Every Saturday, we’ll be posting a new illustration by David Lester. The Mecca Normal guitarist is visually documenting people, places and events from his band’s 26-year run, with text by vocalist Jean Smith.
FADE IN:
EXT. OUTSIDE ON VERONICA’S PENTHOUSE APARTMENT PATIO—DAY
VERONICA is snapping dead stems off the potted geraniums on her balcony. MUSIC is coming from inside—BRIAN ENO “BABY’S ON FIRE.” The phone rings. VERONICA puts the small pile of geranium flowers on the patio table and steps inside through the open sliding door.
INT. VERONICA’S PENTHOUSE APARTMENT—DAY
VERONICA’S POV (point of view) from the DOORWAY—TELEPHONE AND MUSIC SOURCE—STUDIO SPEAKER—ON DESK
CUT TO CLOSE UP OF VERONICA’S HAND TWISTING the VOL. KNOB on the SPEAKER—MUSIC STOPS—PICKING UP THE RECEIVER
CLOSE UP OF VERONICA’S FACE, TELEPHONE RECEIVER PRESSED TO HER EAR
VERONICA
(impatient, inquisitively into the receiver)
Hello?
VOICE OVER—MALE (OS—off screen)
GUY ONE/MARCUS
(very formal sounding, slow and round, caustic, taunting, direct)
Hello, Veronica
CLOSE UP OF VERONICA’S FACE. Eyes widen in surprise, lips purse defensively (one beat) a frown—anger.
CUT TO INT. LOUNGE AREA OF PSYCH WARD (1978) SIX PATIENTS STANDING SEPARATELY FROM EACH OTHER—CATATONIC—WEARING BLUE HOSPITAL GOWNS. VERONICA ENTERS THE WARD STOPS AND LOOKS AROUND
VERONICA is 19 years old. Long hair. No make-up. Wearing her brother’s hand-me-down brown Levi’s cords, plaid button-down shirt, jean jacket and clunky orthopedic looking shoes.
VERONICA’S POV OF MARCUS FROM BEHIND, ACROSS THE ROOM
Unkempt, MARCUS is sitting apart from the other patients reading a section of newspaper.
BACK TO SHOT OF PSYCH WARD. VERONICA having spotted MARCUS on the other side of the room, inhales deeply and starts walking timidly toward MARCUS
VERONICA’S POV OF MARCUS
MARCUS wearing a robe and pajamas, legs crossed, bouncing a dangling leather slipper on the raised foot. His hair is disheveled (two beats)—he sees VERONICA.
BACK TO THE SHOT OF THE INT. WARD—LIGHT FADES TO BLACK THEATRICALLY, LEAVING VERONICA and MARCUS UNDER A SPOTLIGHT ON A LARGE THEATER STAGE. MARCUS crumples up the newspaper noisily (the sound is unnaturally amplified through speakers in the theater)—he drops the crumpled paper from arm’s length (sounds like pots and pans crashing when it hits the floor, not a newspaper)—and folds his arms across his chest.
STUDIO AUDIENCE (OS) MURMURS DISAPPROVINGLY
MARCUS
(very formal sounding, slow and round, caustic, taunting, direct)
Hello, Veronica. My psychiatrist says it’s your fault that I’m in here.
MARCUS’ POV CLOSE UP OF VERONICA’S FACE. Eyes widen, lips part in surprise (two beats) lips close and purse defensively (one beat) a frown—pain, fear.
VOICE OVER WITH ECHO
MARCUS (OS)
… your fault … your fault … your fault that I’m in here … in here … in here…
VOICE OVER (OS) WITH ECHO IMITATING THE ENGLISH GUY ORIGINALLY FROM HOGAN’S HEROES WHO MODERATED THE TV SHOW FAMILY FEUD—HIS BIG LINE WAS “SURVEY SAYS … ” SPINNING AROUND POINTING WITH THE QUESTION CARD AT THE SURVEY BOARD. BELL RINGS. ANSWER LIGHTS UP. “SURVEY SAYS… “
MODERATOR
psychiatrist says (two beats) psychiatrist says … (two beats) … your fault Veronica … don’t you remember? … it’s your fault … it’s your fault that Marcus is here, that Marcus is not well … Marcus is not a well man … psychiatrist says (two beats) psychiatrist says…
VERONICA’S POV—MARCUS SMILING, SINISTER, SATISFIED AT VERONICA’S REACTION. SLIPPER-CLAD FOOT BOUNCING FASTER and FASTER.
MARCUS’ POV—CLOSE UP OF VERONICA’S FACE FILMED in BLACK & WHITE –harsh geisha make-up very white face, black lips, hair crudely formed into geishas style, eyes made like ALICE COOPER circa mid-’70s—BLACK WET SMUDGES AROUND EACH EYE.
CUT BACK TO SHOT OF VERONICA and MARCUS STANDING ON THE THEATER STAGE
SOUND of VERONICA’S heart beat increasing, heart racing, AMPLIFIED through THEATER SPEAKERS. VERONICA, distracted by the sound, looks around her.
VERONICA places her right hand over her heart and the heart beat SOUND is muffled, someone putting their hand over a microphone. The microphone begins to feedback. VERONICA takes her hand off her heart quickly.
CUT TO CLOSE UP TATTERED LEATHER SLIPPER DANGLING, BOUNCING UP AND DOWN ON MARCUS’ LEFT FOOT
VOICE OVER STUDIO AUDIENCE (OS) LAUGHING (two beats) SAME SOUND (two beats of silence between) LOOP
CUT TO SHOT OF VERONICA’S FACE FILMED in COLOR—harsh geisha make-up, very white face, bright red lips, eyes made up like ALICE COOPER circa mid-70s cover of SCHOOL’S OUT (google this image—album title)—BLACK TEARS RUNNING DOWN BOTH CHEEKS, DRIPPING OFF THE FACE TO FORM LARGE BLACK POOLS AROUND BOTH OF VERONICA’S ORTHOPEDIC SHOES
CUT TO CLOSE UP OF VERONICA’S FEET in ORTHOPEDIC SHOES, TOES POINTED slightly INWARD, STANDING in a LARGE POOL of BLACK GOO that is expanding outward from an unseen source, covering an ever-increasing amount of the theater stage floor. Wooden floor.
FADE TO BLUE. DARK MIDNIGHT BLUE. BLACK BLUE. DEEP BLUE
MUSIC COMES UP IN THE THEATER—CHET BAKER “ALMOST BLUE”
SOUND OF A NEEDLE BEING RIPPED ACROSS AN LP. THE MUSIC STOPS. STUDIO AUDIENCE GRUMBLES (OS). MUSIC COMES UP IN THE THEATER—EURYTHMICS “HERE COMES THE RAIN AGAIN”
SOUND OF A NEEDLE BEING RIPPED ACROSS VINYL. MUSIC STOPS. MUSIC COMES UP IN THE THEATER—EURYTHMICS “WOULD I LIE TO YOU?” add the great guitar freak out in the middle of that NEIL YOUNG SONG on … what’s the name of that album? … with “DON’T CRY” on it?
“WOULD I LIE TO YOU?” SPEEDS UP, REPEATING THAT ONE LIE. LINE. “WOULD I LIE TO YOU?” “WOULD I LIE TO YOU?” intercut (between two beats) with NEIL YOUNG’S GUITAR FREAK OUT (google album title and song)
