Original subtitles

I am not a woman.

I am an icon.

I am not a woman.

I am an icon.

I am not a woman.

I am an icon.

- Angelyne?

Read it.

- Oh, I don't think that that's a very good i--

- Read it.

- Okay.

"The mystery of LA billboard diva Angelyne's

"real identity is finally solved,"

by Jeff Glaser of "The Hollywood Reporter."

"Way before Paris Hilton and Kim Kardashian,

"the enigmatic blonde bombshell

"was famous for being famous,

"perpetually driving the streets of Hollywood

"in that pink Corvette, but her true identity

"has remained secret all these years...

until now."

- Who is she?

- All right.

- Mysterious billboards are popping up around the city

featuring the striking image

of a blonde with a single name,

Angelyne,

raising the question

who is Angelyne,

and what exactly is she advertising?

- What do I think she does by looking at it?

- Actually, I did hear that she was trying to be a star

and that she bought all these billboards

trying to be a star. Am I right?

- Angelyne, why are you famous?

- I'm famous for being on billboards.

- Angelyne! - I see her sometimes.

I saw her ride by in her car,

and she was just paying maximum attention

to the people on the sidewalk,

just, you know, showing up.

- Ooh.

- The one, the only Angelyne.

- Angelyne finally decided

all those billboards weren't enough,

so she put up this ten-story-tall

mural of herself

at the corner of Hollywood and Vine.

It was there for six months and cost more than $50,000.

- The mystery of Angelyne has become a media obsession,

although she outright refuses

to tell you anything about her past.

- People have a lot of opinions about who you are.

How would you describe yourself?

- I'm a Rorschach test in pink.

Ooh.

An innocent little doll

or a whore

or a porn star.

People see...

what they see.

- I love Angelyne

for all the same reasons

the extremes, the weirdness, the glamour, the enigma.

- There's something sexy about a mystery.

That's why everybody wants to know my story.

- Back then, you could still disappear

or reappear as someone else.

You can't really do that anymore.

Angelyne existed at a point in American history

when that was still possible.

- Everyone wants to interview her.

They're doing a story about the history of Los Angeles.

They're doing a story about

the greatest sex symbols of our time.

They want to interview Angelyne.

- Who is Angelyne really?

What's her story? Where is she from?

That's what I set out to learn,

and I was successful.

- Jeff Glaser turned out to be...

A liar, and I hate liars.

He was just biting at the ch--

mm, whatever you call it

to get the story.

- So the story isn't true?

- Hey, Jeff, here are those photos

you asked for of Angelyne.

- Thank you.

- Yeah, she was in a band called Baby Blue in the '70s.

That guy's name right there is Cory Hunt.

- Cory?

Oh.

Cory's dead.

- I am not dead.

Of course she would say that, man.

You know why she would say that?

Because I created Angelyne.

Does she know you're talking to me?

- Did I say Cory was dead?

Well, he doesn't live in LA anymore.

I sometimes get the two confused.

- God's honest truth?

This whole Angelyne story starts with me.

She was nothing before me.

- He's probably gonna tell you some story

about how he saved me or discovered me,

and if that'll make him happy, he can do that.

But the truth is, when I met him,

I was already quite busy modeling and acting.

But the characters weren't reflective

of who I am on the inside, so...

I had a different plan.

- I was looking for a band that wasn't going anywhere,

one that I could mold.

That's how I discovered him.

Coca-Cola, please.

- They were nothing much to look at,

but that's okay, 'cause no one was looking.

I will never forget that night.

We had a residency at the Starwood.

We were already gaining a ton of buzz.

There was cosmic energy in the air that night.

We have been and we will always be

Baby Blue.

Thank you, and good night.

- You guys rip, man!

- Hey, Cory, great show.

- Mm-hmm.

- And that's when I discovered her,

this divine creature from outer space.

I'll be right back.

I never saw anything so beautiful.

So what did you think of the band?

- What band?

