Original subtitles

♪ You don't have to go too far Before you're stuck ♪

♪ Inside a jar with no clothes ♪

♪ You don't have to go too far Before you're stuck ♪

♪ Inside a jar with no clothes ♪

♪ Screaming, screaming On my shelf ♪

♪ You have to keep it To yourself ♪

♪ Screaming, screaming On my shelf ♪

♪ You have to keep it To yourself ♪

♪ Why resist you Why not fist you ♪

♪ Throw your fit See who cares... ♪

Paulie, you're gonna freeze out here.

I like the cold. Did you see that kid?

What kid?

He's been waiting for you, like a prom date.

Can I help you?

You're Ed Saxberger.

What is this about?

My name is Wilson Meyers. "Meyers," everyone calls me.

Okay.

I apologize for showing up like this,

but I discovered that you lived here

in my neighborhood.

Okay. And?

I read Way Past Go.

You are the Ed Saxberger, right? The poet?

Of course you are.

I recognize you from the back cover.

You read Way Past Go? That's crazy.

But where'd you find a copy?

I bought it at Foyle's on Charing Cross Road,

and then I read it at a pub in Covent Garden

straight through.

It's brilliant.

We all think so, my whole group.

Your group?

We're, um, an artistic community of...

poets and artists, essayists, intellectuals.

- It sounds pretentious... - Uh, is this some kinda joke?

- Did Paulie put you up to it? - I'm dead serious.

I don't know when you last read the book yourself, but...

it's as if the poems were written yesterday.

They're modern, they're...

moving, they're scathing, they're... They... they just...

slap you across the face

with their style and their relevancy.

- They're timeless. - Well...

- that was a long time ago. - October 1979.

You were younger than I am now when you wrote it.

That's very impressive.

I don't want to be presumptuous in any way, but...

could we take you out to dinner sometime?

My friends and I, as an act of...

I don't know...

...inspirationally motivated gratitude.

Oh, inspirationally motivated.

I'm... I'm not speaking coherently, but...

I completely understand. I...

What I mean to say is, my friends and I...

...dinner with us.

You have much more important matters to attend to.

I've taken up enough of your time already.

- I'm sorry. - Uh, it's okay.

- Stopped writing poetry? - Years ago.

I work at the post office for years now, so...

A man of letters.

I guess you could say that.

Well, you wrote a masterpiece,

whether people know about it or not.

And... nothing can alter that. That's forever.

Thank you. That's nice to hear.

What can I tell my friends?

Uh, tell them I'm very touched,

and I don't know, uh, give them my best regards.

We're always at Any Old Place on LaGuardia

if it ever feels...

enticing.

- Okay, maybe sometime. - Okay. Fantastic.

- So? - So what?

I wish I had a secret admirer.

Eat your heart out.

♪ Now, look at the trouble That I'm in ♪

♪ You know, you'd better ♪

♪ Watch out For Charley's girl... ♪

Oh, so close.

Oh.

- Late for you. - Yeah, you know.

I got your number seven already.

Oh, good. Thanks.

- Hey. - Hey.

- What's new? - Oh, nothing.

I just took Mikey for 40 bucks tonight.

- He won't quit. - Now you can retire.

Rack 'em up.

- Hey, Mikey. - Hey, brother. How you doin'?

Hi.

We're back in the hospital, again.

Uh, it's almost midnight. Um...

seems like things have really taken a turn this time.

He was asking about you before.

He... he thinks you're here,

or that you're coming, he...

Doctor's coming out now.

I gotta go.

Uh, you really need to call me back, okay?

He's your brother too.

All right, bye.

Saxberger!

Just my luck.

Where are you headed this evening?

Uh, I'm out for a walk.

- May I join you? - Yeah, sure.

- How's your weekend? - Good. You?

I'm sure I sound overeager, and that's embarrassing,

but the truth is I've been feeling very inspired

- since we spoke. - Yeah?

And it's had a really energetic effect

on our group.

I've even started writing a new poem, an epic

about Alexander the Great and the Oracle of the Amun-Ra

- of all things. - There you go.

Sounds ridiculous,

but it occurred to me that evening after we met,

and it just seems to be able to contain all the things

that I've been thinking about.

You know, divinity, uh, this impossible journey,

you know, uh, mortality, immortality.

I haven't finished it, of course.

I'm just gonna kinda let it be,

wait for it to kinda ferment in my mind

- like a fine must. - Yeah. I... I head this way.

Would you ever consider reading my work?

I don't know.

It would be such an honor.

Sorry if I overstepped, overeager.

No, I'm happy to look at it.

- But don't expect much. - Oh, my God, really?

- Thank you, Saxberger. - Call me "Ed."

In our group, we call everyone by their last names.

- Sort of a thing we decided on. - Where are you from?

- Why do you ask? - Mm, just curious.

You have a very formal way of talking.

I find there's too much...

umming, and like, sorta, you know... in the world.

- You know? - Sorta.

- You know? - Yeah.

I was just about to meet up with my friends, the group.

- Mm-hmm. - Would you like to join me?

Oh, yeah. It... it's getting kinda late.

I understand, it's just...

You have no idea how much talk

there's been about you at our table.

I know this place.

But it used to be called something else.

Here they are.

This is Carmichael, playwright.

- Hi. - This is Sherfey,

a kind of, um, experimental writer.

Brussard, who's a critic.

- Essayist. - Yes, essayist.

Hello.

And this is Winn, who writes...

Uh, everything.

- Everything? - Yeah.

- It's nice meeting you fellas. - You too.

This is Saxberger.

Oh, my God, Saxberger.

Okay.

What an honor to meet you.

Where have you been hiding yourself?

- How's it going? - Nice to meet you.

Uh, listen, I... I'm... I'm really touched

by your interest.

Yeah, you, uh... you work in, uh, the post office, right?

- Yeah. - The... Like, Bukowski?

I guess.

It's, uh, pretty astonishing you've been lost

- for so many years. - Sorry.

My... my mom's gonna pick me up soon.

I just wanted to ask you

if you could sum up your, like...

your, like, career touchstones, and what that would amount to.

You know, I'm... I don't know how to do that.

Who would you say your contemporaries were?

Who was a... a part of your circle?

