Eddie and the Cruisers Page #2

You understand?

Forget it. You had

your mind made up

Before you even started.

So what am I

knocking myself out for?

Look, I don't want

to argue with you, Sal.

You want to get another

opinion on the subject?

No! Forget it.

Joann,

what do you think?

What are you

askin' her for?

Why not ask her?

She's got a brain.

I don't know anything?

She knows, huh?

Everybody you bring in this

band's an expert except sally.

Sally's just a dumb

guinea, right?

You dumb guinea.

Hey, kid, come here.

Who, me?

Yeah, you. Come here.

Now, you heard what

we're talking about.

What do you think?

Well, I think

he's right.

I think it needs

a caesura.

See? My way,

with a caesarean.

A what?

Tell him.

What's your name?

Frank.

Tell him, Frankie.

A caesura?

That's

a timely pause,

A kind of

a strategic silence.

That's exactly right.

If you want, Ill

give you an example.

Ahem. Ok.

"One evening

"I took beauty

in my arms,

"And I thought

her bitter,

And I insulted her. "

Sounds like sh*t,

right?

Ok, wait a minute. Now Ill

do it with the caesura.

"One evening I took

beauty in my arms...

"and I thought

her bitter...

and I insulted her. "

Now, that's got class.

Does that have class,

sally? Right?

Hey, kid,

you can stay.

Ahem.

Excuse me.

Oh.

Can I help you?

Maggie Foley.

I work for

media magazine.

I'm doing a story

on Eddie Wilson.

I thought you might

be of some help.

Well...

what do you

want to know?

Well, Id like you to

tell me about the past.

I want to know

what it was like

To be a cruiser.

Miss, uh...

Maggie.

I'm sorry. It's nothing

personal in this.

I'd like to help you.

I really would, but...

frank, there are a lot

of unanswered questions

About that day.

Yeah, well, I understand

what you're up against,

But that was then,

and this is now.

I don't care

to be interviewed.

Look, frank,

I'm not here to make

a carnival out of your life.

Now, I have something

very different in mind.

I am going to do a tribute

to a group of guys

Who were ahead

of their time.

You don't understand.

The night Eddie died,

The cruisers

died with him.

Frank, what happened

that last night

At the recording

studio,

The night

that Eddie died?

There's no way on earth

Id go into that with you.

Frank, why not?

Maybe...

maybe because

Eddies dead,

And Im alive.

He was my friend,

And you,

I just met.

Hello.

Wordman!

Who is this?

This is the master

of voices,

Maker of choices...

Your old buddy.

You don't remember.

Doc?

Hey there, Wordman,

say there, Wordman,

Whatever happened

to you?

What you been up to?

It's been

a long time, doc.

It sure has, kid.

So, uh, what's up?

You need me,

Wordman.

You need me bad.

Is that right?

We got to talk.

How soon before you

get your ass over here?

Well,

where are you?

Right back

where we started, kid...

Asbury park.

All right,

you near-Beer fans,

Remember

mock-Bird, ing-Bird,

Charlie and Inez fox,

summer '63?

Well, James Taylor

and Carly Simon

Are betting you don't.

My man, my man,

the Wordman!

Long time, kid.

Doc, how you been?

The hits

just keep on coming.

Hey, you haven't

changed much.

Still a kid.

Don't bother

returning the compliment.

Give me that stuff,

will you, frank?

Sit down.

Hey, man, this joint

ain't as bad as it looks.

I mean, the pay ain't bad.

You can't beat the hours.

Besides, there's

a college nearby.

They're telling me Im becoming

quite a cult figure around here.

Doc, that's great.

So, did you

ever write that book?

No.

I never got

around to it.

So, what did you

ask me here for?

What's so urgent?

You talk to that chick

from media magazine?

Guess you know

what's been happening

With the cruisers lately.

Something's busting, kid,

and it's busting fast.

The way I see it,

Eddies my ticket out...

and yours.

Doc...

we did one album,

12 cuts.

You're making a big

deal out of nothing.

I'll tell you

about nothing.

Nothing's what we got on

the reissue of the old album.

After Eddie died,

I sold the rights all back

to Lew Eisen, that bastard.

Remember him?

There's nothing I can

do about that now.

But this movie thing, man...

you heard about

the movie deal, right?

The Eddie Wilson story.

The way I see it, they got

to have a script, right?

They got to have locations,

period stuff, stuff like that.

That's where we come in...

Technical consultants.

They got to come to us.

I mean, who else they got?

And there's more.

There's got to be parts

in there for both of us.

I mean, not that we should

necessarily play ourselves.

Doc, it sounds

like you can't miss.

I wish you all

the luck in the world.

Hey, kid...

I guess

I lost my touch.

I can't convince you,

who can I convince?

Listen, frank,

give me a ride home.

My car's kind of

out of commission.

Besides, there's something

I wanna show you.

Sure, doc.

Any way you wanna play.

I was thinking, frank.

Hmm?

I mean,

it's just an idea.

I know you're gonna hate it.

What is it?

I was thinking about bringing

the group back together.

"Eddie and the cruisers,

featuring Sal Amato,

Appearing nightly

at 8:
00 and 11:00."

Dig this.

I checked him out last week.

He's got this

Eddie Wilson look-Alike.

No, he ain't half-Bad.

He's starting to make a little

noise, but you know sally.

The kid's a nickel and dime

operation.

Now, here's my plan.

I figure we

get rid of the losers

And bring on

the cruisers.

You, the clone,

sally, Kenny,

Some dude on sax,

and the chick...

Joann.

Yeah, right, Joann.

I hear she's back,

you know?

She was out in Vegas.

Caesar's palace.

Where is she now?

Over around wildwood.

I hear she's choreographing

at one of the big hotels

On the boardwalk.

I get the group

back together, right?

Get a little seed money,

Get some publicity,

right clothes,

Open up at the right joint

at the right time,

And, Frankie,

we come back big.

Eddie and

the original cruisers.

Hey, why not

do a James dean?

Hit the junkyards,

Blowtorch Eddies car

into little pieces

For the tourist trade.

Only do me a favor.

Leave me out of it.

I'm sorry, kid.

It's ok. Forget it.

Sh*t.

They may look like shacks

on the outside,

But you'll be surprised

at the interior.

Maid's day off.

This was waiting for me

when I got home last night.

Looks like we got

the same decorator, doc.

They got my place

this morning.

It's like

the old joke.

Hmm?

We might

be paranoid,

But it don't mean

they ain't after us.

Who is they?

Music lovers.

Why?

We must have

something they want.

What?

Can't you

figure it out?

No.

Well, try.

What could we have

that's worth stealing,

My Robert hall suit?

Your wilkinson blades?

Oh, come on, doc.

Give me a break.

What are they after?

The tapes.

Season in hell.

A touch of class

for tony mart's.

Thanks.

What's this?

Poetry?

Yeah.

Rimbaud.

You know

anything about him?

Sure.

Um...

he was quite

disreputable.

Mean...

perhaps even ruthless

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