- Mine.

We were just onstage.

- Oh, was that you? I wasn't listening.

How'd you do?

- We were incredible.

We were fine.

- If you're aiming for just fine,

you'll probably end up just missing it.

You gotta aim higher.

- Yeah, I know.

I mean, this place is not bad,

but we really should be playing the Whisky.

- Then you gotta play every show as if it's the Whisky,

and one day...

It will be.

- Can I buy you a drink?

- I don't drink...

Or smoke.

- Who are you?

- Angelyne.

Yeah, my dad, right,

he's got this whole Soviet work ethic

where you just work your whole life

and you expect nothing,

but I say what's the point of living if you aren't...

Following your dreams.

- Yeah, yeah.

Yeah, so I said, "No, I'm not gonna live like that."

So I packed up all my shit.

I fled to LA,

started a band.

I mean, I've played every club around here.

Eventually I'm gonna play the Whisky.

That'll prove him wrong, you know?

- Fathers can ruin your life.

- So what about you? Are you close with your dad?

- Oh, I never knew him. He died when I was a baby.

- Oh.

I'm sorry.

Your mom?

- What's your sign?

- Aquarius.

- No wonder you're a rebel.

- Hey, wait. Where you going?

- Home, of course.

- She'd occasionally share things about herself

to gain sympathy, but when it comes

it the actual truth about her past,

no, she never went there.

Hey, hey, wait up.

You know how many freaks and weirdos are out here?

You could get your head chopped off.

- Don't worry, Daddy. I'm stronger than I look.

- No, but you--

- You shouldn't be walking.

Hey, I work at a garage.

I could help you get a cheap car if you want.

- Oh, I don't want just any car.

A car is supposed to be an extension of you,

your being.

I want something fast

so I can get away if I have to.

- What would you need to get away from?

- Anyone, anything,

I have to know I can escape.

That's why I'm saving up to buy my dream car,

my very own Star 'Vette.

- Star 'Vette. - Mm-hmm.

That's what Barbie calls her Corvette,

her dream machine.

- Barbie the doll?

- The American icon.

I'd love to be like Barbie.

- You're already blonde and beautiful.

- Oh, she's so much more than that.

She lives a painless existence.

You can stick her with things, and she won't cry.

She doesn't hurt.

Wouldn't that be nice, never to hurt?

- Yeah, I would never let you get hurt.

- Come on, Aquarius,

we don't want to get our heads chopped off.

You know, pink is the color of the Beverly Hills Hotel...

- Okay. - Jayne Mansfield's house...

and my house.

That's why I picked pink.

I came to Hollywood to follow the dream.

I had to leave everything behind

in order to become what I knew I needed to become.

The season of change is upon us.

- Hey, candles are a classy touch.

Sets a nice vibe.

- No, these are because...

My asshole neighbor

cut my power!

I mean, she is-- whoo--

evil, but no matter what she does,

she can't...

Fucking hurt me

because I will call the goddamn cops!

Anyway, this place is a work in progress.

I'm designing a whole new look for it.

- No, I love it.

Yeah, especially all these mirrors.

Hey, is that the--

- Oh, I don't let anybody in there.

That's my sanctuary.

It's my cocoon.

- Your cocoon?

Jesus fucking--what the fuck?

- That's my parrot.

He's very jealous.

Person.

Ooh.

You be nice.

- Person? - Yeah.

He was here when I moved in, so I adopted him.

I called him Bird at first, but...

The more I got to know him,

the more I realized he's complex.

- Oh, hey, this is... - Marilyn.

Yeah.

She's my honorary mother.

Since I was a little girl,

I've known that fame is my destiny.

Huge, gigantic fame.

Are you ready to do it?

- Oh, God, yes.

- Let's get famous together.

I'll sing in your band,

and we'll conquer the world.

- So I asked her to join my band.

- So I asked him if he wanted to play guitar in my band.

- We made a pact that night to get famous together.

