Privilege

National Television. Steve Shorter.

Slate one, take one.

I would just like to say to you all...

how happy I am to be back in Britain

after my American tour.

The name of this young man

is Steven Shorten

He is being given the first ticker-tape

welcome in the history of Britain.

But Steven Shorter is not

a president or a politician.

He is a pop singer.

The reason given for

the extreme violence of the stage act

that you are about to see

is that it provides the public

with a necessary release

from all the nervous tension ca used

by the state of the world...

outside.

The performance for which

Steven Shorter is now being prepared

is based the sentence

he once served in prison.

And so successful has

this violent act become

that Steven Shorter now finds himself

the most desperately loved

entertainer in the world.

Britain in the near future.

I see it all before me

My path's a restless wander

My days and nights are torment

A world of misery

The bonds of retribution

Now laid so carefully

I cannot shed my pain so easily now

My spirit's broken

No will to live

My body's all aching

My hands are tied

I need my freedom

Not your sympathy

Look, you needn't love me

Just set me free

Come on, come on

Set me free

Set me free

Is there a way out for me?

I kneel before you helpless

Is there somebody out there?

To take a chance on me

I don't pretend to virtue

I don't ask anything

But if you want to help me

My freedom's everything

Now look! My spirit's broken

No will to live

My body's all aching

My hands are tied

I need...

I need my freedom

Not your sympathy

Look, you needn't love me

Just set me free

Come on, come on

Please set me free

Set me free

I see it all before me

My darkest days of sorrow

Salvation's been denied me

No hope of liberty

I only ask one question

Please tell me if you can

What good is retribution

Without a helping hand?

There is now a coalition

government in Britain

which has recently asked

all entertainment agencies

to usefully divert

the violence of youth.

Keep them happy, off the streets

and out of politics

Very good show tonight.

The basic thing is that, when we get

this European thing settled down...

By the way, Martin, I'd like you to...

I'd like to look over some of

the press releases I've got.

This should be the greatest

European tour he's done yet.

By the way, as I mentioned before,

the Far Eastern thing...

- The potential there is tremendous...

- Did somebody give him a drink?

Yes, I've offered...

Steve, do you want a drink?

OK, you can let them in now, please.

Come in, ladies and gentlemen.

There will shortly be 61 people

in this room

of whom 54 have nothing whatever

to do with Steven Shorter.

They are what you might call

"professional leaners"

All right, take it easy.

That's it. Have a drink.

Vanessa Ritchie.

Commissioned by the Ministry of Culture

to paint Steven Shorten

I first saw Steven Shorter

at a press reception

given for him about 3 months ago.

I couldn't get very close because of

the usual crowd of people around him.

There was just something about him.

It was the way he stood and looked

in the midst of all those people.

I found a strange sort of emptiness

and I just wanted to paint him.

- What was your name? Hedy, wasn't it?

- It's Betty.

It's Betty!

And this, our American friend,

is John B. Marshall.

I'd like to say howdy, folks.

Cool it,John. We'll hear

from you later. Isn't he wild?

Enjoy yourself. Have a ball!

All right! Hold it, everybody!

Present time, Uncle Julie.

Right now, it's present time.

- What's all this about?

- It's your birthday, Uncle Julie. 65.

For he's a jolly good fellow!

For he's a jolly good fellow!

Look. My accountant...

Do me a favour:
count backwards.

On the left is Alvin Kirsch,

Press Officer to Steven Shorten

And on the right is Jules Jordan, music publisher to Steven Shorter

and grossing 250,000 per year.

Beautiful. Just beautiful.

Thank you, Steve.

You're so good to me.

You want to repeat the kiss?

A replay for the kids.

Is that too much?

The evening of August 8th.

We are in one of

specially built within

the last few years

to spread happiness

throughout Britain.

Not in a million, million years

Look after this, will you?

It's not business with us.

We're just one big happy family.

Look at this kid: a doll, a prince.

I love this boy. Beautiful.

We didn't frame it because we didn't

know where you'd like to put it.

Vanessa... Vanessa.

Martin Crossley,

personal manager to Steven Shorter.

Do you find Miss Ritchie's

painting exciting?

Well, I don't really know

much about art.

Ask me about birds---

I wasn't suggesting that

you should know about art.

I was just wondering

if you had an opinion.

Freddie, what do you think?

I don't know much about art.

Ask me about bees and I'll tell you.

Adolescent display

is not really called for.

- I was just asking for an opinion.

- About her work?

On the right is Freddie K,

musical director to Steven Shorter

and self-confessed anarchist

It's not what it's about

anymore, is it?

If you really go seriously into it

you want to go to a place

where something's hanging

that's got a bit of something it!

Not all this nansy pansy stuff.

I mean sort of...

She knows what I mean.

When you see it and it's a bit

of everything that he's ever done.

A bit of everything like...

bathing and it should be going

to the toilet and that.

Everything's in it. A bit of a man's life!

A bit of his soul! A bit of everything!

That's what it's all about.

It's not this... Isn't it?

I'm sure you'll agree.

- Steven, can we help you?

- I was...

I'd like to dance.

We were trying to have

a conversation about painting.

You might ask Miss Ritchie, Steven.

You might ask Miss Ritchie, Steven.

Hey, little girl, I'm in a whirl

I've been a bad, bad boy

I'm on my knees

Forgive me, please

I've been a bad, bad boy

They're all watching you.

Well, they always are, aren't they?

I was watching you last night

on television.

I mean, obviously I've seen

your act before but...

this time I was looking at it

much more clearly.

Oh, yeah, I know...

I'm quite a phenomenon, aren't I?

How does it go?

"His act is nauseating.

It's sadistic."

There was one girl

they were interviewing.

She was sobbing and she was saying

she'd kill herself for you.

Yeah, I saw her.

And?

I thought she was lovely.

Excuse me, sir. Step aside please.

Alvin Kirsch is coming through.

Would you please excuse me?

Hey, kids. Everything all right?

I hate to break in at this time.

Do you think you could just

cool it for a couple of minutes?

Steve, I'd like to talk to you.

I'd like to tell you about

the agreement numbers.

Why don't you...?

You'd like this, too.

Steve... Even closer to you.

Steve Electrics. Guaranteed.

Refrigerator; dishwasher; TVset.

If we haven't got it

Steve will get it for you

He will because he can.

Steve genuinely loves dogs.

He knows you do too

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