I often thought
my father was born of music...
some wayward melody
that took the form of a man.
He heard music everywhere.
Squeaking bedsprings, buzzing flies,
dripping faucets were all
filled with rhythm to him.
That he was "a great jazz pianist"
was the opinion of Charlie
Parker, Lester Young,
and scores of others
who played with him.
I, too, was in awe of his talent.
But I loved him out of all proportion...
as only a daughter could.
One more time. Motherfucker.
Hey, Hobbs, maybe not the
fifth... that last note?
- Try sharp eleventh.
- Yeah.
- That's the Monk note, man.
- That's right.
Yeah, man.
- What'd you think of that?
- I loved that one.
The circular spherical midnight?
Mm-hmm.
I think it felt good.
- Yeah? Yeah.
Maybe something a little
bit more danceable?
Whoop.
Hey.
Push the button, mutton.
Ah. My lady.
Kind sir.
- Hey, where are you goin'?
- That thing's too slow.
You're fast on your feet, "Vargas. "
Dance lessons have paid off handsomely.
Grab those rabbit ears, too.
Why don't you, uh, put on some coffee?
You want a cup of coffee?
I'm good.
Joe Albany, we had an appointment
scheduled in my office three days ago.
Did you forget to mark
it down on your calendar?
I'm sincerely sorry about that.
You see, I took a job
down in Palm Springs...
very nice place, legit,
a lot of film people.
Mm, one of the terms of your
parole, Joe, is that you call me.
You inform me of any
work that you procure.
Do you have any record
of this employment?
Uh, it was a cash job.
Unfortunately, I don't have much left.
I owed a few people some money. I...
I got the TV out of
hock for my kid and so...
Mm. I don't like having
to leave my office, Joe.
I have a new air cooler
that I enjoy very much,
and I don't like this town.
So I don't care to travel
the streets of this town
and track down people who are not
considerate of my valuable time.
You must turn up on time.
No excuses will be accepted.
- Is that clear to you?
- Yes, perfectly.
Should it be necessary
for me to return here,
you will be returned
to the penitentiary.
Is that also clear to you, Joe?
- Yes, sir.
- Right.
Now please, roll up your sleeves.
Other arm.
Nothing fresh.
I've been clean.
And that will be $3.55.
Hey, champ. You got any money on you?
What? Is that a joke?
Okay, okay. I know you.
Pay later. Okay?
Are you sure? I...
I know you. Pay later.
See?
Our luck is changing.
You brought her back.
She'll live and I'll
get her another body.
Let me die.
Ugh!
Hey, listen to this one.
"Due to your melodic nature,
moonlight never misses an appointment. "
What? Let me see that.
Wow. That's poetry.
I'm gonna keep this one.
I can't take this any longer.
Oh, it's "Night of the Living Dead. "
Mm.
That's a good one.
You have to shoot him in the brain.
It's the only way to kill him.
Oh, good. Thanks for that info.
Who is it?
Hey, it's Lew.
Hey, Joe.
I was just walkin' along,
noticed you were home.
Thought I'd come up, say hi.
You think I'd be okay if I just came in
and rested for a few?
No. I'm here with my daughter.
Listen, here's the story.
- Keep it down.
- Shh.
- Keep your voice down.
- Okay, I'm sorry.
So here's the story.
I just copped
and...
I ain't feelin' so good out here.
Fuck you showin' up here.
Aw, man, come on.
I'll just be in and right out.
No.
Got a little taste for you.
You think I give a shit?
There ain't nobody that followed me.
Just wait there.
The whole story becomes more
ghastly with each performance.
Difficult to imagine such
a thing actually happening...
He's just gonna use the
bathroom for a second.
Come on.
- Oh, thank you, man.
Hurry up. Go on.
You better not make a
fuckin' mess in there.
Wake up, Jo. Time for school.
It's the weekend.
Yeah. It is, isn't it?
That's great news.
That's the best news.
We'll go do something fun later.
- ... to renovate the
- Hollywood sign,
and guess who's gotten into the act?
Well, Alice Cooper. The Hollywood sign
is a rebel, I mean, a nightmare.
And that's just like his lifestyle.
- Hey, Jo.
- I'm cleaning my lifestyle,
and I wanna clean the sign up. It
should be Hollywood, not "Hollyweird"...
I have a big surprise for you.
Oh, but you have to
remember one thing...
Ta-da!
Really are as skinny as a
little stray kitten, Amy-Jo.
You must eat.
"Amy-Jo. "
I never call her that.
You should.
I named you after my two favorite
sisters in "Little Women. "
Amy, pretty and self-possessed,
and Jo, the independent tomboy.
Yeah. I know that.
Well, you seem to have
the tomboy part down.
I think she's got the
pretty part down, too.
Guess what, Jo?
Your mom wants to start singing again.
We can try to work together
like in the days of old.
I thought you didn't
like working with singers.
I don't recall saying that.
Well, I for one will be honored
to have a collaborator as
brilliant as your father.
Think it calls for a toast, don't you?
