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[Lois] Washington, D.C., Philadelphia, Boston,
Toronto, New York City,
Detroit... Milwaukee was amazing.
-[Dennis] Best crowd -Best crowd.
-Phenomenal kids in Milwaukee. -They were surfing.
They were pullin' them out one a minute.
Props to the kids of Milwaukee, of all places.
-Why? -Yeah.
605 freeway, right?
Yeah, you want 605.
Yeah, we told you that story that time we went to Texas
to see Primal Scream
and one of the roadies looked at us.
We knew him from like 1970s.
And he looked at us. He says, "Are you still doing this?"
And I looked at him, I said, "You're still doing this?"
Now, it seems more the band's supporting us
-than we're supporting the band. -[chuckles]
But that half-hour that they're on stage each night,
there's energy then.
It's just so uplifting
or rock 'n roll.
[rock music]
I mean we go all over the world and meet lots of people,
but, you know, we don't classically spend...
[rock music]
[Peter] But they are a real pair of characters
and everybody fuckin' knows 'em.
[Damon] They drove to one show, they drove so far
that the wheel fell off the car.
[cheering]
[Robert] Rock 'n roll is keeping them young
and I think they plan to live forever.
[rock music]
It's kind of ironic when you get onstage
and you realize your merch people are more famous than you.
[rock music]
I like it when people give in to their obsessions,
you know, all the way.
[Damian] The true punk rockers, they genuinely believe in free spirits,
anybody can do it kind of attitude.
[rock music]
[man] Best way for the interviews to happen,
by holding the microphone, is to be as close as possible to--
-Yes, perfect. -Okay.
You've got it.
You're listening to Jetlag with me, Andy Rourke, on East Village Radio.
I'm here with my very special guests,
super music fans, Dennis and Lois.
We're talking about the life and times and exploits
of these two wonderful people.
You gave me a list and 50 percent of these bands
have all slept on your sofa or on your floor at some point.
[Dennis] Or we on theirs.
-[Lois] We get attracted to the music. -[Andy] Yeah.
And I'm curious of what kind of person created this music.
[Andy] Yeah, yeah.
And so I want to get to know them
and we spend time with them and drive them around and...
Wow.
And, oh, you don't have a place to sleep,
well, you can stay by us, and...Yeah.
-[Andy] You're guardian angels. -[Lois chuckles]
How would I describe you, as sofa to the stars?
Super music fans?
-[Dennis] Old. -Old.
-[chuckles] Old? Okay. -In a word.
So, we're talking about your last forty years exploits, basically.
And I mentioned the sofa thing earlier
and you said the first band was--
[Dennis] A lot of people, when they see us at gigs,
wonder why we're still doing it.
Love for music doesn't have a beginning or end.
[rock music]
[Dennis] Nothing beats a live concert.
Nothing beats the emotion.
The fact that you never know what's going to happen.
[rock music]
As much pleasure as we get from all of our records, all of our CD's,
for us it's an important ride.
That's what we live for.
[rock music]
[Lois] Smoke started coming up.
Everybody was doing this mosh pit, slam dancing,
and body surfing and all this stuff going on and like.
And out there I'm sitting in the chair.
[rock music]
I met Dennis and Lois right before our first album ever came out.
Pretty much after that, they were coming to every show we had in New York.
They were really cool and they would just come to all the shows.
I remember someone tellin' me,
"Hey, Ollie, your parents are here at the show."
And I was like, "Where?"
And then... [laugh]
It was Dennis and Lois. They still got it.
[rock music]
[Lois] They're passing the guitars over.
They're passing guys over, and they're doing all...
And it was like the most incredible show I ever saw.
[cheers and applause]
[Dennis] Seeing the audience happy after a gig is just a good feeling.
For an hour or whatever on stage,
these people can make a difference in so many people's lives.
[Jon] I like the fact that their life project
seems to be collecting all these toys
and pursuing the kind of thrill of live music
way into, you know, a time when it's not, acceptable
in the ageist society we live in.
I'm supposed to have packed in when I was thirty.
I shouldn't be doing what I do.
And Dennis and Lois should definitely not be doing what they do
if you listen to the powers that be or the arbiters of taste.
But you know what?
People just keep on doing what they love,
and that's what's wonderful about 'em.
[Dennis] Uh... What happened to my Presleys?
I don't see any of my Elvis pictures.
[Dennis] He was unbelievable live.
The power he had in his voice was just like, oh, my God.
Unbelievable.
[whirling]
There's not too many people I can think of
who we haven't seen.
We span the music from the 50s through now,
which is a wealth of beautiful and wonderful music.
[rock music]
[Lois] I grew up in Brooklyn. I was born in Flatbush.
My grandparents came from Brooklyn.
When I was about thirteen, I had a transistor radio
and you listened to DJ's and they became your friend.
You listened to them every night.
They gave you advice. They'd talk to you about life.
They played music.
Alan Freed, Murray The "K", who brought the Beatles to America
had a rock 'n roll show in downtown Brooklyn.
And I went to these shows
and I hung out by the stage door to get autographs.
I saw the Beatles in the very begin--
That's what started a lot of this.
I saw James Brown, Marvin Gaye,
and then I saw The Rolling Stones right after that.
And I always liked English music better.
I grew up in New Jersey, but I keep tryin' to forget that.
[chuckles]
[Dennis] I was born in Hoboken,
in the same hospital that Sinatra was born in.
When I was in high school, I worked in television
with Chuck McCann.
And on the same station, there was The Clay Cole Show.
[Clay Cole] I started in 1963.
I was doing a rock 'n roll show.
And that's where I first met Dennis.
He was 15 when he came to our show
and would hover in the background.
I could see his enthusiasm.
He was in just total awe of everything.
[Dennis] And the show just had everybody, The Shirelles, The Supremes,
Little Stevie Wonder, when he was Little Stevie Wonder.
It was the first show in America The Rolling Stones did.
[Clay Cole] In order to keep my core audience, which was the teenagers,
Dennis became my meter.
When he'd perk up hearing a song, I'd know,
oh, that's the one we got to keep playing.
It took the edge off of an artist being a celebrity
and made them a human being.
So, I think that freed me up for later on.
When I'm with a band,
I can separate the person from the stage image.
But I got all my early rock love through Clay and his show.
I mean, Dennis goes back to the early 1960s.
before the British invasion, and he never stopped.
And I'm tellin you right now, if you see him, tell him to stop it already.
[chuckles] I mean, how long can you keep being a fan like that?
Anything for you.
[interviewer] So, I want to know how you guys met.
Was it a set up? Just--
-[chuckles] -[chuckles] Was it a set up?
