♪ (GUITAR MUSIC PLAYING) ♪
♪ (CLAPPING RHYTHMICALLY) ♪
♪ (MORE INSTRUMENTS JOIN) ♪
JOHN LURIE: We're in New York. We're here to do the music.
♪ (MUSIC FADES) ♪
But I wanted to show you 'cause we...
I think we do music different than anybody elsewhere.
I write the stuff,
but I bring it in, and we rehearse it.
And...
'Cause the musicians are great,
and we use their idiosyncrasies, and what they're great with.
And I've been playing with some of these guys for 35, 40 years.
(NO AUDIO)
And... it's much nicer now than it was.
I mean, they all show up on time.
They're all there on time for rehearsal.
And then, they've learnt how to use a calendar.
They're just basically more responsible.
And there's no noodling.
It used to be, when they were young,
you finish a song and then they're all like...
(BABBLES)
You know, in between the songs,
and you just have to, "Shut up, shut up!"
I mean, you-- I'd have to yell "shut up" 40 times
between each take, you know, so...
And now, as soon as things finish,
they all sit there patiently waiting for the next thing.
And it’s just so much more pleasant.
I love these guys.
As well-- I mean, I probably had enough
existing music that I own to use in the show, but that...
Like, this is a great opportunity to have,
'cause I never thought it would--
After the illness started, I didn't think
I'd ever gonna be able to do this again.
So it's great for me,
and, um, I bought this guitar that I love.
Spending probably too much money to do it,
but it's gonna be exciting.
(NO AUDIO)
JOHN: I wanted to show you. I mean, it's interesting to see
how much easier it is to use these guys
now that they're older.
And my advice to you is if you're starting a band...
is to hire musicians who are 60 years old or older.
♪ (MUSIC CONTINUES) ♪
♪ (MUSIC FADES) ♪
We're going to the rehearsal studio
in New York City, where the musicians live.
We're a tiny bit late, but our driver is excellent.
JOHN: Tell your confession to the camera.
Well, um... (CHUCKLES)
Years ago, in the dark,
-you remem-- (CHUCKLES) -(JOHN LAUGHS)
Okay. I was-- I was switching around--
-(INDISTINCT CHATTER) -We were in the dark!
Well, Frisbee football. John did fake me out.
It's just like whenever you block a Black guy's shot
in basketball, they always yell, "Foul!" Even though--
-(CALVIN WESTON LAUGHS) -Yeah, every time.
White guy can't block a Black guy's shot, like ever.
(CALVIN CHUCKLES)
You know I still got that drum kit.
JOHN: Let's talk about something important.
Do you know how much my socks are itching me right now?
The gun.
JOHN: I know I'm not going... (SPEAKS INDISTINCTLY)
(LAUGHS) You remember? Guy came home and said,
-"You're sitting on my steps." -Yeah.
CALVIN: And then Dad came home and said, "Hey Cal, hold this for me..."
Oh, that, that, that.
-I thought you meant the other gun. -Yeah, that's the same night.
No, not that gun.
-(LAUGHS) No, not that gun. -JOHN: Oh, okay. Oh!
-(INDISTINCT CHATTER OVER PHONE) -NESRIN WOLF: Okay. We'll see you in a second.
Hey, John. Remember when you were a celebrity
and used to pick out spaces like that?
-I used to go over to places like that. -(LAUGHS)
We can't get in. Aren't you worried?
-Really? -We can't get in.
-Can't get in there. -Aren't you worried?
No.
♪ (PLAYING UP-TEMPO RHYTHM) ♪
So, we were doing this...
I was doing this film score and...
I liked the director, I liked him.
But he liked to go to nightclubs
more than he actually liked to work on the movie,
and they fired him.
And then they brought in this guy to clean everything up.
One of those guys who cleans up a lot of movies.
He says, "I want to--" He wants to get it done.
Doesn't care if it's shit or what.
But he didn't like the director.
So when he heard the director wanted a ska score,
he said, "I don't want any ska music."
So...
But the score was 90 percent written,
and it was kind of good, and I liked the director,
so we wanted to do what we had already
to give him what he wanted.
And, uh... So all the musicians were told
to not say the word "ska."
♪ (SKA MUSIC PLAYING) ♪
-♪ (MUSIC CONCLUDES) ♪ -So we played stuff.
(CHUCKLING) It sounded like that.
And all the musicians were sort of--
He said, "What kind of music is this?"
And the musicians just kind of went like...
And I said, "Oh, that's hoopoe music."
-"Oh," he said. -(SCATTERED LAUGHTER IN BACKGROUND)
Asshole.
-Hope he sees this. -(ALL LAUGHING)
JOHN: This one could be somebody else.
I don't know which you--
♪ ("NESRIN WALKING BACKWARDS" PLAYING OVER SPEAKER) ♪
You think a horn could play that?
Trombone.
Trumpet? Trombone?
-Trombone. -Trombone? Yeah, that's what I thought.
♪ (HUMS MELODY) ♪
-Yeah, yeah, yeah, okay. -STEVEN BERNSTEIN: Could be a 'bone part.