Well, I didn't really have a circle, per se.

I mean, I knew some of the older guys, like, um...

Robert Creeley.

- You know him, right? - Mm- hmm.

- Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. - And, uh...

Fuck, uh...

Uh, who else? Amiri Baraka.

- Hmm. - Uh...

- Yeah. - Ed Dorn.

- Nice. - I met Burroughs a few times.

Oh, so iconic.

It must just be so satisfying

to have published poetry like yours.

Satisfying?

In the sense of being, like,

sticking to your own...

authenticity.

Unlike those bullshit poseurs over there.

Hmm.

- Who are they? - Fucking influencers.

You got your standard influencers,

a cultural critic,

which is really just another way of saying influencer.

You have your experiential creator,

which is... who the fuck knows. And somebody's girlfriend,

who's really just an aspiring influencer,

if such a thing can even be imagined.

To our knowledge, they don't talk.

They only communicate through sociopath media.

- They're addicts. - Heroin?

No, uh, phone.

We reject technology...

...as much as we can.

You know, we've all seen firsthand

the way that it... It rots the brain.

Well, you won't get an argument from me.

At least people know who they are.

Well, no one with any real depth knows who they are.

Saxberger doesn't know who they are.

Still people know them more than they know us.

Do you have a name for your group?

I guess "bullshit poseurs" is already taken.

The Enthusiasm Society. What do you think?

Not bad. Uh, sounds Victorian.

Catchy, evocative,

tongue-in-cheek, it's got it all.

It says we're standing up against negativity,

vulgarization, the monetization of everything,

the coarsening of culture, you know?

I'm glad someone's doing it.

We need to find a new way

of getting ourselves out there.

We need to find a way of announcing ourselves

to the world.

That's what we've been talking about.

Well, uh, people, you know, used to do readings

I... I guess they still do.

Just rent a space and invite people.

Readings?

Yeah, I mean, you know, a... a... a...

a kind of formal introduction to our work,

and our collective point of view, uh...

And how do we distinguish it from all the other bullshit?

It's gotta be rooted in something real.

We have to bring literature back to the people.

Think of it as a.. as a... as a kind of a... a...

a sincerely ironic throwback.

We do it in a place where it would've been done

back in Saxberger's day. We ban phones.

We hire a real photographer to document it

with a film camera.

- We pass around a hat. - Yeah.

- Ask for donations. - All right. Yeah.

What do you think, Saxberger?

Sounds good.

- Okay. - Okay.

The essay you were writing, and that piece you sent me.

- The one that I just read. - Uh, I changed it.

We can show people these things.

So, a weird question.

How did you like hanging out with us?

I don't know.

Sorry, awkward question.

Uh, I liked it very much.

What do you think of our group?

What do you mean?

I mean, do you think we seem...

- impressive? - Oh, sure. Yeah.

There were some key figures missing tonight.

You'll have to meet them too, especially Gloria.

I wondered if there were some girls in your group.

Oh, yes. She's an actress. Truly larger than life.

She's older than us, but...

You know, when you meet her,

you'll... you'll see what I mean.

Thank you very much. It was fun.

Saxberger...

I've been trying to work up the courage

to ask you this since we left.

Would you ever consider

allowing us to use something of yours in the event?

Mine?

You don't need that. You have your own work.

Not like yours.

Okay. I'll pick something out.

Thank you...

...so, so much, Saxberger.

Hey. Okay, okay, all right. Uh, good night.

- Good night. - Good night, yeah.

- Thank you. - Yeah.

Hey, Saxberger.

- Hey! - Saxberger!

What a pleasure to see you again.

Thanks. I was in the neighborhood,

- and I thought I'd drop by. - Make some room for Saxberger.

- Yeah, yeah. - Thanks.

We're just, uh, going over

- the structure of our event. - Uh-huh.

Should it be called, uh, "What We Want," or "What It Is?"

- Mm-hmm. - Perfect.

What about you, Saxberger?

Um, I still have to see what there is.

I had a thought. Please, hear me out.

What about something new?

Just imagine how exciting it would be for the audience

if you were to write something new.

But, uh, uh, nobody knows my work.

It... it's all new to them.

You know, uh...

I haven't written poetry in...

I don't even remember it's been that long.

All the better.

I had my moment, it ended. So, now it's your time.

This will be your new moment. The return.

Look, the people out there, they don't understand anything.

They just consume what's given to them.

That's why you're one of us.

Just consider it.

- Please. - My boys.

Gloria!

- There she is. - How's it going, kids?

Oh, I've missed you.

- This is Saxberger. - Hello.

Hello, there. Gloria Gardener.

Pleasure.

So, are you an artist too?

Gloria, this is Saxberger.

- Hmm. - Who wrote Way Past Go.

Oh.

Of course, this is exactly how you would look.

It's an honor to meet you, Mr. Saxberger.

Thank you.

Saxberger here has agreed to take part in our recital.

- Reading, reading. - I just got chills.

- What are you drinking? - You decide, darling.

Just help the man out. Do you want a sloe gin fizz?

Do you want a chai latte?

For the love of God, not a chai latte.

How about an absinthe? Yes, an absinthe!

I'll have a black coffee, thanks.

So, how's the play going, Gloria?

There's never enough financing.

One of our key castmates just dropped out

to do an episode of some police procedural

- on network television. - What?

- It's obscene! - Ugh!

Threw up in my mouth.

I promise I'll let you kids know when we're back on our feet.

Well, I'll be on pins and needles.

Anyway, I want to hear more about your reading.

Actually, it's... it's an event, right?

Well, Saxberger's giving some serious thought

to writing something new.

Thinking about it.

And?

Well...

Sure, why not?

- Saxberger! - Wonderful!

Can I perform it?

Unless you were planning on reading it yourself.

I, you know... I haven't even started.

There's not even a word yet.

If I don't do your poem at this reading, recital, whatever,

I will die.

Well, in that case, my dear...

- you can read it. - Oh. Wonderful.

This is gonna be great, I think.

Let's go get some dinner. We've got a lot to discuss.

You'll come with us, right, Saxberger?

Yeah.

- Saxberger. - Oh, thanks.

Or sit at the opposite side

- That's fine too. - Is it though?