Yeah, we're six months apart,
so, we're fortunate in that we're both from the same geographic area,
we're the same age,
so, all our points of reference, all the stuff before we met is basically the same.
He had the same record collection I had.
I was like, uh... [laughs]
We were watching the same TV shows,
listening to the same music.
It just seemed like a natural fit.
The Monty Python Movie was the very first date.
One of those afternoon dates,
so, if it doesn't work out, you didn't waste the whole day.
-[chuckles] -It was-- [laughs]
Then, when I first met him, I said, well, we had sex,
and I said, "Well, some people just get attracted to other people
for this, uh, physical thing."
And I said, "Well, if he really likes me
and if he's really interested in these other things
that I'm interested in,
let's just get the sex out of the way and,
yeah, he's had it and move on", but...
-It didn't work. -The music went past--
[chuckles] The music went past all that.
The first real evening date-date, commitment date
was CBGB's.
[rock music]
[Lois] CBGB's had just started.
It was very curious, new music.
-Neither one of us knew anything about it. -[Andy] Yeah.
So, that was our first date going to CBGB's.
[Andy] Wow.
And, um, Talking Heads and Richard Hell were on stage.
Amazing.
And Lou Reed was shooting pool at a pool table in the back.
[Andy] I bet he was shooting more than pool.
[laugh]
That's probably before there was any graffiti in the toilet, huh?
[Lois] Yeah. They had food. It was just amazing.
[Dennis] Yes, they actually served food at CB's.
And we actually ordered it.
[Andy] And it didn't smell of piss?
-Well... -Oh, well, uh... [laughs]
[Lois] So, then, the Ramones had played
and we thought, like, these people are amazing and we went every night.
[rock music]
[Arturo] When an artist inspires you as much
as the Ramones inspired people,
they attract a very, very special kind of a fan.
I could tell up to the first, you know,
maybe a couple of months of shows at CBGB's
that some of the faces started looking familiar.
Just a handful of them that would be there
most of the time, if not all the time.
I had noticed this couple,
and I knew they were like hardcore fans.
[Dennis] We saw them at CB's a bunch of times.
Then we drove to Antonio's Pizzeria
in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania,
which is something like a nine-hour drive each way
to watch them do a twenty-minute set.
They thought we were either nuts
or super cool when we did that.
[Dennis] And we saw in the beginning
that Arturo Vega, who did their lights,
was also doing their merch.
[Arturo] I would sell shirts at the beginning of the evening.
Then, come show time, I would put the T-shirts away,
and then do the light show.
During the last song, I would leave all the lights on,
come back, run out, and start selling shirts again.
And we figured we're there anyway,
why should he have to do that? We can do it.
[Arturo] Lois said, "We can watch the T-shirts for you.
You know, we'll start selling, so you don't have to rush."
Then I realized that they were trustworthy
and that they loved doing it,
and that they were cool people to hang out with and to talk to.
So, really fast, you know, they became like
members of the inner circle.
And that's how it started.
[Dennis] Lois used to mend Joey's jeans.
The Ramones' hallway. Is that what you call it?
[Dennis] Yep. Where do we start?
The late 70s to the early 80s,
these jeans were the original jeans from the beginning
through "Rock 'N Roll High School."
[Monte] I can't believe he fit in those.
Those pants are unbelievable.
[Dennis] There was one time when John had a shit fit
because Joey was takin' like an hour and a half to get his jeans on
because he couldn't find what hole to put his foot through.
[chuckles]
So, he said, "That's it. That's the last time you're wearing these jeans."
They threw them in the corner and Lois said, "Can we have 'em?"
And he said, "Yeah, sure."
Unbelievable. What about the jacket?
-Where'd you get the jacket? -That's one of Dee's.
-He gave it to you? -Yeah.
Post cards from Johnny that read just like John.
-I mean, they-- [chuckles] -And from Spain. Wow.
I hear the accent when I read them.
It's so John.
And some lyrics Joey was writing.
[Monte] Huh.
[Dennis] Some of this went into other songs.
Some of it are just words that never were used.
And he just said, "Yeah, take it."
But this is how Joey used to write.
[Monte] What's this telegraph here?
[Dennis] It was from Joe.
"Been trying to get in touch with you.
Need your services tomorrow morning at 1 o'clock.
Very important.
Joey Ramone."
He actually needed Lois to drive him somewhere,
a doctor or something.
[laughs] He sent you a telegram.
-Unbelievable. -Yeah. Yeah.
I don't think I've ever sent a telegram in my life.
He's the reason I learned how to drive.
Really? Explain this.
Because in the beginning, when we got our first car,
we'd follow you to get to the gigs.
Uh-huh.
Because I didn't know where I was.
[chuckles]
And you were drivin' like at 90 miles an hour.
[both chuckle]
And I figured either I got to stay watching him
or I'm gonna be lost.
[chuckles]
So, I taught you how to drive fast.
[both laugh]
[Dennis] I don't think we would be in the position
with a lot of bands today that we are
if it wasn't for Ramones.
[Lois] Because we went to CB's all the time,
we got to meet all these other bands.
[Dennis] Maybe we would have ended up down that road anyway,
but there's a good chance we wouldn't have
and our whole story would have been different
and there'd probably be no story.
[rock music]
[Lois] We got to know The Ramones, The Undertones,
Adrian Wright, who became The Human League.
Then we got to know Mark Reeder,
and then Mark Reeder introduced us to New Order.
[Dennis] And Nick Cave.
[Lois] And Nick Cave. 'Cause Nick Cave used to stay in Mark's house.
Then we went to England all the time.
And then we got to meet Jon Langford.
He had The Three Johns.
And then, we met the Mekons and Captain Sensible
and then The Damned.
[Dennis] We're dead lucky
that most of these people seemed to get us and our passion
right from the start
and they realized, yeah, these people are sincere.
You sure it's not the time that Mickey and Feargal
came over and seen the Ramones and met the Ramones.
Oh, I wasn't there then.
[Lois] Most of these people are nice people
if you go up to them and just relate to them as people.
There's an intimidation factor with people
about musicians, bands,
especially the ones that they really like
that they're afraid to meet them
or what are you gonna say to them,
or they're not gonna want to talk to me.
That's not the case.
Especially if you approach them as people
and don't, "Oh, my God! Oh, my God!"
If somebody comes up to you and stands there and says,
"Oh, my God!" to you and screams and it gets fanatic.
I mean, it's a bit weird. [chuckles]
They get star struck a little bit,
but they know how to get out of it
because they know they could just stand there
or they could say something and actually make contact with that person.
[Craig] I think that Dennis and Lois are able to connect
more so maybe than other fans
because somehow they're able to communicate their sincerity
in a way that comes off very real.