"If music be the fruit of love,
play on. "
Beautiful.
Amy-Jo.
- Not here.
- Why?
We can go somewhere else.
It's a pity your dad has to work
in a glorified pizza parlor.
I think it's great.
Right on.
Thank you, Billy Strayhorn.
That was a tune he wrote,
called "Lush Life. "
I hope I did it justice.
We'll take a short break now.
Joe?
Joe. You were great. Come sit with me.
Joe, my man.
- One second, man.
Joe...
Nice work.
- We enjoyed it.
- How're you doin'?
Well, this has become a crashing bore.
I'm getting out of here.
Why don't you go over there
and sit with the boys' club?
Just... listen.
- Mom, it's okay.
- You're right.
I'm okay. Amy-Jo...!
Porter?
Porter? There any messages...
- Hey, hey.
- What're you doin'?
What hap... hey, Sheila.
Amy...
your mom...
ah, so you know.
"I wanna hold your claw. "
Ha. That's right.
It's Valentine's Day, isn't it?
Yep.
Let me make you breakfast.
We only have two eggs.
I'll run to the shop.
- Only one egg.
- Oh, well.
I'll be back in a flash with the hash.
Corned beef hash, that is.
"Today...
is named
after a saint...
who got his head chopped off...
for performing weddings.
Ouch. "
"Happy Valentine's Day, Dad. "
Hello, Joe!
- Hello?
- Gram?
Amy, is everything all right?
No.
What's going on?
Is your father there?
No.
Well, where is he?
Oh-hh.
I hear you wheezing. Your chest hurt?
Yeah.
- All right, now.
Okay, I want you to sit over there.
All right, you just sit down.
Sweetie, I'll get you some water.
- There you go.
- Thank you.
Too bad the chauffeur had a day off.
Oh.
There is a book...
that I have been
thinking you would enjoy.
Here it is.
Now, you've got to trust me on this.
I know you like it. It's Dylan Thomas.
I want you to read that.
Dylan Thomas was 15 years
old when he left school.
So you have two years to become a writer
as good as Dylan Thomas.
Yeah, there's plenty of room in here
for all your things.
Mm.
I'll see what I have
in the refrigerator.
Noodles and gravy?
- Third title defense in
- New Orleans for the champion.
With a minute to go in the 10th round,
The place is beginning
to warm up to the action.
Two good punches by the champ.
Two left-hand leads by Johnson.
Both those shots blocked.
And it's good the right hand was,
because it was whistling.
How can you believe in all those things?
Because as Charlie Chaplin said,
"I am a citizen of the world. "
Johnson on the left,
six years younger at 25.
pinpoint punching...
with even left-hand leads.
The referee Jesus Selas...
a staggering left-hand lead!
And it jarred the champion.
Hello, sweetness.
It's so good to see you.
Are you coming home soon?
No, I live in hope.
Hey.
Sit here.
Look at that. Thanks, Mom.
You look all in.
I'm doin' all right. Much better now
that I can finally see my girls.
The bureaucracy is inhuman.
What about you, monkeyshines?
Life treating you all right?
Yeah. I hate school.
You and me both.
Have you had a chance to play at all?
Yeah. There's a piano in
the chapel I can sign up for.
I can imagine it's ghastly out of tune.
I've played worse.
Hey, I got you some change
for those nutty vending machines.
Marquez,
3-7-9-1.
- Dr. Huerta to the dispensary.
- Dr. Huerta.
I need your help.
I need you to go see my P.O.
All right.
What exactly do you want me to ask him?
I just need you to ask him
what the hell's going on.
I was sent here pending
review to get clean.
Okay, great. Tell him I'm clean.
What the hell is wrong with you, Joe?
You only had six months
left on your parole.
I know.
Thank God they put you
here and not back in prison.
Yeah, well, it ain't prison,
but they still won't let me leave.
I mean, why the hell did they
pick me up for marks anyway?
That's the wrong question.
Why do you have them?
I'm crawling out of my skin.
Oh, hey. There she is,
folks. The queen of the rodeo.
Her arms overflowing with riches.
Thanks.
Mmm.
Albany,
3-4-1-7-7.
Well...
lovelies, that's my cue.
- Bye, Dad.
- Bye, love.
See you soon, I hope.
Yeah. Take your cigarettes.
That's what I came for.
- Bye.
- Yeah.
John Dean finished his testimony
before the Senate
Watergate committee today.
- The interrogation of Dean...
You can't help yourself if
you can't think straight.
You've got to feed the mind.
Look at you go. You
eat like a linebacker.
I love it.
You know, you feed the body,
you feed the spirit.
You want a tomato?
- Sure.
- Here you are.
My neighbor up the street grows these.
- Nice and fresh.
- Do you want bread?
No, thank you. Not right now.
So tomorrow we'll go
and get your father.
I don't know why he
does stuff like that.
I just don't know. I don't understand.
I'm glad you're here. Hmm?
I'm gonna feed you up.
Yeah, you'll be a little fat
thing in a couple of weeks.
Here we are.
