GE 1997-8 Season 4 Episode 24: The Love Blister Show
Note: this is not a transcript, but a working draft of the script, so there may be differences in the aired version.
MUSIC: THEME IN.
PAUL: Love Blister is one of the
young breed of Newfoundland
bands - brash, regressive,
innovative and self-assured.
The band is at the heart of a
homegrown musical genre known
as slag rock.
Last year, when Love Blister
released their inaugural cd,
“Wad”, it sent shock waves
through the scenes and sub-
scenes that connect the music
to the music industry.
Insiders are unanimous: Love
Blister is scorching hot and
ready to burst the boundaries
of the Newfoundland slag rock
scene for national and
possibly even international
acclaim.
Whither Love Blister? Ecce
homo Slag Rock? I decided it
was time to check on the
contmporary music scene. In
exchange for my services as
sometime roadie, Love Blister
agreed to let me accompany
them on their recent tour.
This is my audio diary of that
time. Love Blister is: singer
Marie Loder; guitarist Pudge
Rossiter; bassist Leo Burry;
and drummer Hugo Barrett.
SFX: PAUL WALKS DOWN THE HALLS,
APPROACHING SOUND OF
REHEARSING BAND.
PAUL: Love Blister rehearses for
their tour in the ruins of a
Newfoundland recording
industry shrine. These
mouldering hallways echo with
the strains of generations of
great music. In the late
`30’s, the building was home
to Newfoundland Victrolagraph.
Successes were scored with
local artists like the Walking
Strings, Red Kelland and the
Cow Bay Cowboys, Jeff Jeff
French, and Little Effie May
Lewis.
A 1950s reincarnation as
Newfoundland School Studios
avoided insolvency and ushered
in the `60’s. Folk bands and
white boy quartets - The
Daisies, the Four Tips - were
what finally put a nail in the
coffin.
Renowned for their great
acoustics, these studios were
saved by Herb Peters. Herb
used his legendary business
acumen and uncanny sound feel
to create The Electric Abbey
Muscle Factory. In 1970 he
convinced Paul McCartney to
come here and use the majestic
‘bass drone’ of Electric
Abbey’s Studio #9 for the
bedtracks of Paul’s album
“Ram.” After that, the
heavies and the not-so-heavies
of the music industry, local
and international, beat a path
to Electric Abbey to lay down
their stuff.
I remember coming up here a
few times after gigs, being
invited into the green room --
or the paisley room, as they
called it then -- sipping
Koolaid, smoking a bit of herb
-- they used to hide the bongs
and chillums and stuff behind
this electrical pan--
SFX: PIPES, BONGS AND CHILLUMS
CRASH TO FLOOR.
PAUL: Enough about rock and roll
past -- time to meet the
practitioners of the present.
SFX: BAND REHEARSAL SPACE.
PAUL: Ah, the band rehearses.
BAND RUN-THROUGH:
MARIE: Oh, heh, hi, come on in.
Guys, this is Paul Moss.
PAUL: Moth.
MARIE: He’s gonna do a documentary of
us on the road.
HUGO: What’s with the microphone?
MARIE: Baby, I said he’s gonna be
recording us for a radio
documentary.
HUGO: Yeah, I gotta go get some
fresh air, I’ll be back in
five or something, ten.
LEO: (calling after) Hugo, come on
man, we gotta.... Ah. You
know, Marie, the thing with
Hugo is, he’s an arsehole.
MARIE: He’s in the band, Leo. Deal
with it.
PAUL: Guys, come on, I’ve seen this
kind of acrimony destroy so
many promising groups...
Maybe I can just sit in here
while Hugo is off powdering
his brain.
LEO: What’s the point.
MARIE: Come on, Leo, let’s just jam a
little, keep loose.
PAUL: All right! I don’t know any
of your repertoire, but ah,
you guys must know
Innagaddadavida...
SFX: TO DRUM SOLO AND FADE PAUL
WATCHES AS HUGO AND PUDGE LOAD
GEAR ONTO BUS
PAUL: Ah, the Sysyphucian toil of
humping gear back and forth,
back and forth, in and out of
club after club.
LEO: (straining with lift) You
think you could get the door
there, Paul?
