Vengeance (2022) - full transcript

Someone needs to stop Clearway Law.
Public shouldn't leave reviews for lawyers.

Hey, one, two, three.

♪ Now, red Solo cup
is the best receptacle ♪

♪ For barbecues, tailgates,
fairs and festivals ♪

♪ And you, sir, do not have
a pair of testicles ♪

♪ If you prefer drinking
from glass, whoo ♪

-♪ Red Solo cup ♪
-♪ Uh-huh ♪

♪ I fill you up ♪

♪ Let's have a party ♪

♪ Let's have a party ♪

♪ I love you, red Solo cup ♪



♪ I lift you up ♪

♪ Proceed to party,
proceed to party ♪

♪ Now, I really love
how you're easy to stack ♪

♪ But I really hate
how you're easy to crack ♪

♪ 'Cause when beer runs down
the front of my back ♪

♪ Well, that, my friends,
is quite yucky ♪

♪ But I have to admit
that the ladies get smitten ♪

♪ Admiring how sharply ♪

♪ My first name is written ♪

♪ On you with a Sharpie
when I get to hitting ♪

♪ On them to help me get lucky ♪

♪ Red Solo cup ♪

♪ I fill you up ♪

♪ Let's have a party ♪



♪ Proceed to party ♪

-♪ Solo cup ♪
-♪ Bah, oh, doo ♪

-♪ Solo cup ♪
-♪ Oh, bo, doo ♪

-♪ Solo cup ♪
-♪ Ah, oh, doo ♪

-♪ Solo cup ♪
-♪ Ah, ooh, doodle, da, doo ♪

-♪ Solo cup ♪
-♪ Uh-huh, mm ♪

-♪ Solo cup ♪
-♪ De, dum, dum ♪

-♪ Solo cup ♪
-♪ Ooh, de, da, bah. ♪

The potential
in this room is astounding.

I love the potential.

Hundred percent.

It's a world
of infinite possibilities.

-Infinite.
-Hundred percent.

How many "Y"s do I put in "Hey"
at this time of night?

-Is it before 2:00 a.m.?
-Yeah.

-Two "Y"s.
-Okay.

-Three is thirsty.
-Thirsty.

And one is curt.

You know what
I was thinking about?

Cookie dough became so popular.

It's 'cause it's not finished.
It could still be anything.

Hundred percent.

Making cookies out of cookie
dough is just a suggestion.

-Hundred percent.
-That's what they say

-you could do with it.
-Right.

And the same thing--
like dating someone

for more than a month.

It's just a serving suggestion.

Hundred percent.

"Kara question mark."
That means I don't remember

-where I met her.
-Okay.

But it's a question mark
with an exclamation point,

which means I should
want to follow up.

-Let's see what the options
are first though. -Yes.

Exactly that. That's the world
that we're living in.

You can just see what
the options are for anything.

Like with travel.

You're not gonna just pick
the first flight you see.

You want to see all the flights.

-That's a good thing.
-Yeah.

You get the best flight
that way.

Why wouldn't you get
the best person

by looking at all
the potential people?

And how could you even
expect to find one person

who could fulfill
all of your needs?

It's easier just to find the
most supportive person here.

-The funniest person here.
-Right.

-The best sex here.
-Right.

The best advice here.

The second-best sex here.

Hundred percent.

I don't ever want to go past

knowing what someone's parents
do for a living.

If I know what someone's
parents do for a living...

-Right. Right.
-I've hung too long.

Or, like, siblings. Like,
why does anyone want to know

about your siblings?
Especially so early.

-Yeah. -"How many siblings
do you have?"

Has that ever changed whether
you want to date somebody?

It's like, "I have two sisters
and a brother."

-Whoa. Hold on.
-Well, I'm out of here.

-I'm out of here.
-You know what I just say?

I only date only children
or the oldest of three.

They say,
"Exercise your options."

It's like a muscle.

-Options are like a muscle.
-Yeah.

Some people are weak
and atrophied,

and they don't understand

-how to exercise their options.
-Yeah.

My options are burly
and strong and turgid.

Hundred percent.

People say guys like us
are afraid of commitment.

No. We're afraid of commitment

to something
we can't get out of.

There's no such thing
as fear of commitment.

Fear of commitment
is fear of regret.

Hundred percent.
Or fear of intimacy.

Please, I'm intimate
with everybody.