No matter what you do, don't eat anything down here.

- Only there, there, there... - Why not?

- ...and on the back. - So, did you know Ginsberg?

No. By the time I got to city, he was pretty cranky.

I... I did go to a few of his readings,

and a friend of mine used to hang out with him.

I knew Jimmy Schuyler pretty well.

- Hmm. - Poor Jimmy.

Yeah.

- Sweetheart... - Yeah.

...next time someone asks you a question like that,

you say, "Sure, I knew 'em all."

Oh, okay, okay.

I thought I would mark this occasion by...

reviving an old practice, the toast.

So...

we spend a lot of our time

as, uh, aspiring practicing artists

looking up to the icons of the past,

standing in their long and formidable shadows...

the old masters who held art on their backs,

despite all of the... adversities

they might have faced,

and regardless of whether they received

praise, or silence. One of these noble men,

criminally overlooked and undervalued,

is with us here today.

We salute you, Ed Saxberger, for all that you have done,

and everything that you have yet to do.

Mm-hmm.

- To Saxberger. Cheers. - Saxberger!

Salud.

You know, it's... it's customary

to answer one toast with another toast.

I don't think I've spoken to a group this big

since my boss retired.

You know...

it strikes me...

how young all of you are and how very impressive.

I used to be the youngest one in every group,

and then one day, I became the oldest.

Whatever I have contributed...

I'm very touched.

So, to you,

preservers of the national artistic inheritance...

...from the great tradition

of Whitman, Pound, and Williams, it is to you, gentlemen,

and to you, Gloria...

...that I raise my glass. Cheers.

Cheers.

- To Saxberger. - Saxberger.

No, no, no, no.

- Absolutely not. - No, listen, I... Listen.

We insist.

No, let me do something. It's not much.

- No, no, no, Ed, please. - No, hey.

We insist.

- You sure? - Yes.

Well, that's very kind. Thank you, guys. Thanks.

This is me. This is me. All right.

All right.

Okay, good night.

Hey! Saxberger!

Good night, guys!

♪ Good night, Saxberger ♪

Oh, that was terrible.

- Good night. - Good night!

- Bye-bye! - Good night!

Ta-dum!

Hey.

Uh, what do most people smoke nowadays.

Which people?

Uh, young people, like kids that go to NYU.

And one of these lighters.

That'll be 18.72.

- You're kidding. - Nope.

Thanks.

Mm-hmm.

Tell 'em to take my bare walls down,

my cement abutments.

Their parties thereof and claws of claws.

Leave me the land.

Scratch out the land.

May prose and property both die out,

and leave me peace.

The descent beckons

as the ascent beckoned.

Memory is a kind of accomplishment,

a sort of renewal.

Even an initiation since the space

that it opens are new place...

Are you sister? Are you brother?

Are you alive? Are you dead?

The harpers will sing forever

of how Achilles met Helen

among the shades.

But we were not.

We are now shadows as we walk...

Saxberger, it's Meyers.

Uh, look, I have a couple things I wanna show you.

Can you drop by my place?

I'm... I'm stuck here while I wait for the plumber

to come and fix my sink. Uh, I'm on Sullivan.

It's unlocked!

I'll be right out.

I'm glad it's you.

I'm still waiting for the plumber.

It's kind of ostentatious, I know.

- It's a bit sickening, I guess. - Hmm, not really.

I mean, for a poet.

Well, Stevens was a poet,

but he was a big executive at an insurance company.

- Huh. - Eliot worked in a bank, so...

My parents bought it as an investment

when I started at NYU.

Ultimately, it's cheaper than the dorms.

Oh, okay.

So, you're done with school?

Yeah, I finished up my MA a little bit ago.

- Uh, poetry, NYU? - Gallatin.

I created my own major.

Virtues of style, rhetoric and voice,

but poetry was the main component,

- as you might imagine. - Sure.

- First edition. - Ah.

Oh.

Wow.

- Uh, uh, c... can I keep this? - Sure.

I debated a long time over the font, the card stock.

Details like that really matter.

In 20 years, no one will have any physical memories.

That's right.

I've experienced firsthand the way the technology

rots the brain, and I want no part of it.

Yeah, you mentioned that. Uh, the others...

did they all go to NYU?

Carmichael went to ETW for playwriting.

But, uh, Sherfey went to Parsons,

which is just an expensive daycare,

dropped out. Winn is homeschooled,

although he does seem to raise his hand a lot.

Fernandez went to RISD.

For some reason, he's taken a vow of silence.

Brussard...

...if I'm not mistaken, his family owns

every last soybean in the State of Missouri.

He's got a penthouse over on Ludlow.

I heard his father gave him a lump sum

to keep him out of St. Louis forever.

At any rate, uh, the group is pretty motley.

- Always in flux. - How about Gloria?

You seem particularly interested in Gloria.

No.

Uh, you just mentioned everyone else.

Gloria's background is a bit of a mystery.

She likes it that way.

We don't care about what schools people went to,

or who their father is. I mean...

reverence for art is what binds us together.

The rest is just...

background noise,

the delusional trimmings of late-stage capitalism.

Not to be so "Ooh, capitalism," but it's true.

We're radical. But ultimately...

our contribution to society and our religion is our art.

Not that we're apolitical.

I mean, that's important, of course.

But what about you? Where did you go to school?

I dropped out of high school actually.

- I love that. - Yeah, well, I don't know.

I moved to the city in '77.

I'm picturing you with just, like, a duffel,

- 11 dollars in your pocket - No.

It wasn't at all like that.

and I just had ants in my pants, and wanted to get to Mecca.

How did you know that you were a poet?

I didn't. I just started writing.

There was a lot of poetry in the air

- at the time. - Hmm.

I was always going to readings, doing readings myself.

Uh, I was, like, part of a community.

- You know, kinda like yours. - Yeah, I see that.

Oh, I wanted to mention to you,

I spoke to my family friend about you.

He's an agent at Knoll. He'd like to meet you.

- Me? Meet me? - Yes.

Uh, what about?

About you.

He hip-pockets me as a favor, lets me, uh, put his name

in the corner when I submit to periodicals,

but he's got a lot of great writers.

- Poets, novelists. - Uh, which poets?

