Almost Famous
Writers: Cameron Crowe
Genres: Comedy, Drama, Romance
UNTITLED Cameron Crowe December, 1998 UNTITLED 1 FADE IN 1 A close-shot of a yellow legal tablet. A young hand comes into frame, holding a pencil. For a few moments, we hear only the soft scratching of pencil on paper, as credits are written in a series of dissolves. The hand carefully erases and corrects an error or two along the way. And then the sound of an old friend... the warm crackle of a vinyl record... as we now hear Alvin and the Chipmunks' "Christmas Song." 2 EXT. PACIFIC OCEAN -- DAY 2 A lone palm tree rises up into a yellow afternoon sky. Behind it, the sparkling blue of the Pacific Ocean and the city of San Diego. A dry, hot Southern California day. Even the wind is lazy, and a little bored. 3 EXT. NEIGHBORHOOD SHOPPING CENTER - DAY 3 Santa Claus wears shorts and sandals, ringing a bell as he collects for the Salvation Army. This is Christmas in the Southland. No snow, no winter wonderland. Just a pleasantly thick heat and an unchanging season, as music continues. Turning the corner, walking into frame is ELAINE MILLER, 35. She is a tall woman, consumed by the fevered conversation she's Having with her pale young son WILLIAM, late pre-teens. They stand apart from the other shoppers. All around them is the highly-charged salesmanship of the season... silver glittering fake Christmas trees. She hurries her son through the commercial juggernaut, continuing their lively intellectual conversation, when something stops her. A Workman is affixing letters to a store-front. He has already placed the MERRY... now he's finishing the XMAS. Elaine is strong, but always pleasant, always clear about her purpose in this life. ELAINE Excuse me, I'm a teacher. There is no word in The English Language -- "Xmas." It's either Merry Christmas... or Happy Holidays. The Workman nods thanks, with faux appreciation, as Mom turns away. The Workman shares a look with William, who shrugs - that's my Mom. TITLE: 1969 4 EXT. MINI-TRACT CONDO COMPLEX -- DAY 4 This is the new professional-class. It's a mini-condo community. Rows of Spanish-styled three-bedroom houses with common walls. Move in on one of these homes, the one without Christmas lights. At the door is a furtive 15 year-old Girl. She checks her cheek, straightens her hair. She hides something under her coat, and gathers the proper nonchalance to enter. Music fades. 5 INT. KITCHEN -- DAY 5 We now hear the dialogue between this lively Mother and her son, as she cooks a pan full of soy-based health-food cutlets. The meal simmers unappetizingly in the pan. Across the kitchen we see William. He's a great listener, with a calm and curious face that takes everything in. WILLIAM - so Livia - ELAINE -- killed everyone off so her son Tiberius could inherit the throne. (thoughtful pause) Just like Nixon. William nods, intrigued. He has a good disposition. The world of knowledge engages him, and he loves what it brings out in his Mom. There is a small clatter at the front door, as the girl we've just seen enters, barely brushing some chimes. She silently curses herself. ELAINE (cont'd) Anita, is that you? ANITA'S VOICE Hey Mom! I already ate. Mom moves to the living room to greet William's sister. William peers into the next room. 6 INT. LIVING ROOM -- DAY 6 She's almost to her bedroom down the hall when mom catches her. We now discover ANITA, 16, up-close. She is an alluring young Natalie Wood, with a suspicious and sunny smile. ELAINE You sure? I'm making soy cutlets. The words "soy cutlets" sends a small shiver through the girl. ANITA I'm fine. Already ate. William stands in the doorway now, watching, monitoring, as Mom moves closer to his sister. She sees something curious about her daughter. ELAINE Wait. You've been kissing. ANITA (too quickly) No I haven't. ELAINE (peering at her lips) Yes... yes, you have... ANITA No I haven't. ELAINE Yes you have. I can tell. ANITA (boldly) You can't tell. Mom steps closer and examines the lips even more carefully. To her, everything is a quest for knowledge. ELAINE Not only can I tell, I know who it is. It's Darryl. Anita is stunned silent. She turns slightly to look at herself in a hall mirror, searching for clues, implicating herself immediately. ELAINE (cont'd) And what have you got under your coat? This is the booty Anita didn't want to give up. Mom picks at the corner of an album cover now visible under her jacket. She withdraws the album. It's Simon and Garfunkel's Bookends. ANITA (busted) It's unfair that we can't listen to our music! ELAINE (weary of the issue) Honey, it's all about drugs and promiscuous sex. ANITA Simon and Garfunkel is poetry! ELAINE Yes it's poetry. It's the poetry of drugs and promiscuous sex. Look at the picture on the cover... CLOSE ON BOOKENDS ALBUM COVER Mom's fingers at the edges. We examine the insolent faces on Richard Avedon's classic album cover. Even Simon and Garfunkle look guilty under her scholarly inspection. ELAINE (cont'd) ... honey, they're on pot. ANITA First it was butter, then sugar and white flour. (beat) Bacon. Eggs, bologna, rock and roll, motorcycles. Nearby, William squirms as he watches the gently escalating conversation. Anita glances at her brother. He silently urges her to downshift. She can't. ANITA (cont'd) Then it was celebrating Christmas on a day in September When you knew it wouldn't be "commercialized." ELAINE That was an experiment. But I understand - ANITA What else are you going to ban? ELAINE Honey, you want to rebel against knowledge. ELAINE (cont'd) I'm trying to give you the Cliff's Notes on how to live in this world. ANITA (simple and direct) We're like nobody else I know. These are the words that sting Mom most. ELAINE I'm a teacher. Why can't I teach my own kids? (pats chest) Use me. ANITA Darryl says you use knowledge to keep me down. He says I'm a "yes" person and you're trying to raise us in a "no" environment! ELAINE (immediately, can't help it) Well, clearly, "no" is a word Darryl doesn't hear much. Anita gasps. Ever the peacemaker, William weighs in. Nearby is a poster - "No More War." WILLIAM Mom -- ELAINE Everything I say is wrong. ANITA I can't live here! I hate you! Even William hates you! WILLIAM I don't hate her. ANITA (to William) You don't even know the truth! William looks vaguely confused. ELAINE Sweetheart, don't be a drama queen. Anita takes a breath and then out of her mouth comes the strangled-sounding words of a kid swearing at her parent for the first time. ANITA Feck you! All of you! ELAINE Hey! Anita runs down the hall to her room. Elaine turns to William, relating to him more as a fellow parent than a child. ELAINE (cont'd) Well, there it is. Your sister using the "f" word. WILLIAM I think she said "feck." ELAINE (sputtering) What's the difference? WILLIAM (encouraging) Well. The letter "u"... Shot moves in on the kid, as we hear the opening strains of The Moody Blues' "Nights in White Satin." 7 INT. SCHOOL DANCE/GYMNASIUM BATHROOM -- NIGHT 7 Music continues. Shot moves along a row of very mature-looking male teenagers, examining themselves in the bathroom mirror. There's the kid with a very mature-looking moustache, the kid proudly sporting full-blown hormonal acne (he slaps on some Hai Karate), the guy to whom puberty has already delivered the face of an adult, complete with long jutting sideburns... and then a blank space at the mirror, as the shot moves down, down, down to find William. He is so much younger, without a zit in sight. Puberty is so very distant on his horizon. 8 INT. DANCE -- NIGHT -- UNDER-CRANKED 8 Song continues as we see William's perspective of these much- older looking kids. Girls now are visible, and they are even more mature than the boys we've just seen. They flirt and glow, arms trailing across the shoulders of the boys. Whispering in each other's ears, none of them looking down. It's a troubling experience, to be this close to the alluring world of older teenagers... and to be so invisible to them. VOICE (O.S.) Are you really in our grade? 9 INT. JUNIOR HIGH LOCKER ROOM -- DAY 9 VOICE (louder) Are you really in our grade? William turns to see tall, adenoidal TIM TOBIN. The most mature looking kid we've seen yet, he challenges William in a loud theatrical tone. It is a voice right out of Guys and Dolls, which incidentally is the school play in which Tobin had just starred. William answers in a respectful voice. He is desperate for acceptance. WILLIAM Yeah. TOBIN Hey guys! Check it out! William doesn't have any pubes! Others now begin to gather around, examining William. He has never been more naked. GUY # 1 How old are you man? TOBIN He's not a man, he's a little baby kid. He Doesn't even get zits yet. GUY # 2 How come you don't have any hair down there? TOBIN (in loud, funny voice) Where are your pubes???!! Their voices echo off the tiled walls. Now everyone is watching the hairless William. He is confused by their meanness. GUY # 2 Yeah. Where are your pubes? All eyes are on him, waiting for a response. The kid's mental wheels turn frantically. And from somewhere comes an attitude, a swagger, and somehow the perfect line arrives from what could only be a merciful deity. WILLIAM (cool, dismissive) I had 'em. I shaved 'em off. It is a new persona for the kid -- the witty guy. And it works. Guy #2 cracks up, then others. William's new accuser is suddenly surrounded by the impressed gales of laughter of these older boys. Others turn away, on to other things. Tobin stares at William, and then also turns away. 10 INT. FAMILY CAR -- DAY 10 William jumps into the backseat of the white Ford Country Sedan station wagon, carrying books. ("See ya pubes!") Mom continues driving William and Anita home from school. ELAINE (cheerfully, by rote, to William in back) Put on your seatbelt. I don't want you flying through the windshield. Anita examines her own un-fastened seatbelt, which Mom hasn't noticed. WILLIAM We got our annuals today -- ELAINE (cheerful, automatic) "Received" your annual. WILLIAM (looking at his photo) I look so much younger than everyone else. ELAINE Enjoy it while you can. Camera drifts from Mom to Anita, who can take it no longer. ANITA Mom. It's time. ELAINE (pleasant, pointed) Can this wait until we get home? ANITA Mom, pull over. Tell him the truth. Tell him how old he is. Mom pulls over, and stares straight ahead with deep irritation. ELAINE (as in "be quiet") He knows how old he is. ANITA The other kids make fun of him because of How young he looks. Nobody includes him. They call him "The Narc" behind his back... WILLIAM They do? ELAINE What's a "Narc?" ANITA (bleeding for her brother) A Narcotics Officer! ELAINE Well what's wrong with that? WILLIAM (ever the peacemaker) Come on you guys. It's no big deal. I'm 12. It's okay. She skipped me a grade, it's okay. Big deal. I'm a year younger. They're 13, I'm 12 -- (beat) Aren't I? Their silence is eloquent. ELAINE (confessing, in a rush) I also put you in first grade when you were five and never told you. WILLIAM (trembling) So... I'm... how old? A heavy quiet. She and his sister ignore him, as they now debate the subject with each other. ANITA You lied to him! You make such a big deal about the truth and you lied! ELAINE (that one hurts) He never asked. ANITA What -- like he's going to ask if he's as old as he thinks he is? Don't you realize, this is going to scar him forever? ELAINE Honey... sweetheart... don't be Cleopatra. We have to be his mother and his Dad. ANITA You put too much pressure on him! WILLIAM (apprehensive) How... old... ANITA And when he rebels in some strange and odd way, don't blame me. WILLIAM ... am I? ELAINE (matter of fact) I skipped you an extra grade. You're eleven. WILLIAM (horrified, voice crackling) ELEVEN? He looks at his body, the information affects him physically. New sounds come from way down deep inside. Mom now begins speed-rapping, trying to stem the leak. She starts the car. ELAINE So you skipped fifth grade. There's too much padding In the grades. I taught elementary school. 5th grade - unnecessary. Nothing happens in the 5th grade. All Teachers know it, no one talks about it. WILLIAM (still in shock) E - leven. ELAINE And you skipped kindergarten because I taught it to you when you were four. WILLIAM (still horrified, looking at his body) This explains... so much... ANITA You've robbed him of an adolescence! ELAINE Adolescence is a marketing tool. ANITA He's got no "crowd"... no friends... WILLIAM Okay! Anita reaches out to her brother. With the compassion of a saint, she offers this: ANITA Honey, I know you were expecting puberty. You're just going to have to shine it on for a while. Deeply embarrassed, William shrinks down in the seat. Mom monitors his face constantly. She is raw and sincere... and yes, inspiring: ELAINE Who needs a "crowd?" You're unique. You're two years ahead of everybody. Take those extra years and do what you want. Go to Europe for a year! Take a look around, see what you like! Follow your dream! You'll still be the youngest lawyer in the country. Your own great grandfather practiced law until he was 93. Your dad was so proud of you. He knew you were a pronominally accelerated child. ANITA What about me? ELAINE (heartbroken, can't help herself) You're rebellious and ungrateful of my love. ANITA Well, somebody's gotta be normal around here! WILLIAM (blinking, still can't believe it) Eleven. 