The End of the Tour Page #13

David looks at him for a moment. He walks out of the room,

leaving Lipsky behind, his head reeling. Lipsky presses stop

on the tape recorder.

100 INT. DAVID'S HOUSE/BATHROOM - 1996 - NIGHT 100

Lipsky, still digesting the conversation, looks at himself in

the mirror while brushing his teeth. He spits into the sink.

101 INT. DAVID'S HOUSE/GUEST ROOM - 1996 - NIGHT 101

Lipsky is in bed, still awake in the moonlight. The door

ajar, David comes in. He speaks softly, in shadow. He can’t

be seen and can’t see Lipsky very well; it’s sort of like

confession.

DAVID:

You awake?

LIPSKY:

Yeah.

DAVID:

I was just thinking... It wasn't a

chemical imbalance, and it wasn't

drugs and alcohol. It was much more

that I had lived an incredibly

American life. That, “If I could just

achieve X and Y and Z, everything

would be OK.”

(A beat.)

75.

There's a thing in the book: when

people jump out of a burning

skyscraper, it's not that they're not

afraid of falling anymore, it's that

the alternative is so awful. And then

you're invited to consider what could

be so awful, that leaping to your

death seems like an escape from it. I

don't know if you've had any

experience with this kind of thing.

But it's worse than any kind of

physical injury. It may be what in

the old days was known as a spiritual

crisis. Feeling as though every axiom

of your life turned out to be false,

and there was actually nothing, and

you were nothing, and it was all a

delusion. And that you were better

than everyone else because you saw

that it was a delusion, and yet you

were worse because you can't f***ing

function. And it’s really horrible.

(A beat.)

I don’t think we ever change. I’m

sure there are still those same parts

of me. I’ve just got to find a way

not to let them drive. Y’know?

(A beat.)

Well, anyway... Good night.

LIPSKY:

Good night.

David goes. Lipsky, his eyes moist, scrambles to get his pad

and scribbles notes so he won’t forget David at his most

revealing.

102 INT. DAVID'S HOUSE/GUEST ROOM - 1996 - MORNING 102

Morning light falls across Lipsky’s face. The dogs greet

him. He stirs, gets up.

103 INT. DAVID’S HOUSE/HALLWAY - 1996 - MORNING 103

Lipsky heads for the bathroom just as David emerges from it.

LIPSKY:

Morning.

104 EXT. DAVID'S HOUSE/FIELD - 1996 - MORNING 104

David and Lipsky are out on a wintry field, walking the dogs.

76.

DAVID:

Jeeves, Drone, come! You getinstantaneous production from theJeevester; Drone’s a much tougher nut.

LIPSKY:

Beautiful out here.

DAVID:

You should see:
in the spring, whenthe wind blows, you can see ripples,

it’s like water. It’s like the ocean,

except it’s real green. I mean, it

really is. Calm, real pretty.

(Pause.) Hungry?

LIPSKY:

You know me.

They turn back toward the house. David calls the dogs.

DAVID:

You should get going.

LIPSKY:

Yeah. Let me take you someplace nicethis time. Remember, it’s on Jann.

106 EXT. MCDONALD'S/PARKING LOT - BLOOMINGTON - 1996 - DAY 106

Lipsy and David emerge. David tucks into the takeout bag.

DAVID:

Sorry, I can’t wait, I’m suddenly

starving, I gotta eat something.

David picks pickles off his bacon double cheeseburger.

LIPSKY:

You don’t like pickles.

DAVID:

Oh, come on. Now the whole world will

know what my mother’s known for years:

I’m a picky eater?

He takes a bite.

107 INT. DAVID'S HOUSE/LIVING ROOM - 1996 - DAY 107

The dogs are in David and Lipsky’s faces while the men eat.

77.

DAVID:

Jeeves, sit! You see, Jeeves gets

very obedient when food is around.

You sit, Drone. It should be clear by

now that you’re not getting any of

this.

Drone sits. David feeds both dogs morsels of his food.

DAVID:

Good dog! There you go, thatta boy.

(to Lipsky) Don’t leave food within

their reach - they will eat it.

Lipsky takes a note.

DAVID:

You’re not gonna make me look like one

of those insane old women who talk to

their dogs, are you?

LIPSKY:

Don’t worry.

DAVID:

I am worried:
my dogs’ll be offended.

LIPSKY:

Your dogs are not gonna read it.

Drone playfully nudges Lipsky to the floor.

DAVID:

Wow - he’s never taken to a male like

he’s taken to you.

LIPSKY:

Really?

DAVID:

Except for me, of course.

The phone rings. David hands Lipsky his burger.

DAVID:

Hold this?

LIPSKY:

Sure.

David goes to get the phone.

DAVID:

(on the phone) Hello? Oh, hey.

78.

He turns away from Lipsky and lowers his voice but Lipsky can

still hear him.

DAVID:

Yeah, I would like to. I can’t right

now. I’ve got this guy here.

Lipsky is stung:
After all the intimacy they shared, Lipsky

is just “this guy.”

DAVID:

The Rolling Stone guy. Yeah. Well, he

should be leaving pretty soon. Can I

just meet you there? Okay? Great.

See you there. Bye.

He hangs up. Lipsky tries not to show his hurt.

LIPSKY:

I should get out of here, let you get

on with your life.

DAVID:

Just this friend. This dance I like

to go to, with this friend.

LIPSKY:

You dance?

DAVID:

Uh huh. I’ve just discovered in the

last few years that I really like it.

Although I’m still not very good.

LIPSKY:

What kind of dancing?

DAVID:

I tend to do the Jerk, the Swim,

cheesy 70s disco.

LIPSKY:

Really?

DAVID:

The nice thing about Bloomington?

You’re completely hip if you do that.

LIPSKY:

Where do you go, a club?

DAVID:

This Baptist church.

79.

Lipsky can’t tell if David is serious.

LIPSKY:

Why there?

DAVID:

Because Baptists can dance.

Wow.

LIPSKY:

Dancing.

DAVID:

I will not Vogue.

CUT TO:

108 INT. LIPSKY'S WEST END AVE APT/OFFICE - NYC - 2008 - NIGHT 108

Lipsky, listening to David’s voice, smiles ruefully.

DAVID’S VOICE

(on tape) That’s the one thing I

refuse to do:
I will not Vogue. It’s

cool. All these people come, andthey’ve all got their dancing shoes on

and stuff. And it’s nice. Everybody

just, more or less, leaves each otheralone.

CUT BACK TO:

109 INT. DAVID'S HOUSE/LIVING ROOM - 1996 - DAY 109

Scene 107, continued.

DAVID:

Hey, before you leave, I would reallylike it if maybe we should exchangeaddress data.

LIPSKY:

Absolutely. (A beat.)

get my stuff together.

Well, I should

DAVID:

And I should start carving an icesculpture out of my car. It’s like

Antarctica.

David grabs his coat and gloves and goes outside. Soon we

hear the sound of David scraping ice off his car, which isheard throughout the following:

80.

Lipsky goes from room to room, as if memorizing this time and

place, softly describing what he sees into his recorder.

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