Documentary Now! (2015–…): Season 2, Episode 5 - Final Transmission - full transcript

Good evening.

I'm Helen Mirren,
and you're watching.

"Documentary Now!" Season 51.

For a decade, Test Pattern
combined new wave music,

performance art,
and political activism

to become one of the world's
most famous rock bands.

And then, suddenly, it was over.

But not before one last concert,

forever preserved in the film
"Final Transmission."

Hi.

I got a cool little toy.



♪ This is the street
where I live ♪

♪ That's a mailbox
on the corner ♪

♪ Over here is a stop sign ♪

♪ There's a little
grocery store ♪

♪ A man smiles and waves at me ♪

♪ A bus turns
and goes down the avenue ♪

♪ A lady reads a book
in front of a building ♪

♪ She's having the best day
of her life ♪

♪ I bought a brand-new pair
of tennis shoes ♪

♪ At the department store ♪

♪ I'm having the best day
of my life ♪

♪ This is my street ♪

♪ This is my street ♪

♪ This is my street ♪



♪ This is my street ♪

♪ This is my street ♪

♪ Hey, this is my street ♪

♪ This is my street ♪

♪ And I'm walkin' to you ♪

Thank you.

♪ Got into art school ♪

♪ I'm gonna paint
what's in my mind ♪

♪ Collecting little things
that I find ♪

♪ And eating food
with my new friends ♪

♪ Art plus student equals poor ♪

♪ Art plus student equals fun ♪

Yeah, so, uh...

Lee and I had met at CSAD.

The Connecticut Institute
of Art and Design.

School of Art and Design.

School of Art and Design.

First year I met Lee,
he had told everyone on campus

that, uh,
he had made every piece

in the Museum of Modern Art.

And, um, that was the work.

Him telling people that was...

was the piece of art.

♪ Somebody mentioned music ♪

♪ Music and sound ♪

♪ Sounds like wow-whoa ♪

♪ Art plus student equals poor ♪

♪ Art plus student equals fun ♪

♪ We can try to be serious ♪

♪ Sign my name over and over
and over and over ♪

You know, at first,
I just thought this guy

was full of shit,
but after a while,

I just, you know,
I really admired his moxie.

I thought what he was trying
to do was really interesting.

And you just, uh...

- Answered an ad.
- He just answered an ad.

- So why call it quits now?
- I don't know.

I don't know what the answer is.

But sometimes I think
we could've called it quits

a couple of years ago.

Thank you.

Can I have it back? Thank you.

I thought
I gave it to you yesterday.

Oh, thank you.

Test Pattern, as a project, was
never meant to last forever.

There was definitely a...
a finite end

that was meant to be.

Thank you.

That's Anita.

Hey, guys.

I'm Marky.

♪ Lift up the blinds,
turn on the flashing lights ♪

♪ Yellow and red,
look at the flashing lights ♪

♪ The polka-dot pattern
on the factory wall ♪

♪ Radio signal's
gonna hear my call ♪

♪ Flashing lights ♪

♪ Flashing lights ♪

How did you find your way
into Test Pattern?

How did that start?

Uh, well, I was Marky's
girlfriend.

We grew up
in New Haven together,

and then when he and Lee
were forming Test Pattern,

they were looking for
a female vocalist,

and I don't know why,

um, they thought of me,

'cause, uh, I had never done
anything like that,

so I enrolled in CSAD
the following year, and, um,

and then Lee and I got married.

Wait, Lee? How did that happen?

Well, it was part of
a performance he was doing

about the banality of marriage,

so he married a lot of objects.

Like a telephone... you know,

parrot, and a fancy automobile.

And then I was the only human.

Thank you.

We're seeing the history
of the band sort of unfolding.

And, uh,
we got some more friends.

♪ Wake me up at 6:00 a.m. ♪

♪ I'm alert ♪

♪ I'm hiding out in the trees ♪

♪ I'm alert ♪

Didn't I tell you?
I thought I told you.

♪ Meet me at
the designated spot ♪

♪ Found a roving spotlight ♪

♪ It's in my backyard ♪

They put it in the back pages
of the newspaper.