Good luck, Joe. Keep playing it clean.
Joe.
Wow. It's a... it's a...
A handcrafted shoe polisher.
I thought you could use a new one.
Oh, fantastic.
Wow. You know...
I dreamt about this food in there, Ma.
What a waste of a dream.
Wasted dreams. Wasted dreams.
Mine is a life
strewn with wasted
dreams. Speaking of which,
how much back rent do
I owe on this palace?
- Two weeks. I paid one.
- Shouldn't have bothered.
We could have always
gotten another room.
- You should've just boxed up my stuff.
- Hey, just a minute.
What kind of idea is that?
Your daughter can't live out of a box.
Joe, you do understand that one
of the terms of your probation
is to establish permanent residence?
Yeah, yeah.
Where's my fucking wallet?
- Joe?
- I'm goin' out.
Why won't you just sit
down and relax, all right?
- All right, you can't go out.
- Jesus Christ.
- Have a ginger ale.
- I don't want any fuckin' ginger ale!
I'm almost out of smokes.
I need to fuckin'...
Don't you ever get tired of lying?
Yeah, well, we know you're
no fuckin' saint yourself.
No, I'm not a saint, but I suffer
like a saint with you for a son.
- Ma, get the hell outta my way.
- What are you gonna do,
knock me down?
- Let's all sit.
- It's almost ready.
If you don't fucking move on your own,
- I will move you.
- Cut it out, Dad!
- Move.
- Why don't you just kill me?
Put me out of this misery.
There's a knife on that table.
Do me a big favor.
Yeah? Don't put ideas in my head.
You get away from her, you asshole!
I hate you!
Don't you ever talk to
your father that way again.
Look at the sadness it causes.
Where's my goddamn wallet, huh?
- Behind you.
What is wrong with you?
Every single night you get...
Hey.
Stay close, okay?
Okay.
Hey, LaPrez.
- Is this your train?
- Yeah.
I like it.
- A little rusty, though
- Yeah.
- I need to wash
it off. - Mm-hmm.
But then it's going to get more rusty,
yeah, 'cause it's metal.
Is that it? Is that it? Yeah.
It looks like...
sort of like a... a lamp to me.
It's fantastic. I love it.
You sure?
- Yes.
How much can you do with
it on? Is it gonna stay on?
It stays on. There's like a...
there's a base thing. It hurts, though.
- We've got to file out some of this.
- Okay, okay.
I love it. You're gonna get reimbursed.
I have to go. I'm late.
All right, see ya.
Hi.
Hi.
What are you guys watching?
- Do you have a lot of homework?
- No, it's Friday.
Oh, yeah. I always forget that.
Oh, I got you this.
Thanks.
I'll save it for dessert.
Hey.
- Did I hit you?
- No. I'll live.
What was that anyway?
- Licorice.
- Oh?
Then it's completely understandable.
- It's good, right?
- What's that?
It's good. The music.
Yeah. It's really beautiful.
It's my dad.
Really?
Joe is your dad?
Yeah.
Wow.
It was nice to meet you. See you later.
Hey there, kid, glad you made it.
I read some Vishnu.
- Who's Vishnu?
- Evidently a Thai writer.
Read this. Read this before Vishnu.
Bravo! Bravo, Maestro.
Hey.
What shall I play next, Fun Bun?
Um...
"Over the Rainbow"?
- Hey there, Peanut.
- Hey.
Sorry I didn't meet up
to walk home with you.
It's not like I need you to.
Oh, I know that, but I like to.
- I didn't hang you up, did I?
- No.
Where are you going?
Me? I'm not going anywhere.
- Why the cologne?
- Jeez,
can't a guy smell good?
Hey, listen. Why don't
you and your little friend
check out what movies are
playing down at the Vine?
- Wait. What little friend?
- LaPrez.
It's still 99 cents there, right?
- Yeah.
- Okay.
There we go. Here. Hang on.
I know I had another buck
around here somewhere.
Ah. Here we go.
Great. Here you go. Popcorn.
Okay. Hey, be back before dark
and don't talk to any creeps.
Go on now.
You're still here.
I live here.
Really? Where?
Uh.
Right down here.
No one's supposed to actually live here,
so I get it for pretty cheap.
Just watch your head.
I'll get the light.
Whoops. I'm sorry.
This is the bathroom.
- Thank you.
- Dry yourself...
you'll catch a cold.
That's, uh, that.
Watch these stairs here.
- I can't believe it's here.
- Yeah.
Here it is.
I also have my own private
entranceway to the alley.
Some light. Ahem.
- It's so cool.
- Yeah? I just...
- Does it work?
- just fixed it, actually.
Let me play something
I think you'll... think you'll like.
Uh, there it is.
She sounds like a bird.
I like it. Good choice.
Well, I guess I better
go check in on my dad now.
Yeah, okay. I'll show you out.
I don't want you to get lost.
Yeah.
It was awfully nice that, uh,
you visiting me.
Don't forget to watch your head.
Bye.
Amy.
Did you see these
records I brought over?