A lot of fans, unfortunately, aren't able to do quite that.
[Dennis] We'll meet them a lot of times to get autographs.
We usually end up talking with them
because we don't fit the makeup of their normal audience
because of our age.
I think they relate to us slightly different.
And if there is a rapport,
if there are things in common,
if we get on with them as people,
then we continue the connection as people.
Possibly the first friends I had around New York state,
or the States even.
-Joan, say, "Hi, Lois." -Say, "Hi, Lois".
-[Joan] Hi, Lois. -[all chuckle]
[Mani] Aren't they sweet. You're being good.
[Mani] They're my angle on the New York punk scene.
And, you know, they would go to CBGB's and see the bands who I grew up loving
and just to be with them and hearin' some of the stories
of who they had seen and what they've been to and...
you know it's living history, man, in music.
To have, you know, uh, Lois or Dennis say, you know,
our first date was the Ramones.
And we saw this many Ramones shows
and we've seen this many shows, uh, since, you know, nineteen-seventy whatever,
and your band's awesome.
That makes me feel better than a guy who said,
"I've been to four shows in my life
and yours is the best one so far," you know.
They're like really committed, but not in an irritatin' way.
They don't do that shit that they come backstage
and they'll kind of, they'll sit there right next to you, you know,
and you'll be like sweating after the gig.
You just want to be on your own,
not to sound like a diva or anything.
But you'll get some fans who will follow you to the bar.
You know, they'll come and take a shit with ya.
[chuckles]
They're not like that at all.
Yeah, we don't talk music too much.
Oh, we talk music, but--
-Not their music. -It's not a praise--
More about music in general.
[Dennis] We find another topic.
With British bands, it's britcoms, kids shows,
science fiction that was over there,
that we were aware of that we like,
that's a common ground with them.
[Tim] They've been to a lot of our shows from at least '93.
Um, that's the first time I met them.
That was at the Limelight.
I remember the occasion, and I think I'd be upset if they didn't show up.
For me it would mean like we were doing something wrong.
[Lois] We'll tell them that we like what they do.
Or if they've had a bad night, we'll say, "Mm-uh..."
[chuckles]
[Lois] And they accept that we're honest with them.
Like, not everybody can be perfect all the time.
[rock music]
[Dennis] It starts as a fan thing,
but it develops into a friendship
in the sense that these people will contact us.
It's not just us contacting them.
["Millonaire" by Mekons]
They were so generous when the Mekons first came over
and we'd stay at their house when they lived in Brooklyn.
And it was tiny and it was entirely full of toys and games
and we'd sleep all over the floor.
["Millonaire" by Mekons]
By offering all sorts of services
became part of our lives.
Actually, I think we became part of their collection.
[Sally] They arrived with their Mekons plates one day
and it's never changed.
They arrived with their Mekons plates last night and that's 30 years down the line.
[laughs]
They had Ramones plates on their car
and they used to park here up behind CBGB's.
And every time they'd get new plates, someone would rip 'em off.
I think after that they decided they really liked the Mekons, so they got Mekons plates
and no one ripped 'em off.
-[laughs] -[car honk]
They started showing up in their van to, like,
take us to our rehearsals.
And then they were at every rehearsal,
every rehearsal we had.
We used to rehearse like three times a week
and they were at every rehearsal.
[interviewer] What would they do in there, in rehearsal?
They'd just stare at us and smile
and just nod their heads and be well into the music.
Kind of like, oh, we've got two new band members
and it's Dennis and Lois.
They don't play anything,
but they're in the band, so to speak.
They just fit right in.
[Lois laughs]
I think I'm gonna be mad.
[Lois laughs]
[Dennis] We've been together night and day for 40 years.
[Lois] You sure it's their van?
[laughs] I don't-- Yeah.
[Lois] Yeah, that's the other thing.
We've been together 40 years, but we've not gotten married.
I mean, I asked her to marry me in the beginning.
She said, "No." I said, "Okay."
You know, if this is working, this is working.
[Lois] It's not about goin' to some stranger
and giving him money and getting a piece of paper.
It's about a relationship.
Whether you have this paper or not...
[sighs] ...it doesn't make any difference really.
[soft rock music]
[Dennis] We're both only children,
so I don't think having a family ever was really something we thought about.
[Lois] And we thought maybe we can do both.
But I thought, no, I don't think we can do both,
so, we didn't have any because we wanted to have this life.
[Dennis] But, no regrets.
I honestly feel that music has served us both very well indeed.
So, we were in Manchester, selling shirts for the Ramones,
and this father comes in with his little kid
and they asked us about the Ramones.
And I don't have a little T-shirt to sell this kid,
even to give to him.
And I said, "Do you want to go backstage after the show and meet the band?"
And, "Yeah, yeah."
[rock music]
[Jimi] Dennis and Lois were doing the merchandizing.
I think they saw me fucking freakin' out to the Ramones
and said, "Well, we can do it. We can help this kid out."
Wouldn't it be a gas to introduce this kid to the band?
and they fucking did.
I can remember shaking Joey's hand.
It was unbelievable.
That was a really magical memory.
Years later, I listened to this band, Doves,
and I read in the NME,
they talked to Jimi and they said,
"What made you decide to do music as your life?"
And he said "Well, when I was six,
these people took me backstage to see them."
And I was like, "That's that kid?" [chuckles]
[Jimi] My formation as a musician, they facilitated that.
The seeds were set by meetin' my idols.
It's like out of a film, right? You can't make it up.
You know Lois is like a mother figure.
And that's what you need when you're away from home.
Yes, I suggest, if you're into it,
'cause this is it for the whole tour.
He only signed twelve posters.
[Lois] When bands,
they've given me music and they've helped me just getting through your life.
And if I can do something to repay them,
yeah, I'm here.
Whatever you need me to do.
Okay, so a poster. [sings] That's forty altogether, please.
[Lois] You are the musicians and you shouldn't be doing it.
We'll do it for you.
That's what we know how to do,
stand there and sell T-shirts.
Yeah. She'll go get it signed for you.
You got the last one.
[Robert] They know the realities, like,
by the time you get to the East Coast you burn out
and you could use it.
You could use a friend and a hand.
And that's the real way to say thanks, you know.
And they know that shit
and that's why they're Dennis and Lois.
Black Rebel, when they, the first time we saw them opening for the Charlatans,
they tried selling their own merchandise after the gig
and they were hopeless.
Plus they retired from playing, so they really...
But they had no idea who we were
and we just said, "You want help? We'll sell your stuff."
And they just handed over a bag of merchandise to us
not knowing who the hell we were.
If we were gonna beat them out of money,
beat them out of their merchandise.