♪ (PLAYING HARMONY ON GUITARS) ♪
Can you turn it around?
-Like how-- how ought-- -So it's like...
♪ (PLAYS NOTES) ♪
No, so it's...
♪ (PLAYS NOTES) ♪
-Going, da... You know? -Oh, I see.
♪ (CONTINUE PLAYING GUITAR HARMONY) ♪
(INDISTINCT CHATTER)
Yeah, I like it, I like it, I like it. You got it?
♪ (BAND PLAYING "NESRIN WALKING BACKWARDS") ♪
I have my own TV show. I'm a disaster.
-One, two, three, and four. -♪ (MUSIC PLAYS QUIETLY OVER SPEAKER) ♪
-One, two, three, and four. -♪ (PLAYS REPEATING NOTES) ♪
-One, two, and three, and four. -One, two, and three, and four.
-One, two... -♪ (PLAYS PIANO CHORD) ♪
-One, two, and three, and four. -One, two, and three, and four.
♪ (BAND PLAYING "PAINTING WITH JOHN NEW OPENING") ♪
-STEVEN: Bring the horn? -Yeah.
STEVEN: Let's get the baritone. One, two, three, and four.
♪ (TROMBONES PLAY) ♪
-(JOHN GROANS) -♪ (MUSIC FADES) ♪
It makes me want... It makes me wanna die.
Let's just do it like... ♪ (HUMS NOTES) ♪
That's it. ♪ (HUMS NOTES) ♪
-♪ (HUMS) ♪ -♪ (BAND PLAYS NOTES) ♪
And probably not even in tempo, right? Just like--
JOHN: No, not in tempo. That's a good--
Is there anything salvageable from the end of it?
-Uh... -JOHN: Was all that...
Who wrote that? I didn't write that.
-You've obviously misunderstood me. -(LAUGHS)
♪ (MUSIC CONTINUES) ♪
JOHN: (SINGING) ♪ Bah-dee ♪
♪ Bah ♪
ALL: ♪ Bah-dee... ♪
♪ (MUSIC FADES) ♪
-Yeah. And then the last two beats... -Last two beats, yeah.
And you can-- You don't have to stop it suddenly.
KENNY WOLLESEN: Do you want me to play it
just chord notes or something? Or you just want sound?
-I want you to make a lot of noise. I don't know. -STEVEN: Racket. Racket.
-Just a whole, like, random... -STEVEN: Racket. Racket.
JOHN: You can actually play a rhythm?
I thought you just hit it and it just goes...
(IMITATES CYMBAL) Like that.
I mean, you can if you want, but whatever.
JOHN: Let me know what it does then.
But maybe I don't wanna hear what it does.
-So... (HUMS) -You want it to be loud, right?
JOHN: Again, not throwing it out of here.
(LAUGHS)
STEVEN: Marc, play the tape from the beginning and just--
JOHN: No, no, no. It can play right from here.
-We just got another part. -(INSTRUMENT RATTLES)
(INDISTINCT CHATTER)
STEVEN: Play it right from what we did last time.
♪ (BAND PLAYS "JOHN GUN WALK") ♪
(THUNDER SHEET CRASHES)
♪ (MUSIC FADES) ♪
Did you see that? It's this kind.
-(INDISTINCT CHATTER) -(INSTRUMENT RATTLES)
Oh, my God. These are so cool!
(RATTLES)
And look, they all make different sounds.
(RATTLES)
Hey. Look, they all make different sounds.
(RATTLING)
(HIGHER PITCHED RATTLING)
Wow.
So cool.
-Oh. -(BEADS CLATTER)
♪ (MELLOW GUITAR MUSIC PLAYING) ♪
♪ (MUSIC FADES) ♪
♪ (PLAYS UPBEAT MELODY) ♪
♪ (HOLDS FINAL NOTE) ♪
ART BARON: Yeah.
-Yep. -ART: That's it, man.
Cool. Good. You're very good. You're very professional.
-ART: Thank you. -JOHN: You play with Buddy Rich?
I did for two-- three weeks.
JOHN: Did he ever yell at you?
-All the time. -(ALL LAUGH)
♪ (GUITAR NOTES PLAYING OVER SPEAKER) ♪
Help me out, fellas.
♪ (BOTH HUMMING MELODY) ♪
No. ♪ (HUMS MELODY) ♪
♪ (BOTH HUMMING MELODY) ♪
-Oh, yeah. -STEVEN: You're welcome.
♪ (BAND PLAYS "GB-14") ♪
♪ (SAXOPHONE PLAYING) ♪
♪ (MUSIC CONCLUDES) ♪
♪ (BAND PLAYING "DETECTIVE ERIK MUSPATERRE") ♪
-Are you gonna remember? -CALVIN: Yeah, I'll remember it.
-You're recording it? -CALVIN: Yeah.
This is great. That, that. Do-- That, that! Go ahead.
♪ (CALVIN RESUMES PLAYING ON DRUMS) ♪
♪ (HORN SECTION PLAYING ALONE) ♪
♪ (MUSIC CONCLUDES) ♪
I mean that, it sounds... How it was written, it was like
-two separate fighting things. -CALVIN: Right.