Check 'em out.
Eric Dolphy.
Booker Little, he's my favorite.
He died so young.
Clifford Brown was his
favorite and he died young, too.
Crazy.
It's like God wants to take
these guys 'cause they're so good.
Yeah. This'll do nicely.
- You know this
one? - Mm-mm.
You're gonna dig it.
I assure you of that, young lady.
You are in for the truth.
Yeah.
Excuse me.
Hey, man...
I got what we want right here.
You think she's gonna go to sleep soon?
I live in hope.
- I'm gonna go to bed now.
Oh, okay.
- Good night, love.
- Good night.
Sweet dreams.
Is it cool?
Alain, are you ready?!
The girls are good to go!
Yeah. I'll be in in a minute.
Gotta go, gotta go.
Okay, just back up just a little bit.
Okay... right up here.
Okay, ladies. Wait here one second.
Cowboys, come with me. Come with me.
Okay, right here by this tumbleweed.
Alain, on your mark, please.
Here we go, right over here.
Okay, could we get this light over?
Be right on him.
Can we get that red gel here?
Now, headdress on.
Please be careful.
Could we get him the, uh, thing?
Yeah, right there. Good. Hang on...
"Cowboys and Indians," take one.
Mark it.
Oh, that's great.
You look so beautiful.
Okay, take out your guns.
Yeah, "pow, pow. "
Help yourself down...
Very good, gentlemen. Spin those guns.
Okay, you see him.
Now, take your time. That's good.
Okay, kneel down...
okay, now kiss him.
- All right.
- Good.
Hold it right there.
Take his cock in your hands.
And now put it in your mouth.
Ow!
Cut! What the fuck?
- Out of my way.
- Hey, there she is...
Back to one.
Psst, Joe?
Yeah?
I just let your P.O. into your room.
You might want to take
the kid out for a while.
Ah... yeah. Yeah.
Hey, Jo,
what do you say we go for a walk?
I'm all right, Grandma.
I'm...
Dad?
- Dad?
- Yeah.
Do you think we can go back yet?
Did you finish your homework?
I finished an hour ago.
Come on.
Thank Christ he didn't find this.
What is that?
Are you going somewhere?
Yeah, I was...
I was lookin' for the
right time to tell you.
Um...
I need to leave for a while, Jo.
Why?
A lot of reasons.
I... I can't keep myself straight here.
You understand? If I stay here,
I'll never get better.
And I know a lot of
cats workin' in Europe.
I could... I could play
there and make some money.
But here...
here, nobody seems to
care about the music.
- I care.
- I know.
And you're my number one fan. But...
Christ, I don't even have
a fucking piano here, Jo.
What about your probation?
Well, I...
I figure if they find out I left
because I was tryin' to do somethin'...
to accomplish something...
creatively, well,
I mean, you'd have to be a real crumb
- not to back that up.
- Okay.
Can I come with you?
Yes, soon.
I just need to get a
little money together.
Then I'll send for you, I promise.
Come on, Joe. No tears.
You'll get to hang out
with Gram for a while.
Say something.
Please?
Nothing I say is gonna
make any difference, is it?
Hey.
I need help with my mother.
You do?
What's goin' on with her?
Uh, take LaPrez to the lobby
and wait for me there, okay?
Oh, Jesus fucking Christ.
Many years ago, the public opinion polls
in this country showed a trend
away from organized religion,
but now the polls indicate
that trend is bottoming out.
And these days there seems to be a
revival of that old-time religion.
I've decided to give
you twice as much for it.
No, no, no. I want my Tide.
LaPrez?
Yes?
It's time for you to say
goodbye to your friend
and come with me.
Hold on. What's happening here?
Are you a relative of the boy's?
No, but, I...
Well, I'm with Child Welfare
Services. Please let me do my job.
Please come with me, dear.
Fuck.
- Hello? Joe Albany on the line.
Do you accept the charges?
Yeah, yeah. No, no, I accept charges.
Thank you.
Hello, Mom? Can you
hear me? Did I wake you?
Joe, I hear you. It's
3:00 in the morning.
What's going on?
I got big news. I'm coming home.
Why?
Is-is... is everything all right?
Sure. Everything's fine, Ma.
So when will you be here?
Uh, my flight gets in around 3:30.
3:30 when?
- At 3:30 this afternoon.
- This afternoon?
Yep. Listen, I gotta run. Kiss to Amy.
Joe? Joe?
Your father seems to be coming home.
Wow.
It's really... news.
- I need some coffee.
- I'll have some, too.
No, no, no. You should go back to sleep.
Nah. The sun will be
up in a couple hours...
might as well see it.
Oh, how are you? You look good.
Look at you, Jo. You're so beautiful.
I'm speechless.
Amy, go get your
father a nice cold glass
- of ginger ale.
- Ah, yeah.
And maybe some of those
little tarts that we made...
if we have any left
over. I can't remember.
So, where is my bunk
in this tiny slice of heaven?
You could... you could
sleep there in Amy's bed.
Amy can take the daybed
and I can be on the sofa.
