Music Within

---

All of our

earliest memories are lies,

family mythologies

handed down to us repeatedly

until they become as real

as what actually happened.

Get the door, Mama.

You may be king, you may

possess the world and it's gold

But gold won't bring you happiness

When you're growing old

The world still is the same,

you never change it

Get the damn door, Mama.

As sure as the stars shine above

No one in the family can say

exactly when my mother went crazy.

According to Grandma,

she was always that way.

Get the damn door, Mama.

Dad said it started

when she lost the babies.

Seven miscarriages in eight years

can tend to do that to a person.

That's why my arrival on the scene

came as somewhat of a surprise.

I was born with the umbilical cord

wrapped around my neck.

I've been pissed off ever since.

The world still is the same,

you never change it

The miscarriages had taken

such a toll on Mom

that she somehow got it in her head

that she'd lost me as well.

Well, you're nobody 'til somebody loves you

So find yourself somebody to love

Shortly after I was born,

my mother drove me to California

and placed me in a Catholic orphanage.

I wish I could tell you

about my earliest memories there,

but the truth is, no one knows.

Back home, she claimed I had died at birth

and couldn't tell anyone where I was.

What?

Two years later, after another miscarriage,

she suddenly remembered

where she'd left me.

Despite all of Mom's craziness,

Dad never stopped loving her.

But they divorced,

and I was passed around

like an unwanted Christmas fruitcake.

Eventually, my mother decided

she needed to be a full-time mom again,

and that we needed a fresh start.

I disagreed.

- You'll have your own room.

- I already have my own room.

I'll get you bunk beds.

But why do I need bunk beds?

I'm an only child.

It wasn't all bad.

The best thing in my life was my dad.

His name was Dell Fong,

and he was Chinese.

I identify him as being Chinese,

because his race

is the most vibrant memory I have of him.

Richard, that's not safe.

Come on, time to work.

Maybe you can be a cook, too, someday.

I could never be a cook like my father

because I'd already made

my career choice.

Superhero.

As a superhero, you occasionally

have to deal with something annoying,

like Kryptonite.

My Kryptonite was called home.

My mother had this ritual.

Every year, she'd celebrate the birthday

of each of the children she miscarried

by buying them a birthday card

and taking an overdose of sleeping pills.

That happened seven times a year.

I wouldn't call her successful at suicide,

but she was punctual.

My dad's Kryptonite?

Soy sauce.

"Most people go to their graves

with their music inside them. "

What was Mr. Holmes saying?

Come on, guys, it's not that hard.

He's saying that most people die

without discovering their own genius,

without expressing the uniqueness

that makes them special.

And that's what

this little exercise is about.

I want you to give me three minutes

about something, anything that you know,

that your classmates may not know.

Mr. Pimentel, I like your spirit.

Come on up.

Butt kisser.

Funny how things happen.

Only in hindsight do you realize how

something as small as raising your hand

can change your entire life.

Well, have any of you ever eaten

chicken at the Golden Dragon,

the Rickshaw Gardens

or the Chinese Gardens?

Well, you know the restaurants

don't buy live chickens, right?

They buy dead ones.

And you know where they get those

chickens and how those chickens die?

I do, 'cause I killed them.

I killed your dinner.

I've chopped the head off chickens

for every Chinese restaurant in the city.

You find the biggest knife you can find,

then you have to grab the chicken

by the lower of its neck and swing...

I could've talked for hours.

Mr. Parks was almost as happy as I was,

because he ran the speech club.

Warnings of

approaching missiles over the Arctic.

And in other news, Soviet Premier

Khrushchev has made great strides

in his policy towards peaceful coexistence

with non-Communist countries.

And I believe Premier Khrushchev

has made great strides

in his policy towards peaceful coexistence

with non-Communist countries.

I may not have been

the most original speaker,

but I became a star.

Forget that superhero dream,

now I knew what I really wanted to be.

Mom?

I forget whose birthday it was this time.

I just know it wasn't mine.

My mother ended up surviving

only to leave me a few months later.

It didn't matter, though,

because I had plans.

Things didn't happen

as quickly as I expected.

A few years after high school, I got a job

working in the kitchen of a go-go bar

to earn money for college.

Richard, I need that order 10 minutes ago.

I don't pay you to stand around.

I still had my dream,

but there were a few distractions.

Bambi was a visual effect

that would only be rivaled years later

by my first viewing ofStar Wars.

Tiff, you're exposed.

What are you working on?

There's a tournament

at Portland State University,

and it's open to anybody.

So I figured if I went there and I

did really well, I might get noticed,

and who knows, maybe a scholarship.

No sh*t.

- What are you gonna wear?

- I don't know. Probably a sweater.

Oh, honey, no way.

You see that guy over there?

He owns the biggest men's store in town.

Girls.

Did you hear about the midnight rambler?

Everybody got to go

Did you hear about the midnight rambler?

Well done.

Yeah, thank you, sir.

Hey.

Mr. Pimentel?

I'm Ben Padrow with the University.

I'm chairman of the Speech Department.

Hi, Dr. Padrow, I know who you are.

Well, congratulations. I'm impressed.

Nice suit.

Oh, thank you very much.

Where do you go to school?

Actually, sir, I'm not in school right now.

I'm a little strapped financially.

But I'd love to come to State.

Well, we have scholarships

and financial aid. We'd love to help.

Come see me.

Yes, sir.

You're late.

I'm sorry. I was over at the admissions...

No time for apologies.

On the stage, let's go, come on.

I picked three speeches, like you asked.

Now, which one do you wanna see first?

The good one. Tick, tock. Come on.

All right.

Last meal's been eaten.

Last prayer has been said.

The prisoner is strapped

into the electric chair...

My black brothers will gladly sacrifice

for freedom overseas

when there's freedom in Birmingham...

...until my right to vote in this country

precedes my obligation to die for it.

Just sit down there, please. Right here.

You like it up there?

Yeah, I...

I like it better than anything.

Why?

I don't know.

Stop right there.

That's the first honest thing you've said,

"I don't know. "

You don't know why you're up there.

You don't even know what you're saying.

Sure, you're talented and passionate.

You could fool some blue-haired judge

in high school, but not here.

This is another league.

Wait a minute, I...

I've won every single tournament

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