City of Ghosts (2021) s01e03 Episode Script


- [WHITE NOISE]
- Ta dum!
[CHILDREN LAUGHING]
[JAZZ MUSIC PLAYS]
[CHATTER AND LAUGHTER]
[JAZZ MUSIC PLAYS]
[REVERBERATING TONE]
Mi-mi-moo-mi-bah ♪
Ah-dah-di-doo-di-dah ♪
ZELDA'S BROTHER: Rolling.
Oh, hi. I'm Zelda,
and welcome to City of Ghosts.
On our show, we, the Ghost Team,
look for ghosts
around the city to tell us their stories.
Today, we meet Sonya.
There is definitely something weird
happening in her neighborhood.
It also happens to be Eva's neighborhood,
and that's pretty neat.
Hi, I'm Eva, and I live in Leimert Park.
Here is where I learned to dance.
- Whoo!
- [SYNTH MUSIC PLAYS]
Here's where I got my first bike.
This museum
is full of Leimert's jazz history.
Tacos.
And here is where I come
to learn poetry with Sonya.
Well, my name is Sonya.
I manage a vegan café,
and in the evenings,
I teach children poetry.
Kids like the challenge
of trying to rhyme words.
I use it as a means
to help promote vocabulary.
- No cuss words. No cuss words.
- [SQUEAKING]
Um
A lot of students
don't have interest in reading
as much anymore,
but they definitely like performing,
and they definitely like, uh,
showing their creativity through rhyming.
I've never been behind the counter before.
It's pretty cool.
So you said
the coffee machine has been acting funny.
Normally.
It's being shy today.
Probably 'cause you're here.
Oh!
There it goes.
[CLANKING DRUMMING]
- [BUZZER RINGS]
- Sorry, folks. Machine's acting up again.
[REVERBERATING TONE]
Interesting.
[PATRONS MURMUR]
[CAR HORN HONKS]
- SONYA: Once a week, in the evenings
- [LAUGHING AND CHATTER]
uh, we teach children poetry.
Music has been absolutely the first way
I learned about poetry and rhythm.
MLK, not JFK, he was a wonder
Like thunder, in the laws that lay ♪
He went around the country
Marching, preaching ♪
To explain to everyone
About what he was teaching ♪
[LAUGHING]
Anyway, sorry.
But, yeah, music has always been a way
for children, and myself, especially,
to memorize things
that needed to be memorized.
[CLANKING DRUMMING]
Hah! Not today, coffee machine.
[CLANGING DRUMMING]
[LAUGHING AND YELLING]
Would you please calm it down?
[MOODY ELECTRONIC MUSIC PLAYS]
[CAR ALARM CHIRPS]
[LOUD DRUMMING]
[SONYA SIGHS]
[LOUD DRUMMING]
- Yeah. That's the window, up there.
- [SIREN BLARES]
- Yeah. It was so
- [POLICE RADIO CHATTER]
It woke me up.
I'm just afraid of losing
this poetry workshop for the kids.
[MELODIC ELECTRONIC MUSIC PLAYS]
Hi. Can you tell us
a little bit about yourself
and what happened last night?
I'm Steve.
- I'm a teacher. I teach.
- [ELECTRONIC MUSIC PLAYS]
I get up early in the morning,
and I grade papers all night.
Yeah, the drumming that goes on all night,
it's starting to get out of control.
Listen, kid.
Sleep deprivation is a real thing.
I think I have enough to go on.
Now it's time to meet with the Ghost Club.
[ECHOING TONE]
[CHATTER]
- So, it's a loud ghost?
- [ELECTRONIC MUSIC PLAYS]
Yeah,
and it's been getting Sonya in trouble.
Jordan and I got some footage
of what's going on.
[BEEPING]
JORDAN: How did you?
- [WHITE NOISE]
- [BEEPING]
[SWISHING DRUMMING]
- [EERIE REVERBERATING TONE]
- [MILK FOAMING]
[CLINKING DRUMMING]
[REVERBERATING TONE]
[MILK FOAMING]
[PERCUSSIVE DINGING]
[ECHOING TONE]
It seems to like making sounds
with anything it can.
- [MUSIC PLAYS]
- Maybe it's a musician.
Uh, that makes sense.
There's a lot of music in Leimert.
Oh, yeah, like when all those people
were drumming in the park by your house
when you had that playdate.
Actually, they don't drum there anymore.
Hmm
Hi. My name is Barbara Morrison.