Okay, great. That's okay?
Yeah.
Thanks, Joe.
Dad, you want me to
put your stuff in there?
Mm-hmm. Thanks.
- Is that all you have?
- I'm traveling light.
- Joe? Joe?
- Yeah?
You're playing with
dynamite coming back here.
How... how long are
you planning on staying?
What, are you trying to
get rid of me already?
No, but, Joe...
you skipped out on your parole.
You could go back to prison.
Yeah, yeah. Hey, listen.
I have something for you, dear lady.
My advance on a
recording I made in Paris.
- Here.
- Oh, thank you, Joe,
but I... I can't... I can't take that.
No, please. I'm happy to do it.
Besides...
I wanna know it's in good hands.
Well, if only for the safekeeping.
Hey.
I see I made it onto your wall of fame.
Ha, ha! Yeah.
Yeah.
Oh, check this out.
Dsseldorf. It's a
swinging little town.
I gotta take you there someday.
Hmm?
Ah, this is cozy.
Is that the lucky fella
I've heard tell about?
Yep. That's him.
- Cory, huh?
- Cole.
Cole. That's right. Good-looking kid.
He's a lucky guy.
Whew. I went to a lot of
fancy restaurants over there,
but nothin' came close
to your cookin', Ma.
That doesn't surprise me.
Hey, get your elbow off the table.
- Cole plays the drums.
- Oh, yeah?
I'm in this band. We're just rehearsing,
trying to get something going, you know?
I mean, I understand if
you're busy and whatnot,
but we'd be honored if
you could come by sometime
and share your musical wisdom with us.
Maybe. Uh, sure.
I don't know about wisdom, though.
- Hey, hey.
- Hey.
Looks like I'm interrupting your supper.
Ah, what are you talking about?
Get over here.
Hey, Joe. Welcome home, buddy.
- Far out, man.
- Yeah, come on in.
How are you keeping yourself, Hobbs?
Can I make you a plate? Are you hungry?
- Did you have dinner?
- Oh, no, thank you.
Hobbs, this is Amy's fella Cole.
- Nice to know you, Cole.
- Hi.
So, Cole, you weren't by any chance
named after the great Cole Porter?
No, I was born around Christmas...
so they called me Cole.
Who's Cole Porter?
Amy, who's Cole Porter?
Is that some kind of joke or something?
You think I've gone
stupid while you were gone?
Never.
He's one of our greatest
American composers.
You'd dig him, I'm sure.
I'd love to hear it sometime.
Did you take your medication?
- No, I did not.
- Thank you.
He has to take an anticonvulsant.
Oh.
- You have epilepsy?
- Yeah,
but it's not so bad anymore.
I was really lucky. I got, you know,
on the first nine-week trial ever.
"Klonopin. "
Hmm. I heard about this in the UK.
I never heard of it.
Have you always had seizures?
Not until my stepdad started
knocking my head against the wall.
Ah. I'm sorry to hear.
That's life.
Gram's trying to get Cole to
try some natural alternatives.
I certainly am.
The Chinese have been
studying the human body
for centuries.
She found out about
this healing martial art
called "chi kung. "
It's pretty cool.
It's a lot of breathing and movement,
meditation... that kind of thing.
Oh, yeah? Let's see some moves.
Yeah.
Show us some moves...
make you feel better.
Okay.
Um, but I'm... I'm just learning.
So...
Oh, shoot. I messed it up.
I'm supposed to get back to here.
- Hey.
- That was beautiful.
Good boy.
- Come on, Hobby. Uh-oh. Watch out.
- Come on, Hobbs. Give him a fight.
- I'm not feelin' that good.
My dad was this Golden Gloves champ.
- On your feet, knave.
- Let's see how you fight.
Let's see you jab. Let's see you jab.
- Hobbs, get up!
- Come on, come on!
Hobbs, come on, give him a good jab.
- Come on.
- Ah!
- Oh, shit, man.
- You okay?
Yeah, yeah, I'm fine.
Hobbs, you fight like a baby.
- I need some ice.
Who fights with their glasses on?
Oh, don't worry. His
face is used to this.
- Let's get some dessert.
- You gonna make it?
Yeah, yeah. I'm fine.
Jeez. You come all the way back
from Europe and you punch me
in the fucking nose. Excuse my language.
You haven't lost your touch.
He's a little rusty.
Oh, hey, Hobbs. Cole here is a drummer.
Ah, that's good. See, you
kids need to swing, man.
Your music is so loud,
you're bashing your brains in.
I don't know how you can
think about playing any music.
Who's your favorite?
Who do you like, Hobby?
Max Roach.
- Yeah?
That's magic. You float
when you hear that music.
It seems difficult that a
human being could even do it.
It's just...
- ... wow.
- You listen to Max?
Max Roach?
- Yeah. Great drummer.
Sounds familiar.
- Played with Clifford Brown.
- Played with Charlie Parker.
- Yeah, I know Charlie Parker.
Joe played with Bird, of course.
Really?
- Yeah, yeah. I played with Bird.