11 INT. WILLIAM'S BEDROOM -- DAY 11 William finishes the last of many candy bars. A mound of wrappers sit just below the mirror. He examines his face hopefully for zits. Nothing coming. We begin to hear Simon and Garfunkel's "America." 12 INT. LIVING ROOM - DAY 12 Anita stands in the living room. The song continues playing on the stereo. ANITA I want to play you a song that explains why I'm leaving, and try to listen. ELAINE We can't talk? We have to listen to rock music? 13 EXT. FRONT LAWN -- DAY 13 William watches sadly. Anita's good-looking boyfriend DARRYL, a dead ringer for young Stephen Stills, loads her suitcases into a large turqouise Chevy. The suitcases are adorned with plastic stick-on flowers. All coolness is leaving William's life. Mom watches nearby, worried and helpless. (Their house is more austere, less "fun" than the other front lawns.) WILLIAM Take good care of her in San Francisco, man. Darryl gives the kid a sub-human look. He's invisible, too young to converse with. ELAINE How can she leave such a loving family? Anita turns and heads towards them. She focuses on William, placing her hands on his young shoulders. Her face is very close to him now, as she delivers this sage prediction of the future. ANITA One day you'll be cool. He nods stoically, hopefully. He is utterly lost. She leans forward and whispers in his ear. ANITA (cont'd) Look under your bed. It'll set you free. Anita shakes hands with Mom, and exits. As the car takes off: ELAINE She'll be back. In the distance we hear the whoop of her daughter. ANITA YEAHHHHH-HOOOOOOOO. ELAINE Maybe not soon... William watches wistfully. He moves away from his mother. She pulls him closer. Shot moves in on his slightly fearful face. 14 INT. DARRYL'S CAR - DAY 14 Anita looks back at the receding American Gothic-image of her mother and brother. Sister waves to brother. She feels for him. Music now shifts to The Who's "Sparks." 15 INT. BEDROOOM -- NIGHT 15 William locks the door. He reaches under his bed. It's a black leatherette travel bag, with tartan design. He unzips the bag -- it's filled with albums. He flips through the amazing, subversive cache of music. Cream's Wheels of Fire... the seminal Bob Dylan bootleg Great White Wonder... the Rolling Stones' Get Yer Ya Ya's Out... The Beach Boys' Pet Sounds... Abraxas by Santana... Jethro Tull's Stand Up... The Mother's of Invention's We're Only In It For The Money... Led Zeppelin... Crosby, Stills and Nash... Miles Davis' Bitches Brew... and The Who's Tommy... with a note taped to it. ANITA (V.O.) "Listen to Tommy with a candle burning and you will see your entire future..." The heady effect of all these albums registers, as we see him lighting a candle. TITLE: 1973 DETAIL SHOT OF NOTEBOOK A blue school notebook, with ballpoint pen renderings of the names of groups like the Who and Led Zeppelin, complete with carefully drawn thunderbolts. Also, the name LESTER BANGS. 16 INT. JOURNALISM CLASS -- DAY 16 William, now 15, sits in class with book, Adventures in Journalism. His hair is shoulder-length. A dedicated teacher, PATRICIA DEEGAN, walks the aisles. Music continues. 17 EXT. FOOD MACHINES - DAY 17 William presses the food machine button, pulls an orange from a vending container. He still looks younger than most of the students... and these days, especially the girls. 18 EXT. LUNCH COURT -- DAY 18 William sits apart from all the others, under a tree. He reads intently, happily, as he eats the orange. It's a copy of Creem Magazine. Music continues. CLOSE ON PHOTOS IN MAGAZINE Camera moves across the photos, catching the expressions and fashions of the rock heroes of the day. Ian Anderson of Jethro Tull, eyes wide and hair flying as he plays flute. Neil Young, enigmatic with perfectly patched Levis. The Southern Rock Royalty of The Allman Brothers Band, posing and laughing in front of massive stacks of amps. Marc Bolan of T. Rex, his ringlet-hair backlit by stage lights. David Bowie in skin-tight Japanese one- piece attire, onstage with The Spiders From Mars. Pete Townsend of the Who, slashing windmill-style at his guitar. Drift down to a by-line - by Lester Bangs. 19 EXT. PARKING LOT - DAY 19 William walks through the parking lot after school. Everybody now congregates around the new arrival of their lives - their own cars. Arms suddenly clap William on the back, friendly faces smile strangely, laughing. He takes a few steps and looks up to see... a school official is hurriedly removing something from the high-school marquee. HIGH-SCHOOL MARQUEE which reads: WILLIAM MILLER IS TOO YOUNG TO DRIVE (OR FUCK) All are laughing. He laughs with them, and turns as his face goes slack. He shrugs, marches on. 20 EXT. DOWNTOWN SAN DIEGO RADIO STATION -- DAY 20 The song we've been listening to is ripped off the turntable by a highly-active man in a red promotional t-shirt proclaiming the greatness of The Guess Who. He is a ferocious, lumbering, music- driven presence, and he fills this small radio studio to the very brim. This is LESTER BANGS, 25, the rarely-seen God of a then new art-form -- Rock Journalism. A Disc-jockey with long- long hair watches helplessly. William views all this through a glass window. He stands on the corner of a downtown side street, halfway up a steep incline. He is the only person on the streets this early Saturday morning. Reveal that he is watching a live radio show, audible to us through the small p.a. speaker overhead. DISC-JOCKEY Quite an honor to have the World's Greatest Rock Critic... and editor of Creem Magazine, back Home in San Diego for a few days -- Lester Bangs. LESTER BANGS What is this hippie station?! Where's Iggy Pop? Don't you have a copy of Raw Power?! DISC-JOCKEY Lester, isn't it a little early for this? Bangs searches for the album -- vinyl flying everywhere now, with no regard for album jackets. BANGS Found it!! 21 EXT. RADIO STATION -- DAY 21 William watches intently. Bangs thuds the needle onto a copy of Raw Power. We're rewarded with a blast of Iggy and the Stooges' "Search and Destroy." A closer shot on William now watching the whirlwind of anarchy inside. Lester does an Iggy Pop impression, acting out a story for the d.j. that we cannot hear, never noticing the kid soaking in everything from the other side of this double-glass window. 22 EXT. RADIO STATION -- DAY -- LATER 22 Bangs walks with William on this sharply inclined San Diego street. It's early, the streets are silent. Bangs is about fifteen beer pounds overweight. His jeans are loose, his paleness and messy moustache an emblem of the long days and nights spent writing. In there somewhere is a good-looking guy. His hands are thrust deeply into his pockets, and he takes big sweeping steps. BANGS So you're the one who's been sending me those articles from your school newspaper - WILLIAM I've been doing some stuff for a local underground paper, too. BANGS What are you like the star of your school? WILLIAM They hate me. BANGS You'll meet them all again on their long journey to the middle. The kid nods, they walk. BANGS (cont'd) Well, your writing is damn good. It's just a shame you missed out on rock and roll. WILLIAM I did? BANGS Oh yeah. It's over. WILLIAM Over? BANGS Over. You got here just in time for the death rattle, the last gasp, the last grope. WILLIAM Well. At least I'm here for that. Bangs looks at the much smaller kid, shaking his head. It's too late for newcomers. But if the kid's age is an issue, he doesn't mention it. Like a machine-gun: BANGS What do you type on? WILLIAM Smith-Corona Galaxis Deluxe. BANGS You like the new Lou Reed? WILLIAM (automatic) The early stuff. The new stuff, he's trying to be Bowie, he should be himself. I'm not a big Lou man. BANGS Yeah, but if Bowie's doing Lou, and Lou's Doing Bowie, Lou's still doing Lou. WILLIAM (standing his ground) If you like Lou. BANGS Take drugs? WILLIAM No. BANGS Smart kid. I used to do speed and sometimes Nyquil and stay up all night writing and writing, like 25 pages of dribble about, you know, the Guess Who, or Coltrane, just to write, you know, with the music blasting... WILLIAM Me too. The writing part... For a moment, the serious demeanor dissolves and the oddest thing happens. Bangs laughs. It's an odd and charming laugh, the kind a tough guy keeps well-hidden. It surprised the kid, who smiles back. Bangs stops at the corner, and offers a pleasant but very final nod of the head. BANGS Well, alright. It's been nice to meet you. I'll see you around. Keep sending me your stuff. WILLIAM Okay. See you. BANGS I can't stand here all day talking to my many fans. WIDE SHOT - SOLITUDE But neither have anywhere to go on this early downtown morning. They stand for a beat, hands in pockets, on this deserted street. They are alone together, there's nobody else in sight. 23 INT. DINER -- DAY 23 William listens intently as Lester eat a sandwich. His face is an open book filling with words. BANGS -- so anyway, you're from San Diego and that's good. Because once you go to L.A., you're gonna have friends like crazy but they'll be fake friends, they're gonna try to corrupt you. The publicists! The bands! You got an honest face, they're gonna tell you everything. But you CANNOT make friends with the rock stars. The kid takes out a green collegiate notebook and gestures -- can I make a note? Bangs nods. BANGS (cont'd) Cannot make friends with the rock stars. (savage bite) That's what's important. If you're a rock journalist, a true journalist -- first you will never get paid much. But you will get free records from the record company. The kid's eyes widen. Bangs, in direct conflict with his brutal writing style, is looking suspiciously like a compassionate softie. BANGS (cont'd) And they'll buy you drinks, you'll meet girls... they'll try to fly you places for free.... offer you drugs... I know. It sounds great. But they are not your friends. These are people who want you to write sanctimonious stories about the genius of the rock stars and they will ruin rock and roll and strangle everything we love about it. Privately, William thrills. We. Our. It all sounds great to him. He listens to the grouping of the words, every one of them. He madly scribbles. BANGS (cont'd) They are trying to buy respectability for a form that is gloriously and righteously - The kid leans forward as Lester finds the right word. BANGS (cont'd) - dumb! And you're smart enough to know that. And the day it ceases to be dumb is the day it ceases to be real. Right? And then it will just Become an Industry of Cool. WILLIAM ... Industry... of... cool... BANGS And that's what they want! And it's happening right now. I'm telling you, you're coming along at a very dangerous time for rock and roll. The war is over. They won. 99% of what passes for rock now... SILENCE is much more compelling. It's over. I think you should turn around and go back and be... a lawyer or something... but I can see from your face that you won't. I can pay you thirty-five bucks. Gimme a thousand words on Black Sabbath. WILLIAM (attempting cool) An assignment. LESTER Yeah. And you should build your reputation on being honest... and unmerciful. WILLIAM (writing in notebook) Honest... unmerciful... BANGS And if you get into a jam -- call me. I stay up late. Bangs reaches across the table, and William watches as he scribbles his number on the back of the kid's green collegiate notebook. The notebook has just become valuable. They sit together, listening to the beautiful and compelling silence. 