weren't turning up.
That's my best friend, Naresta.
- Hello. Hi, hi.
- Hi.
She killed a guy once in Brazil.
Hi, can I have two shots of tequila
and a Kir Royale?
So...
- So, what are you into, Gary?
- What am I into?
I don't know. What are you into?
Just being alive, you know,
and staying young.
Young here, minded, not in a looks way.
I don't care.
I like my hips. I like my wrinkles.
I'm into life, you know?
I feel like I just want to suck
every drop of juice out of it
and then fuck it to death and pass out.
And you?
Well, I haven't really done anything like that,
you know, to death yet, but...
- Yeah, I love a lot of stuff like that.
- Like what?
Like the things that you were just saying.
But what do you like?
- I like dreams.
- Dreams?
Dreams, like, you know, when you're asleep.
Cool. I never thought of that.
What do you dream about?
I dream about lots of things,
but really I'm more concerned
with controlling my dreams, to be honest.
Controlling them how?
- How?
- By making them unravel...
- Are you okay?
- Yeah, I'm fine.
By unraveling them
in a way that I want, you know?
Do you have a lot of sex dreams?
I do, yeah.
Cool.
God, she's so pretty.
I've never had anyone that pretty
without having to pay for it.
Did you tell her you wrote
Checkpoint Carlos?
- I said we co-wrote it.
- No, we took co-credit, Paul.
I can't even remember what I said, okay?
Anyway, you owe me big-time.
Yes, I know.
- She's pretty amazing.
- I know.
Certainly giving me a little bit of ammo
for my dreams tonight.
Don't say that. And don't do that.
Why would you...
- You're not going to do that, are you?
- It's a dream.
It's not like I'm going to fuck you, is it?
Yeah, but it's not a dream, though, is it?
At least not in the sense that you mean.
- Her look is sort of wrong, though.
- Her look?
- Are you okay?
- Yeah, I'm fine. How are you?
Good. I think she likes me a little bit.
Why would you say that?
I sense that.
You're not going to do anything about it,
are you?
No, no. I just mean she's, you know,
the kind of girl that likes everyone.
She's just really out there. She said
she wants to experience everything.
Well, that's why I like her.
She's the exact opposite of Dora.
Oh, God.
Yes!
Listen, I'm going to go
before I fuck your girlfriend.
Why are you doing this to me, Paul?
You're right, you're right.
I'll wait till I'm asleep.
Listen, I will call you tomorrow
and I'll tell you what happened
- and we can compare notes.
- Don't do this, please.
- It'll be great. Melody, you're a star. Bye-bye.
- Ciao, Paul.
- See you, Gary.
- Yeah.
- Do you want to get a drink?
- Sure.
Who were those guys you were talking to?
One's a stylist I used to work with
and the other I don't know.
- But they're gay.
- Right, they seemed kind of dickie.
They're harmless. Let's go.
Do you like this place?
Yeah, it's not bad.
Do you ever wear your hair back?
What's wrong with my hair?
No, no, it's nothing.
I just think it might look good.
No.
Not really.
Yeah, that's nice.
Yes, Master.
Anything else I can change about myself
to your liking?
No, not today. You are perfect.
Even with all the zippers and...
- You don't like my clothes?
- No, the clothes are great.
I meant your jacket, which actually I...
I like. It's very...
Very backstage.
Well, should we get into your style?
I'm sorry.
I like the jacket.
- It's okay, you can say what you want.
- I'm not really crazy about the jacket.
Jesus Christ!
What? You just said I could say what I want.
- Are you weird?
- What do you mean?
Are you drunk?
No, of course I'm not drunk. I just want
to have a nice time. Let's have some fun.
Sorry, can I have two shots of tequila
and a white wine?
- Yeah. You can't smoke that in here.
- Cool, okay.
I can't have another one of those shots.
I didn't order you one.
Please don't be mad. I was kidding.
Half-kidding.
I just want you to look great.
- I don't think that's wrong, that I want you...
- Stop talking.
I don't mean it in a bad way, okay?
I mean it in a good way.
Because I know how great you could look.
I know how fantastic you would look
in a white tuxedo.
What?
- You're crazy.
- I'm not crazy.
Yeah, you're crazy. You're a loser.
- Psychotic.
- Psychotic.
Hey! Hey!
What are you doing?
You can't just walk out of the bar!
Don't tell me what to do, please.
Okay, well, would you mind telling me
what I've done?
Why are you being mean?
Mean?
Mean? I don't even know you, man.
I mean, I just thought you were nice
and we could be friends
and have a good time together.
I didn't really think you were
one of those douchebag guys.
- But clearly you are.
- A douchebag?
Have you ever even said that word before?
What's "douchebag"?
- I'm not a douchebag.
- I don't want to talk anymore, okay?