PAUL: Sure. Boys, I’d love to give
you a hand, but you know, the
back.
LEO: Ya. No problem.
PAUL: Who’s the guy talking to
Marie?
LEO: That’s Barry. He’s with
Attitude Management.
PAUL: Right. Must be the guy I
talked to on the phone.
LEO: He booked the tour, and he’s
working on getting us a record
deal.
PAUL: He looks like he’s working on
a lot more than that.
LEO: Heh, Hugo, are ya gonna at
least load your own drums?
HUGO: Load this.
MARIE: You bys ready? It’s getting
late. We should hit the road.
PAUL: I’m gutfounded. Can we stop
for a bite on the way out of
town?
BARRY: Who’s this guy? Ruben Fuckin’
Kinkaid?
PAUL: Listen, I knew the real Reuben
Kinkaid -- the guy the
character was based on -- and
let me assure you, he was not
a man to be trifled with.
BARRY: You knew Joe Gardinia ?
PAUL: We organized a little rock
thing in the sun, down
Altamont Speedway way.
BARRY: You’re Paul Moth? You’re Paul
Moth! Guys, I got something
in the car I gotta show you.
SFX: AWAY
PAUL: (Sotto voce) Knob.
LEO: What’s that, Marie?
MARIE: The schedule for the tour.
LEO: 32 towns in 11 nights!
HUGO: Which nights?
BARRY: O.k., I got it, look at this,
here, in this window on
Physical Graffitti !
LEO: Wow.
BARRY: And look at this, cover of Sgt
Peppers, third row, fourth
from the right ... who’s that,
who’s that, hey ?
LEO: Jeez, Paul, it’s you.
BARRY: DAMASCUS) Ah ! Huh ! “The
Walrus was Paul !”
PAUL: Yeah, yeah, yeah, okay, I am
the Walrus.
BARRY: That never made any sense to
me. There was no way
McCartney could have been the
walrus.
MARIE: What’s the Walrus?
HUGO: I don’t know.
BARRY: I’m Barry “The Hit Man”
Morton.
PAUL: Pleased to meet you.
BARRY: You want to know why they call
me “The Hit Man” ?
PAUL: Because that’s what you call
yourself?
BARRY: Because I’m a one man hit
maker. A band takes a crap
with me it’s a hit. Tell him,
baby.
MARIE: He’s a one man hit maker.
BARRY: I turn the crap of bands into
solid gold. King Midas --
that’s what Aaron used to call
me, or Germaine, or one of the
Neville brothers anyway: King
Fucking Midas. By the way,
Marie, whenever you’re ready,
that Midas touch has a few
other uses you might be
interested in.
HUGO: Fuck you, man.
BARRY: Heh, you’re pretty articulate
for a drummer.
HUGO: Fuck you.
BARRY: I take it back. Paul, you
know what? Love Booster?
PAUL: Love Blister?
BARRY: That’s right, they are going
all the way because The Hit
Man is going to show them the
way.
PAUL: I believe.
BARRY: The next album? It’s not
going to go platinum, it’s
going to go titanium. All
right?
MARIE: Ya, that’s great, Barry, but
can we just finish talking
about the tour?
BARRY: What about the tour?
MARIE: Can’t we cut some of these
gigs?
BARRY: Look, I am taking a bath on
this tour as it is. I only
organized it as a favour for
you.
HUGO: Ya sure. Here’s a favour for
you.
BARRY: You got to get your stage
thing happening, I’m grooming
you, okay ? For this
Stinkhammer fucking thing on
the 13th.
You think everybody knows who
you fucking are ? Nobody
knows who you fucking are.
You are fucking nobodies. Leo?
Hugo ? You fucking hear that?
You are fucking NOBODY ! Do I
make myself clear ?
MARIE: Ya, ya, o.k., the nobody
thing. Great Barry. C’mon
guys, let’s just get going.
PAUL: Shotgun !
LEO: I had dibs on that !
PAUL: Make room for Poppy, young
fella.
SFX: VAN DOORS SLAM. VAN LEAVES.
BARRY: Remember: the 13th at the
Stinkhammer. Radio fucking
head. Neil Fucking Young,
Bjork what ever her fucking
name is. And you guys. And
you’ve got me to thank for it.