Do you ever wonder,

if you did find something
deeper with somebody,

if that would somehow
be more meaningful?

I do sometimes.

Like right now,
I'm casually dating,

like, six or seven
different women.

But I do wonder, deep down,
what it would be like

to seriously date two or three.

Even when
I don't understand you,

I understand you better
than I understand anybody.

-Hundred percent.
-I love when we hang out.

This is like,
if someone were recording this,

that's what my podcast
should be.

There should be, like,
the sound of a stand-up bass

playing under me right now.

Okay, I got one.

"Brunette Random House Party."

"Random House," the publisher?

Or "random house,"
like a random house party?

Oh, "Emily Vogue."

Uh, I'm gonna go
with "Kara question mark"

'cause I feel like letting the
universe surprise me tonight.

-What a time to be alive.
-Hundred percent.

-Hundred percent.
-Hundred percent.

Hundred percent.

-Hundred percent.
-Hundred percent.

I figured it out.

Figured what out?

America.

Okay.

I know you're laughing,

but I have a pitch
you're really gonna like.

America is divided,

but it's not for the reason
that we think.

We think that America's
divided by geography:

red state, blue state,
city, country.

We're missing something
far more profound.

America isn't divided by space.

America is divided by time.

-We don't live
in the moment anymore. -Mm.

And why would we, when we can
live in any moment

that's ever been recorded?

And when we experience
something we really love,

our overwhelming instinct

is to somehow file it away
for later.

That's interesting.

We don't watch movies
in the theater.

We don't watch TV when it airs.

We don't even have
conversations at the same time

because we text.

And when you text,
I can say, "Hi,"

and you could say "Hi" back
in a second,

-or a minute.
-Or never.

Or never 'cause it's you

and you're too busy producing
the biggest podcast in America,

which is kind of my point
because we're all living

in our own individualized times.

That's why we're living
in divided times.

That's... I like that. Ooh.

-You like that?
-Yeah.

So, what do you think?
Do you think that's a story?

It's a theory.

-A theory is a story.
-No, a theory is not a story.

Yes, it is
when it's about an idea.

And America is an idea.

That's what makes it so great.

-So, if you're...
-No, America is its people.

That's what makes it
so fucked up.

Hey. Not every white guy
in New York

needs to have a podcast.

You have
the verified check mark.

You got the New Yorker position.

I want something more.

I don't just want
to be a writer.

I... I want to be a voice.

As dorky as it sounds,
I care about America.

And not in that faded
Lana Del Rey way.

And now I see it falling apart,

and we're just standing
in the corner,

like, making fun of it,
you know?

I'd like to try to tell
some story that... connects.

Okay, okay. Well, then...
let me help you connect.

With all your ideas
about America--

even if they're good, right?--

you gotta put 'em in a story

'cause Americans
listen to stories.

'Cause Americans are people.

They're not... ideas.

-You're-you're here.
-Yeah.

You need to be here.

Does that make sense?

Hundred percent.

I'm Robin Dillon,

and this is American Moment.

To the organizers of the
Western Montana fly-fishing...

-Hi.
-Hey.

You changed your hair.

-Yeah, you noticed.
-Of course.

How's the book world?

The what?

Uh, nothing.
Uh, can I get you a drink?

-Yes.
-Great.

Um, what can I make you?

Um, can you do, like,
a white wine?

Um, sure.

I have to open a bottle
for that.

Oh, that's okay. Open it.

I only want, like, one glass.

-Hello?
-Ben?

Yeah. Hello?

This is the worst phone call

you're ever gonna get
in your life.

Oh, my God.

Your girlfriend's dead.

I'm sorry.
Wh... What did you say?

She's dead.

No, no, the first part.

Your girlfriend.

Yeah, I'm sorry.

Hey, I don't...
I don't understand.

I know. I know, I know.

We can't make no sense
of it either.

Who is this?

This is Ty Shaw.

Abby's brother.

Um, hey, I don't... I don't
really know what to say.

Oh, I know, I know this must
be so hard to process.

I'm so sorry.

Abby told us so much about you.

Abby.

Oh, my God.

Abby.

Who's Abby?

Uh, some girl. Um...

-Who's that?
-Uh, some...

We definitely hung out
a few times.

I-I wouldn't have...

Funeral's Sunday.

Oh, my God. I'm, uh...