24 INT. FAMILY CAR -- NIGHT 24 Mom drives William to the San Diego Sports Arena. She looks out the window at the adrenalized concert-goers. She feels protective not just of her son, but an entire generation. William goes over his questions for Black Sabbath. ELAINE Look at this. An entire generation of Cinderellas and there's no slipper coming. William looks out the window at the sign: TONIGHT - SOLD OUT - BLACK SABBATH with special guest Stillwater. WILLIAM You can drop me off here. ELAINE Black. Sabbath. Just remember - you wanted to be Atticus Finch in To Kill a Mockingbird. The kid doesn't answer. He silently goes over his questions. ELAINE (cont'd) As long as I know this is just a hobby, I'll go along with it. WILLIAM All I have to do is listen. That's what Lester Bangs said. ELAINE (dryly) I'll be waiting right here at eleven 'o clock sharp. If you get lost, use the family whistle. He unhooks his seatbelt, stuffs his questions into an orange canvas shoulder-bag and exits. Elaine watches her son disappearing into the stony rock-concert crowd. It's a windy night. Everything about this image troubles her. She fights with herself, and then uses the family whistle immediately. He turns. ELAINE (cont'd) (sweetly, too loud) Don't take drugs!! Fifteen concert-goers turn around instinctively, at the sound of a Mother, and then identify William as the object of her concern. All around him, we hear: HAPPY CONCERT GOERS Don't take drugs!! He winces, nods and moves forward. Music echoes from the open windows of many other cars. 25 EXT. SAN DIEGO SPORTS ARENA BACKSTAGE RAMP -- NIGHT 25 The kid tromps down the steep incline leading to a small steel backstage arena door. He rings the buzzer. The door wheezes open to reveal the keeper of the San Diego Sports Arena's backstage list. Famous to all those who attempt to enter, this is SCOTTY. He is a wiry, humorless man for whom powerlessness is the theme of his life -- except for those few hours he controls the list. Scotty is only forty but everything about him screams that he's an angry sixty. WILLIAM Hi. I'm William Miller and I'm here from Creem Magazine to interview the band Black Sabbath. Scotty, immediately suspicious, moves to a nearby podium and snaps through three clipboard pages. He moves back to the door and grabs the handle. SCOTTY Not on the list. He shuts the door with finality. The kid stands silently for a moment. He looks over his shoulder, at two chattering Groupies watching his dilemma from the top of the ramp. They look at him sympathetically, but he turns away. William rings the buzzer again, withdrawing a copy of Creem from his bag. The door opens. WILLIAM Sir, I'm a journalist, and here's a copy of the magazine. The magazine hangs in mid-air. SCOTTY You're not on the list. Go to the top of the ramp with the girls! Slam. William stands there for a moment. Unsure of what to do next, he looks back to the top of the ramp. Rejected by him just moments earlier, the groupies now feign disinterest. Bracing himself, William rings again. The door opens slowly this time. Scotty stands peering at him. WILLIAM (in a rush) What-happens-after-I-go-to-the-top-of- the-ramp with-the-gi - Slam. Lock. 26 EXT. TOP OF SPORTS ARENA RAMP -- NIGHT 26 William inches into the realm of the girls at the top of the ramp. The wind whips. It's just him, and two Groupies in their evening best. They now pretend to barely notice the young journalist who has been banished to stand with them. Chattering excitedly, with sophistication far beyond her 17 years, is ESTRELLA. She sports long unruly black hair. Her partner hangs in the shadows, adjusting shoes. Estrella turns to the kid with great disinterest. ESTRELLA Who are you with? WILLIAM (embarrassed to be alive) Me? I'm with myself. ESTRELLA No, who are you with? What band? WILLIAM I'm here to interview Black Sabbath. (beat) I'm a journalist. I'm not a... you know... Estrella stares at him. Moving into the parking lot light, introducing herself, is a luminous girl in a green faux-fur trimmed coat. This is PENNY LANE. There is an inviting warmth and real interest in the way she asks: PENNY LANE ... you're not a what? WILLIAM (enthralled) Oh... I'm just... not a... you know. PENNY LANE Not a "what"? WILLIAM (charmed) You know. A "groupie." The two girls are deeply insulted by the word. ESTRELLA Ohhh! WILLIAM Sorry, I - PENNY LANE We. Are not. "Groupies." Estrella indicates Penny with great reverence. ESTRELLA This is Penny Lane, man. Show some respect. WILLIAM -- sorry. Penny steps closer, focusing completely on the kid. Behind her, concert-goers throw a few woo-woos their way. She seems not to hear them. PENNY LANE "Groupies" sleep with rock stars because they want to be near someone famous. We are here because of the music. We are Band Aids. ESTRELLA She used to run a school for Band Aids. PENNY LANE We don't have intercourse with these guys. We support the music. We inspire the music. We are here because of the music. William is nodding like a doll in a dashboard window. Listening. ESTRELLA Marc Bolan broke her heart, man. It's famous. PENNY LANE It's a long story. I'm retired now. I'm just visiting friends. ESTRELLA She was the one who changed everything. She said "no more sex, no more exploiting our bodies and hearts... " WILLIAM Right. Right. ESTRELLA "... just blow-jobs, and that's it." WILLIAM Okay. Well, see, now I get the difference. Shot drifts off him and picks up, out of the darkness, another breathless girl teetering on tall shoes. She is in the vicinity of 16. Her black hair is cropped short and died red, just like the cover of Bowie's Aladdin Sane. She is POLEXIA, the voluptuous one, from Riverside. POLEXIA (the usual greeting) It's all happening. It's all happening. ESTRELLA Polexia!! Did you tell Sabbath we were going to be here? POLEXIA I talked to Dick with Stillwater, I talked with Sabbath. They're all dying to see us. It's all happening. PENNY LANE This is our journalist friend. Journalist Friend, meet Estrella Starr, and Polexia Aphrodisia. And you are -- WILLIAM William. Silent beat. His name lands like a thud. POLEXIA Here comes Sabbath! ESTRELLA Ozzy!!! Tony!!! It's us!! A long black limo with darkened windows swishes past, beeps twice. The metal backstage gate rises and the limo rolls inside. And then silence again. The girls do not discuss being rebuffed. ESTRELLA (cont'd) I think I saw Sapphire in there. POLEXIA (can't hold it in any longer) Okay. I was with Ian Hunter all night at Rodney's Last night. Wanna see his spoo? I saved it in a baggie. She opens her purse and shows the girls something inside. William edges away. ESTRELLA (peering into purse) I'm really happy he's doing so well. PENNY (regarding what's in purse) Yeah. I know he's such a talented guy. I mean, look at him. Who deserves it more? POLEXIA (looking in purse) Nobody -- he's so sweet. ESTRELLA (with compassion) Don't you just root for him, you know. To go that little distance between good and great? PENNY Wait. That's not his. I would know his. A very odd look on his face, William now cranes for a discreet look. What's in that purse? BAM -- THE BACKSTAGE DOOR OPENS Out steps SAPPHIRE, 19, a tall girl with taller platforms. Heavy eye-makeup. Her accent is Texan, with odd traces of English. In one hand is a half-drained bottle of champagne. In the other, a fistful of backstage passes. SAPPHIRE Does anybody remember laugh-tah? (as they turn) Come and GET 'EM! The girls scream and happily head down the ramp to Sapphire. Penny looks back and grabs William with a well-placed arm hooked around his. He joins the clacking sea of legs moving down the ramp. Sapphire slaps passes on the girls. As Scotty (The Keeper of the Backstage List) watches, Penny now slips William forward for a pass. SCOTTY Oh no. Not this one -- SAPPHIRE (off William) Who brought Opie? The kid looks over his shoulder. Who's Opie? PENNY He's with us. SCOTTY (hand blocking William) He wasn't with you. SAPPHIRE (to Scotty) Are you going to turn this into a Thing? SCOTTY All of you can wait outside! Top of the ramp! WILLIAM I don't want to cause a Thing. I'll wait. PENNY (privately, to William) I'll go take care of this. Sadly, they leave him behind. The thundering arena sound of the collecting crowd, the p.a. system blasting Yes' "Roundabout"... purposeful roadies carrying guitar cases... the glimpse of backstage rock and roll... everything he wants to be a part of is on the other side of this door. And then it shuts. He stands alone. At the top of the ramp, a tour bus unloads. It reads -- STILLWATER TOUR 73. Moving loudly out of the bus is the opening band. This is Stillwater. Four road-weary band members, and their road manager. Voices booming. RUSSELL HAMMOND, 27, presses the buzzer with the nose of his guitar-case. It's obvious from moment one. This is the star of the band, the charismatic one. He's tired. They're late. William recognizes him instantly, as the guitarist stretches. The buzzer goes unanswered. The kid is invisible to him, as the others now arrive behind Russell. Tour/band manager DICK ROSWELL, 27, follows, loudly banging on the steel door. He has the flaxen-haired look of a former hippie, but he carries the emblem of a real pro -- the newest silver Halliburton briefcase covered with backstage passes. His direction is always - forward. DICK Let us in, we're Stillwater! We're on the show!! William is surrounded by them now. They stand together under the single lightbulb, familiar faces, a live-action album cover. JEFF BEBE the singer, his shiny black hair hanging in sheets around his head. ED VALLENCOURT the quiet drummer, his long arms hanging limply at his sides. His is a face made for the background. LARRY TURNER the compact bass-player. Dick now kicks at the door with his foot, as William produces a copy of Creem Magazine. WILLIAM (to Dick) Hi, I'm a journalist. I write for Creem Magazine. Once again, the magazine hangs there. He can't give it away. JEFF The enemy! A rock writer! WILLIAM (struggling forward) I'd like to interview you or someone from the band. DICK (busy, running behind) I'm sorry but could you please fuck off? William blinks a little, takes it in stride. Russell sizes him up, moving in the background. WILLIAM Okay. Okay. I could do that. JEFF You guys never listened to our records. You're all just frustrated musicians. Do you know what your magazine SAID about us? What was it - "the singer's incessant cater walling distracts From an assault with no clear purpose." LARRY (in background) That was Rolling Stone. RUSSELL Yeah. Okay. Fuck off anyway. We play for fans, not critics. Stung, William shrugs. It's been a terrible night, but at least thrillingly so. WILLIAM Russell. Jeff. Ed. Larry. (can't help it) I really love your band. I think the song "Fever Dog" is a big step forward for you guys. I think you guys producing it yourselves, instead of Glyn Johns, was the right thing to do. And the guitar sound was incendiary. (gestures with fist) Way to go. He turns and leaves, beginning his long trek back up the ramp. Russell looks at the others. That kind of love is hard to give up. RUSSELL (good humored, yelling) Well don't stop there. JEFF Yeah, come back here!! Keep going! They wave him back, as the backstage door opens again. The kid moves back down the ramp. They herd him in with them, through the door. Scotty quickly spots the kid and squares off. Russell notes the kid's swirling emotional state, shoves him forward. SCOTTY Not this one. RUSSELL He's with us. SCOTTY He's not with you. He's not with them. He's not on the list. He's not coming in. And this is my arena. And furthermore - Russel craves the confrontation and moves forward closer to Scotty. SCOTTY (cont'd) - have a good time tonight. Welcome to San Diego. 27 INT. BACKSTAGE HALLWAY -- NIGHT 27 The band moves quickly down the hallway, with William moving to keep up. A young and grizzled red-haired roadie, RED DOG, catches them on the way. The band swarms around him. RUSSELL Red Dog! RED DOG We're playing here tomorrow night. JEFF (aside, to the kid) This is Red Dog, the Allman Brothers Band's number one roadie. Russel clamps an arm around Red Dog's neck. RUSSELL How're the guys? RED DOG Havin a ball, man. When we have a party, we have an Allman Brothers Band party. Everybody boogies. Everybody gets off. It's family, man. We all got These now. (flashes new mushroom tattoo on forearm) We'll see you guys in Boston, right? (specifically to Russell) Dicky and Gregg send you their love. Camera catches flash of envy on the face of Jeff Bebe, as Stillwater sweeps forward into a small dressing room. 28 INT. DRESSING ROOM -- NIGHT 28 Dressing room activity swirls around him, as William simply listens. He holds a small microphone. His stoic look gives away little of the full body rush he's experiencing. As the other band members drift across frame, Russell Hammond, a true rock and roll believer, speaks as he straps on his guitar and gets ready for the show. To the kid, every word is reckless gem. RUSSELL ... and it's okay, because rock and roll is a LIFESTYLE... and a way of thinking and it's not about money and "popularity!" JEFF Some money would be nice. Jeff sprays some shaving cream into his palm, and rubs it into his scalp - poor man's mousse. RUSSELL - but it's a voice that says here I am... and FUCK YOU if you can't understand me. Russell smooths the strings of his guitar with a small cloth from his guitar case. The kid notices all these close-up details of rock. RUSSELL (cont'd) And one of those people is gonna save the world and that means that ROCK AND ROLL CAN SAVE THE WORLD -- all of us together. The kid's eyes dance. He checks to make sure he's getting the recording. He listens intently. JEFF And the chicks are great. RUSSELL But we didn't do it for that! We are here because we needed to fuckin be here, not just 'cause we needed to away from Troy, Michigan, WHICH WE DID... but what it all comes down to is that thing. The Indefinable Thing, when people catch something from your music, the thing you put into it. I'm talking about... what am I talking about? WILLIAM (elegantly) The buzz? RUSSELL THE BUZZ! And the chicks, the whatever, is an off-shoot of THE BUZZ. And like -- you saying you liked "Fever Dog?" That is the fucking buzz, man. All we get are these fucking old-ass interviewers who don't understand, don't LISTEN, don't appreciate why we are here, which is the fuckin' BUZZ. William nods, holds his microphone steady. Russell tunes his guitar, ripping through unamplified guitar licks as he speaks. Jeff hustles to reclaim his own connection to the interviewer. JEFF The next album will be even better. More texture. RUSSELL But... it's not what you put in, is it? It's what you leave out. Listen to... listen to Marvin Gaye... Russell's face grows rapturous as he discusses this piece of music. RUSSELL (cont'd) A song like "What's Going On." That single "woo" at the end of the second verse - you know that woo - that single "woo." WILLIAM (proudly) I know that, "woo." RUSSELL (he does it) That's what you remember. The silly things, the little things... there's only one, and it makes the song. It's what you leave out. That's rock and roll. William nods, says nothing, keeps the microphone pointed. Activity surrounds him. JEFF (impressed) We used to talk more about this stuff. RUSSELL Okay. See, this is maybe the most honest we've ever been in an interview because you know our music. You're the first press guy we've made friends with. We don't normally talk like this to them. And you're supposed to be The Enemy! What are you - 18? WILLIAM Yeah. RUSSELL There you go. Still young enough to be honest. DICK (walkie talkie crackling) Ten minutes 'till showtime, anyone who isn't in the band -- out! Russell takes a last swig of beer. A roadie whisks his guitar away. DICK (cont'd) All this luggage is going to L.A.! William is swept out in the chaos of the pre-show ritual, past the pile of luggage by the door. It's a colorful heap of suitcases, featuring colorful laminated band tags, each with a number. 