Now, I'm the owner
of this jazz and blues museum
in Leimert Park.
- What do you like about Leimert?
- [JAZZ PLAYS]
Boy, you should have been here years ago
when that big fence wasn't there
and everybody was all over the park.
And you could have a drum circle here
and a drum circle over there.
And they were
around the beautiful fountain.
And then, one day,
they-- they redesigned the park
and put a big fence up,
and the drum circle had to go away.
But that park
is the heartbeat of the community.
That park is the heartbeat.
Hmm. Interesting.
[BIRDS CHIRP]
PETER: Since they closed the park,
the drummers can't play there anymore.
ZELDA: We think this ghost is a drummer,
looking for people to dig on its beat.
Maybe it wants to jam with you.
Could you write a poem
to the beat it keeps dropping?
- I usually work by myself um
- [CAFÉ CHATTER]
because it's an emotional experience
when I'm writing, usually.
When I'm emotional
and mad about something,
I'll write something real quick.
Um I've never been collaborative.
No, I haven't really worked
with others before.
"Poached eggs."
This is really what I'm doing.
"Poached eggs and toast."
On a plate ♪
Potatoes and pancakes
We all celebrate, breakfast and elevate ♪
[DRUMMING]
Poached eggs and toast on a plate ♪
Turkey, bacon, veggie omelet
With cheese on top ♪
- [MALE VOICE] No.
- We are-- ♪
Uh, let's see.
Um
[MOUTH SMACKS]
No vegetable oil, we use only ♪
[MALE VOICE LAUGHS]
peanut oil ♪
- [MALE VOICE LAUGHING]
- [PERCUSSIVE DINGING AND CLANGING]
You are driving me nuts.
Let me see.
Okay, that sounded kinda good. "Nuts."
Uh Let me see.
[MALE VOICE]
Klutz.
[DRUMMING]
- Chicken butts.
- We have--
Oh, my gosh.
I'm losing my mind ♪
- Hmm. Lemme see.
- [DRUMMING]
I'm losing my mind ♪
I can't even find my voice to say ♪
Hey, hey, hey, hey ♪
I can't even concentrate
With this whole little drumming ♪
Little situation ♪
[MALE VOICE]
Wack!
Um, hmm.
Wack?
Let me see.
Come on and bust a rhyme ♪
Come on and tell the time
Uh ♪
[MALE VOICE]
Come on and bust a real rhyme.
- [MALE VOICE] Please, somebody.
- Now, who is this? Who is this? Hello?
Yo, yo, yo. Dude.
[REVERBERATING TONE]
[MOUTH SMACKS]
Okay, well, my name is Darryl Moore.
People call me JMD,
which is short for "Jam Messenger Divine."
Well, that's a-a-- a nod to Art Blakey.
Instead of "Jazz Messenger,"
"Jam Messenger."
And the message is divine
'cause Darryl Moore can't do nothing.
It's all coming from up there.
Why do you keep making so much noise?
Well, you know,
that's how I got into music.
You know, beating on stuff
- and hearing rhythms
- [DRUMMING]
and beating on the desks at school
when I should actually be doing my work.
[JAZZ MUSIC PLAYS]
DARRYL: Mr. Hines on 137th Street,
he had an old, like, '66, '65 Cadillac,
and the-- the hood
sounded like a bass drum,
and the fender sounded
like a snare, so you
[DARRYL BEATBOXES]
You know,
then you start kicking a little rhyme.
We were, like,
talking about each other's mothers.
We were bagging on our moms
or whatever, to a funky beat.
What was Leimert like when you lived here?
It was, uh, beautiful in the daytime.
At night, it was a whole 'nother life.
You know, there was a lot
of seedy things going on late at night.
It just wasn't good.
[JAZZ MUSIC PLAYS]
Jazz seemed to wash all that away.
- And music changed everything.
- [BIRD CHIRPING]
You see all of these people
sitting outside, playing chess,
listening to music, having coffee,
having conversations
about worldly events, uh,
culture, and things of that.
And then, all of a sudden,
the riffraff didn't have a place.
They didn't have a foothold anymore.
Nobody said, "Get out."
They just kind of like,
"Well, this ain't the place for me."
Mmm.
- What rhymes with that, though?
- Man, look. It's just too strict.
You know, it's kinda like flavorless.
You gotta get it poppin', baby.
I'd rather have a-- a angry bum
on the corner come kick something
that I can feel.
What about my soul?
What about my heart, my feelings?