Here in L.A. we played a gig.
It was a live air shot
and I'm "comping. "
He was obviously not happy
with me. He was glaring at me.
And I didn't know what to do,
so I turned the beat around.
I started playing
everything kind of backwards
and he gave me a sterner look
and I finally didn't know what to
do and I said, "Fuck you, Bird. "
And I think it came over the air
and he said, "You're fired, Joe. "
And... and, uh,
he turned and he left,
one eye staring at me.
I swear to God.
Bird... we used to go
buy reeds for him...
three and a half... cut it down for him.
Direct line to God, man.
- Yeah.
Yeah. I think they're all
touched by something wonderful.
They're all touched by God.
They die for what they believe in.
I've heard you play,
Joe, and I sincerely think
- you have been touched by God.
- Thank you, Ma. Hmm.
But the positive side,
I've been playing, man.
Yeah?
- I can't believe how much you've
been recording. - Oh, yeah?
Good to see there's still some people
willing to sink a little
money into jazz over there.
Here's Dad.
Hey, go back, go back, go back.
He's so serious.
It's coming off a little bit.
I'm taking the empties back to Mayfair.
Do you need any help with them, Grams?
- No, thank you, dear.
- You sure?
Oh, yeah. You two have a
good time. I'll be right back.
Bye.
- Goodbye.
Hey.
Oh.
He was so good.
Nobody like that.
So how long do we have you here for?
Indefinitely.
- Indefinitely?
- What?
- Yeah.
I was fucking deported.
Fuck, man.
For what?
For holding less than
one lousy ounce of pot.
- No.
- Yeah.
They took me down, stamped
my passport "cancelled"
and threw me on the first plane.
I can't go back for three years.
Shit, man.
- Democratic nominee
- Jimmy Carter
was busy explaining what he meant
in a weekend interview
with the Associated Press.
Thanks, Mom.
You know,
let her know what the
hell is goin' on here.
The first thing in the morning,
you've got to go downtown
and see if you can find
yourself a public defender.
End of story. No more bullshit.
...$8,000 annual income
might be the dividing point.
The Democratic Party
and the great leaders of
the Democratic Party...
Two, three...
And then go to the interject?
And then... okay. So
that last part again.
So... that last part real quick.
Dum-dee-da...
And now we'll go to the interject.
They've only been playing
together a few weeks.
Really?
Sorry about that.
We're... this is the one...
that's the first one that
we actually wrote together.
It's supposed to be
kind of a medley thing.
Chapter two of a 16-part...
yeah.
We're still working on it a lot.
Let's do this at 51.
Okay, one, two, three...
- Cole!
- Cole!
No! Don't hold him down...
that's how he'll get hurt.
Yeah, just clear
everything away around him.
- Should I call an ambulance?
- No, not yet.
Have you got a blanket?
Clear the way! Clear the way!
Take it easy. Take it easy, man.
Take your time.
Hey.
Hey.
Is that part of the...
part of the act or...?
I sure missed this little joint.
He'll be okay, Jo.
I know it's a frightening
thing to witness,
but, I daresay, you get used to it.
I'm glad you were there.
- I'm glad you're here.
- Wow. You better be,
'cause you're stuck with me now, kid.
You and Cole seem really...
connected.
That's nice to see.
I think we are. We have a lot in common.
Ah, that's good. That's really good.
Listen, Jo. I want you
to know that you can
talk to me about anything. You know?
Stuff with boys... things like that.
You might feel uncomfortable and...
No. No, I wouldn't.
I mean,
I'd ask your advice or whatever.
I'd tell you things.
I'm glad.
Your mother and I are both very...
sensuous beings. Passionate.
I always assumed you'd
take after us, so...
I don't know.
I guess I am.
I mean,
Cole's very...
"passionate. "
But I haven't been with
anyone else besides him.
Ah.
Well, that's fine.
Mm-hmm.
Man, I have a big day tomorrow.
We should hit the road.
Are you ready?
Ma, do I have any clean handkerchiefs?
What?
Do I have any clean handkerchiefs?
- Hand soap?
- Handkerchiefs!
Oh, handkerchiefs!
- "I'm sorry, sir.
I... I'm clean.
I...
I promise to do whatever it takes. "
Aw, Jesus Christ.
Okay.
What the...?
Get rid of that fucking dope.
Don't flush it.
Joe. Jesus.
Oh, hey, Amy.
Step aside, man, and hear my tale.
Yeah, yeah.
Thought maybe you were
some of "L.A.'s finest. "
No, no, 'tis Greeks bearing gifts.
- For you.
- Thank you so much, Joe.
Yeah. Thanks, man.
Wow.
Joe.
Yeah. Wow.
It...
This is not mine.
Kitty, come here. The coast is clear.
Joe, Amy, this is Kitty.
Hi, I'm Kitty.
Yeah, she's a singer.
I've been working with
her voice a little.
Hi. Kitty. Nice to meet you.
- Hi.
- Joe.
- A singer, huh?
- Yeah.
Hey, Amy.