I'm going home.
You're making me feel
like I have to break up with you,
and I don't even know you.
Goodbye, Gary.
Come on.
Bullshit.
You think that's me out there?
You're a real piece of shit, Gary.
You know that?
I've been sleeping.
Oh, fuck!
Jesus!
Gary. How are you?
I'm a wreck. How are you?
Oh, cool. I'm fine. I mean, come on in.
- Thank you.
- Yeah.
- Excuse the mess.
- Okay.
Yeah, I was just...
Funny little rabbit girl I dreamed up
was nipping at my toes and then
you were at the door.
Yeah.
Did your girlfriend come back?
No, she hasn't called or anything.
- You don't look so good.
- No?
I don't even know what to say, Mel.
Look, I'm falling apart, you know?
Is that soundproofing?
Yeah. It's got cotton behind it.
Swallowed up, right?
You feel like everything real is
in there
and all this out here is just a waste of time.
This is what you got to look forward to,
man, in your old age.
I can't do anything anymore.
I let you down. I let you down.
The human default setting
is loneliness, man.
Sadness is a guarantee.
People like you have
all these great distractions,
girlfriends and jobs and shit.
And all these distractions from unhappiness
equal life.
I don't have any of those things.
In some ways, my cross to bear,
in others, my freedom to cherish.
You see all this stuff? This...
My past and future lie in these stacks.
I'm always looking for something new.
I've saved eagles' nests
high in the Dolomites
on Icarus' perfected wings.
I bedded Cleopatra in a tub of figs.
Not bad for a schlub from Astoria.
What should I do, Mel?
I see it in you.
It's like looking in a mirror.
I know how lost you are.
Hey, man...
If you want out,
all you've got to do is say goodbye.
- What the fuck did you do to this place?
- Fucking hell!
- Jesus Christ! You can't do that to people.
- This is...
I've been in here for 45 minutes
trying to find anything.
I don't give a shit that I'm not 70.
You could have fucking killed me there!
Oh, God!
- I didn't know you were coming back today.
- Yes, you did, Gary.
- I didn't.
- Are you a complete lunatic?
Okay, you have 100% lost it.
Okay, listen. I had to do something
about the noise, right?
I couldn't sleep. I... How are you?
The noise is in your head.
Do you understand that?
- No, it's not. The noise is in New York.
- This is really crazy!
I can't believe you've covered
- the entire bedroom with this stuff!
- I know, I know.
I'm sorry. I'm going to bring it down.
I'll take it down.
We're never getting
our security deposit back, by the way!
- How was the trip?
- Unbelievable.
The trip was great, thank you very much.
I signed a fantastic painter to the gallery.
I'm going to curate my own show
with him and another painter.
With him? He's a man. He's a man?
A man painter?
- What, a man painting with a hat on?
- What are you...
- You developed a stutter since I saw you?
- No.
I've been home for five minutes,
the questions are already boring.
Where are you coming from, anyway,
at this hour?
I'm coming from having breakfast outside,
because I'm not sleeping.
Why are you so mad at me?
You're right, okay?
You're right. I'm sorry. I'm not mad. I just...
This whole thing reeks of paralysis.
I need to go and stay at Terry's
for a while, okay?
This place is a disaster zone!
Yeah, I know. I was going to call
the housekeeper. She can vacuum.
Look, tell me about the trip.
What do you want me to tell you, Gary?
It was great, okay?
It was nice to feel like myself again.
I liked not having to call.
I liked that the phone didn't ring.
I'm going to go, all right? If you want
to have dinner or whatever this week...
It's your boyfriend, Paul.
Give me the report. Gary?
Stop talking. Stop talking.
Dora. Dora, wait! Come on.
- What are you doing here, Gary?
- Is your new boyfriend here?
I'm going to smash his goddamn face in.
What is this? What's going on here?
Would you like to meet Vincent?
You look great.
Where are you going?
Tell your boyfriend, wherever he is,
he's dead! I'm coming back!
Hello?
Dora?
She is at Terry's. I know she's at Terry's.
I need to speak to her.
- She doesn't know what's been going on.
- Please don't drag me into this mess.
- All right?
- I'm not dragging you into anything.
- Have you called Terry?
- I called her once, okay?
Just to check that she hadn't killed
herself, and she never called me back.
So maybe she's dead, you know. But I don't
think so, 'cause she's filed for divorce.
I know Dora's there, Paul.
Can we just go find her and see?
- They'll let you in. It's still your apartment.
- I really hate you, you know?
You're only nice to me
when I do things for you.
- I'm always nice to you.
- Well, be extra nice to me today, okay?
I'm in a sensitive mood today.
In fact, let's swap places.
I'll be you, sensitive, depressed,
and you can be me, okay?
So what am I like?