He's a good man and he loves writers.

- So, may I tell him yes? - Uh... Um...

Sure, why not? I mean, you never know, right?

Um...

I should get going.

How about our poem? How's it coming along?

Ah, it's good. It's early. It's a work in progress.

What is your process?

Sorry, presumptuous question.

Well, you know, I walk around and see stuff.

I don't know, it's been so long.

Uh, do I have a process? I don't think so.

When do you suppose it'll be finished?

I don't know, uh...

I like to let things settle before I commit to anything.

Interesting choice of words.

Well, this was fun.

Let me know when you've got something on paper.

Oh, okay.

Ed, uh, Saxberger...

you should write your memoirs.

Thanks for having me over.

Alexa, volume up 50 percent.

Hey!

You made it!

- Look at this guy. - Hey, what's with the scarf?

It's a scarf.

- You got me a present? - Yeah.

- It's your birthday, isn't it? - Oh, yeah.

- That's real nice. - Yeah.

I mean, that... that...

That's just real nice.

- Real nice, man. - I got it.

- Hey, Marie? - Yeah.

Give this man a drink, and I'll take my ginger ale.

You got it.

Wait, you're not even gonna have one on my birthday?

Six years tells me no, but... I love you anyway.

I don't know, he's kind of a leader.

He's pretentious,

like, uh, something out of an Edith Wharton novel.

Like a dandy.

Fancy, you... you know, refined.

A rich kid?

No, like those ones that you used to see

that dressed like they were poor.

He has airs, plus he's not such a kid.

Must be nice.

♪ Happy birthday to you ♪

♪ Happy birthday to you ♪

♪ Happy birthday ♪

- ♪ Dear Arnold ♪ - ♪ Dear me ♪

♪ Happy birthday to you ♪

♪ And many more! ♪

You... you don't have to open it now.

This isn't a bridal shower.

Come on, what are you talking about?

"Way Past Go by Ed Saxberger?"

I bet the pages are all blank inside.

Uh, "I didn't need a reason..."

Uh, o... okay, okay. Forget it.

- I didn't mean to be... - Forget it, forget it.

Hey, hey, hey. That's my present, man.

You can't just take back a person's present.

What is it?

It's a book of poems that I wrote when I was a kid.

Bullshit.

No, no, I... I wrote it in 1979.

Look, that... that's me.

- Oh. - Oh.

Whoo, pretty boy.

Oh, forget it.

Okay, I... I wrote a poem for Arnold too.

- You wanna hear it? - Yes.

All right. There once...

Oh, boy.

There once was a man from Bay Ridge.

He drank to forget his marriage.

His wife was named Lisa.

- She knew how to tease ya. - Whoo!

But her tits were too nice to disparage.

- Boo! - Yeah, you're a dead man.

Ed, read your poems.

- Come on, Ed. - For you guys?

- It'll be lost on you. - Come on!

Come on. Do something.

Do something from, uh, "Don't Pass Go."

Read it. Come on.

What, you think we're too lowbrow?

Yeah, I do.

Excuse me?

Yeah, I do think you're too lowbrow.

- What the fuck, Ed? Hey, hey, come on, cool it, guys.

You think you're some kind of fucking intellectual

because you wrote some poems 50 years ago?

- You have no idea. - About what?

Who you're talking to.

Here. Hang... hang on to this.

It's a first edition.

Uh, Hey, come... Hey, where you going?

- Come on, Ed. - Oh, man!

There once was a man

named Saxberger.

And you know,

Susan's very organized,

so, at least that's off my shoulders.

But it's getting to the point

where I'm really gonna need some extra help here.

Well... ...let's see how it goes.

Yeah, "Let's see how it goes."

- I've heard that one before. - Listen,

uh, I should go now.

He asked about you again.

Right.

I know you don't wanna deal with this.

But all that stuff that happened,

that was a long time ago.

Listen, he's not gonna get better.

You don't want this weighing on you.

I know, I know.

Family's the most important thing

- there is in this life. - Who says?

Okay. Great.

Now, you're getting me upset.

- I'm gonna go now. - Okay.

And when I call you,

how about calling me back for once.

- Okay. - Okay?

- Goodbye. - Goodbye.

...sweeping, sweeping, sweeping

New York's vibrant arts scene thanks to young artists,

whose full names remain somewhat of a the mystery

to the... Saxberger, Saxberger!

I went to the coffee shop. They said you'd be here.

- You gotta see this. - Take a seat.

Look, look, look, look.

- What are we celebrating? - Here, here.

They don't recommend just anything.

These aren't just a bunch of influencers.

I mean, these are real tastemakers.

Nice, nice.

To make it simple, you know, bare bones.

- Yeah. - Bare bones, one light.

- We don't need anything else. - What about music?

Going in and out.

What, like a cute little playlist?

Who the fuck do you think we are?

Fuck off, Brussard.

Saxberger...

you know, Gloria is with Carmichael now.

Okay.

I just... I thought you should know.

Why?

Well, I see what she's doing to you.

- She did it to me too. - Look, right there

Brussard, Brussard, Brussard,

I wanna talk to you about it.

Yeah.

No, I... I do actually think

that music could be good.

Just a short playlist of, you know...

We're gonna need to have some sorts of,

like, interludes, you know? No, like instrumentals...

- Hello. - Hello again.

I know what he was just whispering to you,

that that young man over there is my lover.

Yep.

Brussard came on to me once... well, a few times, a little bit.

But once, he really came on to me,

and I pushed him down the stairs of my apartment building.

That's terrible.

I can't stand how jealous and petty he is.

It's just because he can tell that I like you,

and it drives him crazy.

I have a very high tolerance for despicable men.

So, you're just gonna be trying

to, like, set off firecrackers on stage.

- This is ridiculous. - That's the exact opposite

of what I'm trying to say.

No one's gonna take us seriously.

Let's just be simple, okay?

Okay.

Okay. Bye.

Sorry.

I apologize in advance. We just moved in here,

and obviously, have not renovated, so...

An office is an office, right?

That's funny.

Seriously, thank you for meeting with me.

Hey, it's, uh, an honor and a pleasure.

Hmm.

So, why don't you tell me about yourself?

What do you wanna know?