Can you tell me
where I can send flowers?

Oh, there's no need
to send flowers, Ben.

Oh, no, no, no, no, no.

I'm absolutely
gonna send flowers.

Just, uh, you tell me
the address.

See if you can text it to me.

If you really want, there's
a flower shop by the airport.

We'll just swing by there
when I pick you up.

When you pick me up?

Uh, hey.

I will be there in spirit.

Spirit Airlines. Right, man.

That's a great choice.

You just let me know
what flight.

Uh, hey, uh, I...

This is just...

I can't do this.

None of us can do this.

Not alone.

Y'all had your whole future
ahead of you.

Okay.

Okay, don't cry.

I mean, no, cry. Cry.

-Um, of course.
-Oh, God.

Be in touch
with your emotions. Um...

I can't believe
we have to go through this.

Okay. All right. Um, hey.

Remind me where you guys
are exactly.

Well,
you've been to Texas before?

Texas.

Okay, are you near Austin?

No, we're not near Austin.

-Dallas?
-Dallas ain't Texas.

-Houston?
-Houston's another country.

Why don't you just
tell me where...

Have you heard of Abilene?
The city.

Never heard of Abilene, no.

Well, Abilene is about
three hours from Dallas.

Okay.

And we're five hours
from Abilene.

Ladies and gentlemen...

Hey. Hi.

And while she could be
quite a handful

when she was a girl...

I can't believe I'm talking
about my daughter

in the past tense.

She was living in New York.

She was finding her voice
in music.

And she finally found love.

Ben Manalowitz.

A successful writer

and a regular contributor
to New York Magazine.

The New Yorker.

But even with all his success,

he always respected our girl
for who she was.

"Mama," she said,

"you know how he has me saved
in his phone?

Texas."

Well, as short as her life was,

she found her voice,

and she found love.

And that's all there is, right?

That's right.

Let's hear from Ben.

-Go ahead.
-Go on, Ben.

No, I couldn't.

-Thank you.
-You got it.

-Brother, come up.
-Please say something.

Get up there.

Father. Sir.

I never expected to be
in a situation like this.

I'm sure none of us did.

I wish I had known her better.

I wish I had spent more time
with her.

I'm sure all of us feel that...

right now.

Yes.

She loved music.

I know that. I know that.

She loved music.

Yeah.

And...

...she will always be a song
in our hearts.

"Song in our hearts."

Phew. You damn near broke me
with that one.

♪ It's those
eight-second chances ♪

♪ And cowgirl glances ♪

♪ It's the blood and the glory,
baby, that's why we ride... ♪

Now, I don't know about you,
but...

I know it hasn't been long,
but I feel like me and you,

we got a real bond.

Kind of like family.

Hundred percent.

Wow.

A hundred percent?

Yeah.

Yeah. I felt really close
to you guys today.

Don't just say that to say it.

-Yeah.
-I knew it.

Abilene just didn't die.

She was murdered.

And the two of us
are gonna avenge her death.

What?

You and me, we're gonna
track her killer down

and deliver vengeance.

Okay, nobody said anything
about a killer.

An overdose?

At a party in an oil field?

Yeah. The girl never took so
much as an Advil in her life.

You know that. You know her
better than anybody.

Did you call the police
about this?

In Texas, we don't dial 911.

Not even for, like, a fire?

Fire or ambulance, fine.

Who do you think did it?

I got a couple theories.

Cartels. Mexican gangbanger
I got my eyes on.

I mean,
this is just the beginning.

It goes deep.

And what's this based on?

Gut.

Right.
What's behind that though?

Ain't nothing behind gut.

Gut's behind everything else.
Otherwise, who are you?

I really think this is
something for the police.

Yeah. You talk about the police

like it's just the same
everywhere.

Like the police is, um,
McDonald's

and justice is an Egg McMuffin.

We don't have the police.

We got Mike and Dan.

You and me,
we were the men in her life.

And they fucked
with the wrong two guys.

Okay. Um...

So, as, like,
a personal boundary,

like, everybody's different.

Some people don't eat
certain foods.

You know, everybody...

-I don't avenge deaths.
-Mm-hmm.

It's just who I am.

I... You know, I don't live
in a Liam Neeson movie.

But you kind of look like a guy
from a Liam Neeson movie though.

Okay.

Which one am I thinking about?