So get your fucking act
together!
MUSICAL SEGUE
SFX: BACK OF THE BUS. PAUL
INTERVIEWING THE BAND.
ELECTRIC GUITAR HIGH E STRING
BEING TUNED. HUGO IS
EXPERIMENTING WITH SOME
PARAPHERNALIA
PAUL: Woof woof, testing. Jeez,
it’s cold back here.
HUGO: Heater doesn’t work.
LEO: And there’s a hole in the
floor. Watch out !
HUGO: Rock ‘n’ roll, Paul, rock ‘n’
roll.
Wanna hit ?
SFX: PIPE
PAUL: No, thanks. Now, I want to
get a little audio verite,
guys, that o.k.?
LEO/HUGO: Yeah, sure.
(silence)
HUGO: What?
PAUL: Just act normal.
HUGO: Pass me that bag there.
PAUL: Sure. How long have you guys
been together ?
LEO: About a year.
HUGO: (SNORTING) Hmmm ? Oh, I was
with Brain Heat for awhile,
but when Brainheat split up
...
LEO: Yeah, there was Brainheat One
and Brainheat Two.
HUGO: That’s when Leo came over on
bass ...
LEO: Yeah, I was playing lead in
Hitler’s Very Dentures at the
time, but I knew Hugo from
Skrank the year before.
PAUL: And Pudge ?
HUGO: Pudge is a monster, man.
Pudge was in Butt Fly.
Got a match ?
LEO: Pudge is a man of few words.
Aren’t ya, Pudge?
HUGO: (laughter snorts)
GUITAR STRING TUNED UP.
SIGHS. SUCKING OR SNARFING OR
FLAMES FROM HUGO
LEO: We all knew Marie from when
she was with The Jumps. Half
the guys from Brainheat ...
two, was it, Hugo ?
HUGO: One, I think.
LEO: Drew Walsh one of ‘em, anyway.
HUGO: Me ‘n’ you played with him in
... what was the name of that
band?
LEO: The one with buddy Hogan on
organ ?
HUGO: Yeah.
LEO: Drew had that old Strat.
HUGO: Oh man.
LEO: Remember ... Spider ! Spider
Hogan !
HUGO: Right !
LEO: ‘Member the night Spider
showed up at the gig with a
box of pills.
HUGO: That was funny.
LEO: Whatever happened to Spider,
anyway ?
HUGO: I don’t know. He just
disappeared.
Man, if you think about it,
that’s incredible. I haven’t
seen him since then ...
He’s like one of those
disappeared people in South
Afrcamerica, where they do
that. Wow. That’s freaky.
That’s freakin’ me out, man.
I can’t handle it.
SFX: THE PIPE. LAUGHTER, GUITAR
STILL BEING TUNED, PAUL WALKS
TO FRONT OF THE BUS, MARIE
DRIVES
PAUL: Call it latent sexism Marie
but I was surprised to find
that you handle the driving.
MARIE: My Dad drives a rig so ...
it’s second nature. And none
of the boys can drive.
PAUL: Alas, neither can I. How did
you get into the music scene,
Marie?
MARIE: I’ve been in it forever, at
least as long I can remember,
I was Sweet Marie Loder.
PAUL: Omigod! It’s true! I never
put it together.
Newfoundland’s Sweetheart,
Sweet Marie. You played the
comb and wore that
Newfoundland Tartan skirt ...
MARIE: Danced a little jig.
PAUL: Right! And then showed up at
the St. John’s Folk Festival
with a shaved head and a bone
in your nose.
MARIE: The folk establishment didn’t
take kindly to that.
PAUL: What are your expectations
now?
MARIE: I think we have a chance of
taking this band somewhere.
The original material is good,
and in the live show we do
some interesting retro covers,
the boys are all decent
players with the possible
exeception of Hugo, who has
problems and well ... he’s an
idiot.
PAUL: Yes, I was coming to that.
MARIE: He probably shouldn’t be in
the band but he’s my
boyfriend... I love the guy.
What’s your story, with the
drums?
PAUL: That? Oh that was nothing, I
dabbled for a bit.
MARIE: Any bands?
PAUL: Ever hear of the Rolling
Stones?
MARIE: No.
