Len and Company

---

[projector whirring]

[Ian Dury and the Blackheads'

"Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick"]

[upbeat rock music]

II:

- I In the deserts of Sudan I

I And the gardens of Japan I

I From Milan I

I To Yucatan I

I Every woman, every man I

I Hit me with

your rhythm stick I

I HR me, m me I

I Je t'adore,

ich liebe dich I

I HR me, m me, m me I

I Hit me with

your rhythm stick I

I Hit me slowly,

hit me quick I

I HR me, m me, m me I

II:

I In the wilds I

I Of Borneo I

I And the vineyards I

I Of Bordeaux I

I Eskimo, Arapaho I

I Move their body to and fro I

II:

I Hit me with

your rhythm stick I

I HR me, m me I

I Das ist gut,

c'est fantastique I

I HR me, m me, m me I

I Hit me with

your rhythm stick I

I It's nice to be I

I A lunatic I

I HR me, m me, m me I

[lively saxophone solo]

II:

I HR me, m me, m I

II:

I In the dock of Tiger Bay I

I On the road to Mandalay I

I From Bombay to Santa Fe I

I Over hills I

[door slams]

- Hey, man,

can I borrow a tie?

- For what'?

- Mine has sh*t on it.

I got a job interview.

- Okay, you just,

uh, clean yours?

- No.

I'm too pressed for time.

Today's soccer,

plus I'm captain this week,

so I'm in charge

of bringing all the goals,

and f***in' Agro Mike's

got a UTI.

- Uh, well,

they're in the top drawer.

- Thanks, man.

- Yeah.

- Wait, hey,

when are you coming back?

- I don't know.

I was thinking a couple days.

- All right.

Let me know how it goes.

- Yeah.

- All right, see you, man.

- All right.

- I never knew it was possible

to be so bored

and stressed at the same time.

[rock music playing on radio]

II:

- Yeah, no,

I'm halfway there now.

I'll just look it up

on my phone if/ get lost.

Don't Worry.

Yeah, no.

Well, then, I'll pull over.

Yeah, no.

It'll be fine.

Yeah, listen,

I don't want to get a ticket.

I don't want to get pulled over,

so I'll-I'll, uh-

I'll give you a call

when I get there.

Okay.

Yeah, no, Mom,

I know what he's like, okay?

You don't have to coach me.

All right, yeah.

No, I'm hanging up now.

AH right, bye.

[ethereal music]

II:

[water flowing]

[crows calling]

Hey.

Dad.

Len.

[sputtering]

Hello, Max.

- Uh, what are you doing?

- F***ing swimming.

What's it look like?

- The water's disgusting.

- No, it's not.

It's nature.

It's like swimming

in a pond with steps.

It's what man was meant

to swim in.

Besides, I think

the pool guy's quit.

- He quit?

Why?

- I don't know.

He just doesn't

come round anymore.

- Have you tried calling him?

- Yeah, well,

that's part of the problem.

Never been properly introduced.

Tessa used to take care

of all that sh*t.

He was a pissant, anyway,

always rushing around.

- I bet I could find him.

- Don't bother.

He's fired.

Cheeky f***ing c*nt bastard.

- [chuckles]

[clears throat]

- So, uh...

To what do I owe

the honor of this visit?

- I just thought

I'd check up on you,

see if you're okay.

I tried calling.

- I see you brought a bag.

- Yeah, I, uh-l thought

I'd stay for a couple of days.

Yeah, no one's heard from you

in a while, you know?

You must be cold.

- No, I'm not.

- I mean, you really got

the whole "Grey Gardens"

thing going.

I like it.

- Yeah, well, I wasn't

expecting any visitors.

[cell phone vibrates, beeps]

- Yeah.

- No phones up here.

- Are you serious?

- Don't want to see it.

. Okay"

- I want to hear myself think

for a change.

I mean it.

- So, uh, uh, when did you

break up with Tess?

- Awhile ago.

- What happened?

- She was an underfed coyote,

poor thing.

Time came for her

to go foraging.

- Man, I'm-l'm sorry

to hear that.

- It's all right, Max.

I know the game.

So while we're on the subject,

what can I do for you?

- Um, nothing, l just-

- Do you need money?

- I was just planning

on hang-hanging out-

- There's got to be some

expense I'm not covering.

- It's nothing like that.

- Want me to make a call

for you?

Get you a label?

- No.

It's not...

- I'm a very

successful man, Max.

High up on the totem pole.

- I'm well aware.

- What do you need, then?

- I don't need anything.

I'm just visiting.

[muffled television]

[television stops]

- Your hair's longer.

- Yeah.

It's been, uh-

it's been like this for a while.

- All right.

Stay.

Don't distract me.

I need to focus.

. Okay"

[muffled television]

What are-what are you

doing, exactly?

- Thinking.

- Yeah, what are

you thinking about?

- Everything.

The whole Charade.

"S h a-rad e."

- All right, well,

I'm gonna go to my room.

- Right, you've got

30 seconds,

or on top of motor theft,

ifs resisting arrest

and assault

with a deadly weapon.

- And forgery.

[soft acoustic guitar music]

II:

- Uh, shall we start?

- Yeah, go for H.

- Um, do you feel

like you've matured?

- What do you mean?

- There's a rawness

to the new album

that feels like a departure

and an evolution.

- Thank you.

Yeah.

Yeah, I'd say those things.

- Do you feel like this is

an accurate snapshot of Zoe?

- [chuckles]

Maybe.

- Okay. Sorry, let me come

at this a different way.

You've basically, you know,

grown up in public.

Famous since you were

16 years old.

Every mistake you make,

your fashion choices,

your romantic choices,

all get catalogued

very publicly.

I mean, what's that

been like for you?

- Uh, I don't...

know really what you're asking.

- Well, it's not exactly

how everyone spends

their teenage years,

but you seem

to have come through it,

maybe with a-

a hard-won wisdom.

- I don't know.

L'm-l mean,

it's the only experience

I've ever had, you know.

[laughing]

So that's it.

[acoustic guitar music]

II:

[muffled television]

II:

- Think you're

talking to, Regan?

- Do you Want me

to answer that?

- Hey, Len.

- Hey.

- I figured out the ground

shield situation.

It was connected at the source,

causing a ground loop,

and the links

were stuffed inside

an old Burger King container.

- Right.

- I replaced the links,

and I threw out

the Burger King container.

I hope that's okay.

I didn't know if you were

saving it for any reason.

- No.

That sounds like

the right decision.

- Hi.

- Hey, I'm Max.

Len's son.

- Oh, Max, this is William.

He lives down the road.

He comes in once in a while,

checks I'm not dead.

He's in charge of general

maintenance, house morale,

that sort of thing.

Got an office in the barn.

- Mm.

- L, uh, stacked the cables

at the studio door.

- All right.

You have fun.

- Yeah.

See you tomorrow.

It was nice to meet you, Max.

- Good to meet you.

- Cheers, William.

[door closes]

- Where'd you find him?

- Tessa.

[muffled television]

- A little bit awkward.

- He is, a little bit.

Or "real" is a better way

of putting it.

- I have to ask you

about Len Black,

your longtime collaborator

and producer.

Were you as caught off guard

as everyone else

by what he did

at the award show last month?

- Yeah.

I was, for sure.

- What do you think

prompted that?

- Can I use your pen?

- Yeah.

- Thanks, man.

[murmuring]

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