Uh, I guess we don't look threatening,
'cause neither one of us can run very fast
to make a quick getaway, so.
But, yeah, we still do it to this day.
It's just something that's a natural extension
or our way of saying thank you.
[Lois] What street are we on?
[Dennis] You're at Gary. You got to worry about.
You've not seen it yet.
I told you the same thing I told you a hundred times.
Yeah, I've seen it and I didn't say anything.
I figure, oh, let's keep this a secret.
Look it's another Denny's.
-Uh, Denny's. -Denny's everywhere.
You don't get any sleep
and you don't eat at normal times.
And even when I go in the room to sleep,
I'm so wound up because I've listened to this music.
This probably would kill me,
but I could do this for the rest of my life
and do just what I'm doin' right now,
just goin' around watching bands who play every night.
It's making me very happy.
I just love it.
[rock music]
[beeping]
[man] Hey, another fucking amazing show.
Uh, this rock 'n roll is in our bloodstream.
[Lois] God damn it.
We're out in the middle of Nebraska.
[Dennis] It's snowing in Cheyenne, Wyoming.
[woman] Hey, it's Analogue Girl.
My God. Life is so good.
[Dennis] When we find a rest area.
We're gonna pull over and pee and sleep for an hour or two.
[Lois] Everyone should have the blessing
of seeing a country with a band they love.
We've been cataloging all the ticket stubs we have.
We sit down.
I read the date. He logs it in a book.
[interviewer] If you have to estimate, how many shows?
[Lois] We used to go to maybe four shows a week.
[Dennis] Sometimes, three shows in a day.
[Lois] Early show, late show.
[Dennis] And real late show, over 40 years.
It could be a completely ridiculous number,
but I'm coming up with like 10000 shows.
[cheering and applause]
[Adam] We are an architecture firm here in New York City.
We do a lot of cultural work.
So, a lot of museums, performing arts' buildings,
a lot of work in New York proper.
This is called, uh...
Westchester Community College.
We're building a college.
Lois is the head of the print room
and responsible for the quality of documents printed.
[Lois] There's my plaque on the wall, 25 years.
You can't guess what you're gonna hear when you talk to Lois.
She can't wait to tell you stories
and she tells the same story all day
until everybody in the office has heard that story.
[Lois] This is all my rock 'n roll stuff
from places where I've been and set lists.
When I come back from wherever I am,
all these people want to know what I've done
'cause they don't have a life.
They just do architecture.
So, I tell them about my life.
[James] I'm of the generation where rock 'n roll is a foreign language.
It still is.
But underneath that collection,
there's a really interesting imaginative mind.
One time, I said I needed six weeks off to go on a tour,
and they said no.
Either you give me the time off or I'm quitting.
[chuckles]
So, they gave me the time off.
[Mark] They're beyond fans, Lois and Dennis.
Being a fan is usually just a faddy sort of thing.
It lasts a few years and it kind of dwindles, maybe,
and you might still collect the records a few years down the line,
but your life moves on and it goes on to something else.
For Lois and Dennis, it's not like that.
You don't find people like that around the world.
[Lois] When we got to know Oasis,
we'd go to work in the day
and then run to the airport at night,
travel to England, barely get in to see their show,
take the red-eye back to go back to work the next day.
[Marc] They're intriguin', you know.
Dennis got fired from his job.
He must have been in his mid-fifties.
And he got fired for taking three days off work without permission
to go and see the Mekons in, I think, Chicago.
How many fifty-five year old people would do that, you know.
[Dennis] It was a problem. I mean, you got fired.
I worked at the Panasonic Corporation.
It's electronic and they do music.
There go that sponsorship. [laughs]
[Lois] Towards the end, I was wearing my Ramone shirt to work
because I was out the night before with the band
and I didn't have time to come home and change, so.
"Well, you love the Ramones more than you love us.
We have to let you go."
[chuckles]
[Dennis] The Village Voice used to be our enemy.
As soon as we'd call in sick,
they'd thumb the music pages of the Village Voice.
Who's in town?
"Oh, they had that T-shirt on the other day."
-Oh, suddenly, they're sick. -[chuckles]
[Dennis] We found out it's not good to call in sick
-from an airport pay phone. -[chuckles]
If you're trying to say you're sick and they go,
"Flight 302 to Miami now boarding."
[on speaker] Please make sure you have all your personal belongings
and watch your step as you exit.
[interviewer] What is it about England you love so much?
It's not just the music. It's the people as well.
Americans are good,
but somehow English people have some edge to them
and it all came through on the music.
It's not the quality or hitting the right note.
It's about the feel of it.
[Lois] It's bigger than me.
[man] Let me see your T-shirt, 'cause I haven't seen that yet.
And you think that was from when?
From the first tour I believe they did after "Pills, Thrills, and Bellyaches."
One time we went to Oasis in the stadium,
and I bought these T-shirts and like put 'em in the carry bag.
And the guy said to me, "I think you should double bag this."
And then I went out in the mosh pit.
And that's when I fell down and that's when I really hurt my knee.
And I had my hand around those T-shirt, that T-shirt bag,
and I'm not losing these T-shirts in this mosh pit.
The merch is gonna be upstairs, in the main room in the back.
And he said that's what the band wanted, so when we go up,
we should go up a little, not the last-last minute,
in case they have our size for a change.
[rock music]
[cheers and applause]
[Shaun] Thank you very much.
Dennis.
Happy New Year, Mr. Shaun William Ryder.
You almost had me crying during that show.
-Yeah, was it good? -I just felt so happy.
Really? Thank you.
What? A man loves to tell the truth about why Dennis and Lois really...
Well, when we first, uh, got to New York, uh...
Dennis and Lois, uh, brought the pot,
-the weed, the good stuff. -[Lois laughs]
I got a phone call off Lois once.
It must have been about 1990.
She said, "Oh we're gonna go and see Happy Mondays,
and we're gonna get to meet them and get to know them
and go and hang out with them."
I said, "Oh, hmm... Do you know them at all?"
"No."
What we're gonna do is stand by the stage door.
We're gonna wear our Frank Sidebottom T-shirt.
Happy Mondays will walk past and go, "Wow, Frank Sidebottom?"
And we'll go, "Yeah, sure."
It was like a military operation.
[Paul] I came out the back doors
and across the way was this big chain-link fence.
And Dennis stood there and Lois stood there shouting "Paul."
And it was like, wow.
Who are these?
'Cause they don't look like Mr. and Mrs. Conventional.
So, I have to go across,
and it just kind of went from there, man.
[Paul] Their reputation in Manchester were bad boys.
[Lois] And I wanted to see for myself...
We just got on right away with them.