PAUL: They’re an old band. I was in
England in ‘68 and this band,
“the Stones” people called
them, were going to go with
this two drummer thing. So
Brian Jones - he was one of
the guitar players -- invites
me to join the band. We’re
partying at his place, and
you’ve got to understand these
guys were big stars back then,
and Brian has a pool - AT HIS
HOUSE. I go for a swim, “Hey
Brian,” I say “come on in, the
water’s great” Next thing I
know ... dead .... the other
Stones were very upset. Then
I got heavy into student
politics for awhile and then I
was with this band “The
Constabulary”, they dropped me
and became “The Police” and
after that I did a brief stint
with this great band, “DeClan
McManus and the Repulsives”
they broke up and ... I don’t
know what happened to them.
Watch out for the moose !
FIRST GIG
SFX: SOUND CHECK IN NOISY CLUB.
PAUL: The excitement and
anticipation of the first
night of the tour palpable
now. We’ve crossed the entire
island in a break-neck eight
hours, making it to Corner
Brook in time for the gig in
this ... less than savoury
nightclub -- although,
luckily, the kitchen is still
open. (calls) Could I get a
side of onion rings with that,
too ? All right!
(starting to hoot along with
crowd)
PROMOTER: And now, VOZG-FM Corner Brook
is proud to present ... Love
Blister !
SFX: BAND BEGINS PLAYING, CROWD
INTO IT. FADE TO APRES GIG
GREEN ROOM.
PAUL: That wasn’t too bad.
MARIE: We sucked.
PAUL: Heh, Hugo, nice feel, really
understated.
HUGO: Wha’?
PAUL: I like the way you layed out
during the Bung tune.
LEO: Laying out? He was passing
out.
PAUL: Well, whatever, it worked
really well.
SFX: ENTER LIONEL, THE CLUB OWNER.
LIONEL: I don’t know why I bother.
PAUL: What’s the problem?
LIONEL: I have a soft spot for the
young people, I suppose.
MARIE: What is the problem?
LIONEL: After the accomodations, tab
at the bar... your man Hugo
there can put ‘em back ...
what I’m out of pocket for the
posters ... you guys owe me
thirty-six bucks.
MARIE: That hall was packed!
LIONEL: With beer drinkers! You’re no
going to make any money unless
you get a liquor crowd. I had
a cock-fight once -- that drew
a real liquor crowd. Not to
worry my duckie, I’ll
straighten it out with Barry.
Now what say you give your
Uncle Lionel a kiss.
MARIE: You’re not my uncle.
LIONEL: Pretend.
CROSS TO MONTAGE OF GIGS OVER GRUNGY VAMP.
MUSIC: VAMP.
SFX: CARS WHOOSHING BY ON HIGHWAY.
PAUL: (voiceover) Stephenville
Crossing.
VOX: Ladies and gentlemen, Love
Blister!
SFX: CROWD CHEERS. HIGHWAY
WHOOSHING.
PAUL: Parson’s Pond.
MARIE: Check, check one two.
SFX: HIGHWAY WHOOSHING.
PAUL: Badger’s Quay.
LEO AND MARIE: Get in the van, quick! Come
on, get in the van!
SFX: SCREECHING TIRES.
PAUL: Bishop’s Falls.
SFX: CROWD CHEERS. HIGHWAY
WHOOSHING.
PAUL: Twillingate.
SFX: PUMP ACTION SHOT GUN FIRES
AFTER THEM.
PAUL: Nipper’s Harbour. ... Dark
Cove... Burgeo... Barachois
Brook ... Isle aux Morts...
Buchans...
SFX: STALLED ENGINE ON SIDE OF
HIGHWAY. POLICE SIREN PULLING
THEM OVER, BOOING CROWD,
FIGHT IN BAR.
SFX: Motel room. Fight next door
betwen Liz and Drummer. Paul
sppeaks into mic
PAUL: Ten days on the road and the
strain is beginning to show.
The band members are
bickering, the van seems
smaller and smaller with every
mile logged. Marie and Hugo’s
relationship is getting pretty
shakey. She deserves better.
Hugo has serious ... issues,
and I have suspicions about
his ongoing Chemistry project.