It-it was a train.
No, i-it was...

-It was just on TV.
-I don't know.

Schindler's List.
Oh, my God.

You look like a lot
of those guys in that movie.

Yeah. Thanks.

You know, that was my least
favorite Liam Neeson movie.

Huge downer.

It was a really sad movie.

Ty, I know that
you're in a lot of pain.

Oh, yes, sir. We both are.

And you have a lot of anger.

Goddamn it,
I'm asking you for your help.

If we don't do this,
it's like leaving her body

out in the middle of that desert
for the rest of our lives.

I know it the minute I saw you.

'Cause heart sees heart.

Stay down here and avenge
Abby's death with me.

Oh, what a story that would be.

Is this a pocket dial?

I have a story.

-Can it wait?
-No.

I'm in Texas. I'm on my way
back from a funeral.

Oh, my God. I'm so sorry.

It's okay. It's not someone
I was close to.

But you flew to Texas for it?

Uh, yes.

Uh, it was a girl
I hooked up with a few times.

You flew to Texas

to attend the funeral
of a random hookup?

Her family thought that we
were more serious than I did.

Do you know what?

This is a story.

-Yeah?
-Yeah.

It's you.

The-the...
Your whole way of life.

It's dating,
it's hookup culture.

How it enables disconnectedness.

-The selfishness.
-No.

-The emptiness.
-No.

-The hollowness.
-That's not what I meant.

The lack of self-awareness.

Okay, that's not
what I'm pitching.

It's really how sad
your life is.

Okay, now you're fucking
with me.

Listen, I'm in West Texas

where this family
just lost their daughter

to an opioid overdose.

That is sad but common.

Except, her brother
won't accept it's an overdose.

He says it was a murder.

Based on what?

Nothing.

And that's the story.

This is an existential
crime story.

This is In Cold Blood,
but there are no killers.

This is about
a new American reality

that people can't accept.

So instead, they invent
these myths and conspiracies

so they can cast themselves
as heroes because...

the truth is too hard to accept.

The death of Abilene is about
the death of American identity

and the need to find someone
to blame for it.

This isn't just a story
about vengeance.

It's a story about
the need for vengeance.

The meaning of vengeance.

Dead white girl?

Holy grail of podcasts.

Eloise, I wish my recorder
were already on.

He's saying such
crazy things already.

Her brother?

He is such a character.

And you can get close
to the family?

Can I get close to the family?

They think I was her boyfriend.

I mean...

...I went to her funeral,
for God's sake.

That's good.

I mean, it's fucked up, but...

but it's good for this.

So?

Okay, let's give it a shot.

Oh!

Okay, talk to me.
Give me everything.

Stay with the family,

get as close as possible,
record everything.

'Cause you never know
what will be important.

I'll be your editor,
so I'll pull selects

-and see what's there.
-Okay.

I'll have Tracy overnight you
the equipment,

but just use your phone
in the meantime

and get the story, stay safe.

You got it.

-Not in that order.
-In that order.

The dust in West Texas
settles like rain on a lake.

I'm under a West Texas sky,
bright blue Texan sky,

where I've just learned about
the death of Abilene Shaw.

My...

A person...

...who lived here.

Hell yeah, brother.

All right.

I'm gonna stay with you guys
for a couple of weeks.

I'm gonna record everything

that you think happened
to Abilene.

-Okay?
-Hell yes. Then we kill him.

No.

I'm gonna put it on a podcast...

...and it will be on
podcast platforms.

That's fucking brilliant.

-Yeah.
-You're fucking smart.

All right.

Once people on Reddit
find out...

...they'll kill him for us.

All right.

Hey, Mama.

Guess who came back after all.

Ben.

-Hi.
-Oh, my God. You came back.

Ah... Oh. Thank you.

Um, I hope I'm not imposing.

Please.

We have this empty seat
at the table.

We can use all the distraction
we can get.

Can I get you anything?

Um...

Uh, just, uh,
what's the Wi-Fi situation?

Oh, it's a little
temperamental-- it'll kick in.

Did you have a chance
to meet everybody before?

Uh, no.

I would love to.

-Uh, this is Abilene's
sister, Paris. -Hi.

-She's 24, fixin' to be 25.
-Yep.

She's gonna be
a famous filmmaker.

It is a pleasure
to meet you, Paris.

Pleasure.
I've heard so much about you.