- Do you really want to know?
- Fuck you.
Paul, I can't see any of Dora's stuff.
- There's no toothbrushes or nothing.
- We should get out of here, you know,
because this could really screw up
the settlement.
- Did you check messages?
- No. I want to get out of here.
- There's just too many memories, all right?
- Just do it.
- What do I press here?
- All right, that.
Hey, Terry. This is Randy.
I just wanted to tell you
what a good time I had last night.
Wind that back! Who the fuck is Randy?
Please be quiet.
I can't hear the next message.
Do you know any Randys?
I don't know any Randys!
And you know what? If there is such
a thing as a Randy, he's the kind of man
that digs and chops wood.
I'm going to be sick, Gary, I swear.
I know you're here, Paul.
The doorman told me you just came in.
Come out and I won't be mad.
Did you or did you not
fuck a lumberjack by the name of Randy?
That is none of your business.
Is that a yes?
- I'm not answering that.
- Oh, for fuck's...
Well... All right, well...
What, does he go to the gym all the time,
does he?
What?
From Randy?
I'm going to rape you.
- Hi, Terry.
- Hi, Gary.
He is not going to rape you.
That's a relief.
How are you, Gary?
I'm okay, thanks.
I'm going to take him home.
Is Dora staying here?
I'm not saying anything to you clowns.
Well, if you could just tell her
that we stopped by.
- Come on.
- I'm not going! She's breaking my heart.
Hey!
Paul!
Hey, I can't believe you're so upset.
I thought you'd be glad to be rid of her.
I am.
I am.
You know, in some ways...
It's just... I don't know.
I want her to sit in that apartment
for the rest of her life,
you know, just thinking about me.
I want her to think about how, you know,
I'm the best.
And to be hoping that I might come back.
And I might! I might come back.
If there's nothing better out there.
I know, it sounds crazy,
but this is too much for me.
I don't want her to be happy.
Does that make me selfish?
Yes.
Yeah, I think it does, Paul.
I thought this was everything you wanted.
It is. It is.
Can I please call her?
Don't say goodbye.
Are you happy?
This actually makes me so sad.
You are talented.
I always knew it,
but I love seeing it.
- Hey, Lily.
- Hey. Have you been away?
No, no, no. I've been in.
What's up, Gary?
Hi.
Dora! Dora!
Dora!
Gary?
What the hell are you doing here?
I came to see you.
I wanted to see what your show was like.
- Who just shows up? You're nuts!
- No, I'm great!
Dora, I'm really good now.
Where are you going?
We've got this big dinner for the opening.
- Can I go?
- I mean, yeah, I guess.
This is so weird!
I can't believe you just showed up.
No, it's cool!
It's cool that we do these things together.
- Who are you?
- I'll be there in two seconds.
Gary, you can't just show up
and save everything.
Isn't that the point?
You know, why not? Who is that?
What do you want me to say?
Did you hear the music
that was playing inside just now?
Yeah, I guess.
What, you didn't like it?
I don't know, I mean,
I wasn't really listening.
I wanted you to hear it.
I kind of wrote it for you.
You did?
Yeah.
Could you just... Wait one minute, please.
- Just wait.
- Gary!
This is the future. This is now.
This will change your life.
It's a great read.
It's got a good feeling to it.
I owe it all to Gary.
No, I think the book is really interesting.
It's a great entertainment.
It's not what Gary was about.
I mean, he was...
He was always so alive and inspired
and wanted to succeed.
I mean, it was amazing.
Have you spoken to Dora about the book?
I've come to think that you should...
You have to...
Not wanting to sound like South Pacific,
"You've got to have a dream."
You do have to have a dream.
But heaven help the person
who actually achieves that.
It's like the end of the rainbow,
you know, the little pot of gold.
You know it's not there,
but it's nice to believe in it
because it actually gives you
a direction to travel in.
It's nice to get a little sun.
Warmth makes the itches go away.
Gary, the antibiotics...
I've got to live a little.
Okay.
Hey, I brought this great big long
extension cable so that we can...
This afternoon, we can pull the TV out,
we can put it right there,
and we can watch
the Dylan documentary again.
Good man.
You're going to be on your feet
really soon, buddy.
I hope not. I like being waited on.
- Do you want me to get your sunglasses?
- No, I'm great, hon.
I should break my leg.
Now, listen.
I heard yesterday we're going to
definitely start mixing the album on Friday.
- Oh, great.
- So try and come along if you can.
- I will. I'll hobble over.
- Hobble over.
Speaking of which...
- Where are you going?
- I should stretch it out and walk on it.
It's part of the regimen.
- You want me to go with you?
- No, no. It's good for me to do it alone.
If he's a boy, he'll be Gary.
What do you think?
Take it easy.
I will.
I love you.
I love you,
too.