29 INT. BACKSTAGE STEPS -- NIGHT -- MINUTES LATER 29 William sits on the backstage steps, writing feverishly in his notebook. Behind him, two steps higher, Penny Lane scoots into place. PENNY LANE I found you a pass. WILLIAM (amped, distracted) Thanks. I got in with Stillwater. (as he writes) The guitarist, Russel Hammond, he just thoroughly opened up. He is by far the best and most honest interview I've ever done. (she nods) I've only done two, but you know. He's number one. PENNY LANE You're learning. They're much more fun on the way up. William nods, still scribbling. She eases down into place on the step next to him. Her proximity cause him to look at her, his eyebrows rising. She smooths them down with two single fingers. PENNY LANE (cont'd) How old are you? WILLIAM Eighteen. PENNY LANE Me too. (beat) How old are we really? WILLIAM Seventeen. PENNY LANE Me too. WILLIAM Actually I'm 16. PENNY LANE Me too. Isn't it funny? The truth just sounds Different. WILLIAM (confesses) I'm 15. PENNY LANE You want to know how old I really am? WILLIAM (immediately) No. She looks upstairs, soaking in the sound of another band tuning up. Music is her religion. WILLIAM (cont'd) How did you get started in all this? PENNY LANE It's a long story. WILLIAM (quick study) Right. Right. PENNY LANE We live in the same city. We should be friends. She takes his backstage pass form his shirt and puts it on his thigh - the cooler location. Nearby, the dressing room door opens, and the Stillwater exits. Excitement level rises as they mass in the hallway with instruments. We hear the amped voice of Russell growing nearer. RUSSELL The Enemy! He approaches, as William stands. Penny watches, hanging out of Russell's eyesight. Standing in the supercharged hallway, the kid is anxious to introduce his new friends. WILLIAM Russell, this is Penny Lane. PENNY LANE (stepping into view) Pleasure. RUSSELL Penny Lane? Like the song, right? PENNY LANE Have we met? THEY SHAKE And do not let go, for too long. There is history in their shake. Their eyes tell all. Shot takes us to William, who puts two and two together. It isn't hard. They clearly know each other. Well. WILLIAM Well, I guess you've... you've met. DICK Penny Lane! God's gift to rock and roll!! You're back! (privately) Marc Bolan. Please. Other band members pass, adjusting clothes for show time, waiting in the hallway... and now singing the Beatles song "Penny Lane." RUSSELL Come on, let's go. (noting kid's shyness) Both of you. 30 INT. BACKSTAGE -- NIGHT 30 House lights go down. Cheers rise. Dick's flashlight dances on the ground just in front of them, guiding their way in the dark to the stage steps. RUSSELL - get in the huddle. Russell pulls William into the band's huddle. SHOT LOOKING UP AT THEM Their band ritual, psyching together, arms on each other's shoulders in a circle. They sing a dew lines of the classic "Train Kept A-Rollin'" (or "Go See Cal" from the Cal Worthington ad) They all touch feet, and then break, heading for the stage. Russell directs Penny to his side of the stage. The kid follows. Plugging in, still in darkness, Russell hits a practice chord -- thwack. He steps on effects pedal. Applause. (Adlib onstage private patter, between members, goading each other -- the stuff no audience ever hears) Twenty feet away, Dick prepares to address the crowd from the darkened stage. It is his favorite moment of the evening, the highlight of his job. DICK From Troy, Michigan. Please welcome -- (importantly) Stillwater. Light hits the stage, and the band launches into their opening song, "If You Say Nothing." Audience response is strong. Shot lingers on the face of William as he soaks in the most undeniably exciting moment of any concert, the first thirty seconds. Jeff the singer grabs the microphone and launches into some vocal pyrotechnics. Russell looks over to Penny and William, at stage right, grinning, pretending to trip on his cord, an elegant show-off move of a musician who is now where he belongs... before seriously stepping forward for the first guitar lead of the night. The kid looks over to see Penny watching Russell. 31 EXT. BACKSTAGE -- NIGHT -- LATER 31 Cases are shut and rolled toward the trucks. Stillwater heads for their bus. Jeff the singer says goodbye to Estrella Starr, like a sailor leaving port. Russell lingers behind, saying goodbye to William, loading his own equipment. Black Sabbath passes with entourage, heading to the stage. RUSSELL (privately) So. You want to come up to L.A., we'll be at the "Riot House" all week. WILLIAM "The Riot House?" RUSSELL The Continental Hyatt House! It's on Sunset Strip. WILLIAM (attempting cool) Right. Right. All the while, just over the kid's shoulder, Russell scans the backstage crowd of hangers-on. Looking perhaps for Penny Lane. DICK Let's blow this burg! RUSSELL (exiting) Well tell your friend Miss Penny Lane to Call Me. Tell her "It ain't California without her. We want her around like last summer." Say it like that. WILLIAM Got it. RUSSELL (returns, whispers) Oh, I'm under the name - Harry Houdini. JEFF (exiting, to William) The Enemy!! Yeah!! Come to L.A., we'll take some more. Russell joins Jeff, exiting and laughing. A good show is still in the air. WILLIAM Later Jeff! See you, Dick. Larry. Ed. (and now the roadies) Mick, Gregg, Red Dog, Scully, Frosty, Estrella, The Wheel! ROADIES DICK Laterrrr! We'll see you down the line. William is deliriously happy, hands upraised. He turns to see Penny. WILLIAM PENNY! PENNY (calming him) Hey. Hey. Be cool. WILLIAM You just missed Russell! He says he's at the "Riot House" all week and to call him. He's under the name Harry Houdini. Do you know about the "Riot House?" PENNY LANE I think I've heard of it. WILLIAM He had a message for you! He said, "It's not California without you. We want you around like last summer." (consults notebook) Actually he said "ain't." "It ain't California - " PENNY LANE I get the gist. WILLIAM How well do you guys know each other? She smiles privately. WILLIAM (cont'd) I got it. No problem. Long story. Alright! I gotta go. Elsewhere in the arena, Black Sabbath is performing "Sweet Leaf." The kid could care less. He has bonded with Stillwater. He heads for the door. Penny walks with him. He's loving it. They pass a still-scowling Scotty, flashing passes, as they exit out into the ramp area. 32 EXT. SPORTS ARENA -- NIGHT 32 Penny takes out an eyeliner pencil, writes her number on the back of his green notebook. PENNY LANE Call me if you need a rescue. We live in the same city. WILLIAM I think I live in a different world. They stand in the night air. The parking lot is largely silent now, save for the thudding bass sounds of Black Sabbath. In the distance, we hear Elaine's insistent whistle. PENNY Speaking of the world. I've made a decision. (a very serious secret) I'm going to live in Morocco for one year. I need a new crowd. He nods. He is a rapt audience for this flashy girl. PENNY (cont'd) Do you want to come? WILLIAM Yes. In the distance, we hear the family whistle growing louder. PENNY It's a plan. You've got to call me. WILLIAM Okay. PENNY It's all happening. WILLIAM It's all happening. He nods cooly. He waits until she turns, and the sprints through the parking lot, to the distant family whistle. FADE OUT: FADE IN: 33 ON TAPE RECORDER 33 William's fingers work the clunky keys, pressing rewind. We hear a snippet of the intense and lively Stillwater interview, full of overlapping and barely discernible voices. Meticulously, he untangles the voices, especially Russell's, as he transcribes. INT. WILLIAM'S BEDROOM - DAY The work of a journalist, as William sits at his Smith-Corona Galaxis. There is a knock at the window, and William scoots back in his chair to see a familiar face. It is Darryl, his sister's old boyfriend. William opens the window. WILLIAM Hey Darryl. DARRYL Hey. Darryl climbs in the window, looks around the room that was once the site of his previous glory. DARRYL (cont'd) So she's a stewardess now. WILLIAM Yeah. She and Mom are still sorta... I'd say "not speaking," but I don't know if they ever did. DARRYL Your sister. A stewardess. (nods to himself) The things your sister and I did inside these four walls... WILLIAM That's okay. I don't want to know. It's my room now. DARRYL We flew the friendly skies - WILLIAM Okay - DARRYL I don't want to put you in the middle of anything. We don't have to talk about it. WILLIAM No. DARRYL You seem cooler. WILLIAM Yeah. I'm thinking about going to Morocco. DARRYL Lemme know if you need a little help with your Mom. WILLIAM A little might not be enough. DARRYL She still freaks me out. WILLIAM (nods, an old issue) Yeah - DARRYL She's famous. WILLIAM Listen - DARRYL Go ahead and do what you were doing. I just wanna hang in here for a moment. WILLIAM Cool. Alright. William nods and continues his work, self-consciously, as Darryl sits on his bed and soaks in the memories of the room. A long moment passes. Darryl pats his thighs, and rises. DARRYL Okay, man. WILLIAM Okay, man. 34 INT. LIVING ROOM -- EVENING 34 William slips on corduroy jacket, over a tie-dyed shirt. Well, it's definitely a look. Mom appears more nervous than her son. ELAINE I worry about the drunk drivers. WILLIAM Mom. I'm 15. (beat, vague panic) Right? ELAINE Yes, you're 15. "And here's that money I owed you." She reaches in a small box near the door, gives him twenty bucks. It's their routine. ELAINE (cont'd) Your dad's favorite joke. I don't do it as well. WILLIAM I thought it was pretty good. ELAINE Keep the small bills on the outside. And call me if anyone gets drunk. WILLIAM I will call you if anyone anywhere gets drunk. ELAINE Good. WILLIAM (anticipating her, like a parent) And don't take drugs. ELAINE (stoic) Ha ha. Very funny. See -- sense of humor. Have fun at the dance. I'm glad you're making friends. They move to the door, and he steadies her, as if to remind her she's not going. He opens the door. She's a wreck, and she knows it. WILLIAM Mom? ELAINE Yeah - WILLIAM (loving but firm, as if to a dog.) Stay. ELAINE Oh... okay. WILLIAM I-love-you-bye. He opens the door. Neil Young. "Sugar Mountain." Watching him leave is always a killer. She's not getting any better at it either. She folds her arms tightly across her chest. 35 EXT. WILLIAM'S HOUSE -- NIGHT 35 Penny waist by her car, down the hill, sporting a different more elegant look. She cups her hands and yells up to him. He hikes down the hill, squishing down the water plants, almost falling, the first time we've seen him happy in his own skin. 36 EXT. SUNSET BOULEVARD -- LATER NIGHT 36 Miss Penny Lane's yellow Vega makes the big swing onto Sunset Boulevard. She sings along to the obscure words of Led Zeppelin's "Dancing Days." William takes it all in from the passenger seat. Huge billboards advertise not cigarettes or beer, but albums. It's a wondrous piece of geography for any rock fan. Shot moves in as William, watches, takes it all in. He moves his head outside the window to see fully. Her windshield is cracked along the side. PENNY LANE The Continental Hyatt House. Also known as The Riot House. (does tour guide voice) Every band stays here, all the ones that matter. The Who. Zeppelin. Alice. Bowie. English bands. American bands. We all know each other. Twenty- four hour room service. Like us, they were outsiders. They were so outside, they're inside, and insiders never even knew it, because they're outsiders and they are inside a place outsiders will never be. And why are we even talking about it? If you're really an insider, you're never gonna say it. You know what I mean? WILLIAM (beat, working it out) Yeah. Yes. She makes a swift turn into a secret parking spot near the hotel. PENNY And we're not gonna hang out with Russell. You can, but not me. WILLIAM What is it with you and Russell? 