I've-I've heard... Yeah.

And this is Kansas City.

She's 17, fixin' to be 18.

And she's gonna be a famous...

Just famous.

KC, I told you.

Those are not our values.

You have to be
a famous something.

A famous...

celebrity.

These are really your daughters?

I mean,
you all could be sisters.

Oh. You are so sweet.

You think that I look
this fucking old?

And this is El Stupido.

-Sorry?
-This is El Stupido.

That's what you call him?

Oh. It's okay, Ben.

He don't speak Spanish.

And, uh, and how old are you?

Nine.

Fixin' to be ten?

Yes, sir.

Boys, come on.

-Ben, come take a seat.
-Thank you.

You have a lovely home,
by the way.

-Thank you.
-It's really nice.

-This is Granny Carole.
-Yeah.

Granny for short.

-Um, nice to meet you, Granny.
-Yeah.

Thank you. Um...

So, Ben, tell us about yourself.

Do you come from a close family?

Yes. Um, we're very close.

We don't see each other much,
but we're very close.

You from Texas?

Oh. No, I'm not.

Oh, I'm sorry.

That you're not from Texas.

-Have you been to Texas
before, Ben? -Yes, actually.

I've been to Austin,
uh, for South By.

For what?

Uh, oh, South by Southwest
is an annual festiv...

No, for what band?

You don't just go to South By.

You go see a band, don't you?

Uh, well, true.

I was part of a journalism panel

about the future of new media.

-Amazing.
-That's so cool.

-Mm. -Thank you.
-You're welcome.

Um, speaking of.

Would you mind if I recorded
this dinner?

-Oh.
-Record us now?

-Yeah.
-Hell yeah.

Would we mind?

-I love being recorded.
-Great. Fantastic.

Oh, my God.

-Hey, smile. Okay?
-Great.

Well, would you want to hear

the story of Texas?

-Absolutely. -Huh?
-Go, Granny.

All right. Right here.

-My goodness.
-Mm. Okay.

1836.

Texas is part of Mexico,

made up of settlers and
English-speaking white folk.

And, uh, they didn't
like the government.

What else is new?

Them Texans wanted to do things
their own way.

What else is new?

So, you take everybody's
two favorite things,

government and Mexicans.

And guess what happens.

-Huh?
-Go on.

-Guess.
-You should... In your words.

All right. All right.

Well, Generalissimo Santa Anna

brung up 7,000 Mexican soldiers

to fight against
186 Texan rebels

at a place called the Alamo.

And the Texans won.

That's very inspiring.

Say what?

The Texans didn't win, Ben.

Mm.

They teach math where you from?

186. 7,000.

Um...

7,000 is more, Ben.

It was a massacre.

It was unspeakable cruelty.

Unspeakable cruelty.

I'm sorry. I had no idea
you didn't win the Alamo.

Um...

I feel like you guys
talk about it a lot.

Who's "Equinox Girl Cute"?

Um, a friend.

Who's "Paris Review Party
Asian"?

-Excuse me. Um...
-Very good reading.

Let me, uh... The Wi-Fi
must have just kicked on.

Who's "Natalie Bumble"?

-Um, let-let me just...
-Who's "Katie Raya"?

-Let me put that on...
-Raya?

Let me put that on
airplane mode.

I thought Raya
was supposed to be exclusive.

So what do you think
of this place, Ben?

I love it.

-Are you joking?
-Are you serious? You love it?

You're from New York City.

-Literally nothing
happens here. -Yeah.

Well, um...
I mean, it is a little...

-Hmm?
-You know.

-Bleak. -Come on,
that's not fair.

-We just got a Target.
-Excuse me? How dare you?

Do you know how fucking good
our football team is?

-This is our town. -Okay, look,
I don't know where to...

where to land here. Um...

Ben, there's probably
something you should know

-about this place.
-Yeah.

This is the most, uh, wretched,

godforsaken stretch of land
on the face of the earth.

And I'd never leave.

You know what I mean?

Yeah. That's how I feel
about Twitter.

-Mm.
-See, Ben's a journalist.

One of the finest there is.

He writes for
the New York Magazine.

New Yorker. Yep.

And he's gonna help us find out

what really happened to Abilene.

I was saying we go out
and settle with a .45,

but Ben gives a whole new
perspective to the situation.

Ty, you can't solve something
like this with a .45.