Some weird witchy shit...

But I was along for the ride.

- Marilyn needs an offering, something personal.

- It's my demo.

- Marilyn loves music.

It's perfect.

Marilyn, you have known sorrow and pain,

and so have we,

but our hearts are pure.

Please guide us in your footsteps on this Earth

and light our way to the top, where we were born to be.

She wants us to formalize it with our blood.

Holy shit, this is fucking intense.

- Our destiny is sealed...

together.

- Ew, gross. That did not happen.

And light our way to the top, where we were born to be.

- Holy shit.

- Marilyn agrees, see?

We should be in a band together.

Oh, my goodness, wow, it is so late.

- Okay. - I have to dye my hair.

Careful walking back to your car.

- Oh, I-- - Oh.

Mwah.

- Uh--

- I know how to get what I want from a man.

The band was just all part of my grand plan.

- I mean, she's a total paradox.

I can't wait for you to experience her.

You know, she dresses like a slut,

but she sees herself as innocent,

and I know what you're thinking,

but it's not about that.

You know, she's, like...

super disciplined.

She kicks me out of her house every night at 10:00 p.m.

to dye her hair and take a bubble bath.

She's a lot, man.

- Yeah, but do we need a singer?

- We need her.

- We need her or you need her?

- Hey, guys, I think we're being watched.

- Hey, hey, don't worry. Honestly, she's moldable.

We just--we'll put her where we want to put her.

She's eye candy.

All right, crowds will eat that shit up.

- I met Cory a few years before he met Angelyne.

Yeah, I remember he said he went to Berklee School of Music

but he left because he was too good.

Too good.

Oh, but still, he had true God-given talent.

But when Angelyne came along...

- She did a number on him.

- Hey, Bud, Ray, meet Angelyne.

- Hi, boys.

Pleased, I'm sure.

So we have to talk photos.

I know what you're going for with your old posters,

the brick wall, little-boy fake machismo.

It's all a bit cliché, though, no?

Since we have to take new photos anyway,

I'm going to experiment with a new look.

The posters are key. The posters are everything.

- Yeah, but isn't it about the music?

- That's a ridiculous question. No.

Look, it's marketing 101.

You could waste years of your life holed up

in a crummy rehearsal studio,

writing your masterpiece that no one will ever hear,

or you can put your masterpiece up--

oh--around town,

capture the city's attention, and they'll be begging for it.

These little punk clubs are fine,

but wouldn't the Whisky be so much better?

- Sorry. - Sure.

- And to that end, five is better than four,

so I put an ad in "The Recycler"

for a keyboardist.

- I knew we were being watched.

- That's Tim in the blue, Freddy with the tie,

Hector is in the glasses,

and the balding one is Keith or Kenneth.

Anyway, I already have my favorite,

but feel free to look around.

- Did you know about this?

- I mean, it's actually a pretty smart idea

to add keys.

Okay, suit yourself. I'll pick.

Nope, sorry.

Nope, you can go.

No. No, no, no.

Freddy.

Welcome to Baby Blue.

- She's great, isn't she?

- The band...loved me.

Are you ready for Baby Blue?

Ooh.

- One, two, three, four.

- I'll be honest, people definitely thought

it was a joke at first.

Nobody took her very seriously, but...

I knew what to do.

Every day, I would take pictures of Angelyne.

- Lower.

- I must've taken thousands over the years.

- There you go. - Like this?

- Mm-hmm.

Cory took photos, sure,

but not the ones everybody know.

- You're a wild animal. - Back up.

- Okay, sorry. - Back up.

He never really had a photographer's eye.

- She'd always choose the shitty overexposed shots

so you didn't see any of the flaws on her face.

- Maybe he'd get one decent shot out of a thousand.

- You're a movie star.

- Not the best track record, if you ask me.

- And I was right, people were curious.

Love is strange, man.

You know, you guys will see it too.

Good stuff is coming.

I promise you.

Like, real, like...

supernatural success.