♪ Meet me at
the designated spot ♪

Test Pattern is an agreement,
a visual agreement,

more than it is a group,
but we're still a group,

I mean, we still consider
ourselves part of the...

the art movement or the punk
movement or... or whatever it is.

We still enjoy playing music
with each other.

It's just that, at some point,

you have to pull down
the curtain

and put on our pajamas.

♪ Found a roving spotlight ♪

♪ It's in my backyard ♪

They wrote about it
in the papers.

♪ Meet me at
the designated spot ♪

♪ I'm alert ♪
♪ I'm alert ♪

♪ I'm alert ♪ - Give it to me.

♪ I'm alert ♪

- One, two, three...
- ♪ I'm alert ♪

Well, the group was starting
to sound really stale.

It's very limiting
to have just guitars

and electric bass and drums,

and our producer, Ooto Keirsha,
played me this record,

and it was gamelan music
from Bali,

and I was really struck
by all the bells...

it sounded like church bells
or something...

and I went to the band
and I said,

"This is what we should do,"
and they agreed

and they nodded, and I said,

"We're gonna incorporate
their music into our songs."

Or, rather, my songs.

The name of this song
is "In Ding, In Ding."

I didn't love
the Balinese stuff.

To be honest with you,
it wasn't my favorite.

It just sounds like

a dozen dumb doorbells.

♪ In ding, in ding ♪

♪ In ding, in ding ♪

For you, creativity seems
to be your primary concern.

Would you say that
you resent your success?

I don't know
that I'm successful.

I don't know that.

I'm always yearning.

That's just what I do...
I just keep trying

to make more things and...

I have no resentment because...

well, I do have some resentment.

But that's a separate issue.

Marky, what are you gonna do
now that the band's over?

I'd like to be like Mike J. Fox

in "Bright Lights, Big City,"
and wear a suit.

Blow rails.
Make some money in New York.

Uh, loosened tie...
go out, drink during the day.

Okay, okay. Thank you very much.

- That's done.
- Thank you.

That's all done.

What are you gonna do
after it's all over?

Probably just keep jammin',
you know?

Playing cool drums. Partying.

I got... I have a new Camaro
that I like a lot.

How can you afford a Camaro?

From the band.

What, did he give you
publishing on something or...

- Yeah.
- He did?

Oh, yeah.

I can't afford a Camaro.

This next song
was on one of our records,

and it was written
by Marky here.

Marky wrote it.

No, hold on, hold on,
hold on, hold on.

The reviews said that
the singing has no melody,

and not in a cool way where
it sounds like it's angular.

It sounds more like he is trying
to hit notes that he cannot hit.

The last time we played this
a couple years ago,

many people went to
the concession stand,

and, well, that just happens,

but we're gonna do the song,

and Marky, why don't you
introduce it?

Um, I wrote a lot of songs.

And, um, this was the only one
we recorded.

You know, at the time,
I was reading a lot of

speculative fiction
like William Gibson...

♪ Everybody's movin' around ♪

♪ Everybody's movin' around ♪

♪ Busy people runnin' around ♪

♪ So much information ♪

♪ Everybody's movin' around ♪

♪ Everybody's movin' around ♪

♪ Busy people movin' around ♪

♪ There's so much information ♪

♪ Late for a meeting ♪

♪ Catching a plane ♪

♪ Magazines ♪

♪ Checking your watch ♪

♪ So many commercials
confusing me ♪

♪ Instruction manuals ♪

♪ I think I'm going
to lose my mind ♪

♪ And my head
is spinning in circles ♪

Ha!

Huh!

Chk-ah!

♪ Everybody's movin' around ♪

♪ Everybody's movin' around ♪

♪ Busy people runnin' around ♪

♪ There's too much information ♪
This song is almost done.

♪ Everybody's movin' around ♪

♪ Everybody's movin' around ♪

♪ Busy people runnin' around ♪

♪ So much information ♪

♪ For my head ♪

It's about people moving around.

I had been watching Lee
writing stuff

and I saw Marky trying
to write stuff,

and I just thought, you know,
I bet I could do that.

And, um, so I just jotted a
little something down, you know?

And, uh, couple months later
it was a hit.

Uh, some of you
may know this next...

well, all of you know this next
song.