There's nothing better in the world
than MCs standing
on the corner in a cypher.
What's a cypher?
Oh. Cypher?
How do I describe "cypher"? I don't know.
A cypher is-- is like a meeting.
DARRYL: A-- a heavy meeting
[POPPING]
of MCs standing in a circle.
This dude's kicking, "Woo, woo, woo."
This dude's kicking. Then your turn comes.
And they might leave off on a word,
you know, and then you pick up
on that word they leave off on,
and you style it,
then you're doing your thing.
And then maybe that next guy over here
hears a word that you say,
and he'll just jump in.
I just wanna show you
how much more free you can be.
Yo, Eva, read that thing.
"Leimert Park means a lot to me."
"It got-- it gots the vibes."
"It's got the vibes."
- "It got It-- It--"
- DARRYL: Nah. No, no.
That was a little wack
all by itself, right?
But you need to work with me here, okay?
DARRYL: You were so into it earlier
in the kitchen, dancing, et cetera.
Just think about it like dancing.
[DRUM BEATS PLAY]
Leimert Park means a lot to me ♪
It's got the vibe ♪
It's got the beat ♪
I love it with my soul ♪
Hot and Cool croissants ♪
Make me want to drool! ♪
- Not bad, kid.
- All right, Eva.
- Yeah, Eva!
- Eva!
- Way to go!
- [EVA LAUGHS]
I mean, people were experimenting,
uh, you know, with beats,
and then they would put
a-- a jazzy horn lick on it.
All right. Cool.
You got a dope beat and some sample
- or some dissonant chords.
- [JAZZ PLAYS]
That's great.
But my thing was to play live
and be in the moment with it.
I wanted interaction
between MC and musician.
Uh, let me see
what you had right there.
I'm an expert
in reading rapper chicken scratch.
Oh.
- Hey, kid.
- Hi, Steve.
We wanted to invite you to open mic night.
[SYNTH MUSIC PLAYS]
Okay. Um
Thank you.
- [CRICKETS CHIRP]
- [JAZZ MUSIC PLAYS]
[INDISTINCT CHATTER]
[LAUGHTER]
[APPLAUSE]
Hello. I'm Eva,
and this is my poem about Leimert Park.
- Let's go, Eva!
- Go, Eva!
PETER: Woohoo!
Leimert Park means a lot to me ♪
- [MICROPHONE FEEDBACK]
- [DRUM BEATING RHYTHMICALLY]
It brings my heart a sense of peace ♪
[DRUM BEATS CONTINUE]
I love the Festival of Masks ♪
Do you even need to ask? ♪
[BOY'S VOICE]
Ahem.
Is this the pottery class?
EVA: No, it's the poetry class ♪
So come bust with us real fast ♪
Every joyful day ♪
It makes my heart wanna celebrate ♪
Neighbor Steve, hit that mic.
[LAUGHING]
Wait. Who, me?
Try a verse with me.
Well, okay.
- Uh
- [MIC FEEDBACK]
I-- I-- I-- I love Leimert Park ♪
It means a lot to me ♪
It's-- it's got the vi-vi-vi-vibes ♪
It's got the beat! ♪
Please pass the mic, homie.
Okay.
I love it with my soul ♪
Hot and Cool croissants
Make me wanna drool ♪
Oh, my fellow friends ♪
I love you till the end ♪
I love the way that the people dress ♪
It's very Africany ♪
Art instead of mess ♪
Even in the alleys ♪
I love Leimert Park ♪
It means a lot to me ♪
Drums beat on Sundays in the park ♪
[DRUM BEAT PLAYS]
Music is free ♪
- [CHEERING AND APPLAUSE]
- [KIDS CHANTING] Eva! Eva! Eva!
When you come to Leimert,
you have to understand
that it's older than you
and it's bigger than you.
- [UPBEAT MUSIC PLAYS]
- It's a community consciousness
that needs to be taught.
That goes for any space.
Okay, if--
if I'm keeping it real with you,
if you were to tell me
that was a ghost making that noise,
I'd be like, "Pffft."
"What?"
Where I'm always trying to go
is trying to leave myself.
That's when it's good.
It's like you're an antenna
for a higher thing.
You know what I mean?
You don't have any real control.
That's not really you.
DARRYL: It's something else, this thing.
Kinda like
It's a very spiritual thing.
ZELDA: And that wraps up
another episode of City of Ghosts.
[BEATBOXING]
[JAZZ MUSIC PLAYS]