You haven't had one of these meetings before,

- I'm assuming. - You could tell.

Well, we're just getting to know each other.

- Right, right. - Okay?

To see if we'd like to work together.

- Okay. - Okay.

Yeah. Uh...

...I was born in Western Pennsylvania,

and I've been here in the city since I was 17.

Jewish?

Uh, by name, but my father wasn't observant.

My mother's family was mainly German.

- Uh, we were raised Catholic. - Mm- hmm.

And what did they do?

Uh, he worked in a mill.

Uh, it was a brewery, paper mill town.

- She was a homemaker. - That's the real America.

How do you know Meyers?

- Wilson, you mean? - Right, right.

Our families go way back.

And my father founded a law firm,

where his father is now a senior partner,

and, uh, probably take the reins one day.

Um, I grew up in Mamaroneck. My sister babysat him.

You know, all the typical suburban, uh...

uninteresting stuff. So, uh, enough about me.

Why don't I tell you a little bit

about what we do around here?

- Okay. - Okay?

We have no mandate, We are passion driven,

and we represent unique voices,

and then we help them get to where they wanna go.

Um, I have poets, I have content creators,

and sports figures and authors, and cookbook writers, uh,

who's actually killing it, by the way.

- What kind of cookbook? - Uh, pies.

It's just pies.

So, my tastes are... are pretty eclectic,

as you can probably tell.

- And I'm indicative of that. - Exactly.

And you work at the post office now,

- Meyers tells me. - Thirty seven years.

That is so amazing. Wow.

So, Meyers gave you a copy of Way Past Go?

Yes! Yeah, it's just amazing work.

It's so impactful, really, yeah.

And you're thinking of reissuing my work,

- I'm assuming? - Um, eventually.

Maybe, yeah, once the memoir's finished.

- Memoir? - How far into it are you?

I haven't even given it a thought.

Well, we can make it painless for you, if you like.

We'd, uh... we'd set you up with somebody...

and you just tell the stories, and enjoy some catered lunches,

- and then they... they put it together. - Look, to be honest...

the memoir was Meyers' idea, not mine.

Oh.

Look, we use the term, "discovery,"

around here a lot,

but you, sir, are not a discovery.

You are something much better and much rarer.

You are a rediscovery.

I'm a rediscovery?

- I didn't know. - Yeah.

And, uh... and that's precious.

What do you think?

Could I have some time to think about it?

I totally understand. You take all the time you need.

I have gotta zoom, so...

Ed.

Did you see some students moved into 1F?

- They look about 11. - No, I didn't.

- You like to bake? - Uh, not really.

Sure you do.

Hi.

I wanted to see your place.

Okay.

Uh, let me help you up.

Welcome.

- That's a very elegant coat. - Oh, thank you. It was a gift.

- So, here is where he writes. - Uh, not yet.

But you did write, and you will again.

- I don't know. - You think that now,

but you don't know how the fame will affect you.

- Fame? - Yeah, fame.

Uh, don't put the cart before the horse.

You might think the boys are silly,

but they have connections. It could be big for you.

You know, you really ought to mentally prepare.

And how are you preparing for your fame?

Uh, did I say something wrong?

No.

It's just there's nothing more exciting

than a rediscovered male genius.

- What about a female genius? - It's better to be an ingénue.

Uh, excuse me.

Yeah?

It's Arnold.

- Uh, I'm a little busy now. - Open up, you schmuck.

Who's Arnold?

Uh, he... he's a friend.

Should I hide under the bed, or behind a shower curtain?

No.

Hey. Sorry to bust in.

Ah, it's okay. What's going on?

Who is it, dear?

Oh, you know, hey, I can come back another time,

Gloria Gardner.

- Enchanté. - No, please.

I'll meet you downstairs across the street at the café,

- Edward darling. - Okay.

"Edward darling."

Hey, we haven't seen you around for a couple of days.

Ah, I'm sorry, but you know, those guys really wound me up.

It wasn't you.

They're great guys, but...

Yeah, you know, sometimes they can be real assholes.

Yeah, I... I get it. Who is she?

Mm, she's an actress. She's reading my poems.

Reading your poems?

Yeah, there's a group and they're having a reading.

It's nothing. It's no big deal.

Thirty years we know each other,

and now, all of a sudden, you got secrets?

No. It's not important.

- Okay. So, uh, can we come? - No. I mean it.

- Uh, I don't want anyone there. - All right, fine.

I... I... I won't tell anyone, and we... we won't come.

Can I come?

We'll see, maybe.

Listen, uh, thanks for coming, but, uh, you know?

She's waiting for me downstairs.

Oh! Okay, I get it. Yeah, she's...

- Yeah, she's... - She's cool. She's cool.

Yeah, okay.

So, I guess, uh, you're not gonna check out

- the Georgetown St. John's game? Oh, damn,

- I... I... I forgot all about that. - Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah.

- I got a lot of stuff to do. - Whatever.

What do you have there?

You know what these are.

Oh.

Come on. It'll be fun.

If you say so.

Hmm.

SoHo's changed a lot since you got here, right?

Oh, yeah.

Uh, you see those windows at the top of that building?

That was Frank Moore's loft.

When I first got to the city, I went to a party there,

and met poets, painters, writers,

and theater people. Cookie Mueller did a reading.

Cookie was cool. Sharon was there.

Downtown was another world then.

SoHo was like living on the moon.

You couldn't get a cab.

Everyone was an artist, everyone was poor,

everyone was young, until they weren't.

- My hands are cold. - Here.

What do you do to get by? Acting gigs?

Mostly. I manage. I sing too.

Well, you're different than those rich kids

that don't have to do anything.

It seems like you work hard, and you make your own way.

You're not supposed to think that.

- I'm not? - No.

You're supposed to think that I eat caviar for breakfast,

and that I go to Paris every year

to buy the finest silks.

Who are you?

That's more like it.

I mean it.

Saxberger!

Saxberger!

Oh, Saxberger.

Gloria!

Gloria!

Gloria.

I was supposed to write my poem today.

Oh, shoot. What time is it?

- Um... - We gotta go.

We're gonna be late.

Where are we going?

We're going back in time.

Willkommen, bienvenue!

Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah!

