Born to Be Blue Page #3

with a rare gift.

Have some humility.

It's love.

- You're missing the point.

- You ever been in love,

Chet, huh?

- I've been married, twice.

- Yeah, I played those women.

I didn't feel real love.

- You want to feel real love?

You want to?

Want to...

- No, I don't want

to get high with you, Chet.

- I was just kidding.

- How did you

get into it anyway?

- When I was released

from the army,

a little while later,

I came home one day...

and there was a note

on my door.

It said, "Auditions

with Charlie Parker

at the Tiffany Club,

3:
00 p.m."

I saw it.

I grabbed my horn,

and I went over there.

I could see 30 or 40 trumpet

players all sitting there,

and every trumpet player

in LA was there.

And there he was,

biggest ass,

but he was somebody, right?

And then after a while,

he says,

"ls Chet Baker here?"

Somebody must've told him

about me, right?

And I said, "Yeah.

Yeah, Bird, l-Im here."

And so I came up,

and we played "Toot Toots."

We played "Cheryl"

and "The Song ls You."

He took the microphone.

He said, "Thanks

for coming, everybody.

This audition is over."

- He gave you the job

just like that?

- Just like that.

He said I was "bixellated."

- He was a big, fatjunkie

by then, right?

- Don't talk sh*t about Bird.

It was an honor

to score for him.

- Some role model.

- Yeah, he was.

He was.

He never hurt anybody

but himself.

Just like me.

- If anyone's gonna hurt you...

it's gonna be me.

- No. No, no.

[slow jazz music on radio]

f.

- I don't date zombies, Chet.

You want me to stick around,

you have to promise me

you'll stay clean

on the methadone.

- I love methadone.

Methadone is amazing-

- No, I'm serious.

- I am too.

I mean, methadone-

- No, I see you scratching

your face like that again,

then I'll know

you're not clean.

- I'm clean.

It's a new me.

I had my teeth done

just for you.

[both chuckle]

[both laugh]

- Now I miss

your missing tooth.

- Mm-hmm'?

- Mm-hmm.

How did you lose it, anyway?

- Oh, come on.

You read the script, right?

I was 12 years old.

I threw the rock on the side,

and it ricocheted

and broke my tooth.

- You're your own worst enemy.

- Mm-hmm.

Well, you need to better prepare

for your roles, ma'am.

No, I couldn't play

for more than a year.

I had to hole up

inside that stupid barn

and practice every day.

- Yeah, but you managed,

right?

- Yeah, but that was

one tooth.

I mean,

what are you saying?

You-you think

I should go back down there?

- Well, you need

to recover, Chet,

not just your jaw.

- But I love this apartment.

- You're losing this

at the end of the month.

- Oh, that's true.

Would you come with me?

Hmm?

- I'm not dropping my life

for you.

[lively jazz music]

II:

- Wha-what a surprise,

Chettie!

- Hi, Mama.

- Hey, give me a hug.

- Yeah.

- Aw!

- Give me back my hat.

- Ah!

Oh, you need a haircut, boy.

In that jacket,

you're gonna freeze to death.

How are your teeth?

Are they healing?

Let me see.

- [chuckles]

- This is Jane. Hmm?

- Ah, you look like

Chettie's ex-wife.

- Mom, I told you-

- Well, I-l played Elaine

in a movie.

- Yeah.

- Nice to meet you, Mrs. Baker.

- I never did like her.

- We were thinking about, uh,

visiting a little bit,

if that's okay.

- Yeah, that would be

wonderful.

You can stay

as long as you want.

Stay until after Christmas.

[dog barking]

- Hiya, Dad.

- Hey, Junior.

- He's gonna stay with us.

- Yeah.

I can hear, Vera.

You trying to dry out again?

- That's a lovely farmhouse

that you have, Mr. Baker.

- Well, thank you.

You know, you look like

a nice colored gal.

If I was you,

I'd get in that car and I'd...

[imitates car vrooming]

- Uh, you-you can have

your old room, all right?

- Hey, Chesney!

Filling station

up the road's hiring!

[bird calling]

- Must have been lonely

out here.

No brothers or sisters.

- I had my trumpet...

and the radio.

- That's all you need now.

- Hmm.

- And some time.

- And you.

Right?

[pigs snorting]

[halting trumpet music]

- Don't stop, honey.

It sounds good.

- I got no chops, Ma.

- It's real progress.

It is!

- Yeah,

time to hang it up, son.

- Mr. Baker,

my name is Officer Reid.

I'm taking over

as your parole officer.

You should have received

a letter to that effect.

I understand

you've agreed to try

this new treatment

called methadone.

- Oh, yeah, officer,

I-l just love it.

Just as addictive as heroin,

without the high.

- Hey, it's legal,

and it's keeping you clean.

- There is that.

- You got to find a steady job

and be patient, Mr. Baker.

I'll see you

when you get back to LA.

- That's me, Mr. Patient.

Hey, Miles.

Hey, Dizzy.

There's a white cat

on the West Coast

gonna eat you up.

Hey.

- Forget about Birdland.

[weak trumpet music]

II:

- I think I need to get

better glue for these bastards.

- [chuckles]

[water running]

- Checkmate!

- I need to see this.

Nonsense. Checkmate?

- Victory is mine.

- Hmm.

I let you win.

- You're such

a sore loser.

Yeah, but I still get

my prize.

- Yeah, you'll get your prize.

- [chuckles]

[soft jazz music]

[tenuous trumpet music]

F.

- Horn's not the only thing

that tongue's good for.

- Have you been

with other trumpet players?

- Trombone, yeah.

Alto sax, yeah.

- Yeah? You had

the whole brass section?

- Drop it! No!

- Shh!

Shh, shh!

My mother. Shh.

F.

[panting]

- Easy, Chet, easy.

Easy, Chet.

Just slow down.

Slow down, okay?

F.

Pretend you're playing me.

Okay?

Just relax, okay'?

Just breathe.

Just breathe.

Yeah.

That's better.

That's better.

F.

Okay, now hold that note

all night.

II:

[blows trumpet]

[door opens]

[music fades]

- Chettie, uh,

why don't you stay longer?

- I wish we could, Ma.

- No, he got to run back

to the big city.

- Gonna stay clean this time.

[quietly] Do it.

" Hey, Dad?

I got this for you.

I know

it's your favorite.

You remember you used to play it

for me on the banjo?

It's got that tune we love,

"Born To Be Blue."

- Oh, my goodness.

- Yeah, right?

That's a pretty tune.

- Well, thank you.

- Well...

I based my recording off

the way you used to play it.

- [chuckles]

But why did you have

to sing it like a girl?

- Well...

I sold a lot of that record.

- Hmm.

- How many records

did you sell?

Oh, that's right.

You-you quit, right?

I didn't quit.

- Yeah.

But I never embarrassed

my family.

I never dragged the Baker name

through the mud.

- Good-bye, Dad.

[light jazz music]

II:

- You all right, Chet?

- Would it be okay if, uh...

you know,

I moved in with you?

- I Go down, sunshine I

I See what tomorrow brings I

II:

I Go down, sunshine I

I See what tomorrow brings I

- Chet, I'm trying to sleep!

- I Well, it may bring

sunshine I

I And again it may bring rain I

II:

[indistinct chatter]

[jazz music playing]

II:

- Are you pizza 14, Henry?

- That's us. Thank you.

II:

[women screaming]

[music continues]

[applause]

[indistinct chatter]

[jazz music]

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