Documentary Now (2015) s02e05 Episode Script

1 Good evening.
I'm Helen Mirren, and you're watching "Documentary Now!" Season 51.
For a decade, Test Pattern combined new wave music, performance art, and political activism to become one of the world's most famous rock bands.
And then, suddenly, it was over.
But not before one last concert, forever preserved in the film "Final Transmission.
" Hi.
I got a cool little toy.
This is the street where I live.
That's a mailbox on the corner.
Over here is a stop sign.
There's a little grocery store, a man smiles and waves at me, a bus turns and goes down the avenue.
A lady reads a book in front of a building.
She's having the best day of her life.
I bought a brand-new pair of tennis shoes at the department store.
I'm having the best day of my life.
This is my street.
This is my street.
This is my street.
This is my street.
This is my street.
Hey, this is my street.
This is my street.
And I'm walkin' to you.
Thank you.
Got into art school.
I'm gonna paint what's in my mind.
Collecting little things that I find, and eating food with my new friends.
Art plus student equals poor.
Art plus student equals fun.
Yeah, so Lee and I had met at CSAD.
The Connecticut Institute of Art and Design.
School of Art and Design.
School of Art and Design.
First year I met Lee, he had told everyone on campus that he had made every piece in the Museum of Modern Art.
And that was the work.
Him telling people that was was the piece of art.
Somebody mentioned music.
Music and sound.
Sounds like Art plus student equals poor.
Art plus student equals fun.
We can try to be serious.
Sign my name over and over and over and over.
You know, at first, I just thought this guy was full of shit, but after a while, I just, you know, I really admired his moxie.
I thought what he was trying to do was really interesting.
And you just - Answered an ad.
- He just answered an ad.
Hey - So why call it quits now? - I don't know.
I don't know what the answer is.
But sometimes I think we could've called it quits a couple of years ago.
Thank you.
Can I have it back? Thank you.
I thought I gave it to you yesterday.
Thank you.
Test Pattern, as a project, was never meant to last forever.
There was definitely a a finite end that was meant to be.
Thank you.
That's Anita.
Hey, guys.
I'm Marky.
Lift up the blinds, turn on the flashing lights.
Yellow and red.
Look at the flashing lights.
The polka-dot pattern on the factory wall.
Radio signal's gonna hear my call.
Flashing lights! Flashing lights! How did you find your way into Test Pattern? How did that start? Well, I was Marky's girlfriend.
We grew up in New Haven together, and then when he and Lee were forming Test Pattern, they were looking for a female vocalist, and I don't know why they thought of me, 'cause I had never done anything like that, so I enrolled in CSAD the following year, and and then Lee and I got married.
Wait, Lee? How did that happen? Well, it was part of a performance he was doing about the banality of marriage, so he married a lot of objects.
Like a telephone you know, parrot, and a fancy automobile.
And then I was the only human.
Thank you.
We're seeing the history of the band sort of unfolding.
and we got some more friends.
Wake me up at 6:00 a.
m.
I'm alert! I'm hiding out in the trees.
I'm alert! Didn't I tell you? I thought I told you.
Meet me at the designated spot.
Found a roving spotlight.
It's in my backyard.
They put it in the back pages of the newspaper.
Meet me at the designated spot.
Test Pattern is an agreement, a visual agreement, more than it is a group, but we're still a group, I mean, we still consider ourselves part of the the art movement or the punk movement or or whatever it is.
We still enjoy playing music with each other.
It's just that, at some point, you have to pull down the curtain and put on our pajamas.
Found a roving spotlight.
It's in my backyard.
They wrote about it in the papers.
Meet me at the designated spot.
I'm alert! - # I'm alert! # - Give it to me.
I'm alert! - One, two, three - # I'm alert! # Well, the group was starting to sound really stale.
It's very limiting to have just guitars and electric bass and drums, and our producer, Ooto Keirsha, played me this record, and it was gamelan music from Bali, and I was really struck by all the bells It sounded like church bells or something and I went to the band and I said, "This is what we should do," and they agreed and they nodded, and I said, "We're gonna incorporate their music into our songs.
" Or, rather, my songs.
The name of this song is "In Ding, In Ding.
" I didn't love the Balinese stuff.
To be honest with you, it wasn't my favorite.
It just sounds like a dozen dumb doorbells.
In ding, in ding In ding, in ding For you, creativity seems to be your primary concern.
Would you say that you resent your success? I don't know that I'm successful.
I don't know that.
I'm always yearning.
That's just what I do I just keep trying to make more things and I have no resentment because well, I do have some resentment.
But that's a separate issue.
Marky, what are you gonna do now that the band's over? I'd like to be like Mike J.
Fox in "Bright Lights, Big City," and wear a suit.
Blow rails.
Make some money in New York.
Loosened tie Go out, drink during the day.
- Okay, okay.
- Thank you very much.
- That's done.
