New York Social Life - Laurie Anderson, Scott Johnson

Well, I was lying in bed one morning, trying to think of a good reason to get

up, and the phone rang and it was Geri and she said: Hey, hi!

How are you?

What’s going on?

How’s your work?

Oh fine.

You know, just waking up but it’s fine, it’s going OK, how’s yours?

Oh a lot of work, you know, I mean, I’m trying to make some money too.

Listen, I gotta get back to it, I just thought I’d call to see how you are …

And I said: Yeah, we should really get together next week.

You know, have lunch,

and talk.

And she says: Yeah, uh, I’ll be in touch.

OK?

OK

Uh, listen, take care

OK.

Take it easy

Bye bye

Bye now.

And I get up, and the phone rings and it’s a man from Cleveland and he

says: Hey, hi!

How are you?

Listen I’m doing a performance series and I’d like

you to do something in it.

Uh, you know, you could make a little money.

I mean, I don’t know how I _feel_ about your work, you know, it’s not really

my style, it’s kind of trite, but listen, it’s _just_ my opinion,

don’t take it personally.

So listen, I’ll be in town next week.

I gotta go now, but I’ll give you a call, and we’ll have lunch,

and we can discuss a few things

And I hang up and it rings again and I don’t answer it and I go out for a walk

and I drop in at the gallery and they say: Hey, hi.

How are you?

Oh fine.

You know

How’s your work going?

OK.

I mean …

You know it’s not like it was in the sixties.

I mean, those were the days,

there’s just no money around now, you know, survive, produce, stick it out,

it’s a jungle out there, just gotta keep working

And the phone rings and she says: Oh excuse me, will you?

Hey, hi!

How are you?

Uh huh.

How’s your work?

_Good._ Well, listen, stick it out, I mean,

it’s not the sixties, you know, listen, I gotta go now, but, uh,

lunch would be great.

Fine, next week?

Yeah.

Very busy now, but next week

would be fine, OK?

Bye bye

Bye now

And I go over to Magoo’s, for a bite, and I see Frank and I go over to his

table and I say:

Hey Frank.

Hi, how are you?

How’s your work?

Yeah, mine’s OK too.

Listen, I’m broke you know, but, uh, working … Listen, I gotta go now, uh,

we should _really_ get together, you know.

Why don’t you drop by sometime?

Yeah, that would be great.

OK.

Take care

Take it easy

I’ll see you

I’ll call you

Bye now

Bye bye

And I go to a party and everyone’s sitting around wearing these party hats and

it’s really awkward and no one can think of anything to say.

So we all move

around--fast--and it’s: Hi!

How are you?

Where’ve you been?

Nice to see you.

Listen, I’m sorry I missed your thing last week, but we should really get

together, you know, maybe next week.

I’ll call you.

I’ll see you

Bye bye

And I go home and the phone rings and it’s Alan and he says: You know,

I’m gonna have a show on, uh, cable TV and it’s gonna be about loneliness,

you know, people in the city who for whatever sociological, psychological,

philosophical reasons just can’t seem to communicate, you know, The Gap,

The Gap, uh, it’ll be a talk show and people’ll phone in but we will say at

the beginning of each program: Uh, listen, don’t call in with your _personal_

problems because we don’t want to hear them

And I’m going to sleep and it rings again and it’s Mary and she says:

Hey, Laurie, how are you?

Listen, uh, I just called to say hi …

Uh, yeah, well don’t worry.

Uh, listen, just keep working.

I gotta go now.

I know it’s late but we should really get together next week maybe and have

lunch and talk and … Listen, Laurie, uh, if you want to talk before then, uh,

I’ll leave my answering machine on … and just give me a ring … anytime