37 EXT. SUNSET BOULEVARD -- NIGHT 37 Neil Young and Crazy Horse's "Cinnamon Girl" ricochets across the Strip. It's blasting from cars tuned into KMET. Penny now wears her green faux-fur trimmed coat. She grabs William's hand, steadying her hat at the same time. They dart across the busy street. She stumbles a little on her platforms. He steadies his taller date. They are a good team as they pass one of several humming tour busses parked out front. 38 INT. HYATT HOUSE LOBBY -- NIGHT 38 Penny blasts into the Continental Hyatt House, William on her arm. The lobby of this bastion of seventies rock is more alive than most clubs. It's a swirling mass of Roadies carrying Halliburton briefcases plastered with tour stickers, mingling Rockers, and more than a few Groupies with lower-ambitions and taller-platforms than Penny Lane. The feeling is communal, illicit, intoxicating. The secret community of rock. Penny attracts a hailstorm of friends and comrades. PENNY LANE It's all happening. (grabbing him like a shield) And I'm about to use you as protection. ROADIE # 1 Penny Lane!! PENNY LANE (aside) These guys are with Alice Cooper. I'm going to pretend I don't know them. ENGLISH ROADIE # 2 Penny!! Does Alice know you're here? PENNY LANE I'm just showing my very dear, very wonderful friend around. He's a very important writer - he knows Lester Bangs. (English accent) I'm responsible for his moral conduct while he's abroad. ROADIE # 3 (arriving, mock drama) Penny Lane!! God's gift to rock and roll!! PENNY LANE I'm retired. (uses English accent) And don't argue with me! ROADIE # 3 Again? PENNY LANE (moving, English accent) Have we met? Effortlessly touching an arm here and there, charming all - she had four men suddenly circling her. PENNY LANE (cont'd) I've made a decision. I'm going to go traveling in India. Then I'm going to learn how to play the violin. Then I'm going to go to college for one year. William looks at her, perplexed and a little hurt. What about Morocco? ROADIE # 2 (exiting, not buying it) There's nothing they could teach you in college, darling. (whispers) Call Alice. He's under the name Bob Hope. ROADIE # 1 I heard you were with Russell from Stillwater. PENNY Please. I throw the little ones back. Lusty laughs circle William. Overlapping this dialogue is the appearance of our friend Polexia. POLEXIA (in tears, in pieces, emotional) Ian Hunter is a fucking asshole! WILLIAM Polexia! POLEXIA Opie!!! She hugs him like a long-lost friend, knocking the air out of him. And now overlapping this action, appears Superfan RIC NUNEZ, 14. His eyes are forever moist, but he's oddly formal and never feels worthy of the rockers he idolizes. Tonight he wears a custom homemade t-shirt with iron-on block letters. It features the four Led Zeppelin symbols and the words: "TO BE A ROCK AND NOT TO ROLL." A felt-tip pen is still in his quivering hand. Nunez walks with them, backpedaling as he says: RIC It's all happening. I just saw them on the seventh floor! Mr. Jimmy Page... Mr. John Paul Jones... (displays squiggle on shirt) Mr. Robert Plant signed my shirt in the elevator!! Five minutes ago, he touched this pen. Please don't smear it. And Bonzo's gotta new motorcycle in the hotel! PENNY Ric is a Zeppelin fan. WILLIAM Yeah, I picked that up. PENNY He tours with them, but not "with" them. RIC They're on the 12th floor, but there's guards there! So you gotta go to the tenth floor and go up the back steps. PENNY LANE This is my very dear, very close, very wonderful friend William Miller, he is very close with Lester Bangs. RIC It's all happening!! See you in Cleveland! Ric rushes back to the elevators. PENNY LANE I'm retired! Doesn't anybody believe me!? 39 INT. HYATT HOUSE LOBBY PHONE -- NIGHT -- MINUTES LATER 39 Penny nearby as William picks up the house phone. He shouts over the din. WILLIAM Harry Houdini, please. As he waits, he discreetly pockets the matches, hotel pad and pencil next to the housephone. 40 INT. HALLWAY/RUSSELL'S HOTEL ROOM -- NIGHT 40 William, Polexia and an ambivalent Penny walk the hallway, looking for the room. William looks in the passing open doors, each one a different window into another world. PENNY LANE Okay. Time to put on the lampshade. Up ahead, the door to their smallish hotel room is open. Inside, a band party in full swing. A clunky early-model boom box segues from James Brown's "Make It Funky" to Led Zeppelin's "Gallows Pole." Russell Hammond is the center of this party, jabbing out the chords, playing along on guitar. Much singing echoes all around. It's a hotel-room Hootenanny, and all members of the band are present. Penny Lane takes a breath and enters, with arms extended and pointing in opposite directions. She does a flawless stewardess imitation, with proper hand gestures, to a loud party ovation. PENNY LANE (cont'd) "Ladies and Gentlemen. Please extinguish all smoking materials and notice that the captain has turned on The No Smoking sign. Your seat and tray tables should be locked in their full and upright positions." RUSSELL/OTHERS PENNY!! PENNY LANE!! She is instantly and overwhelmingly, the life of this party. Russell joins William. RUSSELL (impressed to see him) Alright. WILLIAM (happy to be there) Alright. Russell places a beer in William's hands, and exits. PENNY LANE (continuing) "In the unlikely event of a water landing, the seat below you will serve as a -" (give up) Oh, the hell with it. They all applaud her, laughing. William watches her with wonder, as she turns his way and winks. Jeff approaches the alluring Polexia, and goes to get her a beer. Meanwhile, Polexia sidles up to William. She sees him watching Penny at the other side of the room. POLEXIA (privately) Act One, in which she pretends she doesn't care about him. POV shot travels to Russell, strumming the guitar that is always a part of his body. Russell is watching Penny Lane surreptitiously. POLEXIA (cont'd) Act Two, in which he pretends he doesn't care... and goes right for her. Russell moves towards Penny. POLEXIA (cont'd) Act Three, in which it all plays out the way she planned it. She'll eat him alive. WILLIAM (worried) We've got to stop them. POLEXIA Stop them? You were her excuse for coming here. ON PENNY PENNY I need ice! Penny disappears out the door, across the hallway. Russell follows a moment later. The kid's eyebrows rise. Polexia regards the kid with affection, adjusting his collar and peeling a hair off his jacket. POLEXIA I just worry about people using her. You know? 'Cause she brings out the good side in everybody else, but what do they do for her? Life kills me. Do you have any pot? WILLIAM Not on me. POLEXIA Do you smoke? WILLIAM No. (attempting to fit in) But I... I grow it. I grow it. Polexia looks at the kid, laughing at his poor job of lying. POLEXIA You're funny. You know, if you were only taller, English, rich, a guitar- player and older... WILLIAM I'd be someone else. POLEXIA Yeah. Good point. Jeff appears with her beer, and she whispers in the kid's ear before she exits with Jeff Bebe. POLEXIA (cont'd) Bless me father for I may sin tonight. The kid watches, as the boom box plays an obscure favorite of Russell's, Eddie Giles' "Losin' Boy." There is the sound of a motorcycle somewhere down the hallway. 41 INT. ICE ROOM -- NIGHT 41 The ice machine makes new cubes with a grinding noise. Penny puts ice in her glass. Behind her, Russell moves into frame, hands delicately riding the sides of her body. A motorcycle roars by, just outside the door, as Penny moves away from Russell's exploring hands. PENNY (with real indignation) How does it end? RUSSELL What? PENNY You know - the story about the girl who dumps the guy who has an ex-ex wife -- the one we don't talk about -- and gets a hundred... okay, five letters from him, and then doesn't even leave a pass in San Diego. Wake up! I'm retired and I never believed you anyway. You're too talented and too good-looking to be trusted and everybody knows it. RUSSELL (smiling, loves it) You're retired like Frank Sinatra is retired. She makes a scoffing noise. He moves to the ice machine, with a glass of his own. RUSSELL (cont'd) Miss Penny Lane. Let me tell you what rock and Roll will miss the day you truly retire. He tosses cubes in his glass, one by one. After the first cube: RUSSELL (cont'd) The way you turn a hotel room into a home. (cube) The way you pick up strays wherever you go. Like Pied Piper. (cube) The way you know the words to every song. Every song. Especially the bad ones. Mostly the bad ones. (cube) That green coat in the middle of summer. (cube) The real name you won't reveal. (cube) And. I'd keep going, but my glass if full. PENNY (quietly) Damn. He kisses her powerfully, hands at his sides. She fights to keep her hands off him. Bonham's motorcycle rips by, just outside the door. RUSSELL Come to Arizona. PENNY Never. RUSSELL We leave Thursday morning. 9 AM. And pack light this time. Jesus. They kiss. The motorcycle speeds by again, just outside. 42 INT. HALLWAY -- NIGHT 42 The hallways are crowded, as William looks at the closed door of the ice room. He leans against the wall, alone now. Trying to look like he belongs. Behind him, most of the band has disappeared into other rooms, leaving only hangers-on in their places. 43 INT. ROLLING STONE MAGAZINE -- DAY 43 Music. We pan across cubicles bustling with laid-back fervor. These are the San Francisco-based main offices of Rolling Stone Magazine. We have arrived for the waning days that this magazine could still be called, with a straight-face, an "underground" publication. Their mounting success crowds the edges of every frame. Camera catches the Annie Leibowitz portraits that hang on the walls -- Lennon, Jagger, Rod Stewart, James Taylor. We find editor BEN FONG-TORRES, 29, in his cramped cubicle. Sitting nearby is curly-haired and mustachioed Star Staff writer, DAVID FELTON, 32, who smokes his cigarettes with a long holder. Felton reads one of William's articles, chuckling. BEN FONG-TORRES William Miller? INTERCUT: INT. WILLIAM'S BEDROOM -- DAY William is on the phone in his own small room. WILLIAM This is he. BEN Crazy. William, this is Ben Fong- Torres. I'm the music editor at Rolling Stone Magazine. We've got a copy of your stories from the San Diego Door. This is the same William Miller? William instantly, nervously alters his voice to sound older. WILLIAM Yes it is. BEN (rifling through tearsheets) Voice of God, howling dogs, the spirit of rock And roll... this is good solid stuff. WILLIAM (immediately, suddenly deeper) Thanks... thanks. BEN You should be writing for us. Any ideas? WILLIAM (voice now to deep) How about Stillwater? BEN Crazy. New album... their third... starting to do something. Ben shuffles through papers, looking for a tour itinerary on his promotional-material laden-desk, automatically plotting the piece aloud. BEN (cont'd) (pleasant, terse) Stillwater. Hard-working band makes good. Get 'em to respond to the critics who dismissed the first two albums as workmanlike. Guitarist is the clear star of the band. Crazy. Let's do three- thousand words. You'll catch up to them on the road. We'll set up billing -- don't let the band pay for anything. WILLIAM (affecting casualness) Sounds good. BEN We can only pay -- lemme see, three- thousand words -- seven hundred dollars. The kid's eyes widen. BEN (cont'd) Alright, a grand. What's your background? You a journalism major? WILLIAM (deeply) Yes. BEN What college -- INT. ELAINE'S HOUSE -- CONTINUOUS Elaine now gets on the extension. ELAINE Honey, I need you to do that thing that fixes the garbage disposal -- She hangs up. INT. WILLIAM'S BEDROOM -- CONTINUOUS The kid is paralyzed. BEN Well, I know how my lady gets when I don't Snap to it - WILLIAM Crazy. BEN Crazy! I'll let you go. Call me at the San Francisco office tomorrow. 