Talk To Me Page #4

He's so sunny.

No sir, you love Sunny Jim.

Sunny Jim is a relic

of a bygone radio age.

We don't play Nat "King" Cole

or The Drifters anymore.

And our DJ's have

to reflect that.

That's why we have Nighthawk

and Soul Papa.

I'm not turning this into

some kind of teenybopper

American Bandstand.

We're a respectable

R&B station.

With all due respect, sir,

this is not

a respectable town.

This is DC.

You see them out

on the mall every day,

protesting the so-called

respectable establishment.

We can't become

the establishment,

or they'll turn on us.

Who do you have in mind?

Well, sir, I found a DJ

from an out-of-town station.

He has a major following,

and he's recently

been released

from his contract.

Jim, come back here, please.

It's nothing personal.

Oh, sh*t! I'm sorry...

Watch where the hell

you're going!

All right, man.

Oh, no.

PETEY:
Hey, sugar!

You know the drill.

Call your man.

I don't think so.

Let me ask you something.

You ever had anybody

eat your p*ssy?

Mr. Sonderling!

What's wrong, Freda?

Oh, God.

Blue Blazes.

How the radio business?

I put up with your

shenanigans out front

for a week, Mr. Brown.

Greene.

All right, Mr. Green,

what do you want now?

I'm your DJ, man!

Freda, call the police.

God damn! Y'all got

some hospitality issues

around this motherf***er!

You're cutting it close.

What can I say, man?

Had to get my vine together.

Your vine?

Yeah.

You're going on the...

F***.

Mr. Sonderling,

this is our new morning DJ.

I've been hoodwinked!

Come on.

You are out of your mind

if you think I'm gonna put

this person on the air.

Sir, I know

this is unorthodox...

Unorthodox? It's insane!

Sir, hear me out.

This man has a unique voice.

I just have a feeling...

I have much more

than just a feeling.

Sir, we need to put somebody

on the air in the next

two minutes or we go black.

Black, black, black.

Freda, run after Jim, he might

still be in the building!

Sir, we don't have time.

You're just gonna have

to trust me. One show.

One shot.

Our morning show's already

in the toilet.

We don't have a thing to lose.

You don't have

a thing to lose!

FREDA ON INTERCOM:

Sir, it's one minute to air,

and Jim's gone.

Oh, for crying out loud.

It's my own fault

for listening to you.

All right, one show, one shot.

I want you on air with him.

You can introduce him.

I'll be watching and listening

to every word, young man.

You watch your language

on the air.

Scout's honor.

Okay.

Let's go.

You ready?

Yeah.

Okay, remember,

always talk, no dead air.

Talk about your cat, your car,

anything, but no dead space.

And watch your language.

Okay. Now, you're a man

of Washington, so speak

to Washington, okay?

Connect to Washington. Okay?

Yeah.

You watch your language.

This is it, Ralphie.

Okay.

Okay.

We're coming in.

Okay.

Let's do it.

Okay.

Michael, get the door.

MAN:
Okay, we're on in five,

four, three, two, one...

And hello, Washington.

Welcome to your new

Sound of Soul, WOL.

I'm Dewey Hughes,

director of programming,

here to announce that

Sunny Jim can now be heard

at the midnight hour,

after The Nighthawk Show.

Today I introduce to you

a new voice on the DC scene,

a native of Washington,

a true son of the city,

and some may say,

a prophet of the streets,

here to spin the tunes

that will blow your mind,

Mr. Petey Greene.

Say hello, Petey.

Yeah, hello.

Like the man say,

this is Petey Greene.

And I'm here to spin

the tunes to get you

through your morning.

(GRUNTS)

Your AM morning drive.

But hell, maybe you ain't

driving. Maybe you're walking.

Maybe... Maybe you at work

already, maybe riding a bike.

But irregardless,

I'm gonna play the music

that's gonna keep you going,

and I hope

I don't bore you with...

(GAGS)

With my rambling.

Say the call letters.

The call letters, y'all.

(FUNK MUSIC PLAYING)

(VOMITING)

What the f*** is going on?

You didn't come here drunk,

did you?

Oh, sh*t.

No, man.

I ain't drunk.

It's nerves, man. I'm nervous.

Nerves or not, you better

get your ass back in there.

My ass is on the line!

I don't wanna hear some

f***ing Sunny Jim knock off.

I want Petey Greene, damn it!

Stop putting your goddamn

hands on me, man!

I ain't no punk, fool.

Well, stop acting like one

and get back in there

before the song ends!

Move, man.

Here.

Got some bullshit...

(CLEARS THROAT)

Well, that was a little funk

to get you

through your morning

over your yawning,

put the pep in your step,

and a glide in your stride.

Well, over the break,

I was asked to be myself.

So, who is Petey Greene?

Well, I got

an eighth-grade education

with a Ph.D. From the streets.

I'm a recovering alcoholic,

been sober five hours.

But I ain't touched a needle

in over eight years, y'all.

That's right.

Kicked heroin dead in its ass.

I been incarcerated

over half my life,

most recently down at Lorton.

My mama been in jail

for 30 years,

and as we speak my daddy's

pulling 21 in Alcatraz.

I am an all-around hustler,

and some of my best friends

is pimps, whores and gamblers.

But I guess that don't make me

no different than Berry Gordy.

And hell,

that brother own a label!

(LAUGHING)

I'm in pretty good company.

Maybe I'll own a label

one day, y'all. "P-Town."

So this is me, y'all.

And you ain't gotta worry

about me giving you

nothing but the sho'nuff,

'cause that's all I know.

This is P-Town, y'all.

(FUNK MUSIC PLAYING)

Are you out of your mind,

saying those things

about Berry Gordy?

Oh, man, I ain't said nothing

that black folk

don't already know.

You will apologize

immediately,

or I pull the plug

on this whole sorry mess.

(SOFTLY) Okay.

What?

I will apologize.

Now!

You said you wanted

Petey Greene, man!

(WHISPERING) Just apologize.

Just apologize.

I'm going by.

I'll tell you what, man.

Open the mike.

Sorry I had to break in now

on you ladies and gentlemen.

I know you was

enjoying it, too.

But in all seriousness, folks,

I gotta apologize about

something that I said a little

earlier that upset some folks.

I gotta apologize

to Mr. Berry Gordy

for making him out

to be a hustler and a pimp.

Mr. Gordy's

a very important man,

and he's done a great deal.

And I love the way

he takes the little

brothers and sisters,

broke-down runaways,

the downtrodden

from the projects,

and he gets them

off the streets.

Then he puts a few dollars

in their pockets, teaches them

how to talk and how to walk,

then sends them right back

out there to bring him

a whole lot of money.

So I'm sorry if in any way

I made him out to be a pimp.

That ain't pimping, y'all!

That's just good

old-fashioned hit-making!

Studio One.

So why don't we hear us

another one of them

good old-fashioned...

Mr. Sonderling,

Motown's DC rep's on the line.

Yeah.

And again, I sincerely

apologize, Mr. Berry Gordy,

from the bottom of my heart.

This is Petey Greene.

SONDERLING:

I'll call you back.

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