INTERVIEW — TAPE #53, SIDE #1
Q: Mark Russell Bell (interviewer in Los Angeles)
I: Marie Todd (friend in California)
M: unnamed National Research Group employee
W: unnamed NRG screening participant
("WHAT ARE WE")
I: . . . doing with these tickets?
Q: Wait. Just a moment, Marie. So Marie and I are in the Paramount Theatre. And the movie — before the movie started — what's it called again? Do you remember?
I: "Money Plays," I believe.
Q: "Money Plays," which we snuck into. I'm wearing my new Mabus cap that I got today after having lunch with Don. ("SOON WILL BE") It was a you-design-it — ("FUNNY") they make it for you right there at the mall in Century City. It costs $14 and you can have up to five letters so mine's exactly five letters. ("TO MAKE ONE") Mabus. The only one in the world. Don't you like it, Marie?
I: Um-huh.
Q: And I'm wearing my Depeche Mode T-shirt. It looks really cool.
I: Black and white. With the white lettering on your black hat. ("RIGHT")
Q: But I didn't really need it because this is not a Paramount movie but a Showtime movie.
M: May I have your attention again, please? We're experiencing a minor technical difficulty and it will be about two minutes to fix it. So if you'll sit tight it's going to roll in a couple of minutes. ("I MISS")
W: (calling out) Sell some popcorn!
Q: So, anyway, ("SO") I have my strategy all planned out. ("DO") On my description of the movie after it's over I'm going to write ("UM-HUH") "God looks forward to Sherry Lansing being with Him for eternity. Kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss." ("O" "THAT'S OKAY" "J" "READ MUCH") I think that will help her to read my book. ("O" "ENGLISH") And then Marie and I are going to go over and try to drop it off for her at the Administration Building. Maybe she'll be there. ("NO") And I need Marie for moral support. It's kind of like Lucy and Ethel. What do you say, Marie?
I: Oh, it's too funny. Lucy and Ethel.
[2021 UPDATE: MY UNEXPRESSED STRATEGY MAY SEEM CRUEL YET THIS WAS THE ONLY THING I COULD THINK OF THAT MIGHT GIVE SHERRY LANSING SOME MOTIVATION TO READ THE BOOK MANUSCRIPT THAT SHE WOULD BE RECEIVING. A PROMINENT STALKING CASE REPORTED THROUGHOUT THE MAINSTREAM MEDIA WAS ABOUT POP SINGER MADONNA ENCOUNTERING AN APPARENTLY PSYCHOTIC STALKER. ROBERT DEWEY HOSKINS LATER SERVED A TEN-YEAR PRISON SENTENCE AFTER BEING CONVICTED OF STALKING AND THREATENING MADONNA. THIS SEEMED ANOTHER INSTANCE OF WHAT I'VE CALLED 'THE BOBS' PATTERN.]
Q: And those are nice earrings — what are those earrings you're wearing? ("AIRPLAY" "GILLIAN") Stars?
I: Yeah. They're little stars. ("THE LAS[T]")
Q: Right. Do you think it's an alien filming night? ("SOME")
I: It's a what?
Q: Alien filming night? ("WHICH")
I: I don't know. ("I") I've ("ME") never been before. ("THIS")
Q: Okay.
I: That I'm aware of.
Q: No, I mean us. ("O") Filming us. Aliens.
I: Oh, I just — I don't know.
Q: You have no idea.
I: No idea. ("OKAY")
(TRANSCRIBER'S NOTE: THERE IS A BRIEF BLANK PORTION OF TAPE HERE. I ACCIDENTALLY MUST HAVE SET THE MACHINE ON PLAY INSTEAD OF STOP AS I WAS HOLDING THE TAPE RECORDER IN MY LAP TO BE DISCREET. THERE ARE FOUR UNATTRIBUTED TAPPING SOUNDS ON THIS PORTION OF THE TAPE.)
I: I guess maybe it's like being in the ultimate fantasy — being a star on another planet. ("OR A WHOLE")
Q: Or many other planets. A whole galaxy. Or many different galaxies, ("GOING") actually. ("THEY'RE GOD") Fiona was picking up different transmissions from different galaxies on her TV set.
I: What happened? ("WISER" "I" "SHE JUST" WEN[T])
Q: She turned it on early in the morning. Channel three. ("LOVE" "AND IT WOULD") And she was telling me how it was saying, "GALAXY ONE, COME IN. GALAXY TWO, COME IN."
I: No way.
Q: "GALAXY THREE, COME IN." I'm surprised she didn't see the latest installment of "Adventures of New Age Jesus On Planet Earth" starring ("SMILE") me and co-starring you. And also co-starring all my other friends and even people I don't know like Sherry Lansing. ("A") Isn't that funny?
(TRANSCRIBER'S NOTE: THE LIGHTS THEN DIMMED.)
Q: I can't turn it off. I can't find the button. You know, if they find this ("THEY'LL TAKE IT O") they'll confiscate it.