44 INT. LESTER BANGS HOME -- LATE NIGHT 44 The great Lester Bangs stands in the promotional album-clogged bedroom of his Birmingham, Michigan, home/office at Creem Magazine. There is nothing in frame that does not deal with music. In the background, a scratchy and chaotic Coltrane record. LESTER BANGS Beware Rolling Stone Magazine. They will change your story, they'll re- write it and turn it into swill. Beware!! WILLIAM But besides that, what would be wrong with it? LESTER BANGS (laughs, entertained) You have starry eyes, my friend. (beat) Look. Do the story. It's a good break for ya. But remember this -- The kid listens intently, and makes notes. LESTER BANGS (cont'd) ... don't do it to make friends with people who are trying to use you to further the big business desire to glorify worthless rock stars like Stillwater. And don't let those swill merchants re-write you. WILLIAM (still copying) ... swill merchants... LESTER BANGS Now. What are you listening to? 45 EXT. TEACHER'S LOUNGE -- DAY 45 William knocks on the teacher's lounge door. A Teacher answers, protective of their sanctuary. WILLIAM (urgently) I need to talk to Mrs. Deegan, from Journalism. Mrs. Deegan appears in the doorway. 46 EXT. WILLIAM'S HOME -- LATE AFTERNOON 46 The sun is still shining. It's late afternoon, as Elaine Miller exits her car and arrives home. She sees a few extra cars in the driveway, is immediately suspicious. 47 INT. LIVING ROOM -- LATE AFTERNOON 47 Elaine arrives to find William, Mrs. Deegan and Darryl awaiting her in the living room. It's a 1973-style intervention. They wear sunny, compassionate smiles. ELAINE Whatever it is, the answer is no. MRS. DEEGAN Elaine, we need to talk to you. Nothing is wrong. I am a teacher. You're a teacher. We speak the same language. Mom sits down. She is fully engaged and worried, her natural state. MRS. DEEGAN (cont'd) Now I'm not a jump-up-and-down person, but something wondrous has happened to William. And you have every reason to be happy... (knows her) ... and calm. Carefully gauging Elaine's face, the teacher continues. MRS. DEEGAN (cont'd) William has been gifted with a shining opportunity in the world of journalism. Through a love of music, and at an oddly-young age, he has received a major assignment from a national publication called Rolling Stone Magazine. Mrs. Deegan produces a copy, and places it on Elaine's lap. It sits there like the plague. MRS. DEEGAN (cont'd) Now you are rather famously not a fan of rock music, but such are the ironies of life, that happens to be the very topic of William's assignment - (cheerfully) - rock music. A band. ELAINE (warily, to Darryl) Honey, what are you doing here? DARRYL Moral support. Mom looks evenly at her son, seated opposite her in this small living room. ELAINE What's involved? MRS. DEEGAN Well. It's a great opportunity. He'll be well-paid, and published nationally -- (quickly) -- and he'll go on tour with a rock band for four days. No small planes... he travels on a bus. ELAINE Is it time for me to say something? MRS. DEEGAN Sure. ELAINE No. MRS. DEEGAN And in anticipation of that response - ELAINE No. MRS. DEEGAN -- William has prepared -- ELAINE (rueful) "Lo, that which I have feared has come upon me." WILLIAM (lightening fast) "He who jealously guards his fears, quietly yearns to bring them about!" Mrs. Deegan admires their high-strung intellectual parrying, makes an impressed noise. ELAINE (with compassion) No. I have raised him to be an honor student, which he is. We have agreed on all our goals. We raised him to be a lawyer, we moved here to be near the finest law school in the West. Plus, he has finals coming up, and in one week he graduates with all his friends - DARRYL He's got no friends!! WILLIAM Darryl. Please. Nearby, having anticipated all of the above, William nods to Mrs. Deegan, and stands. MRS. DEEGAN Elaine, may I present to you... your own son. William takes a lawyerly stroll, turns to face his mom. WILLIAM Lady of the Jury. (beat) I wish to disprove the prevailing false belief that rock music is based on drugs and sex. True, perhaps at one time... but rock music is different now. It is now performed by hard-working intellectuals, with... with blazing intellectual pursuits, and I am going to play for you a piece of music designed to show you that my thesis is correct. ELAINE This is going to be hell. Across the room, Darryl takes his position near the stereo. WILLIAM The song is based on the literature of Tolkien... and it's mystical attempt to elevate humanity has been successful throughout the world... this song will change your life. Mom stifles a cough. William nods to Darryl, who reverentially drops the needle with a thud. Mom is trapped, as we listen to silent static... and then... the opening notes of Led Zeppelin's "Stairway to Heaven." William gives his Mother the album cover's inner-sleeve with lyrics. WILLIAM (cont'd) We ask you only to listen. Camera passes across their serious and expectant faces. The intro in not short. We listen, just watching their faces, as Elaine becomes increasingly impatient. ELAINE WILLIAM When is it going to start - Soon. Immediately, overlapping, the vocal begins. ("There's a lady who's sure all that glitters is gold.") DISSOLVE TO: 48 SUN MOVING SLOWLY ACROSS THE SKY 48 Sprinklers click across the lawns. ("... and it makes me wonder... ") 49 INT. LIVING ROOM -- AFTERNOON 49 Mom adjust herself in the chair, listens politely, checks her watch. She looks at William. 50 EXT. HOME - AFTERNOON 50 Sprinklers continue. ("If there's a bustle in your hedgerow... ") 51 INT. LIVING ROOM -- AFTERNOON 51 Mom listens fitfully. The song continues. DISSOLVE TO: 52 EXT. HOUSE -- STILL LATER AFTERNOON 52 Sprinklers shut off. Music is now blasting. ("To be a rock, and not to roll... ") 53 INT. LIVING ROOM - LATER AFTERNOON 53 Mom's face remains stoic to the bitter end. ("... and she's buying the Stairway to Heaven.") The song ends. Silence. All look to Elaine. They wait on her response. We hear the turntable arm return to its cradle. ELAINE What am I supposed to say? You say it's Tolkien, fine. They sound like nice kids. Is it meant to elevate humanity? "Sure, let's elevate humanity. After we sell you drugs and sex." All I have is my honesty. That's what I believe, and that's what I know. (flipping through magazine) Oh. Here's a nice ad. She holds up the magazine. And ad reads, in large bold type: BUY THIS FUCKING ALBUM. ELAINE (cont'd) You've clearly ganged up on me, and I still say no. No no no no no no no. She shuts her eyes, and blurts out something against her better judgement. ELAINE (cont'd) NO MORE THAN FOUR DAYS AND I WANT A PHONE NUMBER FOR WHERE YOU ARE EVERY MINUTE AND I WANT YOU TO CALL ME TWICE A DAY AND YOU'D BETTER NOT MISS ONE TEST - AND NO DRUGS. William nods gratefully, and exits frame. Hold on the empty chair, as drums herald the beginning of the Allman Brothers Band's "Trouble No More" from Live at Fillmore East. SHOT MOVES IN ON ELAINE who feels a very particular kind of loneliness. It's the loneliness she got married, and then raised a family, to escape. 54 INT. STILLWATER TOUR BUS -- DAY 54 An empty Heineken beer bottle rolls up and down the aisle, taking us to William. William picks up the bottle and places it in the seat back pocket in front of him. He has joined the circus, and the feeling of being here is a lot more lonely and forbidding than he expected. The bus struggles to make it up the hill, back rows shuddering loudly, as music continues. DICK C'mon, Doris! Darling Bus. You can make it! 55 EXT. NEVADA DESERT HIGHWAY -- DAY 55 The Stillwater Tour Bus rumbles down the desert highway. The destination banner reads - ALMOST FAMOUS -- TOUR 73. Music continues. 56 INT. BUS - DAY 56 William strains for a look at Russell five rows up. He plays slide guitar, working out a part. Next to Russell is Penny Lane. Penny raises an early-model Polaroid camera and - flash - takes a picture of a nearby sleeping Jeff Bebe. PENNY Gotcha. Jeff grumbles from the depths of a hangover. Penny stuffs the shot in her pocket. William watches, his private heart pounds. Polexia appears and sits next to him, noticing his shyness. POLEXIA Do you have any pot? WILLIAM No. I'm a journalist. POLEXIA Well, go do your job then. You're on the road, man. It's all happening! Get in there. Go talk to 'em! Challenged, William rises and approaches Russell. He fixes the charismatic guitarist in his sights. Shot takes him down the aisle to the jamming star guitarist. He crouches in the aisle and talks to Russell who immediately seems moody. His mood is in the air. WILLIAM (very professional) Russell. Do you think we might be able to find some time to talk when we get to Phoenix? I want to interview everyone separately... and I felt we'd start with you and me. Nearby, Jeff now listens in, feeling immediately jealous. RUSSELL Absolutely. Russell turns away. The kid squats uncomfortably in the aisle, babbling on. WILLIAM Because I've got a thing in a couple days. RUSSELL What. WILLIAM (self-conscious) It's a... thing where... uhm... you go there to graduate. School. RUSSELL (sharply) I never graduated. And look what happened. You're here interviewing me. Good point. Laughs from everybody listening nearby. It's a good line. William makes a quick jot in his notebook. RUSSELL (cont'd) No no no. Don't put that in Rolling Stone. My bio says I graduated. We'll come up with something better later. Just enjoy the ride. Russell eyes the notebook suspiciously before turning away. Penny notices William's discomfort, laughing warmly, all while grabbing a Coke and giving one to nearby bassist Larry. LARRY How did you know I was thirsty? He didn't even realize he was thirsty, but he is. He nods thanks to Penny, the perfect road companion for all. And then Penny gives the other Coke, her Coke, to William. He accepts it too, and starts back to his seat. He's been blown off, and he knows it, but before he exits Penny grabs his arm and whispers in his ear: PENNY I may need to stay in your room tonight. Russell's in a bad mood. He's very Bob Dylan in Don't Look Back today. He's trying to write. William nods cooly -- they are comrades -- and returns to his seat. A large joint passes in front of him, across him, to Polexia, as everyone cheers Doris the Bus rumbling up another hill. POLEXIA (inhaling deeply) Want some? WILLIAM No thanks. A wall of pot smoke is exhaled, right into his face. It surrounds him like a cloud. The bus shudders, as Russell continues playing slide up ahead. 57 INT. WILLIAM'S LIVING ROOM - NIGHT 57 Elaine sits in her living room, filled with her books. Large Department store photos of her children on the wall. She feels her own loneliness, and his too, as she dials a phone number. ELAINE Has William Miller arrived yet? He hasn't. Could you give him a message as soon as you see him? - 58 INT. BUS -- NIGHT 58 Several hours later on this ride. Outside, night and desert. Inside, a few cigarettes, a joint of two glow in the darkness of the bus. The end of the Led Zeppelin classic "Whole Lotta Love" plays from the bus stereo, full blast. Everybody is free and anonymous in the dark. They sing at full-volume. William looks out the window in wonder. ZEPPELIN/ALL "Way down inside... (woman) woman... you need... " The ten-ton guitar chord of Jimmy Page. ZEPPELIN/ALL (cont'd) "Loooooooooooooooooooooooovvve... " John Bonham's drums thunder through the bus, everybody still singing as they dip down into the city ahead, Phoenix. William watches the living documentary around him. He writes furiously in the green notebook, scribbling in the dark, trying to steady his writing on the bumpy bus. Behind him, someone is beating along to the song on his seat. He never want to leave this world. 