[rock music]
[Dennis] Here they are in L.A., in the studio,
and they can't find weed.
I think they were just nervous about who they went up to
and so they said, "Can you do us a favor?
Can you score us some weed and FedEx it to us?"
So, I went, scored ounces, a pound.
I don't know what the hell I scored.
Put it in a FedEx envelope with a phony return name
and saw them through the recording
of "Pills, Thrills, and Bellyaches."
I only did it as a friendship thing.
A friendly something, I can help them. Yeah, I'll help them.
And Shaun called us up when he was L.A. in the studio
and said, when the album comes out,
we've got a big surprise for you.
[Lois] And I was on my lunchtime and I got the "NME"
and the cover said, "New Mondays Album Out Now, and it had the track listings.
And I was like, "Oh, my God."
[chuckles]
Then I called him and I said, "You'll never guess what they did."
They wrote a song about you called "Dennis and Lois."
That must have been quite a compliment.
A compliment and a surprise.
[Lois] The fact that they did something for us,
I was really touched with that.
["Dennis and Lois" by Happy Mondays"
[Paul] Well, they must have just popped up in my head
when we was writin' the music, you know.
They must have been swimming around there somewhere subconsciously.
I had heard of them just through the Happy Mondays song.
The Happy Mondays Song.
There aren't many people who don't know who Dennis and Lois are,
or at least know the names Dennis and Lois
in the whole of Manchester.
When I mention Dennis and Lois or the band and Dennis and Lois,
people can't believe that they're real people.
[Lois] I went to the stage door at Oasis
and Noel comes out and I said,
"Can we talk with you later on?"
"Yeah. I'll put your name on the list. What's your name?"
And I said, "Dennis and Lois."
And he looked at me and he says,
"You are 'The Dennis and Lois'?"
And it was like, "Ah". [laughs]
Dennis always says, "When is his 15 minutes of fame gonna be over?" Never.
The greatest moments was when The Mondays did the song, of course,
is what, you know, makes people like them legend.
Dennis is hard at work.
Not really.
We're in the bowels of Pennsylvania in a church.
This is the first time I've been in one of these in quite a while,
so you may get some flames shooting out,
especially since I saw Ozzie last week.
[Damon] The first time I met Dennis and Lois was a New York show.
Some guy working at the venue said these two people are outside.
And they're trying to get in, 'cause they want to see your show,
and I said, "Who are they?"
Oh, they said, "Dennis and Lois."
So, I went outside to meet them.
I'd heard so much about them from other bands,
so I was really flattered that hey were coming to one of my shows
'cause I felt like that validates me
as part of Manchester royalty in music or something.
[Damon] They've been sellin' our merchandise as well.
I can never repay them. I couldn't even try,
for puttin' in the effort and...
comin' to waste their time on a loser like me.
[chuckles]
I tell you what, when I get back,
can you bring these back there and I'll sign some,
maybe if you think that's a good idea.
I think that's a great idea.
What about Dennis and Lois signing it?
I mean definitely not...
[Dennis laughs] No.
We'll have to pay them to take it.
[applauses]
[Lois] I took the week off to do this tour with Damon.
The first night in the village everything was great.
And then the second morning, I woke up and I couldn't, I had no power in my side.
I got to the show,
and when I got out of the car, I couldn't walk.
I had to hold on 'cause I had no balance.
And I was like, "Help! Somebody come and help me."
["Silent Sigh" by Badly Drawn Boy]
[Lois] All these people came over and like,
"Lady, are you okay? Get you an ambulance?"
"No, no, no. I have to go to the show."
[singing]
[Lois] I'll be alright. We'll worry about this later.
[chuckles]
-[applause] -Thank you.
[cheers and applause]
Thank you.
Damon, nice job.
They do what everyone should be doing,
living life on their terms.
But I do worry about their health.
[Jimi] It's obvious they're not gettin' any younger.
None of us are. But that outlook is inspiring.
It's amazing. At that age most people want a cup of cocoa at nine o'clock.
Put their feet up. And they're out rock 'n rolling.
[Sarah] I don't know how they find the energy. I really don't.
[rock music]
-Elbow. -Elbow.
And you have Morrissey.
-Just like the real thing, a bobble head. -[Lois] They have Stone Roses.
Right here. That's Thomas Street and Oldham Street.
This is like "old Manchester".
This is where I want my ashes to be thrown out, right here.
Dennis wants to be buried, but we'll bury him under the...
[Lois] Well, I've been coming since '68.
We've come at least twice a year, every year.
-More than that. -At least twice a year, yeah.
Over a hundred times, I would say, we've been here.
Somehow, I met the nicest people here in Manchester.
It's like I feel as much at home here,
if not more so than in the States.
It's just easy.
They'd probably recognize something else genuine and from the heart.
There's no bullshit about Manchesterean people,
whether it be on the street or in a band, you know.
Not too dissimilar from how New Yorkers are, you know.
We're a similar breed.
[Lois] Oh, the Manchester Evening News Arena.
All the bands have played there, everybody.
[Dennis] A good chunk of the music that has impressed me
over the years has originated here.
If it wasn't for Factory Records and Joy Division, New Order,
and Happy Mondays,
there wouldn't have been a Manchester scene.
Okay, people.
So. this is one of our older songs.
And I'm gonna play it for two of our oldest fans,
Dennis and Lois.
-[Dennis] Thank you! -[Peter] Wherever you are, my darlings, this is for you.
["Love Will Tear Us Apart" by Peter Hook]
[Lois] When I was about thirteen,
I didn't really travel anywhere,
but I found the Beatles, the Rolling Stones,
and I wanted to see the place where they came from,
'cause it wasn't Brooklyn.
And I went to England on my own.
I had to see this.
[guitar playing]
[Lois] I'd go to England with a train pass, get an NME.
The NME, it was a bible.
Look to see what bands were playing, get on the train and go there.
["Love Will Tear Us Apart" by Peter Hook]
[Lois] England was just amazing.
And then, when I met Dennis,
we both went together.
We're both the same person.
["Love Will Tear Us Apart" by Peter Hook]
They're iconic in the way that they were there
when a movement started.
When Manchester and New Order came to America
and the way it affected the world
was because of New York and people like them.
["Love Will Tear Us Apart" by Peter Hook]
[Peter] You tend to pick up friends when you're small.
And those friends are the ones that last right the way through.
When you get to that period as a band when you're huge,
when you can't tell your friends from your enemies or whatever,
people like Dennis and Lois are very, very important.
["Love Will Tear Us Apart" by Peter Hook]
You should never underestimate the friendship value.
[audience cheering]
You love it? Do you love it?
[Dennis] Our last night in Manchester,
we figured we'd do something special,
especially since Frank Sidebottom
is going to be playing a show in Manchester.