- Thank you.
That's all done.
What are you gonna do after it's all over? Probably just keep jammin', you know? Playing cool drums.
Partying.
I got I have a new Camaro that I like a lot.
How can you afford a Camaro? From the band.
What, did he give you publishing on something or - Yeah.
- He did? Oh, yeah.
I can't afford a Camaro.
This next song was on one of our records, and it was written by Marky here.
Marky wrote it.
No, hold on, hold on, hold on, hold on.
The reviews said that the singing has no melody, and not in a cool way where it sounds like it's angular.
It sounds more like he is trying to hit notes that he cannot hit.
The last time we played this a couple years ago, many people went to the concession stand, and, well, that just happens, but we're gonna do the song, and Marky, why don't you introduce it? I wrote a lot of songs.
And this was the only one we recorded.
You know, at the time, I was reading a lot of speculative fiction like William Gibson Everybody's movin' around! Everybody's movin' around! Busy people runnin' around! So much information! Everybody's movin' around! Everybody's movin' around! Busy people movin' around! There's so much information! Late for a meeting, catching a plane, magazines, checking your watch.
So many commercials confusing me.
Instruction manuals.
I think I'm going to lose my mind, and my head is spinning in circles.
Everybody's movin' around! Everybody's movin' around! Busy people runnin' around! - # There's too much information! # - This song is almost done.
Everybody's movin' around! Everybody's movin' around! Busy people runnin' around! So much information For my he-e-e-e-e-e-ad-ah! It's about people moving around.
I had been watching Lee writing stuff and I saw Marky trying to write stuff, and I just thought, you know, I bet I could do that.
And so I just jotted a little something down, you know? And couple months later it was a hit.
Some of you may know this next Well, all of you know this next song.
It was on a movie soundtrack.
In a very very famous movie.
"Sun Warriors"! That's right.
"Sun Warriors.
" You know it.
I was thinkin' 'bout the workin' day.
The day is done.
But I only know you want to get out and have some fun.
I'm tryin' not to scowl.
If it wasn't so wild.
I come undone.
Why can't you save time for me? There isn't much, but it's all that I want from you Well, "Save Time for Me" is the biggest hit, but I don't consider it to be part of the Test Pattern canon, so to speak.
It's just a song that I play guitar on.
And it's not us as a band.
It's really more Anita's song.
Victims of circumstance, avoiding our every chance.
Against all moments.
Why can't you save time for me? I think the problem is and was that it became more of a money-making endeavor.
Certain band members found that it was more important for them to buy things like houses and cars and tennis rackets Instead of really being more cohesive and to continue exploring music and sound.
Well I was panhandling over by the old train tracks, and Buster told me to move it along.
So I shuffled down to the five-and-dime on Lincoln Street and bought myself a pair of used roller skates in all faded yellow and green.
But then, Rosalita, well Or as Rosa, as I like to call her On Tuesdays.
She said she wanted a pair of roller skates, so I gave 'em to her.
Never could skate worth a damn.
Busted light in the motel sign.
Broken watch don't tell me the time.
Two left shoes and a dusty coat.
I reach for my wallet and I found a note It said I owe you 7 cents.
I promise I'll pay you on Monday.
Meet me at the burnt-down hair salon Oh, wait, that place burnt down.
I said I owe you 7 cents.
I promise I'll pay you on Monday.
Meet me at the burnt-down hair salon Oh, wait, that place burnt down.
The kerosene reading lamps become my best friend.
But it's starting to get wise to my fibs.
And the city skyline is a forest of trees, and the stockyard is filled with old cabs.
And the tilt-a-whirl got rusty, but still the music plays.
I hate it.
I hate that it's Test Pattern's last concert.
I feel like we're just hitting our stride and I-I-I'd love to keep playing.
You know, we're just starting to make some real money.
But, you know, Lee says You know, artists don't look in the rear-view mirror and they move forward and break up bands, I guess.
So this song here is kind of the last song we wrote.
And I hope you like it.
Had a crazy meal with my friends the other night.
How long should we stay? Should we wait until they turn out all the lights? Good-bye, good-bye, good-bye.
They said it's time to go Time to go.
A couple walks along an abandoned studio.
This is where I stood.
I said something good, but I forgot the joke.
She said it's time to go.
Good-bye, good-bye, good-bye, good-bye.
Really, we're not calling it quits as much as hibernating for a long, long time.
And even if we don't get back together as a rock group or an art group, the concept of Test Pattern, which is all visual, can keep going.
Good-bye, good-bye, good-bye - # They said it's time to go.
# - # Good-bye.
# Good-bye, good-bye, good-bye I'd like to thank everybody for coming tonight.
Good-bye, good-bye, good-bye Our producer is here.
He produced all our records.
Ooto Keirsha.
Good-bye, good-bye, good-bye.
They said it's time to go Time to go.
Thank you.
Thank you.