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she doesn't want to cooperate.

- But she will.

- I'm sure she will.

Just remember, get close to her

while you research, but when you write...

Forget she has a mother. Right.

Don't I always?

- Talk to you later.

- 'Bye.

So, who's going to get

the Lawrence treatment this time?

Some girl he met.

- That's obvious.

- So what's the hook of your story?

It's not one of those pieces about how

health clubs are the new singles bars?

God forbid.

- Do you work out?

- Yes, I do work out, when I have time.

I don't take it as seriously

as you guys do, but I do work out.

My dad didn't take it seriously, either.

He died fat at 40.

Sorry.

I was 8. I knew even then...

if he had worked out and not smoked,

he'd have lived longer.

How old are you?

I'm sorry.

You don't have to answer that question.

- Mid to late 20s.

- Interesting.

What?

Most people I've interviewed

are about that age.

I think when you get to our age

you feel the need to keep in shape.

Probably no coincidence

that the baby-boom generation...

approached 30 at the same time

as the exercise boom started.

- You do have a hook?

- Maybe.

It's good to talk a story out before writing.

It's all spitballing at this point.

- What's that?

- A tape recorder.

I thought maybe we'd exchange ideas,

if you don't mind.

- Do you mind?

- Yeah.

- I won't do it.

- Thanks.

I do have some notes

that may interest you.

Look at this.

"The baby-boomers are leading

a physical great awakening...

"like the spiritual awakenings

that grip America about every 100 years."

Pretty good.

I think people want to take responsibility

instead of leaning on institutions.

For instance, does anyone believe

the government will take care of us?

- No.

- Not since Vietnam or Watergate, no.

Or big corporations? Or even doctors?

So, you have to take care of yourself.

A lot of people are trying to get in shape,

as you well know.

I think we've come full circle.

Almost back to Emersonian America

of self-reliance.

There's something else here.

Emerson:
"Do that which is assigned thee

and thou canst not hope too much...

"or dare too much."

So, what could be more all-American,

more old-fashioned all-American...

than institutions

like the Sports Connection?

Little capitals of Emersonian America

scattered from sea to shining sea.

You are so hot.

I'm glad we had this off-the-record lunch.

I was real suspicious of the kind of story

you were going to write.

If you want to know

about the Sports Connection...

a real writer would work out. Join.

- You ever taken an aerobic class?

- No.

I've got one starting soon.

You should take one of mine.

I should, but I can't, I don't have the time.

I've another appointment this afternoon.

I have to finish up a story

before I can concentrate on this one.

- What's the other story?

- Joseph McKenzie.

You do important stuff, too?

- Will you be here later?

- Nope. I'm on the road.

What do you mean, on the road?

I teach class at the

Beverly Hills Sports Connection, tonight.

- Coming in?

- No, I really don't have the time.

I'll make a deal with you, though.

I would gladly take one of your aerobic

classes if you'd let me interview you.

I was really beginning to like you, too.

Notes on lunch.

We talked about baby-boom generation,

great physical awakening...

Emersonian America.

Father dies fat at 40.

Interesting girl.

She's smart, but I've got to be smarter.

McKenzie and I go way back.

I met him when I was in New York,

and I was stripping, even then.

Right, but in a little classier club.

I didn't know who he was

and he walks into the club one night...

and he puts a $1,000 bill in my G-string.

- Are you kidding? Really?

- We had a lot of fun.

- He's really a great guy.

- Sounds it.

I'll tell you something,

if you promise not to tell.

- Okay.

- He bought this house for me.

- Really?

- Yes.

- Well, do you still talk to him?

- Joe and I talk all the time.

- Shotsy?

- My God, my husband's home.

Eddie?

- Honey, this is Adam Lawrence.

- Hi.

He's a reporter for Rolling Stone,

and he's doing a piece on Joe McKenzie.

- Get out of here.

- I wanted to ask your wife a few questions.

- You leave her out of this.

- Eddie, I invited him.

I told him he could come.

He says that nobody has anything nice

to say about Joe, and I want to help.

You're not saying anything to anybody.

I don't want her name mentioned

in any article, understand?

Now get out of here.

Knees up!

Jumping jacks!

See you next week.

- I'll see you guys later. I'm late.

- Great class. Thanks.

'Bye.

You did good.

- See you later.

- Hi.

- What are you doing here?

- I just thought I'd come by...

and see if you needed someone

to help charge your battery.

- I have a confession to make.

- A confession? Yeah?

What kind of confession?

On my way to work, I went to the library

and pulled some back issues...

of Rolling Stone and read

some articles that you wrote.

Really? Which ones?

Abscam and Junk Food.

"And?" he says, fishing for a compliment.

You're pretty good.

Must be fun being a reporter nowadays.

"Yeah," he says suspiciously.

You get to try to keep

the big boys honest.

At the same time, you get to figure out

which way the culture's going.

I guess that's true.

A friend of mine says...

that popular culture is to society

what dreams are to an individual.

If you want to find out about an individual,

you analyse their dreams.

Same with society.

If you want to find out about a society,

you analyse things like music and film.

- Or health clubs, or junk food.

- And in doing so, you can be quite vicious.

I think I try to be objective.

Do you always work on a computer?

Do you know anything about computers?

I took a couple of courses.

- You left it on.

- I always leave it on.

This way, it's already warmed up

if I get an idea in the middle of the night.

May I?

Everybody writes that.

I was hoping you'd come up

with something more original.

How do you erase it?

A good reporter would never get in bed

with a subject.

You keep forgetting something.

I'm not your subject.

- You'd probably be a lousy interview.

- Probably.

- No opinions, no ideas.

- None.

- I think I'll take your class anyway.

- I give a very tough class.

You do? Tell me about it.

First, there's the warm-up.

The warm-up is designed...

to increase blood to the muscles,

to warm up the muscles.

So as to be able...

to do the more strenuous exercises.

And then, there's the cardiovascular.

Let me get rid of this.

Hello. Yes. Who?

Mr. McKenzie, yes.

Well, this is he. Well, who told you?

Shotsy did. Good.

That's good, I think you should tell

your side of the story.

Well, if I left right now,

I could probably catch the redeye.

Great. Sounds good. Thank you.

He'll meet with me. Maybe he'll talk.

I got to go.

Of course you do.

Wait a minute.

This is to be continued.

I certainly hope so.

- Hello?

- Hi, I called the office.

They said you're still home.

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