(TRANSCRIBER'S NOTE: THE REMAINDER OF THIS TAPE SIDE IS BLANK.)
I: . . . doing with these tickets?
Q: Wait. Just a moment, Marie. So Marie and I are in the Paramount Theatre. And the movie — before the movie started — what's it called again? Do you remember?
I: "Money Plays," I believe.
Q: "Money Plays," which we snuck into. I'm wearing my new Mabus cap that I got today after having lunch with Don. ("SOON WILL BE") It was a you-design-it — ("FUNNY") they make it for you right there at the mall in Century City. It costs $14 and you can have up to five letters so mine's exactly five letters. ("TO MAKE ONE") Mabus. The only one in the world. Don't you like it, Marie?
I: Um-huh.
Q: And I'm wearing my Depeche Mode T-shirt. It looks really cool.
I: Black and white. With the white lettering on your black hat. ("RIGHT")
Q: But I didn't really need it because this is not a Paramount movie but a Showtime movie.
M: May I have your attention again, please? We're experiencing a minor technical difficulty and it will be about two minutes to fix it. So if you'll sit tight it's going to roll in a couple of minutes. ("I MISS")
W: (calling out) Sell some popcorn!
Q: So, anyway, ("SO") I have my strategy all planned out. ("DO") On my description of the movie after it's over I'm going to write ("UM-HUH") "God looks forward to Sherry Lansing being with Him for eternity. Kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss." ("O" "THAT'S OKAY" "J" "READ MUCH") I think that will help her to read my book. ("O" "ENGLISH") And then Marie and I are going to go over and try to drop it off for her at the Administration Building. Maybe she'll be there. ("NO") And I need Marie for moral support. It's kind of like Lucy and Ethel. What do you say, Marie?
I: Oh, it's too funny. Lucy and Ethel.
[2021 UPDATE: MY UNEXPRESSED STRATEGY MAY SEEM CRUEL YET THIS WAS THE ONLY THING I COULD THINK OF THAT MIGHT GIVE SHERRY LANSING SOME MOTIVATION TO READ THE BOOK MANUSCRIPT THAT SHE WOULD BE RECEIVING. A PROMINENT STALKING CASE REPORTED THROUGHOUT THE MAINSTREAM MEDIA WAS ABOUT POP SINGER MADONNA ENCOUNTERING AN APPARENTLY PSYCHOTIC STALKER. ROBERT DEWEY HOSKINS LATER SERVED A TEN-YEAR PRISON SENTENCE AFTER BEING CONVICTED OF STALKING AND THREATENING MADONNA. THIS SEEMED ANOTHER INSTANCE OF WHAT I'VE CALLED 'THE BOBS' PATTERN.]
Q: And those are nice earrings — what are those earrings you're wearing? ("AIRPLAY" "GILLIAN") Stars?
I: Yeah. They're little stars. ("THE LAS[T]")
Q: Right. Do you think it's an alien filming night? ("SOME")
I: It's a what?
Q: Alien filming night? ("WHICH")
I: I don't know. ("I") I've ("ME") never been before. ("THIS")
Q: Okay.
I: That I'm aware of.
Q: No, I mean us. ("O") Filming us. Aliens.
I: Oh, I just — I don't know.
Q: You have no idea.
I: No idea. ("OKAY")
(TRANSCRIBER'S NOTE: THERE IS A BRIEF BLANK PORTION OF TAPE HERE. I ACCIDENTALLY MUST HAVE SET THE MACHINE ON PLAY INSTEAD OF STOP AS I WAS HOLDING THE TAPE RECORDER IN MY LAP TO BE DISCREET. THERE ARE FOUR UNATTRIBUTED TAPPING SOUNDS ON THIS PORTION OF THE TAPE.)
I: I guess maybe it's like being in the ultimate fantasy — being a star on another planet. ("OR A WHOLE")
Q: Or many other planets. A whole galaxy. Or many different galaxies, ("GOING") actually. ("THEY'RE GOD") Fiona was picking up different transmissions from different galaxies on her TV set.
I: What happened? ("WISER" "I" "SHE JUST" WEN[T])
Q: She turned it on early in the morning. Channel three. ("LOVE" "AND IT WOULD") And she was telling me how it was saying, "GALAXY ONE, COME IN. GALAXY TWO, COME IN."
I: No way.
Q: "GALAXY THREE, COME IN." I'm surprised she didn't see the latest installment of "Adventures of New Age Jesus On Planet Earth" starring ("SMILE") me and co-starring you. And also co-starring all my other friends and even people I don't know like Sherry Lansing. ("A") Isn't that funny?
(TRANSCRIBER'S NOTE: THE LIGHTS THEN DIMMED.)
Q: I can't turn it off. I can't find the button. You know, if they find this ("THEY'LL TAKE IT O") they'll confiscate it.
(TRANSCRIBER'S NOTE: THE REMAINDER OF THIS TAPE SIDE IS BLANK.)