Can I offer you some pop?
- Or some water maybe?
- No, I'm good.
- Oh, okay.
- You sure?
So what's going on, man?
Well, I had my day in court.
- Yeah?
- Excuse me.
So what's it gonna be?
Are they gonna send you up for a spell?
No, not that. But...
I got five years' probation.
That's 1,825 days.
Some kid. She was a math major.
Yeah.
They dole out any other punishment?
- N.A. meetings?
- Nah, thank God.
If I never see the inside
of another one of those
sewing circles of misery,
- I'll be doing all right.
- Hear, hear.
You sure dodged a
bullet there, Giuseppe.
- Yeah.
- The judge a jazz fan or what?
Are you psychic now, Hobby?
I don't think so.
Because he was a jazz fan.
A big-time fan of the
recordings I did with Prez.
Far fucking out, man.
The legendary Joe Albany
rides into the sunset!
Fantastic! Congrats.
Man, man, man. Am I itching to play.
Anywhere, anytime.
How 'bout we try to book some
practice time down at the union?
Maybe get a couple cats
together, maybe not.
But at least we're playing.
Hell, worst case, we
can try and clean up
this ungodly sty and
practice here, but...
Yeah, I got rid of the piano.
It was a real piece of
shit, anyways. Remember?
You still have your horn, right, Hobby?
Well, that brass bitch...
that one done run off
with the ol' piano.
- Hmm.
- I hear they shacked up
- at that pawnshop over on Third.
- Yeah.
- Fuck.
Fuck.
Fuck.
Hey, hey, hey.
- Fuck!
- Who's that?
Well. Hello.
And thank you, my dear.
Oh, sorry about the interruption there.
But, you know, pssh...
I forgot my key.
Lew's in between pads.
He's staying here just temporary-like.
Well, we're gonna get going.
Joe just came by to share
some glad tidings, man.
Don't go. You just got here.
- Come on, Amy. Well,
it was nice to meet you.
Oh, yeah. Nice to meet you as well.
- It was nice to meet you.
- We can still play, Joe.
- Get your horn, man.
That's your daughter, huh?
Hey, ain't you all grown up now?
Come on, Jo.
So listen, Nat.
I've been trying to line up some gigs
and I know you're the
main man about town, so...
Oh?
Uh-huh.
Yeah, that's what I hear.
Drag. Yeah.
Well, okay. If anything comes up,
I do mean anything,
I am ready, willing and able.
Yeah, it's Hollywood 6-4636.
That's correct.
All right, well, keep up the good fight
and hopefully I will
speak with you soon.
Okay, take care, Nat. Yeah, bye.
No luck?
- Not yet.
But hope, she springs eternal, my dear.
I got a whole book of hope right here.
Is this Mom's number?
I think so.
Mm, yeah.
Does she ever cross your mind?
No, not often.
Well, maybe she should. I mean,
she did have something on
the ball once upon a time.
Besides being a drunk.
Don't do that, Jo.
We all fall down on our ass.
We all need a hand getting up.
I want you to grab on. Grab me.
- You okay?
- Yeah.
Best mud of your morning.
- It's kind of squishy.
- Feels good.
You okay?
Yeah.
You wanna hop up here?
Anything to drink?
Yeah, I'll...
I'll have a ginger ale, please?
And two phone books?
That's great. Thanks.
- Are you okay?
- I don't feel well.
Did you take your pills?
I threw... I
- I threw them out.
Is that okay?
Okay.
No, they made me feel like shit.
Sorry.
- It's also getting dark...
- Yeah.
- Oh, my God!
- It's okay.
Thank you.
What the fuck are you looking at?!
I'm sorry!
I'm gonna go call Gram, okay?
Sir, please walk outside.
No!
Stop! He's sick! He has seizures!
He can't help it! He's sick!
You're not helping the
situation any better.
- Calm down!
- He can't control it. He's sick!
You are not helping this!
He's sick! He has epilepsy!
He's sick and he can't
help it! He has seizures!
Calm down.
He would've been admitted
there not long ago...
one hour, maybe two.
One moment.
Are you a relative?
Yes, I am.
Well, he's being held for evaluation.
What does that mean exactly?
Psychiatric evaluation.
You can speak with the
doctor in the morning.
Yes. Thank you. I'll do that.
What did they say?
Cole's getting the medical
attention that he needs now.
All right?
Please, cara mia, don't
fall apart. All right?
- Can I see him?
- Of course you're gonna see him.
Oh, Joe. Thank God you're here.
Cole had a seizure and
was arrested, and Amy...
I don't wanna hear about that now, Ma.
I just need some fucking peace.
No!
That's what you need.
Shh, shh.
Look at me.
Look at me.
- All right?
- I can't.
I want you to try to sleep.
Shh, shh.
- I can't.
- Shh, shh, shh.
You're a strong girl.
You're a strong girl.
Excuse me.
Hi.
Hi.
May I leave a note for Sheila Albany?
Have you checked the
bar down the street?
No.
Can I help you?
I was looking for...