Mommy, what's that noise?
It is, of course, Frank Sidebottom.
Yes, that's me.
Frank Sidebottom, international showbiz superstar.
[Dennis] We've known Frank for many, many years.
He's one of the earlier people
we met in our Manchester career.
[music playing]
[Dennis] When he first came over the first time,
he had a duffle bag with him with his costume.
And Customs stops him.
Says, "What do you have in your bag?"
He said, "I have a ventriloquist dummy.
I have a papermaché head, and I have a Casio keyboard."
[singing]
They asked where he was staying.
He said, "I'm staying with Dennis and Lois."
And they said, "Well, what's their address?"
- He goes, "I don't know." -[Lois] "I don't know."
[Dennis] "Well, where do they live?"
-[Lois] "I don't know." -"What's their last names?"
[Lois] " It's Dennis and Lois."
Oh, then he says, "Well, do you know Madonna's last name?"
[Dennis] He discovered America wasn't so bad,
so he came back three other times.
Each time he stayed with us.
-Thank you! Whoo! -[cheers and applause]
[Lois] We can get all of them at home.
What's this one? No, we don't have this one.
That's a Constantine. Do we have that?
Yeah, it doesn't look familiar.
I would say no, because they don't remember the gas mask.
Based on that alone, I would say no.
All right.
[Lois] Here. This, this.
This.
Look, a silver Dalek. Exterminate!
And that's it.
No more?
[seller] For this visit.
The last time you were in,
White Rebel Motorcycle Club came with you.
They're coming in April. They're gonna be here on tour.
Yay!
Yay! Forbidden Planet. Hurray!
I paid their rent for the next month.
[chuckles]
-[Mark] Joey Ramone's pants. -[Dennis] Yeah.
[Mark] She told me the story.
Every piece of this house is like a bit of homage...
-Yeah. -Yeah. Get it.
-Yeah. -Yeah.
-It's got Happy Mondays on the wall over there. -I know. I've seen that, yeah.
-[Mark] Was this the kitchen? -[Dennis and Lois] Yep.
We need to clear some room.
See all these bottles. These are all from different shows and concerts I went to.
[Lois] I would take the empty bottle because they drank out of it.
-[Mark exhales] -[chuckles]
Is there any beer left in 'em?
-No. -Get out!
[all laughs]
We don't really have any furniture. We just have stuff.
Their collecting is obsessive.
[Mark] It's a compulsion of some kind.
[Robert] Every square inch was filled with things that make them happy,
toys, memorabilia, records.
Where they sleep is the least important thing.
It was amazing, like going to a museum. Wow!
[Simon] It's like a time capsule.
This stuff that was important ages ago
is now buried deeper and deeper.
[Mark] It's not about the money it's worth.
It's about the meaning and what it means.
[Lois] I think it's really important
that you remember where you come from, your history,
take great comfort in toys.
'Cause those were the happy moments of your childhood.
[Damian] You could never have a kid there.
But if you were a kid, you'd just fall in love with it
because there's so many toys.
[Dennis] We have a Spider Man room, a Batman room.
We have a Simpsons room.
The basement is vinyl, and Star Wars.
Near the furnace we have some Freddy Krueger stuff
'cause we just felt from the films
he always was the janitor who was stoking the furnaces.
And the front room is all Dr. Who's stuff.
[recording] Enemies of Dr. Who must be destroyed.
[Lenore] Oh, my God.
This house I love!
-[Lois chuckles] -[Lenore] A whole Godzilla!
[Lenore] Oh, my goodness.
[Lenore] They're living here about 12 years I guess.
And I have never seen a light on in 12 years.
-I am overwhelmed. -Look at this.
[Lenore] Oh, my. I just can't comprehend it.
-[laughs] -[Lenore] Oh, my God.
[Lois] Look at Dracula.
We got him the first year we moved in.
The first Christmas we got that Dracula.
Every Christmas we were gettin' one.
-Underneath the table... -[Lenore] Oh!
[Lois] He's really good, those two under there in the corner.
[Lenore] Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah! Look at that.
[Frank] That's scary.
[Lenore] They're wonderful people. They're quiet.
We don't bother them. They don't bother us, you know.
And they enjoy what they're doing,
and I think that's wonderful.
You know, I wish I knew half the bands and things that, you know, they know.
I mean, at my age,
I don't think I'd be able to travel that far
to go see my favorite band, you know.
But as neighbors go, they're great.
[Dennis] We got two emails there.
[Lois] What emails?
-From our tenant. -Yeah.
[Dennis] Thanking us for giving them a rent reduction for Christmas.
Rock and roll.
[interviewer] And you just gave a tenant a free month for Christmas?
No, a rent reduction.
-A rent reduction? -Yeah.
We gave our two tenants a rent reduction just 'cause it's Christmas.
[Dennis] Give 'em one month a couple hundred dollars off their rent.
It's just, it's somethin' to do, you know.
[interviewer] What do you guys think of Christmas?
[Lois] It's Baby Jesus' birthday.
I mean, people are all worried about giving gifts and, uh, what did you get me?
And, oh, how much did you spend on me?, and...
I think it's about people being close with each other and just, uh,
just being there for each other.
It's not about the gifts.
[Dennis] To keep in the festive mood,
what better...
since they're all dead
and you don't have to worry about royalties probably on this one,
[chuckles] The Three Stooges.
["Jingle Bells Drag" by The Three Stooges]
We went to this Prince concert on Sunday. It was fantastic.
And I went to work on Monday and I was feeling really weak,
like I was gonna collapse.
And, uh, made it home.
And I went to get out of the car,
and I just like sunk, just collapsed.
So, the neighbor across the street comes over and he looks at me.
- "I'll call 911." -[siren whaling]
[Lois] So, the ambulance came.
They just threw a sheet over me,
put me in the stretcher and took me to hospital.
When I first went in, I couldn't move at all.
When they picked me up from the stretcher, I couldn't move my arms, couldn't walk.
And it really scared me.
They thought I had a stroke.
They did all kinds of tests, but they couldn't find anything,
so I guess it's not that bad, huh?
I don't know what happened.
But I had the same thing like six months ago.
[Richard] In my practice,
I take care of lots of red zebras,
things that have not been figured out.
And they come to me
with three feet of medical records and tests.
Please help me. No one's been able to figure out why.
Her major complaint is pain
in her back lateral thigh down her leg.
She thought she originally injured it
at a Oasis concert in a mosh pit, uh, situation.
But ever since that event, it's been getting worse.
[Lois] I thought, "Okay, I'm gettin' a bit older,
and, yeah, I did a lot of rock 'n rolling."
