Begin Again Page #2

Her teachers are

really worried about her.

No girls like her at school.

She is distant, and basically,

the only people who want

to hang out with her

are older boys who want to f*** her.

Oh, really? And you find that

a big surprise

seeing how you let... you let

her walk out of the house

looking like... I... like...

Jodie Foster from Taxi Driver?

She dresses the way she wants to,

and besides, any daughter

who dresses like that

- only wants one thing.

- A pimp?

- No, Dan, think about it.

- A daddy.

That is f***ing bullshit.

She needs some guidance,

for f***'s sake.

Well, guide her! Guide her!

You waltz in here

like a f***ing clown,

you tell me how to raise my kid,

the kid that you pick up

once a month and decide

you have a f***ing conscience about.

You know what?

Thirty seconds after you're gone,

we'll have totally forgotten

you were ever here.

Thank you.

Sh*t.

F***.

I thought there was no hope.

I thought there were no answers,

and then I found God.

God may not always be

on our time,

but he's on time.

Whenever you're alone...

Sir?

Go.

Have a talk with God.

Right, man.

OK.

I'm gonna have a little talk

with God, all right.

Thank you. Thank you.

What if he doesn't answer?

Attention,

due to a signal malfunction

at Jay Street,

the next uptown train...

- F***.

- ...will arrive in 20 minutes.

Hey.

Give me a bourbon. Hurry up.

- What kind of bourbon you want?

- Well, I don't care.

...and I was wondering

if it might be OK if she came

up here and sang a song.

Is that OK? Yeah?

Gretta, would you

come up here, please?

H i.

So, this is a new song,

so it might be kind of rough. Um...

it's for anyone who's ever

been alone in the city.

Thanks.

- I'm in.

- What?

I want to make records with you.

I want to...

I want to produce you.

I want to sign you.

We're meant to work together.

Sorry, didn't you see

what just happened up there?

Yeah, what? Are you

feeling sorry for yourself?

No, I like my music. Who cares

if they don't get it, right?

You just need to work on

your performance a bit.

I'm not a performer,

I write songs from time to time.

Are all the songs

as good as that one?

Are you really an A&R man?

You look more like a homeless man.

I've been celebrating all weekend,

I signed a band and we got carried away.

That's some song you got there.

I promise you it could be a big hit.

Plus, you're beautiful.

Sorry, what's beauty

got to do with anything?

- Jesus, you're tricky, aren't you?

- No, I actuallyjust think

that music is about ears,

not eyes.

And I'm not Judy Garland

just off a Greyhound bus

looking for stardom,

but really, thank you.

- OK, bye.

- Bye.

OK, here's the truth.

I couldn't have signed you

if I wanted to, all right?

OK.

I didn't come from a signing tonight.

I haven't signed anybody in seven years.

My label's completely lost

all faith in me.

So why did you give me your card?

Force of habit. If I look homeless,

it's because I practically am.

I left my home about a year or so ago.

I'm sleeping on a shitty mattress

in some shitty apartment,

and I wasn't celebrating tonight.

I was drinking my ass off

standing on a subway platform

ready to kill myself,

and then I heard your song.

- Want to get a beer?

- Sure.

OK, come on.

"Dan Mulligan. Born 1966.

Headed A&R department

at Island Records for two years.

Left to cofound indie label

Distressed Records

with Harvard classmate Saul Byron."

So you own Distressed Records?

I sold all my interests

due to emotional difficulties.

- What emotional difficulties?

- I was too emotional. Read on.

"Very active on the hip-hop scene

in New York in the early '90s,

the pair were responsible

for discovering

numerous breakthrough artists.

Won two Grammys as producer.

Lives in New York

with wife, music journalist,

Miriam Hart, and their daughter."

- What happened to the Grammys?

- I pawned them.

You pawned them?

How much did you get for them?

125 for the both of them,

which got me nice and wasted

- one weekend a couple months ago.

- Were you drunk when you heard my song?

Absolutely,

that's when the magic happens.

- What magic?

- I hear things.

- You hear things?

- Arrangements.

You need to be drunk

for that sort of thing.

You musfve been drunk tonight,

because nobody else heard anything.

No, your song's good.

It's you.

Standing up there like a tomboy.

I don't mean to be offensive,

but don't you think that look's

a little pass?

- Really?

- Seriously.

We get you a look

and a killer video,

and you'll go straight to the top.

I'm thinking Norah Jones,

singer-songwriter thing at a piano.

Or the... or The Cardigans,

back in the day, when they...

when they first came to America?

Maybe even Deborah Harry.

A male band behind you.

What? You find that amusing?

No, I'm sorry, something

went down the wrong way.

Sorry? No, you were saying? Me with

a cardigan on? Norah Jones?

Babe, who the f***

do you think you are?

You're gonna stand up

on a stage with a beat-up guitar

and you think you're

Carole f***ing King?

No, I just think that an A&R man

telling an artist how they should dress

or come across is total bullshit.

People don't want that.

They want authenticity.

OK, babe.

Authenticity.

Give me the name of one artist that

you think passes your authenticity test.

- Dylan.

- Dylan!

That is the most cultivated artist

you could've thought of.

His hair, his sunglasses.

He changes his look every decade.

Randy Newman.

I f***ing love Randy Newman.

OK? You got me on that.

Listen to me.

I am not saying that you can't be

a real bona fide motherf***er

in this business,

but you got to do whatever it takes

and get people in to see your shows,

where the music can start

to do its real work.

Oh, my God.

What are we even talking about?

You can't sign me,

and I don't want to be signed.

That's right!

What's not to like?

Come on, let's get out of here.

Ah, sh*t. You're gonna have to

get these beers, though.

OK, so, uh...

- It was really nice to meet you.

- Oh. Where are you going?

To sleep.

I have a plane to catch tomorrow.

Where?

- Home.

- Why?

Because I'm sick of this city,

and I want to go back to Uni.

Oh, come on. Come on, no one

comes to New York and just leaves

without something terrible happening.

What? What happened to you?

Hey.

Come on, you can... you can share

with me. I'm no stranger to misery.

Listen, just come to my label

and let me play your demo

; partner.

f it doesn't work out, I will

personally pay to change your ticket.

What's one more day in New York,

for crying out loud?

You're just probably gonna go

home and mope around anyway.

All right, look,

I'm gonna go home and think about it,

and I'll call you

either way tomorrow. OK?

- Good answer.

- Yeah.

- It was very nice to meet you.

- Yes, pleasure.

Pleasure's mine.

Hey, you... you got my number, right?

Yeah.

- Hi! Dave?

- Yes.

Hi. I'm Jill.

I work in hospitality at the label.

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