It's not as simple
as one person.

It's a whole system, son.

Tell us what you mean, Granny.

It's the breakdown of society,
is what it is.

It's the breakdown
of the school system,

-the government.
-Mm.

It's the pharmaceutical
companies.

It's the breakdown of the family

and tradition.

Oh, there's a whole lot
of people responsible

-for what happened to Abilene.
-That's true.

-Yes, ma'am.
-Amen.

I think that's very wise.

You're gonna need a 12-gauge,
couple of ARs.

-No. -Yep.
-A Wesson automatic.

-No, no, no.
-And a sidearm for safety.

-Yep. Exactly.
-We're not doing that.

Oh, we're not? Yeah.

I didn't think
you had the balls.

Are you gonna help us, Ben?

You know, um...

There's some things I'm good at.

I'm good at asking
the right questions.

I'm good at getting people
to talk.

And I'm especially good
at drawing thematic connections

between seemingly
disparate elements

and using that to illustrate

a larger point or theory.

So, whoever or whatever

is responsible
for what happened to Abilene,

I will find this person

or this generalized
societal force,

and I will define it.

I'll define it.

Bless your heart.

I guess we have
a guest room now.

Ty.

Well, rest up good.

We'll meet in the morning
and start to solve this.

Yeah.

See you in the morning.

-Good night, Ty.
-Good night.

Good morning.

Yeah, that's it. What else...?

-Can I say it proves a lot?
-Yeah.

I'm gonna take
a short break here,

and during this break,
I hope you'll call

and support this station
during this long, important

-membership drive.
-Thanks.

We have some great free gifts
to offer you,

and I'm not just talking
coffee mugs.

Well, Ben, there's really
two versions of life out here.

Boom times,
everybody's rich and busy.

It's like one big party
out here.

And then the bust comes.

It's really like two different
places out here.

It's always boom or bust.

Which is it right now?

Kinda in between.

Yeah.

Kinda in between,
to tell you the truth.

Okay.

You son of a...

-Get off.
-Crawl. There's our worm.

Oh, you like being on top.

-Get off. Yeah.
-Whoo!

This the guy?

Yep.

Hmm.

Let me save you some time:
Sancholo.

Sancholo. Sancholo.

What's Sancholo?

The guy who killed Abilene.

A Mexican drug dealer.

Evil motherfucker.

You name it, he's got it.

Not crazy about
his prices though.

So, you know who killed Abilene?

Yes, sir.

Did you call the police
about it?

Mike and Dan?

Those lazy fucktards.

Everything's an accident.

Gun accident.

Uh, driving accident.

I've known Abilene

since we were knee-high
to a grasshopper.

She never touched
so much as an Advil,

and-and then, out of the blue,

they find this angel,
this angel,

dead of an oxy OD
at a party he threw!

Ooh, you're getting me
warmed up.

He's been obsessed
with her since middle school.

Yep. He'd call the house
every night.

They used to be on the phone
for hours.

He's just a piece of it anyway.

It's too big to understand.

You got deep state
in bed with pill pushers,

-cartels, pedos.
-Uh-huh.

-The law.
-How, wha...

Hey, shh. Hey.

And you're a piece of it, too.

So, um, I'd love to talk

to some of the characters
you mentioned.

Mike and Dan? Sancholo?

Oh, he's gotta be at the rodeo
in Holliston.

No doubt.

There and the honky-tonk,
too, afterwards.

-That's where a drug dealer can
do their best business. -Mm.

'Cause everybody goes
to the rodeo.

White, Mexicans.

You really want
to avenge her with him?

I'm like a brother to you.

Well, he's like
a brother-in-law.

Oh, come on.

Ben, you ever been in a fight?

You mean like a physical fight

or like an online skirmish?

I got him.

Crawl wouldn't hurt a fly,
would you, Crawl?

I never understood
that expression about flies.

Yeah, I'd kill a fly,

but what kind of sick fuck
would hurt a fly?

Make it feel pain? Hmm?

You don't have any idea
where you are, do you?

Hmm?

Want me to show you a map?

Welcome to Texas.

You are here.

Morning, KC.

Hey.

Uh, would you like some coffee?

-Sure.
-How do you take it?

In the mouth?

All right, tell me something

that you love
about where you live.

-Whataburger!
-Whoo.

