Saw a suggestion on a Steely Dan Twitter feed for characters from their songs inhabiting a movie. Who would be the leads & how would the plot develop? Their songs definitely lend themselves to a cinematic vibe & I could easily envisage a movie in a David Lynch/ neo-Noir style, possibly featuring Willem Defoe or Christopher Walken, not to mention who might play Dr Wu or the Babylon Sisters.
It got me thinking, which song characters could live outside of their domain? What if David Watts met Billy Hunt?
Dave from acquisitions crossed paths with Jennifer ( of De La Soul fame)? or if one of Fountains of Wayne’s characters stepped into a plot with Sweet Jane or Johnny the Fox?
Any ideas?
Characters from songs that could have lives beyond them ( possibly interacting with other characters from other songs).
by 51 Comments
David Watts met Billy Hunt while working in and office block in some strange town, under the supervision of for Mr. Clean. Travelling back on the tube late one night (it was gone midnight) they noticed his constant bullying of ageing work colleague Smithers-Jones, and in cahoots with secretary Liza Radley hatched a plan to f*ck up his life.
I did have an idea much along these lines. Mine was a class divide thing based around Billy Hunt from the estate, middle class David Watts, Tarquin Smithers-Jones from the private school. They meet in the local park as kids where football removes all class barriers. Go their separate ways, paths never quite crossing again until one night they meet by chance in the tube station etc. It was only ever an idea….
Was it a young idea?
Poncho and Lefty, of course.
Lily, Rosemary and the Jack of Hearts.
and Black Diamond Bay. That’s a whole movie.
Grandma (from the St Winifred’s Girl Choir) and grandad (Clive Dunn) for some geriatric rumpy-pumpy after the Darby And John shuts
While Uncle Albert and Uncle Ernie watch on
Then there’s Marmalade Emma and Teddy Grimes:
Immortalised on vinyl here:
To meet with Alice in the Bacon Box.
Layla and Lola: same chick.
Also starring Lyla and Derek Guyler
Directed by who other than William Wyler
Soundtrack by Albert Ayler
Ably assisted by Bunny Wailer and Roger Taylor
Both of whom, having been Heartbroken, read Norman Mailer and got a new tailor.
And produced by Trudie Styler
Chick? Are you sure?
Layla is Patti Boyd (Harrison), don’t think Lola is …
But based on Layla & Majnun (Arabic: مجنون ليلى Majnūn Laylā, (Persian:لیلی و مجنون)’Layla’s Mad Lover’) an old story of Arabic origin about the 7th-century Bedouin poet Qays ibn al-Mulawwah and his ladylove Layla bint Mahdi (later known as Layla al-Aamiriya).
‘Jacob’ from ‘I Know What I Like (In Your Wardrobe). I see him in in a ‘Play For Today’, played by Paul Copley.
I’m certain that The Divine Comedy’s Lady of a certain age flirted with the protagonist of You’re so vain at a party on a yacht on the Cote D’Azure. Little did she know however that at that very moment, Prefab Sprout’s Best Jewel Thief in the World was breaking into her apartment and rummaging through her drawers.
He comes away with the green earrings and the rings of rare design, but he doesn’t manage to get his hands on the Greek medallion that sparkles when she smiles. He doesn’t mind, really.
Twinkle’s Terry is riding his motorbike on his way to ask White Plains’ Julie if she really loves him only for tragedy to happen
Does he meet his untimely end in a horrible head-on collision with The Shangri-Las’ Leader Of The Pack ?
Or alternatively in a horrific pile-up with Joanie from The Answerphone song caused by a taxi driver. Driver 67 was distracted by thinking about her in number 83 and never saw that red light.
Yes both are stopped at some traffic lights near Waterloo Bridge when Flight 1203 from the EBs’ Ebony Eyes plummets from the skies and Immolates them in the resultant fireball.
Bryan Ferry’s “friend” from Every Dream Home A Heartache returns, second-“hand”*, in The Police’s Sally.
(*ewwwww)
Bryan Ferry got Ms Pinky, in refurbed condition we hope, from Zappa. Frank got her as a gift from some Scandinadian dude. Frank doesn’t reveal whether she was received factory fresh or used.
Real or Sears….?
That is the crux of the biscuit…
Wild Billy from Bruce’s Wild Billy’s Circus Story is heading to Nebraska…
Practically every song Springsteen has ever written is a potential movie script.
Surely Tarantino or Scorcese has at some point considered turning Meeting Across The River into a film?
Does he meet Outlaw Pete from the lamest song the Boss ever wrote en route?
Marie-Claire is forced to flee the Boulevard Saint-Michel after Peter Sarstedt’s shocking revelation that he can look inside her head. She ends up sad and lonely in Blackpool until consoled by George Formby and his little stick of rock.
Mark E Smith has neither a belt or a bulb to his name, but his luck changes when he happens across Flavor Flav who is in the process of Cold Lampin’.
She’s Leaving Home is a script for a kitchen sink drama if ever I saw one. Rita Tushingham to play the runaway daughter. I’m sure someone can suggest a relevant song character for the man from the motor trade.
The bloke from Brazil in Driving In My Car.
Arfur Daley, a little dodgy maybe. But underneath ”es alright
It’s a very strange story. The person who Macca read about and inspired the song was called Melanie Coe. Unbeknownst to him, he had actually met her 3 years earlier when she won a dancing contest on Ready Steady Go!
@atcf
Sold!
I’ve never bought a second-hand car. Doesn’t the fact that all dealers come from London make it rather inconvenient? Especially if you are in, say, Guatemala?
E-Bay is your friend at this point, M
I’ve heard* that using Facebook Marketplace is a guarantee of value for money and honesty.
*from maniacs
Lahvly litul mohtah! One very careful owner – a vicar, I believe
If you look into any office window late at night, you will see the cleaners diligently emptying bins and cleaning the toilets. If you watch for long enough….you might see…out of the corner of your eye…and just for a moment…a frying pan!?
No! you didn’t imagine it. Meet Sweet Loretta Fart. She thought she was the best cleaner in all of Liverpool. But – she was only a frying pan.
The Supervisor said : “Loretta! I need you to hoover the floor!”
Loretta said “Sir, I am the best cleaner in all of Liverpool. But alas I cannot operate a hoover! I’m only a frying pan!”
Several more similar situations follow until we get to some task as yet undefined that Loretta CAN do. And then everyone’s happy.
(Do you think I can get a children’s book out of this?)
No, but you could make a fortune if you franchise the illegal substances you’ve been indulging in.
Are you better, are you well well well?
Bloody hell that takes me back.
@jaygee
No drugs for me – just high on life, man ! (bursts into tears).
As the OP mentioned, there are a ton of short stories in Fountains of Wayne songs, mostly written by the late Adam Schlesinger.
The flirting Ron Burgundy-style newsroom antics of Traffic and Weather. The quiet desperation of Barbara H. The family dramas of The Summer Place or A Fine Day for a Parade. The many alcoholics on the Welcome Interstate Managers album. All of them ideal for neatly plotted New Yorker-style tales.
‘She’s been afraid of the Cuisinart since 1977’