Sheila Albany.
Sheila, if you know this kid,
better tell her to get lost.
That's my kid.
Come over here.
Sit down.
Well, you came looking for me.
So now what?
I wanted to see you.
Huh.
Well, there's not much to see anymore.
You want something?
No, I'm good.
And a ginger ale for my fair charge.
You look more like Joe all the time.
What does he have to say about me?
He doesn't say anything about you.
How is he?
He's in bad shape.
I don't know how to help him.
It is a true pity that
he was forced to come back
to this creative wasteland.
"Forced to come back"?
Deportation.
Least that's what he told me.
Didn't he tell you,
his little musketeer?
Sure, I knew that.
I just didn't know
he was talking to you.
Well, we speak quite frequently.
He told me about your boyfriend
and his unfortunate affliction.
An interesting choice
for your deflowering,
I'll give you that.
- What are you talking about?
- Never mind.
Let's...
let's talk about you.
I mean, what are you into? Are you...
a scholar or a cheerleader
or something quite different altogether?
Your father is very
concerned for your welfare.
And let's just say the
reports I've been getting
are less than stellar.
- I don't believe you.
- Hmm?
I don't believe you.
No? I can't say I blame you.
But nonetheless, I'm afraid it's true.
Your father fears that on top
of you being no longer a virgin,
that you suffer from a
sort of self-loathing.
But I'm afraid what pains him most
is that you are... and I quote...
"no academic. "
So now that the cards are on the table
and I know all your
dirty little secrets...
let's reassess.
First, the, um...
it's apparent that you're...
no scholar. Oh, dear.
Second, judging by
your father's reference
to self-loathing,
you couldn't possibly be a cheerleader.
However, there seems to be an indication
that you may well just be a slut.
What, no answer?
It's funny, 'cause you
do rather look like one.
Thanks.
That's all I needed to hear.
- Bravo.
- Fuck you.
Okay, I'd like to welcome any newcomers
who are joining us tonight.
And if anyone is new
for the first time here, could
you please raise your hands?
Welcome.
- And your name?
- Joe.
Welcome, Joe.
Thanks.
Would you like to share with us?
Uh...
I'm not sure of the setup here.
Well, uh...
I've been on dope for
about 30 years now.
Uh, that's over half my life
in and out of prisons,
nuthouses, what have you.
I think that...
I hope...
that I can say with some knowledge
that the longer you live with this,
the more it'll place you
in some terrifying scenes.
That said...
I'm, uh...
I'm not here to take some pledge...
I'll likely never keep.
Because for all its inherent
horrors and soul suffering,
I must confess, I love getting high.
Anyway...
You see, I have a daughter Amy, and...
I have a daughter that I hope to...
that I need to...
shepherd.
Pardon me, miss.
I'll give you $50 if you'd be so kind
as to let me have a
look at one of those.
Get lost, shitkicker.
Ah, don't be that way, darlin'.
How 'bout a hundred for the both of 'em?
Is Hobbs here?
Uh, no. He's out for the evening.
Anything I can do for you?
Come on in.
So...
How can I be of assistance to you?
I need to get some stuff for my dad.
He's sick.
I don't know if I know
what kind of "stuff" you're
talking about, exactly.
Yes, you do.
Is your dad out there hidin' someplace
just waitin'
to come in here and, uh,
filet me like some kind
of fish or something?
No.
He doesn't know I'm here.
Can I just get it now?
You know...
it's kinda funny.
'Cause I was just thinkin' about
havin' a little taste of this myself.
You wanna share it with me?
Thank you, Johnny.
I think it's time for a
new total on our board.
The time is exactly, uh, 12:10.
And let's take a look and see
what's doing on the total board.
That's the old total, Bob.
We've got to get a new total up
there. So I'll tell you what...
- First of all, we have
- JM Service Company,
$100. We certainly thank you...
Very good.
And I have one here that I need to read.
It's from "a proud grandma.
" It's Opal Mayer, or Meyer
I think it's Mayer. She pledged 35...
That was fantastic. I want
you to hit that note...
Joe...?
Once again, 361-4141.
We're gonna be here
all night and tomorrow
and we want to hear from you.
Now we're gonna go back...
Come sit down by me.
My poor lost boy.
Johnny, do you have
one more thing to add?
One more thing, please, Monty.
I have a young girl,
her name is Judy Stiles
and she gave me $25 when I
went and had my... hair done.
Nice girl. She said, "I
have a healthy child"...
Hey, is that my darling daughter?
Yes, Dad.
Come here a sec.
I want you to know something.
I want you to know that
there's a gentle Savior
who is smiling down upon you.
And His hand will always
be there to guide you
with loving benevolence.
Dad was always trying to get clean,
and he would now and then.
But his time passed
and he died just shy
of his 64th birthday.
I wondered how it felt
to float like him.
And for many nights to come,
I would float above
the darkness of my life.
Did being the most luminous
object in the galaxy
justify sacrificing all earthly cares?
I decided...
fuck it. It didn't.
You're being recorded,
you're being recorded.