So...

♪ I was young I was just 16 then ♪

♪ When you came up From Burma one day ♪

♪ And you told me To pack up my suitcase ♪

♪ And you did And you took me away ♪

♪ I said, "Do you work Nice and steady?" ♪

♪ "Or do you go sailing And roving out to sea?" ♪

♪ And you said "I have a job on the railroad" ♪

♪ "And, baby How swell it's all gonna be" ♪

♪ You said a lot, Johnny It was all lies ♪

♪ You sure Had me fooled, Johnny ♪

♪ Right from the start ♪

♪ I hate you When you laugh at me like that ♪

♪ Take that damn pipe Out of your mouth, Johnny ♪

♪ Surabaya, Johnny ♪

♪ Is it really the end? ♪

♪ Surabaya, Johnny ♪

♪ Will the pain ♪

♪ Ever mend? ♪

♪ Surabaya, Johnny ♪

♪ Oh! I burn at your touch ♪

♪ You have no heart, Johnny ♪

♪ But I love you ♪

♪ So much ♪

♪ And at first You were kind and gentle ♪

♪ Till I packed up And went off with you ♪

♪ And it lasted two weeks Until one day ♪

♪ You laughed at me Oh, and you hit me too ♪

♪ You dragged me All over the city ♪

♪ Up the river And down to the sea ♪

♪ Now, I look at myself In the mirror ♪

♪ And there's an old woman Staring back at me ♪

♪ You didn't want love, Johnny You wanted cash ♪

♪ But when I look At those lips, Johnny ♪

♪ And that was that ♪

♪ I gave you all I had But you wanted more, Johnny ♪

♪ Wipe that nasty grin Right off your face, you rat ♪

♪ Surabaya, Johnny ♪

♪ No one's meaner than you ♪

♪ Surabaya, Johnny ♪

♪ But oh, God I still love you ♪

♪ Surabaya, Johnny ♪

♪ Oh! I burn at your touch ♪

♪ You have no heart, Johnny ♪

♪ But I love you ♪

♪ So much ♪

Hmm, hold on. Uh-uh, okay. Uh, you want...

I try one now?

- Okay. - Okay.

Um. There once was a man from old Flatbush.

He tried to find... No, wait a second.

- Come on, let me... - This is so stupid.

Um, wait, wait.

There once was a man from old Flatbush.

Ba, da, da, da, da, da, da, fat tush.

He looked far and li... wi... he looked far and wide

for a beautiful bride.

And the ones he knew cried...

...and seasons collide.

Good.

- Right? - Oh, yeah.

You must've been beautiful when you were young.

Seasons collide.

Seasons collide.

♪ I love you ♪

♪ So much ♪

Seasons collide.

Seasons collide.

What thou lov'st well remains,

the rest is dross.

What thou lov'st well shall not be reft from thee.

What thou lov'st well is thy true heritage.

" Past is past."

"And if one remembers what one meant to do

and never did...

is not to have thought to do enough."

" Past is past."

Seasons collide.

Seasons collide.

Seasons collide.

I'll never write another poem.

Well, so far only about a dozen,

and five of those are Winn's family.

And our neighbor, and our... our neighbor's friend.

Most people just show up

and buy a ticket at the door.

- No, they don't. - Yeah, they do.

- So, what? You know? - Hi, I'm Ed.

- She's a friend. - Regardless,

the best thing we can do is make sure

if you want someone there, they know when it is.

Remind your friends.

- Call in the favors. - Mm-hmm.

Winn, how many times have we emailed them? He said maybe.

- That's his wife's... - Can you pull that up?

- Give me a sense... - What about your friends?

...of how many people you got...

I don't have any friends.

You don't have any friends from back in the day?

- Like who? - Like, Gregory Corso.

I... He wasn't my friend. And besides, he's dead.

Oh, sorry. I mean, I was thinking of somebody else.

Um, sorry.

- I have work friends... - I can't remember now.

...but they don't really have an ear for poetry.

Well, once they're in the chair, they're the audience,

and that's what we need. The more, the better.

Hey, did you give Gloria your poem?

Uh, no, I haven't finished it yet.

So, where are you at in the process?

I'm... ...uh...

I haven't written it out fully yet.

Actually, I... I... I haven't even started it.

It's tomorrow.

- I know. Will you be able to finish it?

- Or... - Probably not.

So, what are we supposed to do?

Well, you already have a lot of other poems, right?

That's true.

We can use, uh, one of the older ones.

It would be new to the audience in any case, like you said.

Would you be okay with that, Saxberger?

- That sounds good. Thank you. - No, it doesn't...

It already says "new work."

Well, it's too late to reprint them now, so...

I... I wasn't being lazy.

I don't want you to think that, you know?

I... I just couldn't do it.

It's not a sad thing, it... just didn't happen.

You know, sometimes I think

if I was living a different life,

like if I had some residencies, or a tenure spot somewhere,

and... and maybe if I was living that life,

maybe...

it would be easier to write a poem, but...

that didn't happen.

And... and I'm not sure I wanted that life anyway.

We'll use the old one.

It's okay, Ed.

- Winn? - Yeah.

- The listservs that you emailed. Mm-hmm.

- Can you send me them? - Yeah.

All of them. I wanna see the list.

Because how many of the people on here

are people we don't know?

None, none.

- Hello? - It's me.

- Who? - Saxberger.

Now's not really the best time.

You showed up at my place unannounced.

Hi.

- Hell of a climb. - Yeah. Look, it's, uh...

it's good to see you, but this is no good time.

- You have to go somewhere? - No.

I'm sorry for barging in,

- but I came to see... - This is a friend.

He's gonna leave in a minute.

- That's your roommate? - Yeah.

- Okay, this is... - Quiet. Out!

How'd you hook up with him?

It's his apartment, and he's a dear old friend.

- So, what's... what's going on? - Not very friendly.

Let's have the rest of this conversation

the next time we see each other, all right?

- Is everything okay? - Yes, it's fine.

Are you fucking this guy for free rent?

Jesus, Saxberger.

Uh, sorry. I'm just trying to understand.

I'm fine, really.

I came here because I wanted to tell you

that I've been thinking about you.

Okay.

- Did I do something wrong? - No.