Tonight we’re staying at the
Blue Puffin Motel and while
these bed sheets are ...
dubious I am looking forward
to a good nights sleep. I
wonder about Marie, if she
splits up with Hugo, ahhhh
... no doubt these are the
delusional musings of an old
man. Note to myself, erase
this tape.
SFX: Knock on door. Paul answers.
MARIE: Can I come in?
SFX: she comes in.
PAUL: Oh .. yeah sure.
MARIE: Wow ... what are those?
PAUL: Oh sorry, exit wounds, I’ll
just put a shirt on.
MARIE: I was wondering ...?
PAUL: (hopefully) Yeah?
MARIE: Hug and I just had a little
fight.
PAUL: I could hear.
MARIE: Do you think I could sleep
here?
PAUL: No problem at all.
MARIE: Oh that is so kind. Here’s
the key to our room, Hug will
understand.
PAUL: Your ... right, right ... I’ll
just get my hot water bottle
and my tape machine.
SFX: Paul exits. Into hall.
PAUL: Oh fucking joy.
SFX: Paul into new motel room.
Inside Hugo is listening to
The Doors.
HUGO: Hey Poppy.
PAUL: Hug. Marie’s in my room, I’ll
sleep here. That’s not a hash
pipe, is it?
HUGO: No. (big inhale of crack)
PAUL: And don't call me Poppy!
HUGO: Don’t call me Hugo.
PAUL: What should I call you?
HUGO: The artist formerly known as
Hugo.
PAUL: How about I call you Hugo Fuck
yourself.
SFX: Big fight breaks out.
CROSS TO:
SFX: COUNTRY AND WESTERN BAR.
Major Melee outside door.
Door opens and closes, Paul
enters
PAUL: Jeez, Leo, what happened to
you?
LEO: I got stabbed!
MARIE: What’s going on out there ?
LEO: Barry booked us in here as a
Country and Western act.
HUGO: Come on, man let’s just leave.
LEO: Not possible.
PAUL: Why not?
LEO: They’ve got Pudge. They’re
... “holding” him.
MARIE: All right, come on, we’ll give
‘em what they want.
PAUL: You know stuff?
MARIE: Yeah, Dad’s a huge fan, you
know ...
CROSS TO: BAR SFX, BAND BEGINS TO PLAY A
GEORGE JONES TUNE, “HE STOPPED
LOVING HER TODAY” ... Paul at
bar, speaks into microphone
PAUL: That is the mark of a great
band, always mindful of the
mob, able to take the crowd in
their hands and after cajoling
and scolding them, winning
them over with the gentle
caress, sliding their hands
down .... ah, these young
people impress me, especially
Marie ... a strong woman,
determined, self assured and
so incredibly alluring in
either go-go boots or simple
oxfords ... ah ... I know!
when I get back to St. John’s
I’ll pick her up a pair of
Ferragamo’s or maybe those
Puce Patrick Cox jobbies with
the ... who am I fooling ?
UP ON END OF “HE STOPPED LOVING HER TODAY”
SFX: Motel room. Big fight next
door.
PAUL: Day eleven and there is no way
this band will still be
together by the time they hit
St. John’s tomorrow. Marie
and Hugo are at it again. Ah!
They’ve stopped ... No
doubt...
SFX: knock on door. Paul to door
MARIE: Hi. Hug and I, had a bit of a
racket.
PAUL: Right. Well Marie, last night
myself and Hugo got in a bit
of dust-up and then later I
woke up and his bed was on
fire. So I don’t think ...
MARIE: I’ll just get in bed with you.
PAUL: Ahhh ...
MARIE: Sleeping.
PAUL: Of course, of course.
SFX: The two getting into bed
PAUL: I’ll just turn off the ...
SFX: tape off. tape starts up. Paul
whispers
PAUL: Marie sleeps soundly,
untroubled by her tumultuous
relationship with the drug
addled baboon Hugo or the fact
that this band’s career
depends on tomorrow night’s
gig. Look at her she’s
beautiful. I cannot sleep. I
am troubled by a cramping and
knotting of ... if I could
turn my mind to ... wooooooh
.... etc. Better go walk this
baby off.
BUS 3 TO ST. JOHN’S. TRAVEL MUSIC.
LEO: There it is !
MARIE: Look at that !