We are, like, this close to, like, fucking

getting on that rocket ship, man.

- You realize you're starting to sound like Angelyne, right?

- No, Angelyne,

she's starting to sound like me.

- Is that what you tell yourself?

- Hey, come on. Hurry up.

We don't want to be here all night.

- We're working our asses off, man.

Where is she right now?

- Ooh.

- Man, she is super clean.

- Hey, put up your posters. Keep the beat. Believe.

That's your job.

Okay.

- I think Bud was a little bit jealous of me and Angie

'cause of this powerful thing that we had going on

outside of the band, you know?

- We have to take them all down.

Wait, what?

- Yeah, no.

- The printing is awful and cheap.

My thighs look massive.

This is not what I look like, is it?

- I'd say it's pretty generous.

- You don't know what you're saying.

Take them down.

- What do you do for the band?

I mean, I'm so curious.

I mean, we've been out here all night.

Cory pays for the posters. What do you do?

- I am the reason that people show up.

You are replaceable.

- Right. Okay.

You take them down.

I'm gonna take a bubble bath.

- Hey, Bud, come on, man.

- Well?

- Yeah, no, I'm--

Yup.

- I get what I want.

That doesn't make me a brat.

That makes me in control.

- She had to go.

We couldn't take it anymore.

I think Cory was relieved.

- I was pissed.

But the guys had a point, so...

I knew what had to be done.

- Hey, how about we go out for some tacos tonight?

- You know I don't eat on Tuesdays.

- Well, can I at least take you out somewhere?

- There's just some stuff

I really want to talk to you about.

That is good. I love that.

- Hey, I should get off around 3:00.

How about we go out for a test drive?

Maybe up to Malibu?

- Marilyn didn't rest until she was famous.

We need to stay focused.

- Jesus Christ, Angelyne, just listen to me.

So the guys and I have been talking,

and we think it might be time--ugh.

This is really hard for me, you know?

There he is.

Steve. - What?

- This is Cory. Cory, this is--

- Steve Hughes. I book the Whisky.

- So I was at El Coyote yesterday with Freddy,

and who does the universe put at the table next to me?

So we got to talking, and not only does Steve handle

the bookings for the Whisky.

He also happens to need his car fixed.

It was all part of the grand plan.

find a band.

play the Whisky.

- Well, obviously we couldn't kick her out anymore.

I mean, you say what you will.

Maybe she was the devil in disguise.

But that devil made it happen.

- Crazy, you guys were so awesome.

- Yeah!

- Whoo! - Incredible!

- Whoo! - Oh, my God.

- We fucking played that.

- Told you!

- I know! I know! - Told you!

- I know!

I know. I know.

Going in there too?

- No, that's not really my thing.

You?

- The crowd is my drug.

Their love is like--

It's like a natural high.

- You were really great tonight.

- Was I? - Mm.

- That is so sweet of you.

You, you were the glue who held us all together.

I don't think anyone's ever said that

about a keyboard player before.

- Freddy...

you are a good, spirited person.

Your body contains a benevolent, calm energy,

and that'll leave you open to new and magical possibilities.

You'll see.

Oh, Freddy.

- All the greats play the Whisky.

I mean, when I first moved to LA,

every night of the week, I ended up seeing a show there.

So to finally get to play there,

I mean, I felt like I had made it, you know?

Till about a week later.

Hey, have you seen this shit? - Language.

- Uh,

"The once-promising Los Angeles punk scene

"suffered a potentially fatal attack Thursday night

"at the Whisky by a little-known

"and best-forgotten band called Baby Blue."

- "The blonde Barbie ootsy-pooing her way

"through songs couldn't decide if she wanted

"to sing or to strip.

I wanted to scream."

Look, if I didn't like you, I didn't like you.

We should cut this out and frame it.

- What are you-- are you fucking crazy?

- This is our first review. - We're a joke.

- We are being written about.

That is a huge deal.

- What?