Things are just complicated for me.

Well, hey, marked the poem for tomorrow.

Great.

Hey, why don't you get dressed, and come with me,

- I'll take you out to dinner. - That sounds lovely,

but I need to take a rain check, okay?

I... I just want to make sure you're really okay.

- Yes. Really. - Hmm?

You better leave, okay? I'm gonna say goodbye now.

It's kind of a communal space.

There actually seems to be people living here.

The Soviet anthem there, that Brussard's cue.

Sorry to interrupt, Saxberger is here.

I think there's another three

- in there as well that I sent to you. - Meyers.

Hey.

What's this hippie place?

I know, it's all a bit déclassé, but people know this place.

I mean, people come here.

We're gonna get a great house, I promise.

The guys are in the back.

I just don't understand

why can't you just read it?

Will you shut up, man?

Why can't you read it?

- Hi, fellas. - Hey.

No, there's just no way

that I can read it.

It's written explicitly for a woman.

I haven't prepared. C... could we find a woman?

- It's fine. - No, I'm not a performer.

I'm a playwright.

I mean, that has to mean something.

Uh, oh... what are you talking about?

Gardner isn't coming. She doesn't feel like it.

- What? - Yeah, she's sick.

- She's sick? - She might not come.

Who's gonna read my poem?

Well, it's... it's a migraine.

- She has them, I forget. - A migraine?

No, her and Carmichael got into an argument.

That's all.

She's just winding him up. She's making him sweat.

- It's gonna be all right. - Hey, fuck off, Brussard.

- Fuck you! - Oh, this is so fucked up, man.

I don't even know what I'm doing here.

This isn't easy for me.

For you, yeah, you... you're all young, well off.

You got nothing to lose. It's like you don't give a shit.

- Where's my clipboard. - Meyers, what's the plan?

- Plan? - My poem, who's gonna read it?

There's a lot going on. This isn't all about your poem.

- Willkommen, bienvenue. - Well, uh...

Gloria.

Am I the last one here?

Yeah, but you're on time. Don't worry.

I almost missed it, kids,

- but I'm here, okay? - Saxberger freaked out.

- Oh, fuck it. fuck it. - Can I get a glass

of room temperature water?

I thought you knew this.

No, Fernandez has taken his vow of silence.

Hang go, that's my neighbor.

For years,

a battle has been raging for the soul

of our community of artists, a battle very few...

Brainwashing social media,

it's threatening your very freedom of thought.

It's homogenizing the masses and paving way to dictatorship,

clickbait cognitive dictatorship.

And when dictatorship is a fact...

- Okay. That's my cue. - ...revolution is a right.

"Revolution is a right."

For those of you who don't know, that's Victor Hugo,

one of the greatest writers of the 19th century.

Just help me out of this.

Terminate your cellular devices immediately

for the remainder of the evening.

It is my honor to introduce to you...

...the Enthusiasm Society.

Okay, I got it.

"Where is my little boy?"

That's a question of every day, isn't it?

That's what the neighbors ask...

and his school friends, and the policeman too.

I told them I didn't know, and I still don't.

Where is my little boy?

Even a doctor's visit feels like a refreshing change of pace,

even the DMV.

He played outside with the neighborhood kids.

It was that kind of place.

I grew up in a hideous place, but here...

this is a childhood.

Where's my little boy?

I know where my son's body is...

but where is my son?

After the accident...

after I panicked and cleaned everything up,

I hid his tiny body from everyone,

even his own father. Where did he go then?

Such a decision cannot be undone once it is made, you see?

You see!

I can tell you see.

Carmichael, you should go!

Hello. My name is Max Murphy...

- Hey, that was amazing. - Mm- hmm.

- That was one for the ages. - Uh-huh.

Come on.

- You're incredible. - Thank you.

I just need to sit down.

I...

...I just need a New York minute.

"Great talons shred the sky, weeping rain..."

Gloria, you're reading next. Winn's poem isn't very long.

Hey.

Gloria?

"...and trenches of my brain

down the rivulets that spread through

and over my core existence."

- Is she okay? - Yeah.

No, she's okay. She's breathing fine.

Gloria, Gloria.

"...where my words sparkle like diamonds."

Love you, sweetie!

She's out.

You're gonna have to read it yourself.

- I guess so. - It'll be all right.

This is as it always should have been.

- Wh... where's the book? - I think it's in her jacket.

I'm gonna introduce you.

Fuck.

How many more of these?

Another one?

A rare thing...

to discover someone whose work

is as relevant today as it was in 1979.

Someone who...

confoundingly slipped through the cracks

of a culture that desperately needed him.

Ah.

It is my great honor and pleasure

to reintroduce the great New York poet,

Ed Saxberger.

I am going to be reading from Way Past Go.

"I flew like a spark from the fires I kindled,

back in the rusted hollow heart of this America."

"Kept my eyes on the sky from the back window

of a Peter Pan bus, all the way

into my dark glittering asphalt Mecca."

"Pockmarked streets I ached to walk,

rolled out for me, a wine dark carpet

with an underworld humming underfoot."

"My moving shadow landed downtown,

where everything was always happening,

right now and forever."

"A thousand and one nights on a $1.98 a day."

"Discount delights of shimmering rayon

and scattered stones of cubic zirconia."

"Canal Street...

canvas sky over cardboard sea,

from dawn to dawn, right now and forever."

"We made everything happen and never stopped,

and never called it work, because it was all only ours,

beat to beat,

from waking up cold on cracked rib floors,

to writing these words for you, and only you."

"Eyed you behind the bar at Three Roses,

pencil wrists, raccoon eyes, puckered lipsticked mouth

that murmured...

'How about you write me a sonnet?'"

"Wrote that first one by candlelight at your place

on Grand and Thompson,

after we came so hard that we both cried."

"Writing this one with shivering hand,

on the uptown A Train,

to get to Sugar Hill way up in Harlem,

longer than a sonnet,

a poem that won't end until it finds you...

wherever you've gone to."

"Maybe tending bar at the Blarney Stone,

or out on tour with that band again."

"Maybe picking peaches in the San Joaquin Valley,

or doing the au pair thing in L.A....

or maybe you're with me like Eurydice,

daring me to turn around."