HUGO: What? What is it ?
LEO: St. John’s, sin city.
PAUL: If you can make it there, you
can make it anywhere.
HALLS OUSIDE GREENROOM AT THE
STINK
PAUL: Wheeeewww. Backstage, night
of the big gig. The
Stinkhammer, the club du cappo
clubbo of the St. John’s ...
clubs, or something, big gig
anyway, geez I can’t believe
how nervous I am for these
guys ... Hi Bjork ... down
there to your left ... I’m
with the band ?
SFX: INTO GREENROOM, POOL BEING
PLAYED
PAUL: Hey, team !
ALL: Paul, etc.
PAUL: Good, good stay loose, good
idea shoot a few frames ...
now when you get out there...
set list ... start with
Working For The Weekend,
that’ll throw them off ...
HUGO stop smoking that ...
MARIE: Calm down, Paul!
PAUL: God, it’s such a big night. I
was out there and it’s like
every heavy in the business
... Ewan Quinlan, and ...
David Geffen ... nevermind,
it’ll just make you nervous.
enter Barry
BARRY: Hi guys.
ALL: Barry ...
BARRY: Well, it’s just as your
fucking truly arranged, there
are people out there from
every major label, MAI, CSIS,
G-7, Polygraph, everybody.
Now, before the fucking pep
talk, there is a little matter
of signing a contract.
MARIE: Ya, well, we’ve been
thinking...
BARRY: Big mistake.
PAUL: Listen Barry I’ve looked over
the contract ...
BARRY: Who are you F Lee Fucking
Bailey.
PAUL: They can’t sign it, it makes
them indentured servants of
the label.
BARRY: What’s new.
MARIE: We can’t sign it Barry.
BARRY: You can’t sign it? You can’t
sign it? Then you can’t go
on! Do you comprende! Sign
it or walk out that door back
marked obscurity.
HUGO: Which door is that one?
PAUL: Hand me the cue there, Pudge.
SFX: Smash of pool cue over Barry’s
head. Barry collapses
LEO: Did you kill him?
SFX: Paul kicks Barry, muffled
groan
PAUL: He seems alive.
HUGO: Arrrgggghhhhh.
Hugo collapses
PAUL: Hugo, it’s okay, he’s not
dead.
LEO: He doesn’t look right!
PAUL: Oh noooooo. I’ve seen that
look in my eyes. Hugo!
Hugo! Just say no to drugs
kids. Quick get me a can of
Florient, a cup of salt and a
Zippo lighter.
LEO: I’ll take the drugs!
PAUL: Good thinking, Leo.
I can save his life, he may
even be able to urinate
without help, but I don’t
think Hugo is ever going to
play the drums again.
MARIE: This is easily the worst
moment of my life.
PAUL: Why?
MARIE: All the work, all the crap
gigs, for this?
PAUL: No, Marie this how the script
always goes, and in every band
I ever played in ? I was that
drummer on the floor in drug
induced cardiac arrest ... oh,
and beginning to asphixiate in
his own vomit, just roll him
over would you, Leo ? ... and
the show goes on. I’ll play
tonight!
MARIE: Would you!
PAUL: For you.
MARIE: It’s fifty bucks.
PAUL: What! Okay yes sure. In
advance ?
MARIE: Leo, tell the lighting guy to
keep it dark back there. LET’S
GO!
ON STAGE AT THE STINK, BAND BUSTS INTO
“INAGODDADAVIDA” AND THE CROWD
GOES WILD.
sfx: Backstage at the Stink. Paul
is breathing very heavily,
exhausted. Marie enters.
MARIE: Wow.
PAUL: And whew. I think it went
very well.
MARIE: I was just talking to Ewan
Quinlan. He wants to
represent me.
PAUL: Maybe it’s going to happen.
MARIE: GRU has already offered me a
five record deal. ... Solo.
PAUL: Of course.
MARIE steps closer.
MARIE: Thanks for everything Paul.
PAUL: My pleasure and duty Marie.
MARIE: This last while on the road
....well ...
PAUL: Yes?
MARIE: I’ve had certain ... feelings
... and ... (surprise) I can
see you have them too!
PAUL: What, oh that’s a hidden
microphone ... just let me
TO BLACK.