There's nothing good about this.

- There is good in everything.

It's all about what you choose to see.

- That's not how life works.

You don't get a bunch of chances.

I mean, this was, like, our only shot.

- You need to get into a "so what" mentality.

I am in a place that is...

filled with light.

I feel good.

- You're fucking delusional.

I have worked so fucking hard,

and this bitch comes around and just fucks everything up!

- I think if you need to get into--

- I, I, I!

It's all about you

all of the time.

You've made this whole thing about you.

- That's because it is about me.

- You are a fucking black hole

that sucks the life out of everything that you touch.

Fuck!

- I feel good.

A lion never loses sleep

over the opinions of a sheep.

If a reporter says something bad about me,

I just...

keep rising up higher.

- Whenever I tried to run away--

and I was right at the edge--

I'd always get pulled back into that vortex, man.

I mean, I believe it was

my karmic responsibility to take care of her.

I was meant to be with her.

Hey, Ang?

- It's me. Open up.

- I'm not home.

- Come on, I messed up.

I'm sorry.

- Sorry?

I don't believe in sorry. Sorry doesn't mean anything.

- Okay, well, how about I show you, then?

- Does this mean something?

- Oh, my God.

Oh, my God.

Oh, my God.

Oh, my God. Oh, my God.

Oh, my God. Oh, my God.

Oh, my God, Oh, my God. Oh, my God.

Oh, my God.

The color is all wrong, but oh, my God, Cory.

Just don't use it to get away from me, okay?

Yeah, I just want you to be happy, Angie.

- I am.

Ooh.

Oh, wow.

- Beautiful, Angelyne...

- Will you be my Mrs. Hunt?

- Of course.

- You will?

- Oh, no, I meant of course that's what this is.

I don't believe in marriage.

- Of course I kept the car.

But marriage?

Mm.

Total suffocation.

Why would I ever get married, hmm?

I'm sufficient enough to myself.

You want to take it for a spin with me?

Come on, Daddy.

- Man, people always pass judgment on other people.

That's just the shit world that we live in.

- Ready?

- But to anyone who judges me for getting in that car...

You've never been in love.

Hey, what can I say?

I taught her the NY hustle, and she learned it well.

You know, I felt like I had to...

help her survive this predatorial world

that we live in, man.

And Hollywood, that is a world of predators.

They will eat you alive, man.

- Where is he?

We were supposed to take photos.

- I thought we were supposed to practice.

- And then take photos.

- I don't know.

Maybe...

you've been pushing him too hard.

- Excuse me?

- We all need a break every once in a while.

- I don't need a break. Maybe you should take a break.

- Sorry, Ang, he's my ride.

- Be my guest.

- I can do it.

Um...

I just got this the other day, and I've been...

meaning to try it...

If that's okay with you.

- Yeah.

Okay.

- Yeah, that's nice. Okay.

- There can only be one top dog,

and I started to realize that Angelyne and I

couldn't both be it.

You know, I didn't want to compete with her,

but I had to remember why

I came out to LA

to play and make music.

I had to think of myself first.

I'm just gonna play it again.

Not as a producer...

as a fan. - Yeah?

- Yeah, buddy. - All right.

- Let's crank it up, fellas. - Whoo.

My "Wild Thing" cover was the exact fresh take

that people were looking for, man.

I mean, KROQ, they put it in their rotation immediately.

It was a certified hit.

I mean, you know, honestly, I thought Angie

would be happy for me, you know,

because that's how relationships

are supposed to go.

You're supposed to... support each other.

- What are we doing?

I told Freddy to meet at El Coyote.

- I have a surprise.

Close your eyes.

Promise you won't be mad.

- No, of course I'm not gonna promise that.

- I know I've been MIA the past few weeks,

but it's been for a really good cause.

Come on.

Come on.

Right over here.

Turn around.

All right, you ready?

Traitor.

Famous together, that was the deal.

- It still is.

I'm just going first.