"That first night at Three Roses,

Rockets whispered in my ear...

'She'll burn you, man.'"

"And that's just what you did...

right now and forever."

Way to go, Grandpa!

Way to go, Grandpa!

Incredible.

- I don't know. - You all right, Saxberger?

Yeah, I'm good. Yeah.

- That was great. - Oh, good. Thank you.

Congratulations on the performance up there.

- It was excellent. - Good.

Way to go, Grandpa!

My friend's friend said that

she seemed to really love it.

- That's great. - Get ready for offers.

My dream, a cycloramic cul de sac cleaver,

belongs to you.

Canvas on cobblestones...

Hey, Saxberger.

How'd it go?

Just beautifully.

- You don't look satisfied. - Ah, it's not important.

I'm really thirsty.

- I'm having a hard time. - Uh, I...

Listen, let me help you with this.

It's cold.

There you go.

Thank you.

Will you tell Carmichael that I accepted the role

in Minneapolis?

I don't know what you're talking about.

I'm doing Winter's Tale at a very respected theater

- in Minneapolis. - Wonderful.

That's great news, right?

Yeah.

You know...

- I'm an artist. - Yeah, I know.

And I belong to no one, just my art.

I know.

I gotta go.

What's that?

Uh, it's just a little something.

- Uh, you been to a party? - May I?

"Atque in perpetuum frater, ave atque vale."

What does that mean?

Goodbye and farewell, brother.

- You leaving? - No.

I'm just quoting some poetry.

You should keep it. Looks better on you.

Good night.

Hi. Jimmy died couple hours ago.

Just thought you should know.

See you later.

"The Enthusiasm Society, a self-declared literary group

with a cheerful or sarcastic name,

depending on your interpretation,

staged a recital, reading, performance."

"Maybe a hodgepodge is more like it."

"A hodgepodge of poets, and writers, and actors."

"As an event, it all had a kind of ramshackle charm."

"Apart from a haunting reading

by an old... by an... an old village bard,

and an all-stops-out performance by a veteran actress,

you didn't miss much if you didn't attend."

Where's Gloria? She and Saxberger came out okay.

Uh, she wanted me to tell you guys

that, uh, she was offered a gig at this theater in Minneapolis,

and she's gonna take it.

Good for her.

Here's, um, some arts website.

Um...

"Yesterday, a reading of works

by Lower Manhattan's best-known..."

"Best-known"?

Um, "...literary society, Enthusiasm,

it was organized by the group's Diaghilev,

Wilson Meyers."

- Who's Diaghilev? - Ballet Russe.

Nijinsky, Stravinsky. The... He's a great impresario.

Uh, buh, buh, buh. "Poems, monologues, and essays

presented by the mostly young authors themselves,

and actresses."

Uh, then they just sorta name...

Yeah, all of us. So that's... that's good, right?

Special mention of the actress.

Um, "And met with lively ovations

from the audience."

"Even if the fermenting must has a way to go

before aging into an elegant wine,

this group of young artistes could signal

the start of something new

and the return of something old and sorely needed."

That's not bad.

That's actually pretty good, right?

Something off about it.

- What do you mean? - Who did it say wrote it?

Uh, tuh, tuh... Just says "staff."

You're being awfully fucking quiet

over there.

Are you just letting the must ferment?

Wait, what does that mean?

He wrote it.

I don't understand it.

Wait, wait, you wrote that?

I don't understand.

I may have used my influence a bit, it's...

You used your influence...

...or you wrote it?

It's a matter of positioning. If Diaghilev were alive today,

he would've written his own reviews.

It's a half step away from what they already are.

And I mean, I... I couldn't write you

a rave review!

I was very fair.

You're not fucking Diaghilev.

And who gave you the permission to anoint us

the start of the return of fucking anything?

I mean, who even made you our fucking leader?

I am the leader! Who else would be the leader?

I worked day and night to bring us all under one tent!

Why? Because I believe!

I brought us together... I kept us together!

I found Ed, for God's sake!

Sorry, I didn't suck your dick about some stupid fucking essay!

What the fuck do you believe in, huh?

Nothing!

Wow. That was really authentic.

Fuck this.

Um...

that's enough for me.

Yeah, me too.

- Wanna go get dinner? - No. I'm too tired.

Yeah.

I lost my appetite too.

Saxberger. Hi.

I just... I wanted to say

that I... I really have a lot of respect

- for you and your work. - That's very kind.

Well, uh, anyway, I was, uh, wondering

if you'd be amenable to taking a look

at some of my work.

You know, I... I really trust your opinion

and I'd like to know if you...

- ...think I have any talent. - You're young.

You have everything ahead of you.

Yeah, I... I know. I realize that.

It's just, you know, before I dedicate my life

- to something I wanted... - Look, look.

Whatever you send me, I... I'll look at it.

Uh, I'd be happy to.

But as far as deciding whether you have talent or not,

I don't know the first thing about that.

- But you're Saxberger. - Well, hey...

if it was really good or really awful, maybe.

But then talent is just part of it.

You know, you really shouldn't put

your self-worth on a platter,

and hand it to an old guy like me.

Wait. You're... ...you're a genius.

Stop!

Why do you put so much stock in my opinion?

Tell me something.

Did you honestly like Way Past Go?

I've been... I've been dying to read it, really.

And I keep asking Meyers,

he pro... promised he would lend it to me.

He promised everybody,

but you can't really rely on him.

- It's just... I mean, he... - So...

You know, I wanted... I want...

- ...nobody read it, right? - But your reading was amazing.

Okay.

You don't read mine, I don't read yours.

Okay?

Good luck, kid.

- Hey, Ed. - Hey.

- Hey, there he is. - There he is.

- Not bad. - Damn. Well...

- Not this time. - Slide over.

- All right, all right. - You were this close.

That's something, that's something,

that's something.

Okay, here we go.

- I like that. - No, I don't like that.

I like that, but I don't like that.

- Oh. - Oh.

Sorry, buddy.

- A little rusty? - Nah.

Baby, baby. Ah! Crash.

Oh!

- Touch! - Keep going, baby!

- Okay. I can do that. - Stripe drop.

- I got that. - Scratch off the bat.

Yeah.