Um...

It was on a movie soundtrack.

In a very, uh,
very famous movie.

"Sun Warriors"!

That's right. "Sun Warriors."

You know it.

♪ I was thinkin'
'bout the workin' day ♪

♪ The day is done ♪

♪ But I only know
you want to get out ♪

♪ And have some fun ♪

♪ I'm tryin' not to scowl ♪

♪ If it wasn't so wild ♪

♪ I come undone ♪

♪ Why can't you
save time for me ♪

♪ There isn't much, but
it's all that I want from you ♪

Well, "Save Time for Me"
is the biggest hit,

but I don't consider it to be
part of the Test Pattern canon,

so to speak.

It's just a song

that I play guitar on.

And it's not us as a band;
It's really more Anita's song.

♪ Victims of circumstance ♪

♪ Avoiding our every chance ♪

♪ Against all moments ♪

♪ Why can't you
save time for me ♪

I think the problem is and was

that it became more of
a money-making endeavor.

Certain band members found that
it was more important for them

to buy things like houses
and cars and tennis rackets...

Instead of really being
more cohesive

and to continue
exploring music and sound.

Well...

I was panhandling over by
the old train tracks,

and Buster told me
to move it along.

So I shuffled down to the
five-and-dime on Lincoln Street

and bought myself a pair
of used roller skates

in all faded yellow and green.

But then, Rosalita, well...

or as Rosa,
as I like to call her...

On Tuesdays.

She said she wanted
a pair of roller skates,

so I gave 'em to her.

Never could skate worth a damn.

♪ Busted light
in the motel sign ♪

♪ Broken watch
don't tell me the time ♪

♪ Two left shoes
and a dusty coat ♪

♪ I reach for my wallet
and I found a note, ha-ha-ha ♪

♪ It said I owe you 7 cents ♪

♪ I promise I'll pay you
on Monday ♪

♪ Meet me at
the burnt-down hair salon ♪

♪ Oh, wait,
that place burnt down ♪

♪ I said I owe you 7 cents ♪

♪ I promise I'll pay you
on Monday ♪

♪ Meet me at
the burnt-down hair salon ♪

♪ Oh, wait,
that place burnt down ♪

♪ The kerosene reading lamps
become my best friend ♪

♪ But it's starting to get wise
to my fibs ♪

♪ And the city skyline
is a forest of trees ♪

♪ And the stockyard
is filled with old cabs ♪

♪ And the tilt-a-whirl
got rusty ♪

♪ But still the music plays ♪

I hate it.

I hate that it's
Test Pattern's last concert.

I feel like
we're just hitting our stride

and I-I-I'd love
to keep playing.

You know, we're just starting
to make some real money.

But, you know, Lee says,
uh, you know,

artists don't look
in the rear-view mirror

and they move forward
and break up bands, I guess.

So this song here is, uh,
kind of the last song we wrote.

And, uh, I hope you like it.

♪ Had a crazy meal with
my friends the other night ♪

♪ How long should we stay? ♪

♪ Should we wait until
they turn out all the lights ♪

♪ Good-bye, good-bye, good-bye ♪

♪ They said it's time to go ♪

♪ Time to go ♪

♪ A couple walks
along an abandoned studio ♪

♪ This is where I stood ♪

♪ I said something good,
but I forgot the joke ♪

♪ She said it's time to go ♪

♪ Good-bye, good-bye, good-bye ♪

♪ Good-bye ♪

Really,
we're not calling it quits

as much as hibernating
for a long, long time.

And even if we don't
get back together

as a rock group or an art group,

the concept of Test Pattern,
which is all visual,

can keep going.

♪ Good-bye, good-bye, good-bye ♪

- ♪ They said it's time to go ♪
- ♪ Good-bye ♪

♪ Good-bye, good-bye, good-bye ♪

I'd like to thank everybody
for coming tonight.

♪ Good-bye, good-bye, good-bye ♪

Our producer is here.

He produced all our records.
Ooto Keirsha.

♪ Good-bye, good-bye, good-bye ♪

♪ Good-bye, good-bye, good-bye ♪

♪ They said it's time to go ♪

♪ Time to go ♪

Thank you.

Thank you.