Voyeur Page #8

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and did it for 30 years...

is off-putting.

You could be disturbed by it.

I think it would be a bit unusual

if you weren't disturbed by it.

But I don't think that's necessarily bad

for sales of the book.

The publisher has issued orders

to me not to talk to nobody.

According to this, I can't be trusted.

We are weeks away

from the publication of the book.

Now he needs somebody to hold his hand.

This is something

I'm gonna take upon myself.

This is my last chance to take control

of The Voyeur's Motel.

We're not gonna have

a happy honeymoon in Denver, either.

That's gonna be a drag.

To have a man of his stature,

and from New York City,

you know, coming to see us...

We're just common people.

He doesn't associate with common people.

Gay says that every time

he comes to see us,

he wants us to dress up,

not like what we're wearing now.

He's used to going out with people

that are all shammied up.

All his people are all...

They're all presidents

and CEOs of companies.

They're all famous people, most of 'em.

You heard me criticize Gay

a couple of times.

I just wished

he'd have shared with me more.

But I'm not gonna let it

destroy the relationship.

It's about the book.

We gotta stick together.

'Cause if we don't stick together...

you have nothing.

That looks nice.

I want to see

who's coming out of the car first.

There's... there's old Gay.

Oh, no, he bought something for us.

- Oh, roses!

- Oh, my God.

- Roses.

- He didn't have to.

I know it,

but he wants to make things good.

He knows we've been through

a lot of stress.

Hi, Gay. How are you? Come on in.

- Flowers for you.

- Thank you.

- And look at this guy.

- How are you doing?

Where'd you get a suntan, Jerry?

All right.

Gerald, you are making history.

The editor was a little bit worried

about how the readers are gonna react.

On the contrary, they love it.

Said it's one of the greatest stories.

Can't believe this story.

That's what people say.

They can't make that up.

Can't make it up.

We sat and we read it,

you know, the entire story.

And I mean, it was...

Some good and bad in there.

Wasn't a valentine.

Some of it was surprising,

but I thought it was okay.

I might have been a little upset,

'cause I'd never seen

- any of what you had written.

- I know.

And I never saw the manuscript

at all from you.

You have a right to an opinion,

now, or next month,

or five years from now.

What you do not want to do

is ever admit falsely

that we cooperated with one another,

I showed you what I wrote.

I don't need to give you

a lecture on journalism.

But we journalists,

if we're really honest

and not hatchet job people,

which many of them are,

but I'm not one of 'em.

I write the best I can.

And when it's out there,

and it's got my name on it, there it is.

If you don't like it,

you can shoot the messenger,

you can edit it or write bad reviews,

which they do, for sure.

That's the way it goes.

- What other questions do we have?

- We didn't get total clarity.

The thing about your voyeur's journals,

that start in '66,

the question is, what exactly happened?

He explained that he'd made

the mistake of date.

Instead of '69 or...

He already answered that.

- He answered that.

- Confusion.

If you're going back

on the discrepancy of the dates,

he's already answered that.

- How much more we have to do?

- We're almost there.

Then let's get on,

'cause this is dragging.

I have a simple question

for you, Gerald.

- All right.

- Okay.

Do you have any regrets

working on this book with Gay Talese?

The question is

a legitimate question.

Essentially, Gerald,

if you had it to do all over again...

Or maybe that's...

Ask the question yourself.

- That's the question.

- Make sure it's your question,

'cause I don't wanna change your question.

I don't wanna prompt an answer from him.

Ask him the way you ask it.

Gerald, if you had it to do

all over again,

would you still participate

with this book?

Didn't you ask that same question

and it's already on tape?

Wait a minute.

He had misgivings, didn't he?

- He did.

- I want you to get him to say that.

I don't want you now, because I'm here...

What you've done is wrong.

You talked to him privately

and you got an answer.

- Now with me here...

- No.

I'm affecting his answer.

Don't you understand?

Do you have any regrets

about this process?

This is a phony answer.

I think it's unfair to him.

I want you to let him be critical of me.

What you guys are doing is sanitizing it.

He doesn't have...

He has misgivings. Of course he does.

Why shouldn't he be allowed

to have misgivings?

- I told him... Wait a minute.

- If you want...

"You know, Gay,

I thought you wouldn't use that.

- "Gay, I wish you checked with me."

- I know.

Why can't he be critical of me?

Why can't you let that be critical?

- I think I've already said that.

- Say it!

I'd ask you not to put the murder

in the book.

You did. You asked me...

That is... I didn't...

I did what I wanted to do.

I didn't do what you wanted.

I did what I wanted.

- Go out and blab to the public.

- It was your right,

'cause we had a contract.

We both have a right.

You have a right to criticize me.

And they don't have a right

to ask you the same question

if you're gonna sanitize it.

Let's make what you said...

I didn't hear it.

But in my presence,

you're not gonna be as candid

as you would be if I wasn't here.

And that's part of journalism.

Why would... How do you know

what they're thinking?

What's wrong about this

is they already asked you that question

with me not there.

Then, with me here, they're trying

to get you to answer differently,

which could expose you as a hypocrite.

Don't you understand?

- I understand.

- This is the way journalism works.

These guys are not even

credible journalists.

They're cameramen, but they don't know...

- So you think that because I had...

- They pulled a trick on you.

That I would say something to them

that I'd never say to you personally?

That is true.

- I don't know if it is.

- I bet it's more true than not true.

- That's the way people are.

- Our goal isn't to trip you up.

No, but your goal is to get him to say

a different answer to the same question.

Did we hit a sore spot on you?

I know there's a lot of trick questioning

in this game,

'cause I know this game.

I don't wanna be in your corner.

I don't wanna be your apologist.

I don't wanna be your personal biographer,

'cause I'm not.

I'm my own goddamn writer,

and you're your own person.

Let's quit. Are we over this? Are we okay?

That was a good question.

Come here, I want to ask you a question.

- Are you okay?

- Yeah.

Come here. Let me give you a hug.

Everybody around here are friends,

but someday, like Gay says, we're gonna be

around people that aren't our friends.

That's right.

You've got to stay away from them.

If you start talking

before that book comes out,

they will use what you say

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