59 INT. ARIZONA RAMADA INN LOBBY -- NIGHT 59 All enter the lobby like warriors, in a pack. The hotel chairs are spotted with curious hangers-on, decked out and lounging. Dick is already stationed, as always, at the front desk. The sad state of hotel service grates on a road dog like Dick. He is forever teaching others their jobs. DICK Jeff, Tony... Keys... keys... keys... room list... (re: luggage, to hotel bellman) If it doesn't have a number on it, it ain't ours! He gives key and a stack of messages to Russell, and turns to William who he makes feel more important. Penny is nearby with her suitcase and tackle box purse. William watches Russell's guitars whisked away - they are luggage-numbered 1, 3, and 4. DICK (cont'd) The Enemy! Here you go, here's the key to your palatial suite, room list, plus let me give you a luggage tag. You're Number 42. CLERK Is this Mr. Miller? You have a message from Elaine. WILLIAM Thanks. CLERK (confidentially) She's a handful. WILLIAM I know. William cooly takes the folded message, doesn't look at it, and tries to pretend this embarrassing moment didn't happen. Jeff exchanges a look with Russell. Nearby, the walking commotion arrives, clacking through the lobby. It's Sapphire. Last night's clothes are now today's. She holds a travel case, and hanger with some odd blouses. SAPPHIRE Finally, you're here!! They kicked me out of my room! Fuck Ozzy! She hugs Penny Lane. Estrella appears, happy to have help with Sapphire. ON RUSSELL who approaches William. RUSSELL Come by in a few minutes. We'll do the interview. The kid exits and goes to join Penny, who is still comforting Sapphire. Russell looks through his messages. The guitar, now in a case, never leaves his hand. Jeff Bebe approaches, regarding William standing with Penny and the girls. Intrigue is swirling in the lobby. JEFF I'm worried, man. RUSSELL Naw, we can trust him. He's a fan. JEFF But it's Rolling Stone. He looks harmless, but he does represent the magazine that trashed Eric Clapton, broke up Cream, ripped Led Zeppelin, and wrote that lame story about the Allman Brothers Band that bummed Duane out before he died. Don't forget the Rules. This little shit is the Enemy. He writes what he sees. (beat) But it would be cool to be on the cover. RUSSELL Leave it to me. We'll get a good story. JEFF Plus our girlfriends read this magazine and - (looking at Band-aids) -- you know. RUSSELL You made your point. I'll take to him. ON WILLIAM BY ELEVATOR Penny speaks confidentially to him. If she is slightly bossy, it is only because she's good at logistics, emotional and otherwise. PENNY Can Sapphire stay in your room tonight? She had a big fight with Ozzy, and Polexia's not working out with Jeff Bebe. (to Sapphire and Polexia) You just have to remember... these guys are jealous, insecure, talented, egocentric, and manipulative geniuses... they're lead-singers. They can say "I love you" to 20,000 people... but any fewer is a real problem. (girls nod, comforted, she continues to the kid) Jeff Bebe has so much jealousy over Russell that he can't express. Plus, he never slept last night. You keep Sapphire and I'll stay with Russell. William covers his disappointment over losing Penny as a roommate. Cooly: WILLIAM Sure. I'll take her. POLEXIA Me too? WILLIAM Sure. Estrella arrives with travel bag, equally homeless, looking hopeful. WILLIAM (cont'd) If there's room - Penny squeezes him. He feels cool... but the girl he really wanted to stay in his room now joins Russell, disappearing into the elevator. He looks down at the message in his hand, and opens it. It reads: DON'T TAKE DRUGS! He snaps it closed quickly, before anyone can see. 59A IN. RUSSELL's ROOM -- NIGHT 59A Russell plays acoustic guitar, a notebook cradled on his lap. Trying to write. It's coming slowly. Shot moves off him, past a flickering television, onto Penny who silently and intently watches Russell as if he's a rare and beautiful bird. He looks over at her - she turns away quickly. He goes back to work. Tries to catch her watching him again. She turns away just in time. 60 INT. WILLIAM'S HOTEL ROOM -- NIGHT 60 Stillwater's "Fever Dog" plays from the t.v. radio. William on the bed, a thick local phone book on his lap. His hotel room. He watches self-consciously as the girls go about the ritual of inhabiting a room on the road. Sapphire flutters a paisley scarf over the room lamp. Polexia puts a towel along the crack of the door, blows out the glowing embers on too- many sticks of incense, and moves to the phone. Estrella has joined them as well, complete with a bag full of shoes. Instantly, we have atmosphere and not much room left in this, the smallest room in the hotel. William thumbs through the phone book with fascination. WILLIAM All these people. (wondrous, off phone book) And they all live in Phoenix. POLEXIA (on phone) Hi Dad!! I can't talk long! I'm here in Paris. I'm staying in another Youth Hostel with no phone and no address for mail!! WILLIAM (still wondrous, from phone book) Alex. Lowbatz. SAPPHIRE (emerging from bathroom) I was the one who told him what to tattoo on his fingers, I was the one who made his shirts... I was there when his wife left him. WILLIAM Charles. C. Swoop. POLEXIA (on phone) I CAN SEE THE EIFFELL TOWER. DO YOU KNOW THERE ARE 578 STEPS TO THE TOP? She's reading from a European tour book. WILLIAM Paul and Debbie Finger. ESTRELLA (looking out window) Oh my God. Simon Kirke of Bad Company is by the pool. The girls mobilize by the window. William is increasingly aware that he is an outsider in his own tiny room. He tries to organize his stuff in the corner. POLEXIA I GOTTA GO! I'LL CALL FROM ROME! ESTRELLA Is anybody here as worried about Penny and Russell as I am? POLEXIA (the perfect daughter) AND HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MAGGIE!! I LOVE YOU!! She winks at William, who looks away. SAPPHIRE (to Polexia and William) Ooo, watch out - whoever you look at when you say that - that's who you really mean. Polexia hands up and throws a pillow at Sapphire, the kid watches these girls like a tennis match. 60A IN. PENNY AND RUSSELL'S ROOM - SAME TIME 60A Russell puts down his guitar. RUSSELL You know. We should talk about what we don't talk about. PENNY We don't have to. RUSSELL No, I - I went to Catholic school. I believe in guilt and... you know, if there's any to be had, I pretty much want to roll around in it. PENNY I don't believe in attachments. No boundaries. Just the music. RUSSELL I'm just saying, it's okay to talk about it. Penny stands and turns. She speaks the word. PENNY Leslie. Russell nods. The name is out in the open. PENNY (cont'd) Leslie. Leslie. Leslie. Leslie. Leslie. Leslie. Leslie. Leslie. RUSSELL (somehow satisfied) Alright - now we're talking. But she continues, saying the name in a multitude of different ways, in different accents, and with different degrees of indifference and passion and lust and play-acting and mock- drama. PUSH IN ON HIS FACE As he listens and studies this ethereal creature for meaning. Is she mocking him? In love with him? Taunting him? Seducing him? PENNY Leslie. Leslie. Leslie. Lesssssslie. Leslie. Leslie. Leslie. Leslie. Leslie. Leslie. Leslie. Leslie. LESlie. Leslie... She continues saying it until it no longer has meaning. And finally she sits next to him. PENNY (cont'd) (beat) Now. Have I helped you get that off your chest? They kiss. 60B INT. WILLIAM'S HOTEL ROOM - SAME TIME 60B The girls continue their settling-in process. SAPPHIRE Opie, can I order room service? The nickname "Opie" re-opens a nagging wound. Polexia hangs up, and begins to dial again. WILLIAM Okay. You guys. Wait. Put down the phone, Polexia. (she does, sadly) First, this is my room... SAPPHIRE Come on, you're a fan like us. You're on our side of the line. WILLIAM Second. I'm not Opie. Alright? Opie is a little boy. I'm here to do a job. I am a professional. ESTRELLA (flipping luggage tag) Ooooooo, sorry, Mr. 42. WILLIAM Third! (has their attention now) ... this phone is a big, big deal. In a minute, I have to go interview Russell. Do not answer this phone if it rings. I have family members with severe anxiety Problems. She will not understand. POLEXIA (wounded) But what if Ozzy calls Sapphire? And I gave Jimmy Page this number. ESTRELLA Or a guy who looked like Jimmy Page. William looks at their troubled faces, full of too much-longing and too much make-up. WILLIAM Okay. I have a solution. Answer the phone. But if anyone without an English accent is on the phone... (winging it) Just hang up. Or say it's the wrong room. They nod. It's a good plan. 61 EXT. HALLWAY -- NIGHT 61 The hanging sign on the door reads: DO NOT DISTURB. William knocks on Russell's door. A maid pushes up against him with her cart, which now blocks the hallway. WILLIAM SHOULD I COME BY LATER? A group of golf conventioneers are now trapped behind the maid cart. They ease past William as he negotiates with Russell through the door. RUSSELL (O.S.) YES, I'M IN TOO TRUTHFUL A MOOD! WILLIAM MAYBE THAT'S A GOOD THING!! RUSSELL (O.S.) I'LL SEE YOU AT THE RADIO INTERVIEW LATER!! TEN-THIRTY IN THE LOBBY. WILLIAM OKAY! RUSSELL GO AWAY! WILLIAM OKAY! We hear Penny's giggle. Then the door opens, and it's Penny looking ravishing. In the background, Russell sits shirtless at the table. He playfully pelts the kid with crumpled up wads of hotel stationery. PENNY Don't worry. Some to the radio interview. WILLIAM No, I'm fine. I'll just interview Jeff Bebe some more. RUSSELL (as in "you're on of us") GO AWAY! She shuts the door quickly. It hurts a little. He picks up the wadded pieces of paper, stuffs them in his pocket. He leaves the door and helps himself to some soap and pencils and matches from the nearby maid's cart. Then he returns to Russell's door. He can't help but listen to the muffled sounds of laughter, just for a moment, escalating. He flips the sign over: HOUSEKEEPING PLEASE ENTER - CLEAN ROOM. 62 INT. OUTER RADIO STATION - NIGHT 62 Humble Pie. "Thirty Days in the Hole." Russell and band enter the radio station, passing through the now-empty front office. As always, Russell sets the tone. He's feeling good. Stillwater takes over -- they feel mighty, like the Beetles, as they climb across chairs, rearrange wall hangings and gold records and head down the small hallway to the control room interview. Rolling with the flow are William and Penny in her green coat. He tries to distance himself from her -- still a little stung by the earlier hallway rebuff -- but she will have none of it. She privately shares every great passing moment with him. He tries not to succumb to these charms. It's hard. Music segues to Stillwater's own "Fever Dog." 63 INT. RADIO CONTROL ROOM - NIGHT 63 Stillwater's own record spins, and it sounds good to everyone in this room. Russell takes a seat near the open mike. Jeff Bebe is quick to take the other seat, arranging himself to be just as close to the microphone as Russell. William watches all as he sits at the dark back of this control booth. Stillwater sits with late-night progressive disc-jockey QUINCE ALLEN, 25. Quince takes a long hit from a joint and does not pass it. The entire Stillwater band is now collected in the studio and ready for the interview. William can't avoid looking at Penny Lane, who looks great tonight. She catches him, and he barely looks away in time. Polexia, newly reconciled with Jeff, notices. The very mellow disc-jockey eases up to the microphone, as the finale of "Fever Dog" is just ending. QUINCE ALLEN The guitar of Russell Hammond. "Fever Dog"... The band is Stillwater. (beat) Watch with your mind as they materialize. Band members gets closer to the microphone, preparing to speak. Quince lowers his head, shutting his eyes and getting into the music as the song plays out. 64 INT. HOTEL ROOM -- NIGHT 64 The phone rings. Estrella answers. ESTRELLA William's room. INT. ROLLING STONE OFFICE -- NIGHT Ben Fong-Torres is calling from Rolling Stone. BEN Can I please speak to him? This is Ben Fong-Torres at Rolling Stone. Estrella panics, hangs up quickly, as if the phone has just caught fire. ESTRELLA I think I just messed up! 65 INT. RADIO STATION -- NIGHT -- SAME TIME 65 Quince raises his head and continues on-the-air. The same song is still ending. QUINCE Look at the dogs, wearing the funny hats. Juggling just for you. Freaks and family... Penny shoots William a look. Do you believe this guy? QUINCE (cont'd) It's Quince, with Stillwater. Here. Live. It's the Night Circus. The band scoots closer to the microphone, ready to talk. Quince continues, looking meaningfully at the band. They are waiting... eager for a chance to speak. QUINCE (cont'd) Every minute a baby is born somewhere.. Life. Death. Hermetically sealed bags of human emotion. Bags of love... bags of kindness? (suddenly, turns) How'd you get together? As Jeff eagerly speaks, Quince lowers his head and listens... feels... the words of his guests. JEFF Well... not to get into a "me" thing... this is Jeff talking... but I did start the band, some time, actually, ago. This is back when we were the Jeff Bebe band, and I placed an ad in a magazine called Peaches looking for a guitarist and Russell Hammond answered. Quince nods, head bowed, swaying slowly. QUINCE (with deep understanding) Peaches. Jeff watches Quince's head lower. It's hard to know when to talk with Quince. The depth of his mellowness is tough to get in rhythm with. JEFF I think he was a gift from God, actually. Nobody plays like Russell Hammond. RUSSELL (sorta moved) Well, shit. Thank you. He instantly realizes he's slipped, on the air. RUSSELL (cont'd) Ooops. Better hit the delay button. All eyes turn to Quince, whose head stays down, grooving to some inner beat. He says nothing. The band looks at each other. We become increasingly aware that Quince may now be asleep. Long silence. William shares an amazed look with Penny. Quince is definitely asleep. Russell leans forward and continues talking quietly, with hilarious sincerity. RUSSELL (cont'd) Okay - we're talking now, right? Why the fuck do you wait until and interview in Arizona to say something nice about me. Why don't you say it to my fucking face sometime? Because I tell you every time I think you nailed something. JEFF Everybody pays you compliments. It's not my fucking job to kiss your fucking ass all the time. RUSSELL Well then who's fucking job is it? Because my ass is dying for a kiss. And I know yours is too. DICK It's my fucking job. You're all geniuses. And let me just add this thought - smegma. Penny covers her mouth as offers a look of absurdity to William. He offers one back, as laughs are stifled throughout the room. William shares a look. Quince is still deeply asleep, as the usually quiet tony leans forward to speak. TONY Feces. He cracks himself up, silently. Quince snaps awake, fully in- stride. QUINCE The dong is called "Love Thing." Your mind is Starting to take effect. They're all here to see you swallow fire. You scream soundlessly... on the Night Circus. It's Quince, with Stillwater. "Love Thing" takes over, as Quince swivels in the chair. QUINCE (cont'd) I thought that went well. 66 INT. RENTAL CAR -- NIGHT 66 Adrenalized laughter. The whole band is crammed into a medium- sized rental car. Penny half on William's lap, half on Russell's. RUSSELL (to William) See, this is what nobody writes about! The in-between times! This! Us! Right now!! 67 INT. WILLIAM'S HOTEL ROOM 67 The phone is ringing. Estrella emerges from the bathroom with no make-up and a t-shirt. She picks up the phone. Across the room, Sapphire signs for room service. Now she is far too made-up. The t.v. radio plays Free's "Fire and Water" in the b.g. ESTRELLA (suspiciously) Hello? INTERCUT: INT. WILLIAM'S HOUSE -- NIGHT It's Mom on the phone. ELAINE (measured, very proper) May I speak with William please? ESTRELLA (cheerfully) He's not here. I think he's in the bar with the Band. They just got back from the radio station. Is this Maryann with the pot? Silence. ESTRELLA (cont'd) Hello? ELAINE No this isn't Maryann with the pot. This is Elaine... his Mother. Estrella physically recoils. ESTRELLA (cringing) I thought you were English. ELAINE Could you please give him a message? Could you tell him to call home immediately? And could you also tell him - (at full power) I know what's going on. ESTRELLA Alright. Okay. But I'm just going to say this, and I'm going to stand by it. (can't help herself) You should be really proud of him. 