But this is now sounding like they're your backup horns,
which is not bad. But--
DOUG WIESELMAN: Michael was doing...
-With Bernstein? -STEVEN: I think I just did...
-Slide goes with you, too? -Can't remember.
JOHN: No, no, no. At the end of this one, you go...
You're supposed to... ♪ (HUMS) ♪
And you kept putting it in there?
-It's not in there. -JOHN: No, it's not in there.
But that's-- So now you've left holes.
-(CHUCKLES) -Doug wrote this one.
JOHN: No, no, no, but we're...
We could give them more notes is what I'm saying.
-DOUG: Let's just-- -Hey, what's your...
What's the first phrase when you come in?
♪ (BAND MEMBERS HUM MELODY) ♪
Well, why don't they play your fucking phrase, too?
Why don't they play... ♪ (HUMS MELODY) ♪
♪ (REPEATS MELODY) ♪
-STEVEN: So, the same thing-- -JOHN: Yeah, they play
at least for the first-- at least for that first bit.
-Sorry. -No, it's okay. So...
This is jitterbug fascist. And that's what's happened here.
And now you just left the notes out, right?
No, no. We-- This is what we came up with.
(LAUGHS)
♪ (BAND PLAYING "DETECTIVE ERIK MUSPATERRE") ♪
♪ (MUSIC FADES) ♪
(INDISTINCT CHATTER)
John Lurie's favorite instrument.
It's a slide trumpet.
He dedicated a painting to it.
Slide trumpet. Bad.
That's what it says on the painting.
"It's a slide trumpet, bad."
"This is a slide trumpet. This is bad."
(LAUGHS)
♪ ("JOHN AND CALVIN WAH WAH" PLAYING) ♪
♪ (MUSIC FADES) ♪
♪ ("THE EMPEROR OF CAMELDOM" PLAYING QUIETLY OVER SPEAKER) ♪
Just one part.
-JOHN: No, it's two parts. -I made it with this part.
♪ (PLAYS NOTES) ♪
JOHN: That's the bass.
Yeah, but don't let it ring like that. Just...
♪ (PLUCKS SHORT NOTES) ♪
JOHN: Yeah. Well, that's too much.
-♪ (PLAYS MELODY) ♪ -STEVEN: Okay.
STEVEN: And the low-- The high, is it this one?
DOUG: Yeah, so it's kinda quiet.
♪ (ALL PLAYING "THE EMPEROR OF CAMELDOM") ♪
Slow it down a bit, Doug.
-Do we have a tempo yet on this? -STEVEN: Yes.
-What's the tempo? -STEVEN: Ninety.
-Plain 90? -It's a... Yeah.
♪ (BAND PLAYS "THE EMPEROR OF CAMELDOM") ♪
♪ (MUSIC CONTINUES) ♪
♪ (MUSIC CONCLUDES) ♪
-(PHONE RINGING) -Ay, yi, yi.
-It's amazing how... -(PHONE RINGING)
...the phone doesn't ring all day
and then as soon as you start to work on music,
then it rings.
-(PHONE RINGING) -Hello.
It's Sunday night at 11 o'clock.
Who is-- Yes, yes, this is John Lurie.
Who is this?
(CHUCKLES) Oh. So, I won a free cruise?
For me and my wife?
What-- Would it be-- How about if it's wives, plural?
Yes, because I may have more than one.
No, seriously, I had-- This amazing thing happened.
I was feeling really somewhat optimistic,
but also depressed and lonely at the same time.
Do you ever feel like that?
And I got this email with a photograph
from this Russian woman, who was just beautiful,
and she wrote the sweetest email
and she was looking to meet a man like me.
So I responded.
And she wrote back this lovely email
with more photographs and I was quite taken.
And then I felt bad. There's all these other
lonely Russian women that I didn't write to.
I only wrote to her. So I thought I should write
to all of them, just to be nice.
♪ (BAND PLAYING "FLEA'S NIGHTMARE") ♪
JOHN: (CHUCKLES) I know. I know.
But it could be wonderful. I mean, if they get along.
♪ (MUSIC FADES) ♪
So, the cruise might be a nice thing.
Yeah, but-- No, I'm not worried about money 'cause...
I mean, my luck has been really good
on the internet lately where I...
This Nigerian prince...
♪ (BAND PLAYING "THE SNAKE THAT PROTECTS TEETH") ♪
♪ (MUSIC CONCLUDES) ♪
And then we'll be all set
And we're all gonna go on your cruise
if you're okay with, like, if I have 34 wives.
Yeah, yes. What's your name again?
Rodney, yeah.
Could you give me your home number?
Well, why not? I have-- You have my home number.
Well, I don't know. It feels weird.
All right. Well, call me back at this number.
But not too early. I get up late.
Thanks, Rodney.
I hope-- I hope your luck goes like mine has gone lately.
I love you, too. Goodbye.
♪ ("THE FIRST AND ROYAL QUEEN" BY THE LOUNGE LIZARDS PLAYING) ♪
♪ (MUSIC CONCLUDES) ♪