Now I can help you.

Hey, nobody says that you can't get a billboard, too, someday.

- What are you doing?

- You betrayed me.

- Oh, no, no, don't, don't. Oh, fuck!

Oh, you are fucking crazy.

Damn it! I'm done!

I can't take it anymore!

- We're done, you fucking jealous lunatic!

Sorry, I can't go on.

A billboard for a cover song?

Is this the story you've been telling yourself?

It's delusional.

You were never on a billboard...

Or in a Chevelle.

And when I broke up with you,

it did not happen on this street.

Let's go. - Do we have to?

- Come on.

You know what you did and where I found you.

Go.

Action.

How long has it been going on?

- What do you mean?

- How long?

- Look, baby, she's just a friend.

Look, I don't even know her.

- Wait a minute. No, no, no, not my guitar!

No, please!

No, come on! Stop! Stop! I'm sorry!

Fuck!

Please stop!

You betrayed me.

- I just--I made a mistake. I'm sorry.

I love you.

I love you.

I love you, Angie.

- I don't need you to take care of me.

This is my story.

Don't you dare try to make it about you.

- No, no.

- Cory can say whatever he wants about his success

but not the billboards.

Those are mine.

They've always been mine.

- You either grow together, or you grow apart,

and she was growing apart.

I mean, it was all about her, and that's good.

That's fine.

Hey, I wrote about it all in my novel.

The audiobook should be out soon.

You know, people have been comparing it to a...

Shakespearean tragic comedy.

This tale...

tells the story of two souls

thrown together by fate,

mixed to a frappe in the blender of life.

Those were crazy days, man.

But they were probably the best years of my life.

- I loved him.

I did.

But he loved me more.

I'm too much for some people.

I'm like uncut heroin.

And it put him in an institution.

- I checked myself into rehab to get away from her.

You know, I had all these empty vials of coke in my pocket,

and they wouldn't commit me unless I was an addict,

so I said, "Here," and I took the vials out.

- You look...different...

good.

- I feel good.

- I just...

did what I felt I was inside,

the piece of artwork that I am.

I am fully realized,

and everybody should do that.

- I came to tell you I forgive you.

I don't want the negative energy

between us to hold me back...

Or you.

- Yeah, me too.

- So how much longer

are you gonna be in here?

- Just another week,

two, tops.

- And then what?

- I think I'm done with LA.

- Not everybody is equipped for it.

- No, no, I got a call from an old friend from New York,

and he wants me to join his band.

So we're doing a whole...

East Coast tour.

- Oh, okay. Well, that's...

Exciting.

I'm happy for you.

- Yeah, thanks. - Mm-hmm.

- What about you?

- Well, by the time you're out of here,

my image will be all over Los Angeles,

and everyone will know my name.

- Oh, yeah?

- Yeah.

You'll see.

- So that was the end of us.

- We both kept playing music, just not together.

It's for the best.

- I didn't really care for the music she played after us.

Come on, Angie, come on.

Turn around.

- Angelyne, she was never really about the music.

It was always just a vehicle for her,

a pit stop on her way to bigger things.

- Ooh, that's better.

- That's it?

- That was the earliest I was able to go back.

Yeah, it's like she didn't exist before then.

- It doesn't matter. She's not returning my calls.

- And how many times have you tried?

- Just once or twice.

- He called me 82 times.

82, and then I figured, why not?

My fans had been begging for a new billboard for years,

and so I'd started an Indiegogo campaign

to pay for one, so...

I had Rick call him back.

- Jeff Glaser.

Hello? Hello?

- Hello, this is Rick Krause, and I work for Angelyne.

Please take me off of speakerphone.

- You're not on--

yeah, sure, no problem.

Thank you so much for calling.

It's great to finally talk to someone on the Angelyne team.

When could I meet her?

- She'll meet you now. - Now?

- Remember that she can shut down the interview at any time.

She is in charge.

Angelyne... is always in charge.