'Cause I know guys... and I'll bet you do too. And he respects women, and he likes women, and let's just pause and appreciate a man like that. You created him out of thin air, and you raised him right, and we're all looking out for him. And that's more than I've ever said to my own parents, so there you go. (silence) This is the maid speaking, by the way. 68 INT. HOTEL LOBBY -- NIGHT 68 Russell and William sit in two large red-leatherette seats in the hotel lobby. William shuffles through many pages of questions written in small script. His tape recorder microphone sits balanced on the chair. WILLIAM (very professional) Now that you're starting to be successful, you had twenty-six years to write your first Album... and you'll have maybe four months for the second. Do you worry that the pressure of the business will get in the way of the original joy of making your music? Or - Russell blinks. The all-consuming issues of his life are right in front of him. RUSSELL Whoa! (laughing) I need three more beers and my guitar before I can answer that question. Let's take a walk. 69 EXT. HOTEL POOL AREA - NIGHT 69 Russell walks the outskirts of the pool area with William. William follows him through the sliding glass door to his room, facing the pool. Russell grabs his guitar. They stand for a moment, unheard by the others, and regard the living portrait twenty yards in front of them. The off-limits after-hours pool area has been overtaken by the Stillwater tour members. Jeff Bebe sits in a chair nearby. Dick laughs at a joke. Always the life of the party, Penny Lane dispenses stolen towels from a maid cart. And she is the first to slip into the pool for some after-hours, against-the-rules swimming. Effortlessly, she turns a collection of people into a party. They regard her, well out of earshot of the others. RUSSELL For a minute I thought you were actually a real journalist... which is... you know, it's great. (beat) Shut that thing off, and I'll tell you the truth. William shuts his tape recorder off. WILLIAM It's off. RUSSELL Look. I trust you. I'm going to lay this right on you. Just make us look cool. WILLIAM I will quote you warmly and accurately. RUSSELL That's what I'm worried about. See - some of us have girlfriends back home. Some of us have wives. And... some of the people you meet on the road are really amazing people... They both watch Penny Lane, sparkling, fresh from the pool. She places hotel furniture into the shallow end and inviting all, even other curious hotel guests, to join them in the pool. RUSSELL (cont'd) Like you. And some of the things that happen are good for just a few people to know about - as opposed to, say, a million people. Dawn is breaking for William. WILLIAM Ohhhh. Oh. Yeah. RUSSELL You know what I mean? WILLIAM Right. Yeah. RUSSELL See, you're dangerous. Most people are just waiting to talk, but you listen. WILLIAM Right. Right. RUSSELL So your question you asked me. I think about It every fucking night. The "business." I hate it! (quietly) I grew up with these guys, okay? I can't play all that I can play, I'm past these musicians, do you understand? WILLIAM I do. RUSSELL The more popular we get, the more I can't walk on them, the bigger their houses get, the more pressure... you forget, man. You forget what it was like to be real, to be a fan. You can hear it in a lot of bands who've been successful - it doesn't sound like music anymore. It sounds like... like lifestyle maintenance. (suddenly confessional) I used to be able to hear the sounds of the world. Everything, to me, used to sound like music. Everything. Now I don't hear it. You know what I'm trying to say? WILLIAM (ruefully) Yeah. RUSSELL Man, it feels good to say this stuff out loud. But what am I doing? I'm telling secrets to the one guy you don't tell secrets to. WILLIAM (feeling included) No, that's okay. We'll do the interview tomorrow. RUSSELL This is good. So there's the "friend" and then there's the "interview guy." WILLIAM Yeah. RUSSELL So tonight it's "friend".... and when we wake up tomorrow - "interview guy." We'll figure it out as we go, buddy. WILLIAM Hey - for whatever it's worth - you guys are really good. Russell laughs at the kid's easy naivete. He hands his guitar to the kid, and joins the party. William watches, part of the crowd... somehow feeling a little compromised. He doesn't care. Penny gestures for him to join them. 70 EXT. SUN STADIUM - AFTERNOON 70 William interviews Larry in the seats of the empty arena. On stage, Ed soundchecks his drums. WILLIAM How would you describe your role in Stillwater? What is the chemical that you add to the chemistry? LARRY I'm the bass-player. WILLIAM (pressing for some poetry) Right. And when you take that away... what would be missing? Stylistically? What chemical? LARRY (not getting it) The bass? Larry doesn't give him much. 71 EXT. SUN STADIUM - NIGHT 71 It's raining. The pre-show huddle breaks up, William a part of them. Penny Lane adjusts Larry's look. She takes the scarf from around his neck and ties it around his leg. He looks instantly better. William watches in the darkness as Dick takes the microphone. The best part of his day has arrived. In his important voice: DICK Good evening Phoenix. (applause) From Troy, Michigan. Please welcome, Stillwater. Lights come up, as the band launches into "Fever Dog." Jeff begins singing. Russell reaches to adjust the microphone for a back-up vocal and is hit with something unexpected. A sharp electrical shock. It's just a slight pop in the loud din of music, but within a moment something is clearly wrong. Russell holds onto the microphone stand with a surprised look, conducting high-voltage for two seconds and then he snaps his hand off the metal. His face is white, he takes off his guitar and walks off-stage, collapsing a couple steps later. 72 EXT. BACKSTAGE -- NIGHT 72 Dick is waving wildly for the band to board the bus, which has been pulled up into the backstage area. He guides a sagging Russell, assisted by Penny Lane, into the bus. DICK Get in, get in!! William boards the bus, as the extremely agitated PROMOTER arrives to confront Dick. PROMOTER Are you the manager of this band? DICK That, and more. Get in! PROMOTER You didn't even play a full set! Dick whirls and unleashes an anger we've not yet seen, gesturing with the silver briefcase that does not leave his hand. DICK Your shoddy stage set-up almost killed our guitarist! PROMOTER You trashed the dressing room - you didn't play your thirty-five minutes. You didn't fulfill your contract - DICK Everybody in! Get in the bus! PROMOTER I'll report you to every promoter in the country! I'm gonna talk to Frank Barcelona! DICK YOU DON'T FUCK WITH MY BAND'S SAFETY! PROMOTER I hope you have a good lawyer. DICK I AM A LAWYER! He swings into the bus, as the bus revs. PROMOTER LOCK THE GATE ON 'EM! 73 INT. BUS -- NIGHT 73 Russell sits, pale, next to Penny at the front of the bus. He examines his singed hand, shaking it a little to emphasize the positivity of her words. PENNY Don't worry. It's happened to all the greats. Thank God you didn't hold the mike stand with both hands, you'd still be holding it. This is a good thing. It's a good, good, good thing. William sits nearby, watching Russell, making notes out of eye- sight of others. The ever-wary Jeff, unseen by William, cranes to see that he's writing in his notebook. Dick swings into the seat across from Russell. The bus door shuts, as the promoter is still yelling. Doris is slow to gain speed, as Estrella appears, running alongside. She knocks on the window next to William. ESTRELLA I forgot to tell you! Your mom says to call home immediately. She says she knows what's going on! (receding) See you guys in Topeka! I'll catch a ride with Sabbath! William nods with embarrassment, waves to her, as the bus races toward the now closing gate. DICK (casually, to Russell) Wanna buy a gate? Before Russell can answer - BASH. Doris barrels through the steel-gate, snapping it like a chopstick to great cheers inside this bus. DICK (cont'd) You just bought a gate. (to the bus) C'mon Doris!! Get us out of town!! The bus struggles up a slight incline, everybody rooting for Doris, as she eases out of the parking lot and onto a thoroughfare. WILLIAM What did it feel like to be electrocuted? RUSSELL It burns. It feels like a dose of lead shooting through your body... and then you see God, and he says, "How bad do you want to be legendary?" And god damnit. I let go. (shaky grin as all laugh warmly) Rock and roll. Jeff watches this charisma with thinly veiled envy. The kid scribbles in his notebook. We hear Led Zeppelin's "That's the Way." 74 INT. BUS - EARLY MORNING 74 Song continues. Almost everybody is asleep. William takes the camera and snaps a Polaroid of a sleeping Penny. She wakes up. PENNY Give that to me. She grabs for it, they have a brief play-fight. He grabs some other Polaroids from her pocket. He hustles to the back of the bus, pockets the photo, and settles down to watch the passing landscapes. She chases him down the aisle. Music continues as she sits down next to him. Out the window, a long-distance running team of Girls keeps pace with the bus for a bit. They wave. Penny watches them over sunglasses, waves briefly to the real world. PENNY (cont'd) (breathing heavy, owning the world) When we go to Morocco, I think we should wear completely different clothes, and be completely different people. WILLIAM What will our names be? She snaps a Polaroid of a nearby sleeping Silent Ed, pockets the Polaroid. She regards Russell up ahead, also sleeping. Her attention has already wandered from Morocco. PENNY What do you think of Russell? WILLIAM I like him. PENNY You're coming to Cleveland, right? WILLIAM Cleveland, Ohio? Oh no no no. I gotta get my interview with Russell before Greenville. And you've got to help me. Okay? Friends... remember? Penny is still watching Russell. PENNY You should give him a break. There are real problems in the band. Off the record. Gravely noting the word "problems", the kid joins Penny in watching Russell, who is splayed haphazardly, sleeping restlessly up ahead. WILLIAM What problems? PENNY Okay. I got it. I think your name should be Spencer, and mine will be Jane. WILLIAM I can't keep up with you. PENNY No one can. WILLIAM What's your real name? She looks at him briefly. She puts her arm around him. It's intoxicating, but he doesn't quite know how to act. With her free hand, she gestures with a hanger. As they regard Russell sleeping nearby: PENNY Here's the thing about Russell. He's my last project. I only do this for a very few people. And I think we should do it together - he is almost great. We've got to take him there. You and me - we can do it. Deal? Because the other guys are good - but he could be great. He's my last project. He looks at her. She imitates his face back to him. PENNY (cont'd) It's all happening. 75 INT. TOPEKA ARENA BACKSTAGE -- NIGHT 75 William sits interviewing Silent Ed by some equipment cases. WILLIAM What do you love about music? Ed looks at him thoughtfully. It is an eloquent moment. He thinks. He shrugs. The kid tumbles with more questions. These interviews are not going well. 76 INT. BATHROOM - NIGHT 76 William, looking concerned over the state of his interviews, walks into the backstage b