-Oh. -Yeah.
-Okay, great.

Um, tell me about it.

-You want to go right now?
-Yeah, let's go.

-Uh... Uh...
-I'm ready.

-You want... -Just, no, just,
uh, tell me about it.

You're gonna love Whataburger,
Ben.

-Oh, it's the best.
-What makes it the best?

Wherever you are,
there's a Whataburger.

Yeah. It's always right there.

Okay. And then
when you get there,

what do you like about it?
What do you get?

-Whatever you want.
-It's always right there.

You could order
whatever you want, Ben.

Right, but there are a lot
of places like that.

So, let's say
there is a McDonald's,

a Burger King, a Sonic
and a Whataburger

all lined up.

Which one do you go to?

Whataburger!

Right, right. Why?

Because it's right there!

Yes, but they're all
right there.

In this scenario,
they're all right there.

So, what do you get
out of Whataburger?

What makes it better to you?

-What are you getting...
-Ben.

Asking why you love Whataburger

is like asking
why you love Christmas

or a summer night
or why you love your dog.

I mean, you could point
to the reasons,

but the reasons
aren't really the point.

You just love it,
and that's how love works.

I'm on my way to get

what could be
some good local color.

It's the place Abilene
recorded some demos.

I'm heading towards the
Quentin Sellers Music Factory.

A place in Marfa,
the arts town, where...

people pursue their dreams
of musical stardom.

His motto is "making dreams
come true since 2018."

Eloise, if you have, um...
if you can play a clip of that,

um, Rebecca Black song,
"Friday,"

that would be really funny here.

I bet it's cheap to play.

♪ Yeah, yeah ♪

♪ Yeah ♪

♪ Yeah ♪

Okay.

-Hi.
-Hi.

What is music?

Like, singing and stuff.

Yeah, that's right.

Let's take a step back.

I want to share an idea
with you.

There's no argument
more profound

than how the universe
came into existence.

-Oh, God.
-Are we here because of God

or science?

I mean, it is,
by its very nature,

the most fundamental question.

But there's one thing
that everyone agrees on.

And that is whether
it was God declaring,

"Let there be light,"

or an infinite
particle of energy

bursting forth in the big bang.

Everyone,

and I mean everyone,

agrees that the universe

started with a sound.

Why do I call myself
a record producer?

I don't know.

Yeah, I mean, we don't even
make records anymore.

What we're recording here
isn't your record.

It's your sound...

on the record that started

with the very first moment
in time.

So when you sing this song...

...I want you to think about
how what you're making

is the record of your time
here on this earth.

It's the sound that you scratch

with your life...

...on the record
of the universe.

-Okay?
-Okay.

♪ I finished my shift
at Claire's ♪

♪ Climbed up those steep
mall stairs ♪

♪ And the pain
of having nowhere to go ♪

♪ Pierced the skin of my soul ♪

♪ As I sat on the steps ♪

♪ And waited and waited ♪

♪ For no one to take me home. ♪

Yeah.

Thank you.

I call this place the Factory.

-You know, after Andy Warhol's
Factory. -Hmm.

Most people around here
think it's a reference

to C+C Music Factory.

Which, honestly, I-I think
Warhol would've loved, but...

Yeah, actually. Yeah.

I'm from out here.

I went to college in New Haven.

Oh, I went to school in Boston.

Yeah, I thought about
staying there,

but this is the place
that needs something like this.

The problem isn't that people
aren't smart.

The problem is that they are.

If the landscape is like this,

a-and people were just boring,
you wouldn't have this problem.

The problem is, you get all
these bright, creative lights

and nowhere to plug in
their energy.

And so it gets channeled
into conspiracy theories

and drugs and violence.

Who are your favorite
music artists right now?

Um...

-Can I take a guess?
-Yeah.

You're a playlist guy.

What does that mean?

When some computer
recommends you a bunch of songs

based on your favorites,
and a bunch more

-based on your favorites
of those. -Right.

So you're listening
to a bunch of music that,

-I mean, you genuinely like...
-Yeah.

...but you have no idea
who sings it.

Now, these playlists, it's
like the dating app for music.

You're not hearing
other people's voices.

You're just hearing your voice
get played back at you.

How are you supposed
to fall in love?

Art used to be in charge of us.

You used to buy a whole album

not even knowing
what songs would be on it.

Now we have everything
on demand.

At your