So, I went for physical therapy, but it didn't get any better.
It's gotten me really crazy
because I just want to get better
or I want to get told this is what it is, you know.
-Anyway, here I am in life. -[Dennis] Yeah.
Ho-ho-ho.
[Lois] Wow.
-[Lois] Dee Dee should be in here, right? -[Dennis] Dee Dee I think is in.
[Lois] Oh, there's Johnny.
[Dennis] Yeah, I see it.
[Lois sighs]
Well...
see he was the same age.
1948.
A legendary.
[Lois] Dennis, look at his eyes.
[Dennis] I know. The eyes are very spooky.
[Lois] It's like he's starin' you down.
[Lois] We got attracted to them
because when some idea went in their head, they went and did it.
There's no regrets about, "Well, yeah, I should have done that."
Do what you really like and hell with what everybody thinks.
No matter what people say, you have to do what you think,
and that's what we've been trying to do.
Where's Dee Dee?
[kid] My dad works here.
I love Ramones. My dad loves 'em, too.
[Lois] We were friends to them.
We worked with the Ramones for a long time.
[Dennis] Yeah, in the beginning, we sold their T-shirts.
[kid] I have a bunch of those T-shirts.
Dee Dee Ramone is right over here.
See that one black statue right there.
Right here, Dee Dee Ramone.
Beer cans. [laughs]
Money, cigarettes.
[Dennis] This is great. [chuckles] It's Dee Dee.
No big monument, just Dee.
[Lois] Yep, beneath the shade of a tree.
Yeah, you can have Georgia Peach French toast.
[scoffs]
Please.
Uh, coffee, French toast, bacon, please.
[waitress] French toast and bacon.
-That's all? -That's all.
And I want coffee with a-- I want a Grand Slam.
Yeah.
Um, two eggs, sunny side up.
Isn't that free because it's your birthday?
Oh, yeah. Today's my birthday.
Oh, yeah?
Yeah. Mi cumpleaños.
We've done somethin' like twelve cities
in a little over two weeks, two and a half weeks.
It was short enough and it ended officially on Lois' birthday.
So, it just seemed like it was fate almost
that we should be here.
I thought, at this age, how many more tours can we do?
I mean you want to, but physically, can you?
[interviewer] How has it been physically and mentally?
Uh, my bags have bags. [chuckles]
I feel rejuvenated.
[both laugh]
["Blow It Up" by The Vaccines]
You think fuck. We've been on a bus for the last, like, 17 hours.
[Justin] I've been sleeping for ten of them.
And then here I'm fine every day. It's kind of cool.
["Blow It Up" by The Vaccines]
How often have you been asked if they're your grandparents?
I think five times I've been asked if they were my parents.
-Parents? -Parents.
I've been asked if they're my grandparents,
so I'm younger looking than you.
Obviously.
["Blow It Up" by The Vaccines]
I mean, it's a struggle.
[Lois] I'm not sleeping a lot. I can't walk too well.
I don't know.
But we've seen tons of bands, but this one is just...
It's like when you fall in love,
and it's like that first day when you're in love, it's just like, wow.
And we've not been in love with anything so strong as this.
-Right? For a long time. -Yeah. There's some power there.
["Blow It Up" by The Vaccines]
You feel quite sort of privilege that they're doing this
and you feel like you're not doing anything in return.
[Justin] I just have a kind of urge to look after them
for some reason.
I have a maternal instinct.
I just run beers out and chips, food if I can find it, water.
["Blow It Up" by The Vaccines]
[cheers and applause]
Have we figured out what we're gonna give her for her 65?
[Justin] I bought her some presents.
["Blow It Up" by The Vaccines]
[cheers and applause]
Four, three, two, one.
-Wait, one. -[all] Happy birthday!
♪ Happy birthday to you
♪ Happy birthday, dear Lois♪
♪ Happy birthday to you
Whoa!
-Wait till they play it. -Wow.
-[all laugh] -I would have bought that for sure.
[Justin] But they're real frogs.
They're really, really good.
[Dennis] A roadie friend of ours, Crumie, uh, from Manchester,
he called us in the middle of the night one night and said,
"There was just a piece in the newspaper.
Have you heard? Frank's got cancer?"
And I said, "What?"
Chris Sievey, who created the comedy character Frank Sidebottom,
died of cancer at the age of 54.
[TV presenter] Now, he may have had a cult following,
but the unveiling of a statue of comic character, Frank Sidebottom,
attracted hundreds of people today.
A life-sized bronze statue was unveiled
in the center of Timperley Village near Altrincham.
[Lois] We're all connected in this world
and we should give each other attention
because, the next day, we might not be there.
With Frank we never thought that he would die the next day.
[Dennis] It's so easy, especially with the pacing of the world today,
to just take friends for granted.
- It's not intentionally. -[Lois] Yeah, I'll see ya tomorrow.
-[Dennis] Yeah, whenever. -[Lois] Maybe not.
[Dennis] Friends are a precious commodity.
[Lois] Ow!
I can't lift my leg up.
I went out at lunchtime and my leg collapsed and I almost fainted.
[sighs]
-Did you fell? -I got dizzy. Yeah.
I said, I don't think I can work anymore today,
because I can't walk anymore and I don't know why.
[Lois] I'm afraid this thing is gonna get worse.
It's sad because you realize this person that has this inner vibrance
is beginning to struggle physically
and all these things she loves to do she can't do anymore,
and I think that's grown.
[Lois] I told them I don't think I should work anymore 'cause I can't do it.
I haven't been upstairs or downstairs in like six months.
-[Dennis] Yeah. -Six months.
And I sleep in there.
[Dennis] I need an escape.
I don't forget problems,
but I don't want to focus totally on it
to the point of becoming neurotic,
which is where it was getting.
The only thing that was really making us be happy was going to gigs.
I mean, that slowed down.
I mean, we only went to one gig this week, which is pretty slow for us.
[Lois] We were in Brooklyn
at some bar that this band is gonna play in and Dennis is in there already,
but I can't go in, it's not worth it.
["Auto Neutron" by Fat White Family]
[Dennis] It's awkward for me when I'm there without Lois.
I don't feel complete.
I don't feel I'm sharing the experience with her
and it's all about sharing.
["Auto Neutron" by Fat White Family]
[Dennis] I'm not happy about the situation,
but if she isn't comfortable doing something,
fuck it, don't do it.
["Auto Neutron" by Fat White Family]
[cheers and applause]
[Lois] Yes, I cry every day.
I do, 'cause I can't stand this.
And Dennis has been putting up with me.
[chuckles]
-Yeah, I cry, too. -Ow!
[Richard] Recently she was tested by a very well-known neurologist
who did MRI's of her brain, her spine,
and also did an electrodiagnostic study.
-You're not gonna fall. -I've got to sit over here. Ow!
He concluded that she has MS, Multiple Sclerosis.
[Lois] This problem got me really depressed
because everything was taken away from me.
All the things I loved,
going to shows and standing in the front and dancing
was taken away.
My day job was taken away from me.
If all the things you know
and all the things you depend on, your being,
is suddenly stopped,
and if you have no control over it
and it's not gonna go away, it's not gonna change,
it's really scary.
[Jon] Personally, I begged them to take it easy,
but they're always off on the next adventure,
so a part of me says more power to them.
The other part of me wants to strap 'em down and lock 'em up somewhere.
Let them have a rest for a while,
but they're not interested in that.
[Jon] It's thrillin' still for them.
What keeps Dennis and Lois on the road
where others fear to tread?
What keeps us all going? It's the love of music.
[Christopher] I think about the struggle,
the sheer will of I've got to get to that rock show.
And what it gives them, I think, is their medicine.
You know, I think that is their sustainability.
I think that is what keeps Lois vital.
[Jimi] There seems to be an imperative in them now.
They really want a fair line
and they want to be in their spiritual home, which is Manchester.
["Music Is Our Medicine" by Vic Thrill]
[Dennis] Now, it's a necessity to get in before doors are open,
so that we can stake an area that is comfortable for us,
what's safest for us.
[Lois] Because I have a wheelchair,
I can't always be in the front like I used to,
but at least I can hear it.
["Music Is Our Medicine" by Vic Thrill]
[Dennis] I think you now,
you can always have Sigourney Weaver in your pocket.
Keep her in your pocket.
That's so nice of you. [chuckles] Thank you.
We wanted to give you many gifts,
but we couldn't find good stuff.
[Lois] We brought him a little toy.
He carries it with him and it reminds him of us.
Dennis and Lois really just, uh, seem to connect with what I'm doing.
♪ I wanted to change the world
♪ But I could not even change My underwear ♪
[Dennis] There's some music,
if you're down, it gives you strength.
It's like recharging a battery.
♪ I hope I didn't destroy Your celebration ♪
♪ And you should probably Get down on your knees ♪
♪ And pray
♪ It's really fun to look Embarrassed all the time ♪
[Lois] We're all related in this world
and even though we don't want to admit it,
we need somebody else to help us.
We cannot do this alone.
The singer of a band needs the band.
♪ If I can see your license And your registration? ♪
♪ I don't know what to want From this world ♪
We all have to play a part in helping each other.
[Lois] And I think that's where this music comes in.
♪ You have no right to want Anything from me at all ♪
♪ Why don't you take it out An somebody else? ♪
♪ Why don't you throw this shit out on somebody else? ♪
♪ Why don't you tell Somebody else ♪
♪ That they're selfish?
♪ Weepy coward And pathetic forever ♪
[Lois] John has physical problems
and, hey, I'm going through that right now.
He's in front of me singing about what I'm going through.
["Queen of Denmark" by John Grant]
[John] It brings a lot to the artist to have somebody there that gets you.
It would be nice for them to know that the artist
is getting just as much as they're getting from the music, you know.
It's a beautiful thing.
♪ You're just a sucker
♪ But we'll see who gets The last laugh ♪
♪ Who knows Maybe you'll get to be ♪
♪ The next queen of Denmark
-[cheers and applause] -[John] Thank you very much.
You can thank me.
[cheers and applause]
[Lois chuckles] Well...
[woman] We'll see you next week.
Oh, wait. Okay.
[Lois] John Grant, he said, "Oh, my parents are your age."
He says they never go out, they don't want to do anything.
They just want to sit home, watch TV.
He says, "I wish my parents were like you." [chuckles]
[Lois] I had that coffee right before we left.
What should I do?
[on phone] Exit left, three miles,
then head to roundabout.
[Dennis] It's about getting you to pee before the roundabout.
[Lois] It's insane.
This is it, right?
I pee, you pee, we all pee.
[chuckles]
-All right. Let just go. -All right. Let's go.
Oh, I'm going pee.
I'm gonna be part of the party.
[Lois] We're Americans. We can pee any place.
[Dennis] It's our constitutional right.
[both laugh]
-[beep] -[Lois] Dennis and Lois.
Uh, we've done a terrible thing.
We're going to just go onto L.A. to see Elbow.
Oh, my God. I've got to rest up.
[cheers and applause]
This next song's dedicated to our very, very good friends, Dennis and Lois.
[cheers and applause]
[Guy] Okay.
[Guy] When Lois started getting bad on her feet,
I remember her telling me, New York's so kind to a lady that needs help.
People give up their seat, and open doors for me.
She put her finger on what I love about the city
and that's kind of what became the song, "New York Morning".
♪ The first to put A simple truth in words ♪
♪ Binds the world In a feeling all familiar ♪
♪ 'Cause everybody owns The great ideas ♪
♪ And it feels like There's a big one ♪
♪ Round the corner
♪ I see a city and I hear A million voices ♪
♪ Driving, welding, drilling
♪ Carrying their fingers To the nub ♪
♪ Reaching down Into the ground ♪
♪ Stretching up into the sky
♪ Why? Because they can
♪ They did and do so you and I Could be together ♪
[Guy] Lois said, "You're the big test."
And I said, "What do you mean?"
And she said, "I'm not able to get out of this chair,
but I've been to a couple of concerts and I've been able to get up and walk around.
That side of my body starts working again."
♪ Oh my God, New York can talk
♪ Somewhere in all that talk Is all the answers ♪
[Guy] Halfway through the concert, we look around
and Lois just stood up to the railings dancing.
♪ And it feels like there's A big one round the corner ♪
♪ The desire to part Sure symphony ♪
So she reckons she's got to follow us on tour from now on
in order to keep moving.
And if we can't do that, then I'm just gonna have to be here to sing to her,
make sure she can get about.
♪ And it feels like there's A big one round the corner ♪
♪ The way the day begins
♪ Decides the shade Of everything ♪
♪ But the way it ends Depends on if you're home ♪
♪ For every soul
♪ A pillow at a window, please
♪ In a modern Rome Where folk are nice to Lois ♪
[cheers and applause]
[Guy] Okay.
[Guy] Thank you very much.
[Lois] There's a beginning and there's an end.
But it's about the passion of life.
It's about doing what you love.
[Lois on phone] Sorry, it's Dennis and Lois.
It was the most incredible dedication.
It was absolutely amazing and every bone in my body is killing me,
but the band was worth driving to.
We love it!
All these shirts,
two rows back and front, are what we did this year.
No!
[all laugh]